bob, maybe he was a liar as well as an obnoxious person! LOL I'll beware of them, though.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the advice. I did end up staying at the Marriott as everything else was full at least one of my nights. Plusses for the Marriott: it was very conveniently located, being able to self-park was nice as I was coming and going a lot, the bed was really comfortable, and I liked the convenience of having Bristol Farms right there for healthier food options than room service or fast food.

Minuses for the Marriott: it's definitely seen better days, and is undergoing renovations. I was stuck in a room with an "adjoining room" door and had some noise issues as a result when the room next door was occupid- on my last night, I could hear every word of the hour-long phone conversation the guy next door was having with his business partner. And if I'd been paying for it out of my own pocket, I would probably consider it overpriced (the $15/day to self-park in a massive, largely empty parking garage seemed particularly ridiculous).

I had a little more free time than I'd anticipated, and so did make it into downtown Manhattan Beach one night to wander around and got some good sushi at Pennylane (I think).

After finishing up with work early one afternoon, I also made a foray to Barneys in Beverly Hills which was quite productive, so all in all, a good trip. :-)

Thanks for taking the time to get back to us with your trip report. Yes, a lot of hotels charge for parking, and $15 was average. You probably noticed the many cars on the street right in front of the Marriott. That's where we park!

I love grocery shopping at Bristol Farms, glad you got to go over there.

Sounds like all in all the working vacation turned out
well.