Planning to fly into LA on Sat. Feb.14, staying in LA somewhere Sat & Sun, then driving to Palm Springs on Mon Feb.16. Can anyone recommend an area of LA to stay that would be accessible to sightseeing and theatre while also being handy to highway to Palm Springs. Will probably try Hotwire or Priceline but there are so many areas I don't know where to start.

I don't really know what sights and things you want to see, perhaps you could let us know and we could help narrow it down. LA is so huge. I can safely say that West Hollywood, Beverly Hills or Santa Monica would all be nice places to stay.

You might also want to try the Pasadena area. It is very convenient to Palm Springs and just some 20 min. to half hour from both downtown and the Westside.

Forgot to add that Old Town Pasadena is great for strolling in the evenings and features some great places for dinner.

You say "sightseeing and theatre," which makes me wonder if you are planning on seeing something specific? Are you looking fore a hotel near a certain theatre?

If so, only stay in Pasadena if you are going to the Pasadena Playhouse.

Otherwise L.A.'s theatres are spread out all over the city.

We need more info!

Personally I love SAnta Monica. We stayed at the Radisson there and really liked it. Had a huge room. At the top is a bar/restaurant with great views.

You have shopping there, the pier, great restaurants (Ocean is one of the best), lots of people watching. Not sure about theater. You can drive up to Malibu for fabulous views.

You are spitting distance from 10 which takes you right to Palm Springs.

Heavens

I just did a trip report on LA and San Diego -- we stayed at a great place in Beverly Hills: Maison 140. I don't know what your price range is, but you can stay here for $125/night plus $16 night parking. (web page special www.maison140.com) Complimentary wine in the evenings, and coffee or tea in the mornings. The Radisson in Santa Monica is also well located - we had dessert at "Toppers" one night with a clear view of the lights all the way to Malibu. If you go the Priceline route, try for BH, Santa Monica or West Hollywood. You can't beat the location.

Sorry about the lack of information but I've been trying to post a reply since late last night and haven't been able to get it through. We're not sure what we want to do yet. We used to come to LA a lot but haven't been in at least 5 years so it has probably changed a lot. What we'll do will depend on where we stay. We'll have a car and haven't had a problem getting around LA in the past. Pasadena sounds interesting. We don't have any particular theatre in mind. We like comedies, musicals, dinner theatre; don't need to see celebrities. The other area I'm wondering about is Ontario, just east of LA. On the map it looks like there's a national forest nearby and a place called Big Bear. Anything interesting there? My husband said he thought there was a mudslide or earthquake in that area recently but I don't remember hearing about it.

We stay at the St. Regis in Century City when we go to LA. The best ever deal is the Luxury Link.com package for that hotel. Breakfast and parking are included...a big expense in LA hotels.

You can't really go wrong on hotwire if you choose a 3.5 star or better in the Westwood/Beverly Hills area. The 3.5 "customer favorite" is usually the Beverly Hilton. It's a good central area for sightseeing.

Big Bear Lake will be all snowed in in Feb. Southern Cal is having a very cold winter.

As for highwaying to Palm Springs, you'll want to wait until about 10am...let the Monday morning traffic subside.

Nothing much is coming up on Hotwire for the dates I'm requesting. Most areas are showing no results. Is February a particularly busy time in LA?
PS: I'm having a really hard time with this Fodor's site right now. Having trouble posting and can't even isolate the "California" messages. I have to scroll through the whole thing. Anyone else have this problem?

I was having a problem yesterday, but it seems all right now.

On Big Bear -- yes, they did experience the fires late last year. The mudslide was not in Big Bear. But to get to Big Bear, you have to climb a mountain and it's 2 hours from LAX. It probably will be snowing there in February, or you'll need chains.

Palm Springs is really accessible from most areas in L.A. It's two hours from LAX: 405 to the 10, then 111. If you are having difficulty finding something at that time (it's the President's Day weekend and Valentine's Day, so prices tend to be higher), I would recommend the newly reopened Culver Hotel. I've only seen the open areas, but it has been beautifully restored, as has that entire area of Culver City. Easy access to all areas from there, and a number of cute restaurants.

Not having much luck finding anything in eastern LA so I think we're just going to go directly to Palm Springs. I was there on business just last year but didn't have much time for sightseeing. Thanks everyone for your help. I'll keep it in mind for next time.