Four lovely ladies (aged 35-65) are going to Santa Monica for a family wedding in April. We are staying at the Marriott Marina Del Rey. Would like to eat out Thursday night. Looking for really good food, fun vibe and maybe a star sighting or two..... We also have all day Friday and Saturday morning before the wedding to do some sightseeing. Is Rodeo Drive too far from our hotel? Lunch somewhere around there? Any ideas for this fun group would be appreciated!! We want our "splurge" to the LA area to be memorable!!

Just FYI, you might not even recognize a celeb/star if you saw him/her. Believe it or not, most are hoping not to be noticed.

I can't help with Santa Monica. I'm just not a fan of the town. But if I had to eat somewhere, I'd probably go to the Ivy at the Shore, Melisse or the Water Grill. Ivy might be the only one of the three that could be described as having a "fun vibe."

Whether Beverly Hills is "too far" from your hotel depends a bit on how you'd be getting there. For a lunch splurge in BH, I'd go to Spago, CUT or il Pastaio. If "fun vibe" is a priority, I'd pick il Pastaio.

If you have another day, lunch on the patio at the Bel Air Hotel for the ambiance and fellow diners, not the food (despite Wolfgang Puck being the exec. chef).

For all of these, I hope no one's on a budget.

You are aware that Marina del Rey is four miles from Santa Monica, right? Not far, but not close walking distance. And FYI, Beverly Hills is eleven miles away from MdR.

The greater LA area is HUGE.

Thursday night, you might best set your sights on dinner in Venice. The buzz is hot for a new place on Washington Blvd. called Leona. The chef is an alumna of Top Chef, past winner of Knife Fight and a past executive chef at Wilshire (a storied SM eatery), and apparently her new place is lovely and charming, the food is quite good and the Scene is hopping:

http://www.leonavenice.com/

Josiah Citrin now has a casual spot not too far away on Washington in Venice called Charcoal. He has a Michelin star or two in his résumé, so I think it's a safe bet for memorable dining:

http://www.charcoalvenice.com/

I work in Santa Monica but hightail it OUT as soon as I can (I live in grubby but wonderful Long Beach), so I can't help on the Scene very much. Ivy at the Shore is indeed a good option for your goals, but the food is only fair. Capo, near the Loew's on Ocean, apparently gets a starry clientèle (I've heard rumors that Spielberg is a regular), but it's VERY expensive. Water Grill is run by a Long Beach-based seafood powerhouse (King's Seafood); I do admit I miss the restaurant it replaced (Ocean Ave. Seafood), but Water Grill does serve great seafood at (for the area) reasonable prices. For a bit more money, you can dine at the Lobster, at the beginning of the Santa Monica Pier; the food is almost as good, the Scene is a bit hotter, and the views are KILLER. I have a weakness for Border Grill (the original, still run by those Two Hot Tamales, Mary Sue Millikan and Susan Feniger) on Fourth St., despite the boiler-factory noise level; it's their homage to Mexican food, and it's still very tasty.

You might see "stars" anywhere, but bear in mind that the real talent in town are people who simply consider themselves working actors, directors and performing artists (Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest live in this area, but off the clock they're apparently VERY humble folk, despite fame and their title as Lord and Lady Haden-Guest-- they're just another couple married 32 years with two kids). The Kardashian succubi and hangers-on are publicity-hungry leeches who will attend the opening of an envelope if they can get a paparazzo's attention and good lighting for a selfie-- but they're not "stars", just awful human beings.

BTW, Jean's suggestions are all excellent. I used to go to Spago back when it was on Sunset in WeHo; the food was secondary to the stars (and you saw a LOT of them back then). The BH location is more food-focused, so you'll have an excellent meal. No telling if you'll see stars. The biggest name I ever ran into (and it was during lunchtime) was Neil Diamond, so that's the level of star you might see. YMMV.

Have fun, in any case!

If you like to ride, it's fun to rent a bike, take the oceanfront path, go from Marina del Rey through Venice, and on to Santa Monica. There are cool homes to view, on your way to Venice beach area. And places to stop for a break or a snack.

For a nice lunch with a full-on view of the beach, we like Coast's outdoor seating at Shutters hotel.

Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills can be fun. It used to be a place for star-sighting, not sure if it still is, since restaurant fads come and go so quickly:
http://www.mrchow.com/restaurant-beverly-hills-menu-map

Might see some from time to time at Nobu but they are just as likely to be a reality star as opposed to a real one.
Otherwise look into going to a TV taping, maybe something like Jimmy Kimmel.

I can offer a few area tips for stargazing. One of the best is along Sunset Blvd, from La Brea west until it turns into a residential neighborhood at Doheny. Many agents, talent agencies etc are along this stretch, so star traffic and their presence in local restaurants and shops etc are a given. Try Pink's at La Brea and Melrose.

Melrose Ave is a somewhat distant second place for these encounters imo. The area isn't as nice but the shops are a lot more interesting and attract quite a bit of celebrity traffic ime.

I second Jean's comment about these people generally not wishing to be noticed in public, so unless you're willing to start pulling people's glasses and scarves off, it's all you'll ever see of celebrities in public. I once spent over an hour helping to pack boxes at a food drive, and finally realized my helper was Thomas Gibson. With prescription glasses and street clothes etc he was recognizable only by his voice.

My favorite place for star sightings is the Griffith Observatory.

maitai, good one.
The Observatory is a great visit, for any reason.

Urban myth says the "stars" might be hanging out in the Malibu area. Even grocery shopping. Hiking. Etc

But, it is a very good point that you might not even recognize a star if you saw one.

We saw Dermott Mullrooney (sp?) at LAX. He's small and plain. Not at all like you see him portrayed in a 'sexy' roll.

I recommend you stroll around Rodeo Drive, since you asked. You're not terribly far from it. If no car, take a cab or Uber there. Get a cupcake at the Sprinkles 24-hour fresh cupcake vending machine. (Especially busy around 3:00 a.m.,I'm told. Only in la la land)

We have spent a great deal of time in LA, and like it in small bursts. It's great for a getaway with your friends. Enjoy, Ezahn.

Thank you all so much - this is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for!! So agree with all of you, I don't think I would know a star unless they came up and introduced themselves -but hopefully my young travel mates will be better at it than I. Just for the record, I would be thrilled to see Neil Diamond - anywhere! We made reservations at CAPO Thursday night and the young ones want to do the TMZ tour Friday morning. Will definitely go to Rodeo drive and will try and hit Spago for lunch. I've heard that name for years. We do have a rental car so we can drive to Beverly Hills.Leona and Charcoal look great - wish we had more open evenings to dine out. cupcakes from a vending machine sounds like a must do!! Bikes on the oceanfront might be fun! We tried to get tickets to one of the shows - would really have loved to go to James Corden but all shows were sold out. Will look for him taping car Karaoke around town.... Thanks again - can't wait for our trip to begin!!

Go have a good breakfast at Nate 'n Al's in BH and you'll probably see some older and/or B-list people, including regular Larry King. Even if you don't see anybody you recognize, the salami and eggs are great, the latkes a matter of personal preference.

Get some for me!

http://sprinkles.com/locations/calif...ls/cupcake-atm

I doubt you can dissuade the younger people in your group, but I think the TMZ tour is a rip off. It's an open van with the running commentary quite easily heard by anyone nearby on the sidewalk. I've overheard the most ridiculous and questionable "facts" about some of the locations covered, which leads me to think the restaurants, shops and clubs pay TMZ to include them on the tour.

I've worked in Beverly Hills for 42 years. IMO, as BH has become more of a tourist destination, fewer celebrities want to spend any time there. The only places I've seen anyone remotely famous in the past 20 years are the very high-end restaurants.

Tabernash2 - Just joined the sprinkles site - since it's my birthday, I get a free cupcake!! THANK YOU!! We will check out Nate'n Al's for breakfast.

You are right about the young ones. They are insistent that we do the TMZ tour. We have reservations at CAPO and SPAGO - hopefully they are high-end enough to give us a chance at seeing someone fun! Thanks again to you guys for all of these recommendations.

That's fun, Ezahn! Have a red velvet one for me.

I caution you re: high-end restaurants to see 'stars'. You might be spending a lot of money for nothing. The stars I've seen have been at simple everyday places. Like LAX, grocery store, Melrose Ave.

Did you try for Ellen tickets?

If you want the feel of old Hollywood, go to Musso & Frank's.

"I caution you re: high-end restaurants to see 'stars'. You might be spending a lot of money for nothing. The stars I've seen have been at simple everyday places. Like LAX, grocery store, Melrose Ave."

Very true. It's completely random. And LAX is building a VIP terminal, so you won't have a chance of seeing stars at the airport for much longer. Unless you want to pay the fee to use the terminal yourself.