akila

Hi all:

My husband has a business conference next Monday in L.A. and we are flying out there Friday night, leaving Tuesday at noon. Monday morning he will be at his conference. I have been to L.A. once but the only thing I have seen is Universal Studios (it was a long time ago); my husband has never been.

Here are my thoughts:
Saturday - do the fun cheesy touristy stuff like Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Star's Tour of Homes. Then drive down to the beach (maybe Santa Monica and Venice Beach).

Sunday - Universal Studios - I wanted to go to a movie studio and this seems to be the best choice because it is so well done. I really enjoyed it when I went and I was younger. Is this a good choice or are there other studios that would be better?

Monday - in the morning, my husband has his conference. In the afternoon, either the La Brea Tar Pits or the Getty Center or just wandering around the city (I may have to go visit Rodeo drive in the morning while husband is working).

Also, if you have good restaurants to try in this area, that would be great. We don't want dining to be too indulgent or too expensive (i.e. no 5 star restaurants on this trip) but LOVE good food.

Thanks!

akila

Oh, and one more thing --- would love thoughts on good Mexican restaurants. I adore the Mexican places in San Diego and hope that LA has good Mexican too.

Pomme949

Some thoughts:

* With most Stars Tours, you don't actually see any stars. You don't really see their homes either - mainly gates and hedges. If you have a rental car, drive along Sunset Blvd and buy a map from someone sitting on the street. Much cheaper and you can end it if it gets old.

* Never been to the Tar Pits, but not sure that it's going take long to see.

* Getty Center is amazing. A must - especially if it's a clear day. The views are magnificent.

* Another great shopping/wandering area is Robertson Blvd. Home of Kitson and the Ivy Restaurant (so-so food, great people watching)

* Some of my favorite Mexican food is the cheap and "healthy" stuff from Baja Fresh or Sharky's chains. less than $10/person generally.

* You may want to make a reservation at Dan Tana's. Excellent food, not cheap, but not obscene either. www.dantanasrestaurant.com It's a true Hollywood institution.

* Another personal fave is The Farm (www.thefarmofbeverlyhills.com). Perfect for your day spent wandering Rodeo. Portions are large and very good - they also have non Bev Hills locations.

Hope this helps.

joesorce

I would do the Tar Pits & Getty on Sat or Sun because the traffic is really light. Monday do Universal because why be driving around caught in heavy traffic all day when Mon will have lighter crowds at the park anyway.

The Restaurant at the Getty is terrific and is open Fri and Sat at night, great place to be around sunset.

So, to surmise, I would do Hollywood Blvd, Stars Homes/ Rodeo Drive and Getty Center on Saturday I guess.

Sunday the Tar Pits and then out to the beaches.

Monday afternoon Universal. (If you're staying in Hollywood...take the subway rather than drive).

gigib

There are good Mexican restaurants all over town. Where are you staying?

akila

gigib, we will be staying in Beverly Hills but I can't remember the name of our hotel.

akila

We're staying at the Wilshire Plaza Hotel which I believe is either a Radisson or Synxis hotel.

One big question about Universal: would you prefer Universal or another studio tour instead (i.e. Paramount)? Also, my husband is in his conference for most of the day on Monday so we would have to go to Universal on either Saturday or Sunday. Is it worth it to get the front-of-the-line pass at Universal. In short, we are more interested in the studio tour part of Universal than in the rides portion because, from my memory, I didn't think Universal had really great rides other than Jurassic Park. So, where would you recommend for a good studio tour?

Thanks!

lvk

I've never been to Paramount, but took the Warner Brothers VIP tour last week. At 2.25 hours, it is more in-depth than Universal. If you have already been to Universal, you have seen the "Psycho" house, the "Jaws" shark, ET, etc., then you might enjoy what Warner Brothers has to offer. However, they only operate the tours on weekdays. If your husband can get out of his conference early, you could book a late afternoon tour:

www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour/

DeniceRG

I much prefer the Warner Bros tour over Universal. You actually get the feel of a working studio. And the Warner Bros Museum is very interesting. But, like the previous poster said, it's only available weekdays. I would think the same goes for Paramount Tours. I've never done that one.

Universal is more of a theme park. I know they make movies there, but it is so slick, you don't get the feeling that it is a working studio.

joesorce

WB is open some Sats in the summer but for the most part, Univ is the only studio tour open on weekends.