Southern California Travel Help
Nov 6th, 2017, 06:16 PM
#1
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Southern California Travel Help
Traveling to Pasadena with our 20 year old daughter for MonsterPalooza. After the event, we will have 5-6 days to tour the sights. Does Pasederna work as a central base? Daughter is a special effects makeup artist so Hollywood and LA are must-see destinations. Family enjoys hiking, the ocean, history. We could use help with an itinerary as this is our first trip and would like to see and do as much as possible. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Nov 6th, 2017, 08:31 PM
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It works if you don't mind using metro rail to get around. It's about 20 mins on the Gold Line to downtown, and then 22 minutes on the red line up to the center of Hollywood. Universal Studios is another 5 min on the red line. And from downtown, you can take expo rail out to Santa Monica but that ride takes about 45 mins.
Driving, you'll want to plan on Sat & Sun mornings as your best times for traffic avoidance. Weekdays you don't want to get on the freeway before 9:15am, and you also want to avoid 3:45 to 7:15pm heading back to Pasadena. If you can stay out of traffic problems (and that's a big if)...you'll have 25 min rides into Hollywood or downtown. Maybe an hour out to the beach/ Santa Monica.
Driving, you'll want to plan on Sat & Sun mornings as your best times for traffic avoidance. Weekdays you don't want to get on the freeway before 9:15am, and you also want to avoid 3:45 to 7:15pm heading back to Pasadena. If you can stay out of traffic problems (and that's a big if)...you'll have 25 min rides into Hollywood or downtown. Maybe an hour out to the beach/ Santa Monica.
Nov 7th, 2017, 06:17 AM
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Thank You, Debbie! What would you consider as an easier/more central location for the rest of our stay? As of now, we have the hotel in Pasadena booked until Sunday when the event ends so are open to different locations/hotels. We will have a car, as well. Thanks for all of the information!
Nov 7th, 2017, 09:39 AM
#4
I like to think of Pasadena not only being a central base, but a perfect base.
Because LA is really just a bunch of towns and suburbs knitted together in a crazy quilt pattern, with a number of employment centers ("downtown", Century City, Culver City, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale etc), and residential areas built up around each employment center, you can't really say one place is more central that another.
In other words, you have to plan your visit here in reverse, and that way you'll figure out what is central to you.
Meaning, plot out the areas and places you want to go for each of these 5 - 6 days you'll be here. Then, after that, we can tell you with a certain amount of accuracy, what area would probably be most central to your stay.
Now, going back to Pasadena. As Debbie noted, we have a little traffic in LA. And the natives are getting sick and tired of it. Sick and tired of sitting half a day in traffic, even on weekends on the freeway, trying to get somewhere. So now we have some pretty nifty public transportation that we try to use to the max because light rail and Metro rail is easier and faster and convenient. When we go to Pasadena from WLA (i.e. to the Rose Bowl for a UCLA game), we take the Expo line to the Red/Purple line to the Gold line. And believe me, even with all those changes it takes us less time to get there on the weekend than in a car. But Pasadena is also next to -- maitaitom could probably answer this with more accuracy than me, but at least 3 freeways going to different areas around Los Angeles, with one that always seems half empty to me (I think the 210, but am not sure). And Pasadena could really keep you occupied too. My favorite art museum, the Norton Simon, is there. The Huntington - superb walks there. Old town for chilling and great restaurants. Theatre (Pasadena Playhouse) and music (The Rose). Football games (Go Bruins!) Oh, and a tour of JPL - more hiking/walking involved in this, and they have visitor tours once a week. Sounds kind of nerdy, but it is super fascinating, especially if you like history -- the history of space travel!
Because LA is really just a bunch of towns and suburbs knitted together in a crazy quilt pattern, with a number of employment centers ("downtown", Century City, Culver City, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale etc), and residential areas built up around each employment center, you can't really say one place is more central that another.
In other words, you have to plan your visit here in reverse, and that way you'll figure out what is central to you.
Meaning, plot out the areas and places you want to go for each of these 5 - 6 days you'll be here. Then, after that, we can tell you with a certain amount of accuracy, what area would probably be most central to your stay.
Now, going back to Pasadena. As Debbie noted, we have a little traffic in LA. And the natives are getting sick and tired of it. Sick and tired of sitting half a day in traffic, even on weekends on the freeway, trying to get somewhere. So now we have some pretty nifty public transportation that we try to use to the max because light rail and Metro rail is easier and faster and convenient. When we go to Pasadena from WLA (i.e. to the Rose Bowl for a UCLA game), we take the Expo line to the Red/Purple line to the Gold line. And believe me, even with all those changes it takes us less time to get there on the weekend than in a car. But Pasadena is also next to -- maitaitom could probably answer this with more accuracy than me, but at least 3 freeways going to different areas around Los Angeles, with one that always seems half empty to me (I think the 210, but am not sure). And Pasadena could really keep you occupied too. My favorite art museum, the Norton Simon, is there. The Huntington - superb walks there. Old town for chilling and great restaurants. Theatre (Pasadena Playhouse) and music (The Rose). Football games (Go Bruins!) Oh, and a tour of JPL - more hiking/walking involved in this, and they have visitor tours once a week. Sounds kind of nerdy, but it is super fascinating, especially if you like history -- the history of space travel!
Nov 7th, 2017, 11:40 AM
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There is only one studio open to the public in Hollywood these days and that is Paramount. Warner Bros is in Burbank and has frequent tours, and Sony is in Culver City. WB or Paramount are probably your best bets for visiting a studio if your daughter wants to visit one. She also might be interested in the old Max Factor Building, which was restored as the Hollywood Museum.
Pasadena is OK, nice town but not central to much other than Downtown and maybe Griffith Park and Observatory. I myself am more partial to the westside and South Bay beach communities but it is strictly a matter of personal taste.
Pasadena is OK, nice town but not central to much other than Downtown and maybe Griffith Park and Observatory. I myself am more partial to the westside and South Bay beach communities but it is strictly a matter of personal taste.
Nov 7th, 2017, 01:06 PM
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L.A. is so big that it's hard to advise a central location without knowing a lot more about what you want to see and do. The area around THE GROVE is pretty central, hotels nearby include Farmers Daughter, The Orlando, The Beverly Laurel and the Best Western Sunset Plaza. There are also some nice airbnb apartments if you can find one with several good reviews that are a short walk to The Grove and Farmer's Market.
But you'll still be driving, or taking a bus, everywhere.
Between Pasadena and Warner Brothers there is express bus 501 ($2.50 I think) that only makes one or two stops along the way. It's a good way to travel between the two. You can get the schedule at trips.metro.net However if you drive you can combine the day with a hike in Griffith Park or a visit to Griffith Observatory & the Wild West Museum, or down to Hollywood which is just over the hill from WB. Just avoid those traffic hours. Heading east from Pasadena has horrible weekday morning traffic because of so many people heading into the city to work, and it's in the reverse direction after 3:30pm.
But you'll still be driving, or taking a bus, everywhere.
Between Pasadena and Warner Brothers there is express bus 501 ($2.50 I think) that only makes one or two stops along the way. It's a good way to travel between the two. You can get the schedule at trips.metro.net However if you drive you can combine the day with a hike in Griffith Park or a visit to Griffith Observatory & the Wild West Museum, or down to Hollywood which is just over the hill from WB. Just avoid those traffic hours. Heading east from Pasadena has horrible weekday morning traffic because of so many people heading into the city to work, and it's in the reverse direction after 3:30pm.
Nov 9th, 2017, 06:44 AM
#7
"Daughter is a special effects makeup artist so Hollywood and LA are must-see destinations. Family enjoys hiking, the ocean, history."
I suggest you stay in the Marina del Rey to Santa Monica area. Your daughter might enjoy the crazy vibe at Venice Beach, and there's a nice walkway along the ocean you can take from Marina del Rey to Santa Monica.
In that area, we have liked The Jamaica Bay Inn, The Kinney, and The Inn at Venice Beach. These are all Pacifica properties where we have stayed a few times each.
If you like history, you'd like the Getty Villa.
I suggest you stay in the Marina del Rey to Santa Monica area. Your daughter might enjoy the crazy vibe at Venice Beach, and there's a nice walkway along the ocean you can take from Marina del Rey to Santa Monica.
In that area, we have liked The Jamaica Bay Inn, The Kinney, and The Inn at Venice Beach. These are all Pacifica properties where we have stayed a few times each.
If you like history, you'd like the Getty Villa.
Nov 12th, 2017, 10:51 PM
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You've gotten a lot of great advice. I kinda wonder if you should stay in Pasadena for your event but move hotels a day or two after you've seen what you want to see there.
Ending at a hotel in Marina del Rey/Santa Monica--as MoBro suggested-- you are also very near LAX if that is where you are flying from.
One other activity to consider: Besides seeing Hollywood, if that is important to your daughter, it might be fun to see a movie one night. Los Angeles theaters have the best sound and video. Hopefully, someone who lives there now can advise you on some good options.
Ending at a hotel in Marina del Rey/Santa Monica--as MoBro suggested-- you are also very near LAX if that is where you are flying from.
One other activity to consider: Besides seeing Hollywood, if that is important to your daughter, it might be fun to see a movie one night. Los Angeles theaters have the best sound and video. Hopefully, someone who lives there now can advise you on some good options.
Nov 13th, 2017, 02:39 PM
#9
just in case you didn't see maitaitom's thread -- he wanted to reply but can't (Fodors glitch)
https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...y-to-posts.cfm
https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...y-to-posts.cfm
