Jane

We will be staying at the Fairmont Miramar over Thanksgiving. Any recommendations on where to have dinner? (Moderately priced?)
Also, does everything shut down during this holiday, or do stores and restaurants remain
opened? (We are coming from Canada)

Christina

I haven't lived there in a while so will defer to others on best place to dine, but there are so many places it might help if you described what kind of cuisine you want. Thanksgiving is a pretty big family holiday in US so most stores will be closed on that particular day, but a lot of restaurants are open (especially bigger ones that might expect people to eat there) and movies, etc, will be open, also.

Bill I

My parents live in Santa Monica & I have spent a number of Thanksgivings with them at their place. There are a number of restaurants that are open on that day, more so than I see open around here in the mid-west. But since I spend the holiday with my parents, I can't really recommend which restaurants to eat at on the holiday. Most, if not all, of the amusement parks in the area should be open also.

Jane

I was actually hoping to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner...turkey and all the rest.
Your American Thanksgiving seems to be much more of a tradition than our Canadian one. It seems to be even bigger than Christmas celebrations.(?)
Will museums, etc be opened on Thanksgiving day. We were hoping to go to the Getty.

Bill I

Checked the website for the Getty. It shows they are closed on US major holidays, of which Thanksgiving day is one. For other museums, you may want to do a search for websites about LA museums, most will give some type of hrs of operation.

kristina

Check a reastaurant in Santa Monica called i Cugini. It's Italian, but I believe they do a great traditional Thanksgiving buffet. It's directly accross from the beach and you can see the water from their patio.
You might even be able to reserve them on opentable.com

Thyra

Jane, since Los Angeles and Santa Monica has large populations of people living away from their families, many restaurants are open for dinner or have specials.You shouldn't have any problems. Also, if you find many shops closed.
Movie Theatres are always open and the beach is usually *knock on wood* a nice way to spend the day.
Also there is plenty of hiking in the hills or along the beach, or a drive though Mulholland and the Hollywood hills.. would also be a pleasant way to spend the day.