steve

I am going to L.a. This Sunday - Thursday
of next week and would like some Idea's on some memorable things to do while there
I don't want this to be an ordinary trip
no disrespect intended, but I rarely get a vacation away from home so any idea's are welcome thanks you guys!

Rovert

Take some X and wander around Hollywood and Vine. I guarantee it won't be an ordinary trip.

Rebecca

You are going to my favorite city!! See if before you go you can go to a taping of a talk show/late night show. Watch the shows and they usually say at the end what to do, or who to call. But then again, you are leaving on Sunday. You probably won't have enough time. You can go to Venice Beach and see people giving tickets away for free. We went to a taping of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, and Late Late show with Craig Kilborn. There are tons and tons of shows. You can go to Universal Studios..very cool there. Disneyland..ok I guess. There is the new Adventure park next door that sounds cool. You can go to Hollywood..hike up to the sign! We did that...it is all closed off now but what an experience! And quite a hot hike it was when we went. You can go to the walk of the stars..go to beaches...Venice is so awesome! Santa Monica is great too. There is the carnival right on the pier there. If you can, go to Huntington Beach. That's the coolest beach I've been to in the LA area. I hope these gave you some options. This is my favorite vacation..if you have any ??'s email me.

Christine

Universal Citywalk is a nice shopping area & they have tons of great restaurants...also they have T.V. taping solicitors, so you can find some tix there. J. Paul Getty Museum has an awesome view of L.A. It's free admission & parking is free for students w/ID. Otherwise you need reservations to park in their facilities. It may be wise to take the bus there. UCLA/Westwood/Sunset Blvd is also nearby. Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade is also a nice outdoor shopping venue w/the pier very close. Venice is crazy, but fun. Huntington is also nice, but kinda further down...not good if you're short on time. If you have plenty of time, skip HB & go down to Laguna Beach past Newport Beach, which is also very chi chi & nice, via Pacific Coast Hwy. Beautiful, artsy area. The artist, Wyland is known for his whale murals there. Have a good time!

EscapeNow

The best thing to do in L.A.?
GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN.......RUN AWAY...
AGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
l.a. is hell on earth

John

Well, I guess we had to expect an anti-LA post. Go to Venice beach on Sunday, check out the street performers and vendors. Go to Disneyland or Universal Studios, depending on your taste. Check out Griffith Observatory. Ride a bike down the strand, from Redondo Beach to Santa Monica and back (or start in SM). Go to the Getty center in the morning, before the smog has settled over the city. The best views in the city. Have dinner at a trendy restaurant, or drinks at the Mondrian hotel.

Thyra

The most wonderful thing I can think of doing is to take a sunset ride over the Hollywood Hills on horseback,, through the chaparral and sage, they take you to a Mexican Restaurant on the S.F valley side, where you consume Margarita's and great Mexican food, then ride back at night when all the lights of LA come on! It's magical.. another fun thing is to shell out $75.00 per person, plus the cost of dinner and get seated at a "private-bed" in the newly AMAZINGLY refurbished Pig and Whistle restaurant on Hollywood blvd. Fantastic food!
Horseback Ride info:
www.sunsetranch.qpg.com
213/464-9612
Welcome to L.A

Nadine

I love LA!! You should see: Venice Beach, Santa Monica (3rd Street Prominade), Sunset Strip, Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Melrose Avenue (fun stores). You should also just drive along the PCH, its beautiful. There's a great beach bar called Duke's of malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway. Hope this help! Have a great time. I was planning on going to LA for the second time this summer but now I am going to Key West.

kam

Go quite early to Santa Monica beach--walk along the beach then go up on the pier and watch the fishermen. Sit and enjoy the peace and quiet. Plan to get there by 9 am. By 11 am it's getting crowded. Look at the junky souvenirs, have a quick lunch and then head off for the new Getty. Hopefully you'll not find too much fog.

ldsant

Unless you have children, I would recommend skipping the whole Disney thing (especially now!). Sounds hokey, but a fun thing to do is to buy one of the maps to the stars homes and drive around finding them. It gives you the chance to really see the city and get some cool pictures! I would definitely recommend going to Santa Monica and would recommend a drive to Santa Barbara - beautiful! You'll need reservations for the Getty at this time of the year. There are also some other fun museums e.g., the Television and Radio museum. A good restaurant (pricey though) is Muse and Alcapulco (sp?) is a good Mexican restaurant. (they're both near the CBS studio)

You don't mention what you enjoy, but LA will have it. I think it's a fun place to visit, but I really am glad I don't live there Enjoy your trip!

not4me

Change planes.

Larry

The best thing about LA is the opportunity to visit places beyond LA which aren't too far.
Santa Barbara, Malibu, Laguna.
Santa Monica...sorry. I don't get it. I think the city is dirty and touristy and the 3rd Street Promenade was worth about as much time as it took me to walk through it and move on. The beach is nice though.
LA is like straight whiskey. Some people think it's great. Definitely not for all.

don

I am not a big fan of L.A. but I have been there several times. But there was a couple of things I really enjoyed there. May I suggest going to Long Beach. See the Queen Mary docked there, and take a boat trip over to Catalina. It is really different from the rest of California. You can walk around to all the shops or take one of the tours around the island or both. I really loved it!! If you want to do the touristy thing, go see the NBC studios over in Burbank. I was suprised how much I reall enjoyed it. If you are into movies, the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood is a must see (all that movie history), though I found Hollywood itself to be a huge disappointment. Enjoy!

steve

THANKS A MILLION YOU GUYS REALLY HELPED OUT WITH SOME IDEAS. SOME FUNNY ONES TOO
.....BONUS!!!

michele

Steve,
If you are a fan of architecture, try a walking tour of downtown (lots of deco buildings) sponsored by the Los Angeles Conservancy. They offer a variety of tours to different buildings. I suggest both the Oviat building and the Bradbury building. Both are incredible.

If you like gardens, try to see the Robinson Gardens located in the same area as the Beverly Hills hotel. It's a private estate that is open to a limited number of people a few days a week. A guided tour is provided.

As Thyra has pointed out, Hollywood has changed a great deal in the last two or three years. I would have a drink at the Roosevelt ( Mission architecture), maybe dinner at the Pig 'n Whistle (Art deco--recently restored), at least look at the El Capitan theatre, and see a movie at the main theatre of the Chinese.

If you like cars, the Peterson museum is interesting..lots of vintage cars and movie cars.

Los Angeles proper offers a great deal, from outside activities to art and architecture. You don't have to leave it ( nor should you), but it isn't concentrated it one area. If you take the trouble to find it, you'll be impressed.

Michele

xxx

WHile I normally think that ldsant gives great travel advice, I'd disagree with his suggestion of the Acapulco restaurant. It's a chain restaurant and definitely not the best food in a city that offers some great Mexican food!

ldsant

Thanks for the nice remark xxx re: about my postings, but the Acapulco I'm thinking of is not a chain restaurant at all - actually, I think there is only one in LA (at least that I know of). I'm sorry if I'm confused on the location - perhaps there is a chain named this as well? Please accept my apologies all; I'll leave other restaurant suggestions to those who live there since it seems like a lot of restaurants come and go in LA pretty quick fast!

Jason

Check out the artist colony at Laguna Beach (I believe) south of L.A. on Pacific Coast Hwy. 1. It is really neat, with art stores and unusual restaurants. The beach is also very beautiful there.

kam

There is a chain of Mexican restaurants in LA called Acapulco. Maybe you meant something else, but that's the first thing that came to my mind as well. Acapulco is not bad, but not something you would recommend to visitors from other places.

pasadena

I think Old Town Pasadena is a great place to visit. Its about 20 minutes north of LA and 10 minutes east of Burbank. lots of dining, bars,and shops. Lot of great architecture: Pasadena City Hall is a great looking Spanish style building, a must see. There's also dining across the street. The Norton Simon Museum is on Colorado blvd., down the street from all the activity. You can also visit Cal Tech.-also great architecture. The Huntington Gardens are also in Pasadena. Overall i think Pasadena should not be ignored.