DDaphne

Hi everyone...

I am considering traveling to the USA alone in 2 weeks and will be coming to LA.. do u think its a gud idea? am from india although i hv come to the US before i hv done so with family and hv visited Orlando, but never alone. any tips i can use? is LA safe for women and any fun ideas and activities for me to do while am there pls do let me know..

thanks so much

mclaurie

I used to travel to LA frequently on business on my own. The only problem with LA is you really need a car to get around. It's not a very good city for public transportation. If you're confident about driving, it's fine. Are you planning on going anywhere else in the US while you're here?

DDaphne

Hi Mclaurie... thanks for your response i dont hv a driver's license yet and even if i do get one before traveling we drive on the right side of the road here in India so to switching might be a problem for me since i would hv just got my license and i wont be that confident.. i was planing on new york but its proving to be very expensive so LA it is for a week.. heard d public transport isnt so bad if i get onto the metro.. what do u suggest?

nytraveler

Public transit in LA is very slow, complicated, infreqent and you can;t get there from here. (I know some people say this isn't so - but they are generally not from a palce that actually has functional public transit - as in a subway or a bus every 5 minutes and lines that go everywhere - so no place is more than 4 or 5 blocks from the transit.)

If you aren;t comfortable dirving I would think you need to select a hotel very carefully - in a safe, pleasant central location so you can get to some sights by public transit. You might want to consider taxi or tours for places not easily reached by publuc transit.

PeaceOut

I agree. Find a hotel in a location where you can walk around, like Santa Monica.

There is a Holiday Inn right at the beach:
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/...ca/hoteldetail

Or the Georgian, which faces the Santa Monica pier:
http://www.georgianhotel.com/

Each of these is located walking distance to shopping and restaurants, in an upscale area where you will feel safe. You can also take the beach path and walk or bike ride as far as you want to go north or south.

tracys2cents

I would suggest staying in Westwood, a very safe area near UCLA and the hospital, with lots of students and nurses around all day and night and good bus service (but not metro train) to many places. 7 minutes to the Getty Center, 10 minutes to Rodeo Drive, 22 minutes to Hollywood Walk of Fame, 13 minutes to Santa Monica Beach.

From LAX airport, there is a $10 bus, the Westwood Flyaway, which will pick you up right outside baggage claim and take you to the Westwood neighborhood. Accomodation to check on include www.hilgardhouse.com and www.claremonthotel.net and www.royalpalacewestwood.com

Best of all is that you will be safe and comfortable in this neighborhood. For ideas of what to see and do check www.discoverlosangeles.com Any activities on the "Westside" OR "Santa Monica" or "Beverly Hills" will be easy for you on the $1.50 bus. Use www.metro.net to plan your bus trips, just put in Westwood as your departure and "Getty Center" or whereever as your destination Stop into one of the many casual restaurants and chat with some students who will give you tips on the bus system (your hotel will help you as well). You will have a great time even though you are alone, and the weather will probably be warm...85F.

mclaurie

I think you've gotten very good advice above. I'll just say I think NYC is an easier place to be on your own, especially at night. Hotel prices fluctuate pretty dramatically by date. If you want to see if NYC would work for you, start a new thread asking for help finding accommodation. There are ways of finding cheaper options than what you may have seen.

SusieQQ

I agree with mclaurie, NYC is a much better choice. I can't imagine visiting L.A. without a car.

PaulRabe

If you're flying into Los Angeles, but not willing to use a car, then the best advice I can give to you is to NOT stay in L.A. after your arrive. At least not for very long -- just a day or so to get over jet lag. As others have noted, of the all the cities in the U.S. (most likely the WORLD), L.A. is the one where a car is the most necessary.

Instead, just take the train to either San Diego or the Bay Area (my choice would be the latter), and spend your time there. Both of these cities are less spread out and have superior mass transit to place you'd want to visit. Each, like L.A., has their dangerous areas and their completely safe areas -- ask here at Fodors for general tips and then ask at your lodging for specific advice. We can tell you, "Neighborhood XXX is pretty safe;" the hotel manager can tell you, "Don't walk past the parking lot at YYY after 8 pm -- that's when the drunken kids start showing up."

clarkgriswold

Hogwash. You can see lots in L.A. on public transit quite easily. The transit wins national awards annually and moves millions of people daily. Yes it's not always easy but that's because Los Angeles is wide and spread out and attractions are all over the place. Yes it is easier to get around NYC on public transit than it is in LA. But it is also much easier to get around NYC on public transit than it is to get around L.A. in a car.

Or to put it another way, yes public transit can be a bit of a hassle for tourists in Los Angeles, but getting around in a car is no damn picnic either.

dbdurand

Hi, DDaphne. Sorry for the late response.

You said "I am considering traveling to the USA alone in 2 weeks and will be coming to LA.. do u think its a gud idea?"

Sure. It's an excellent idea, whether you're alone or not. About 27 million people visited LA in 2011. See:

http://discoverlosangeles.com/busine...s-angeles.html

You asked "any fun ideas and activities for me to do while am there?"

I think that no matter what you consider fun, and what your interests are, you will find it in LA. See:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/...ity-guide1.htm

You said "heard public transport isnt so bad if i get onto the metro.. what do u suggest?"

You got a variety of comments regarding public transportation in LA. Some said it was OK; some said it was awful. Here's how it stacks up against other US cities, according to a recent US News and World report evaluation.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/...transportation

I was surprised it made the top ten, and even more surprised where it placed. (No. 3). Maybe that was an anomaly, I thought. But here's another.

http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-13...public-transit

And a comment from a reviewer below:

7.)  Los Angeles (Even more of a shocker than Minneapolis, but Angelenos have been quietly assembling a respectable network of rapid transit alongside one of the world’s most extensive bus systems.)

My conclusion: You will be able to get everywhere you want in LA on public transportation. Check out this page.

http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/ge...ineraries.html

And yes, I usually travel by car, but I have ridden the Metro subway several times and found it fast, clean, and inexpensive.

The obvious areas to stay are along the Metro lines. Downtown LA and Hollywood are my nominees. Note: the Metro connection to Santa Monica won't be complete until 2015, and that's if it's on schedule.

PeaceOut

I think you would enjoy Westwood, especially if you like the college/grad school vibe. Lots of fun boutiques, theaters and restaurants in a compact area of Westwood almost adjacent to UCLA campus. There could be a campus event you might be interested in, which are usually cheap, high-quality oferings.

Tracy gives you very good info above. Lots of transit options. And so much in and near Westwood, you will have lots to do in walking distance.

I just noticed you are from India! I believe there are a lot of UCLA students and faculty from India, and many would be around Westwood.

PeaceOut

PS. Since you are concerned about being alone, maybe you could contact UCLA about on-campus housing for your stay. Then you would be in the company of several other people. Just a thought. Are you of college age?

DDaphne

Hi everyone again!! i wanted to thank you so much for all your replies but unfortunately my trip has been cancelled due to work.. hopefully i can visit LA soon! if i do ever visit LA in d next 6 months will def use the advice u guys hv given me.. just wanted to thank you so much again for taking the time to reply bk to my questions!

PeaceOut

Thanks for posting back. Sorry your trip was cancelled.