dottie_g

Hello!
My 22 yr. old daughter and I are spending 3 nights in the Burbank/La area next week starting Thursday. We are going to Jay Leno Friday night, but have no other concrete plans. (any advice on Leno?) Looking for any suggestions this time of year. I have read many of the posts on WB/Universal/NBC tours...and we may consider, but realize there isn't much taping going on this time of year. (I think Universal is on my daughter's to-do list as she likes the rides!) We are from the midwest...sick of cold, rainy, gloomy weather and desperately need some California sunshine. (We'll be in Vegas for two days also) Any other suggestions for things to do to enjoy the area? We like beaches, parks, good food and cocktails with a view ...and we are not big shoppers! I am reading that Hollywood is a bit over-rated as a tourist attraction! We do not fly home until Sun evening...so even possibly considering getting up early Sat morning and driving to the San Diego Zoo or Sea World....is this a good idea? How long would it take to drive there? (I suppose it depends on how lucky we get with traffic?) Thank You for any advice!

tracys2cents

Wb Tour is just around the corner from NBC/Leno and if you did an 11am tour you could then have lunch and walk over to Leno. Or, you could do Univ the same day as Leno, maybe 10am at UNIV heading over to NBC at 2:30?

Are you flying in/out of Burbank or LAX?

The L.A. Zoo is nice, and just 10 min drive from Burbank. The Getty is a must-visit place, maybe 25 min drive from Burbank, are you staying in Burbank?

gigib

It will be Memorial Day weekend, so traffic and crowds at the SD Zoo and Sea World will be a factor. Our L.A. Zoo is very nice! You might want to head to Santa Monica and see the Third Street Promenade, good people watching and shopping, as is Universal Citywalk. There is a restaurant at the end of the SM pier that would be great for cocktails with a view. Or, head to Gladstone's for drinks and seafood, north on Pacific Coast Highway shortly before you get to Malibu. Right on the water, fun spot. You can take the scenic route home, over Topanga Canyon thru the Santa Monica mountains (wonderful hiking) then eastbound on the 101 back to Burbank. Gets very crowded in nice weather! Ditto the suggestion for the Getty.

dottie_g

Thank you for the great advice....we are flying into LAX (arriving mid-morning)...so I am prepared for traffic, but we have a convetrtible...so hope to still enjoy the sun! We are planning on staying in Burbank...but have not booked Sat yet...as we were considering the San Diego trip too.
Memorial weekend being busy is a great point to consider too! We have researched and read quite a bit on Hollywood/ Burbank/LA, etc....but it's hard to know what is really worth seeing and what is cheesy! I appreciate the help! Thanks again!

MaureenB

We recently saw the Leno show and it was a blast. It does take a lot of time out of the day standing in line, though. Unless you planned in advance and already have tickets in hand? If no tickets, you need to get in line early, about an hour before they start handing out tickets (7:00a..m.?), depending on who is appearing on the show that night. And having a ticket doesn't guarantee you'll get in, so you have to line up in the afternoon about an hour early, too (2:30?). Check the times on the website, I don't remember for sure. We received stand-by tickets in the a.m. and barely made it into the show, but I thought it was worth it. We saw Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Eat World (a band). On your way to and from the show, it's easy to stop by Hollywood Blvd to see the sights there, although I thought it looked pretty seedy and is actually receiving a bit of a face-lift. For old, original Hollywood, have lunch at Musso and Frank's grill there.

I wouldn't suggest driving to San Diego with such a short time-frame, because there's plenty to do in L.A. Burbank/Hollywood not being my favorite, I'd opt for staying closer to Santa Monica, Malibu, Beverly Hills, or Newport Beach for further south. If you want a fairly central location, although it's more a business area, the Westin Century City is very nice and usually offers a breakfast package. It's very easy from there to get almost anywhere in L.A.

In the greater L.A. area, check out UCLA/Westwood, Sunset Blvd including the "Sunset Strip", (Gladstones 4 Fish is good, as is Moonbeam-- it's called something like that-- or The Charthouse, for sitting at the waterside), Malibu, Zuma Beach, Santa Monica, BelAir and Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Newport Beach and Balboa Island (eat at the wonderful Crab Cooker)... Lots to see and do.

tracys2cents

Warm weather is likely. I think I'd fly in my shorts, pop into the convertible on arrival, and head right up the coast. Lunch in Malibu and maybe a trip to the beach. Drive towards Beverly Hills on Sunset Blvd and stop at the Getty for a couple of hours. Traffic will pick up, but you should be able to drive through West Hollywood on Sunset, then left on Highland and straight up (fork left at the freeway entrance and take Cahuenga Blvd instead), then right at the light on Barham will bring you right into Burbank.

Friday I'd head to the L.A. Zoo before the weekend crowds, or maybe to the WB Tour, then Leno. Sat. will be a busy day for the Universal Tour, but you won't have to deal with much traffic if you're in Burbank. Late Sat afternoon you could even hop the subway from Universal down to Hollywood Blvd if you want to see the Walk of Stars, then back up to Universal for dinner/Citywalk.

Sunday I'd head back to the beach, if you get a fairly early start (before 10am), the traffic should be quite light. Maybe Manhattan Beach (eat breakfast/brunch at the KETTLE midtown)...MB is only a 10 minute drive back to LAX. I don't think on a holiday weekend you'll be able to find a room down near the beach just for Sat, but that would probably be your best bet for your final night. Seaviewinnatthebeach.com, baysidehotel.com.......... Airport hotels are inexpensive on weekends so you could also look at the Westin, Hilton, Sheraton for that night or just book a 4 star on hotwire.com (maybe $75?)...then on Sunday pack up for the nearby beach.
If it's REALLY hot, the beach areas will be very crowded of course, so if you stray to far south from LAX, say down to Dana Point or Laguna, you'd have an okay drive down but the return might be very busy as the beachgoers head home. Not sure how late your return flight is.

Jean

A better choice for breakfast/lunch in Manhattan Beach is Uncle Bill's. Just my opinion.

I like the suggestion of the Sea View Inn in Manhattan Beach for your last night, although there are many other choices. (The new 4-star Bela Mar for one.) The Sea View has bicycles for guests to use, and the bike path is just 2 blocks away and runs for several miles north and south along the coast. I don't think the Sea View offers transportation to LAX, so you'd have to factor in your rental return.

dottie_g

Thank You!
Looking forward to a great trip!
Thanks for all the help!

andiamo

tracys2cents:
Hope you don't mind, but I have a question. My daughter and I will be at Universal Studios on a Tuesday the end of June. She wants to see the walk of stars....I will have my car. Is it better to drive there (is there parking nearby anywhere?) or should we subway to see the sidewalk, then subway back? Your thoughts??? How long does the subway take to get there and back? Thanks!!!
Andiamo

mpf

The subway is the easiest, quickest and hassle-free way to go. The shuttle from Universal takes you to the Red Line station at Universal City - it's one stop, 5 minutes, to Hollywood and Highland Complex.

If you want to go to the Pantages Theater, it's 2 minutes farther down the line to Hollywood and Vine.

The trains run every 9-12 minutes depending on the time of day.