West Coast (and NYC) Family Trip Summer 2014
Oct 6th, 2013, 12:53 PM
#21
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http://www.econolodge.com/ires/en-US....dK5e1gI9dg.48
http://www.mainstaysuites.com/ires/e....dK5e1gI9dg.48
http://www.comfortinn.com/ires/en-US....dK5e1gI9dg.48
Just a couple ideas. If you can find a hotel with two queens and sleeper you could make it work - they are out there but you will have to hunt!! Good luck!!
What about renting a RV for the West coast part???
http://www.mainstaysuites.com/ires/e....dK5e1gI9dg.48
http://www.comfortinn.com/ires/en-US....dK5e1gI9dg.48
Just a couple ideas. If you can find a hotel with two queens and sleeper you could make it work - they are out there but you will have to hunt!! Good luck!!
What about renting a RV for the West coast part???
Oct 6th, 2013, 03:52 PM
#22
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When you say "south" LA, what area are you referring to? You will not want to stay in south central. It can be very dangerous. If you're referring to the south bay, you'll be far from LA sights and spend a lot of time stuck in traffic.
Personally, I would cut out Nevada and Arizona, which will leave you with more money to enjoy California and New York. Having to limit meals to McDonalds and Pizza for 30 days sounds miserable!
Personally, I would cut out Nevada and Arizona, which will leave you with more money to enjoy California and New York. Having to limit meals to McDonalds and Pizza for 30 days sounds miserable!
Oct 6th, 2013, 04:14 PM
#23
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McDonalds and pizza prices vary around the country. Here a large meal is about $9. Assuming the youngest child can eat a regular size - it will cost you $42/$43 to eat at MIckey D's.
A decent pizza here (not Domino's or similar really awful) is about $20 and you will need at least 2 to feed 5 people (aa a teen my B would eat a small pizza by himself). With salads (even sharing 2 large ones) and beverages - you're over $80.
You may find places that are cheaper - but do you want to spend months eating really awful food?
A decent pizza here (not Domino's or similar really awful) is about $20 and you will need at least 2 to feed 5 people (aa a teen my B would eat a small pizza by himself). With salads (even sharing 2 large ones) and beverages - you're over $80.
You may find places that are cheaper - but do you want to spend months eating really awful food?
Oct 7th, 2013, 01:22 AM
#24
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Hi all
Thanks so much for all the comments - we will review our budget, remove some places (AZ area) and re-post for comments.
Being said the above - for those of you concerned with our food choices - we are a family of athletes, we spend the whole year round counting calories, protein intakes, vitamins, minerals and fats; we are all waiting for the opportunity to eat junk food for a whole month
- still, being athletes and therefor in good shape, we will be counting our calories and fat intakes and will not be eating the larges McDonalds meals, just regular ones...in any case, some of you are right and once in a while we will want to have a normal meal, so, we will have days when we will spend double the money if not more, therefore we will increase our food budget.
Re accommodation - we will review again the hotels and their locations before booking to avoid bad areas or costly trips to the city for sightseeing - still - just take a look at booking.com and you'll see plenty of places which include the taxes and can accommodate 5 people for approx 100-150 dollars a night (breakfast included) - again - for us the hotel/motel is for sleeping at night only - we plan to spend our days in full traveling around.
Bottom line - your help is appreciated and we will modify some stuff accordingly.
Thanks.
Thanks so much for all the comments - we will review our budget, remove some places (AZ area) and re-post for comments.
Being said the above - for those of you concerned with our food choices - we are a family of athletes, we spend the whole year round counting calories, protein intakes, vitamins, minerals and fats; we are all waiting for the opportunity to eat junk food for a whole month
- still, being athletes and therefor in good shape, we will be counting our calories and fat intakes and will not be eating the larges McDonalds meals, just regular ones...in any case, some of you are right and once in a while we will want to have a normal meal, so, we will have days when we will spend double the money if not more, therefore we will increase our food budget.Re accommodation - we will review again the hotels and their locations before booking to avoid bad areas or costly trips to the city for sightseeing - still - just take a look at booking.com and you'll see plenty of places which include the taxes and can accommodate 5 people for approx 100-150 dollars a night (breakfast included) - again - for us the hotel/motel is for sleeping at night only - we plan to spend our days in full traveling around.
Bottom line - your help is appreciated and we will modify some stuff accordingly.
Thanks.
Oct 7th, 2013, 04:52 AM
#25
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Well I've looked at random dates in august for the site you are using and the cheapest legitimate place (charging taxes) is a one-bedroom apt in Harlem with a double bed and cot in the br and a pull-out sofa in the Lr. The price is about $225 per night for 4 adults and 1 child and from the photo its a brownstone building - which means walk up - may be one flight or may be 5 flights.
There is one slightly cheaper place - not charging taxes - so I assume either illegal or a scam.
Since prices for lodging in NYC will be hioughest in NYC I suggest you book as soon as you have dates - since all of these places say only 1 availabiity (seems to be legal since the owner of the one-family building is apparently subletting one floor to help them pay mortgage).
And $225 is MORE than double $100 - as I suggested before.
There is one slightly cheaper place - not charging taxes - so I assume either illegal or a scam.
Since prices for lodging in NYC will be hioughest in NYC I suggest you book as soon as you have dates - since all of these places say only 1 availabiity (seems to be legal since the owner of the one-family building is apparently subletting one floor to help them pay mortgage).
And $225 is MORE than double $100 - as I suggested before.
Oct 7th, 2013, 08:19 AM
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Roadrunner, you live in Europe? LA is a far cry from anywhere else you've been. Please run your hotel ideas by your Fodorite friends, so you don't end up in a bad place. One decent area to find cheap rooms is near LAX. I'd not prefer it myself, but it's relatively cheap with lots of chain hotels.
I'm still wondering about your rental car plan.
I'm still wondering about your rental car plan.
Oct 7th, 2013, 08:25 AM
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Agree to run the places you are considering past locals here. They will be able to advise:
1) If it is a scam
2) If the neighborhood is safe
3) If the neighborhood is anywhere near where you want to be
4) If the lodging is safe (on some of the major lodging websites they have listings - at least in the NYC area - for places that either rent by the hour (basically used by hookers) or are used by the city to house homeless families in sros (single room occupancy)
1) If it is a scam
2) If the neighborhood is safe
3) If the neighborhood is anywhere near where you want to be
4) If the lodging is safe (on some of the major lodging websites they have listings - at least in the NYC area - for places that either rent by the hour (basically used by hookers) or are used by the city to house homeless families in sros (single room occupancy)
Oct 7th, 2013, 08:29 AM
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Sorry - there was someone on the board looking for a superbudget property - perhaps the spring of 2012 - and the places they were picking out ranged from:
1) one budget property in an unsafe suburb in which a murder had recently been committed (the property, not the suburb)
2) one that was in an industrial zone with transit to the city taking more than an hour - and not used by travelers (area was known for prostitution)
3) one property in "nearby" New Jersey that required a bus and a train (at a cost per day of more than $30 per person) to get to and fro the city
1) one budget property in an unsafe suburb in which a murder had recently been committed (the property, not the suburb)
2) one that was in an industrial zone with transit to the city taking more than an hour - and not used by travelers (area was known for prostitution)
3) one property in "nearby" New Jersey that required a bus and a train (at a cost per day of more than $30 per person) to get to and fro the city
Oct 7th, 2013, 09:16 AM
#29
I think all the points that needed to be made about Roadrunner's budget have been made. Continuing to bludgeon him repeatedly with more of the same is unnecessary as he seems smart as well as more willing than anyone I've seen here to alter his plans to accommodate the information. And likely will do more as they travel.
Sorry Roadrunner, you now know which posts you can skip. Good job, by the way.
Sorry Roadrunner, you now know which posts you can skip. Good job, by the way.
Oct 7th, 2013, 11:33 AM
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Hi Roadrunner. Now that we've beaten you over the head about your budget I'll offer a couple of other suggestions. As I said, I have done a similar trip over the past two summers so it's all relatively fresh in my mind.
I think Tabernash's idea to stay around LAX is a pretty good one. There are a lot of chain hotels there offering good deals and LAX isn't that far from the areas you may be interested in visiting. On this visit we stayed near Universal Studios at the Beverly Garland. I don't believe it meets your budget but I was looking for hotels with 2 queen beds rather than double beds and there aren't that many hotels that offer queen beds.
There are a lot of restaurants at Universal's City Walk, if you want to have dinner after your day in the park. Also, the wait for the ride Transformers is worth it. One of the best rides ever, if you like virtual reality rides.
Our drive to Disneyland in Anaheim leaving the Universal Studios area around 9:00 on a Wednesday morning (to miss the worst of the commuting traffic) still took almost an hour. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, which is right across the street from Disney. Disney is walkable and the hotel also offers a shuttle service. There are some walkable restaurants to this hotel and they offer an included breakfast. We had dinner at Tony Roma's, a short walk from the hotel, and it was surprisingly good. They are known for their ribs. After an over-stimulating day at Disney it was great to sit down to a nice dinner.
Do you know about Fast Passes at Disney? You should certainly take advantage of them where you can. This website is a good one for all things Disney:
http://www.disboards.com
I think both the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park are worth it but there is some overlap. Don't do them on consecutive days. It was also really hot at the Safari Park this past June. It's far enough inland that it doesn't benefit from the ocean breezes. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo that I found through Homeaway/VRBO. We cooked a few meals in and it also had a washer and dryer. It came out to be cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms/night since we could also save on restaurant costs. Perhaps renting a condo would be a good option for you, especially since you are staying in San Diego for 6 days.
Last summer we used Las Vegas as a gateway to the Grand Canyon and then as a stop on our way from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite. The first stay was at Treasure Island. This used to be an affordable hotel but they seem to have drastically raised their prices. It's right on the strip, however, in a good location if you want to shop at Fashion Show Mall and the Shoppes at Caesar's Palace. On our return we stayed at Orleans and this proved quite popular with my then 14-year-old niece and 12-year-old nephew. It has a good pool, a multi-screen theatre, a large bowling alley and many restaurants right inside the property. It's family-friendly, even though there is a casino, but there were plenty of non-gambling activities and it's not expensive. There are a couple of good day trips from Las Vegas: Red Rock Canyon, where you can do some hiking, and Hoover Dam. Just be prepared for the heat. It's quite intense. Always have water in the car.
I do a family trip every year and 2 of the last 3 years we've rented a Ford Escape through Hertz. It's a smallish SUV and it fits all 5 of us, at the moment at least (3 adults, a 15-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy). It also easily fit 5 wheeled carry-ons and a couple of tote bags. It's not too bad on gas. The offering through Hertz this summer picking up at LAX was a Nissan Murano. It's a little bigger than the Escape so it worked well, also. From reading other planning and trip report threads from people visiting the US from Europe I think (but I'm not positive) the rental agencies generally don't charge an additional fee for picking up in one location and dropping off in another. But again, I'm not positive but I seem to think this is true. I hope so as sometimes drop-off fees can be substantial. Having said that, however, last summer I picked up from Las Vegas and returned to San Francisco and there was no drop-off fee through Hertz.
Good luck with your planning. You're going to have a wonderful trip!
I think Tabernash's idea to stay around LAX is a pretty good one. There are a lot of chain hotels there offering good deals and LAX isn't that far from the areas you may be interested in visiting. On this visit we stayed near Universal Studios at the Beverly Garland. I don't believe it meets your budget but I was looking for hotels with 2 queen beds rather than double beds and there aren't that many hotels that offer queen beds.
There are a lot of restaurants at Universal's City Walk, if you want to have dinner after your day in the park. Also, the wait for the ride Transformers is worth it. One of the best rides ever, if you like virtual reality rides.
Our drive to Disneyland in Anaheim leaving the Universal Studios area around 9:00 on a Wednesday morning (to miss the worst of the commuting traffic) still took almost an hour. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, which is right across the street from Disney. Disney is walkable and the hotel also offers a shuttle service. There are some walkable restaurants to this hotel and they offer an included breakfast. We had dinner at Tony Roma's, a short walk from the hotel, and it was surprisingly good. They are known for their ribs. After an over-stimulating day at Disney it was great to sit down to a nice dinner.
Do you know about Fast Passes at Disney? You should certainly take advantage of them where you can. This website is a good one for all things Disney:
http://www.disboards.com
I think both the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park are worth it but there is some overlap. Don't do them on consecutive days. It was also really hot at the Safari Park this past June. It's far enough inland that it doesn't benefit from the ocean breezes. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo that I found through Homeaway/VRBO. We cooked a few meals in and it also had a washer and dryer. It came out to be cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms/night since we could also save on restaurant costs. Perhaps renting a condo would be a good option for you, especially since you are staying in San Diego for 6 days.
Last summer we used Las Vegas as a gateway to the Grand Canyon and then as a stop on our way from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite. The first stay was at Treasure Island. This used to be an affordable hotel but they seem to have drastically raised their prices. It's right on the strip, however, in a good location if you want to shop at Fashion Show Mall and the Shoppes at Caesar's Palace. On our return we stayed at Orleans and this proved quite popular with my then 14-year-old niece and 12-year-old nephew. It has a good pool, a multi-screen theatre, a large bowling alley and many restaurants right inside the property. It's family-friendly, even though there is a casino, but there were plenty of non-gambling activities and it's not expensive. There are a couple of good day trips from Las Vegas: Red Rock Canyon, where you can do some hiking, and Hoover Dam. Just be prepared for the heat. It's quite intense. Always have water in the car.
I do a family trip every year and 2 of the last 3 years we've rented a Ford Escape through Hertz. It's a smallish SUV and it fits all 5 of us, at the moment at least (3 adults, a 15-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy). It also easily fit 5 wheeled carry-ons and a couple of tote bags. It's not too bad on gas. The offering through Hertz this summer picking up at LAX was a Nissan Murano. It's a little bigger than the Escape so it worked well, also. From reading other planning and trip report threads from people visiting the US from Europe I think (but I'm not positive) the rental agencies generally don't charge an additional fee for picking up in one location and dropping off in another. But again, I'm not positive but I seem to think this is true. I hope so as sometimes drop-off fees can be substantial. Having said that, however, last summer I picked up from Las Vegas and returned to San Francisco and there was no drop-off fee through Hertz.
Good luck with your planning. You're going to have a wonderful trip!
Oct 8th, 2013, 03:55 AM
#31
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Good advice from sharona. Also as to the car rental, if you do decide to rent in one place and return in another, check the drop off costs for both directions. Sometimes car pile up in one area and the company wants to get them to another city. If you are flexible you can do the trip in the opposite direction.
Oct 8th, 2013, 04:56 AM
#32
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Thank you all so much for the new comments, new ideas, lengthy answers and support. ALL your comments are more than welcome (even the slightly harsh ones 
)
Now...a few changes on our plans:
1. We just now got word of the exams schedule for our older one and we cannot start our trip mid July as we wanted - we will start only on the weekend of the 19th of July
2. Due to some compulsory staff in our middle child school - we must be back by the weekend of the 9th of August
So - our almost 5 weeks trip must be reduced to an almost 3 weeks trip
--> although this means we must come again to see whatever will be left out this time
Being said the above, we decided to keep our trip simpler and have only the "must" see for first time visitors:
LA (Hollywood)
Universal Studios
Disneyland
SD Zoo
SD Sea World
SD Safary
NYC
Still - we are keeping our TOTAL budget, so, our daily budget was increased (for both accommodation and food).
Current plans and locations are:
7/19/2014 - evening arrival to LAX - potential hotel:
Hollywood Liberty Hotel - 1770 Orchid Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles - 2 rooms - $238 p/n (tax included)
7/20 - Hollywood area - Chinese theater, walk of fame, etc...
Same hotel
7/21 - Universal Studios - same hotel
7/22 - LA Getty Museum during the day and move to Anaheim for the night - potential hotel: Candy Cane Inn (Thanks Sharona) - Deluxe 2 queens bedroom - sleeps 5 - $186 (includes tax) p/n
7/23-24 - Disneyland (yes - we know about the fast passes - thanks again Sharona) - stay: Candy Cane Inn (as above)
7/25 - Move to San Diego - Stay: we saw a beautiful house near Sassafras St using HOMEWAY.com - sleeps 6 and it is approx $265 p/n - includes taxes and cleaning fee
questions - based on previous comments - are the properties in HOMEWAY legal? can I assume that if they charge taxes then they are legal? is the area a nice neighborhood?
during the 25th we plan to do the safari on our way to San Diego
7/26 - Sea World - still stay in the above property
7/27 - San Diego harbor, beach day (we also need to relax) - still same property
7/28 - SD Zoo - still same property for the night
7/29 - again - relaxing day and some shopping (unless someone knows of better areas: Las Americas Premium Outlet San Ysidro - been there before and was cheap - for us
we want an overnight fly to NYC from LAX
7/30 - arrive at NYC at 7 AM - options for the 4 nights:
1. Sohotel - 341 Broome street - Regency Plus room (sleeps 5) - $360 p/n (includes taxes and booking fees)
2. Hotel Five44 in hells kitchen - 2 double rooms for $500 p/n (tax included)
In NYC - we plan to do most tourist attractions (Ellis Island & Liberty, Central Park, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum, MoMA, Jewish Heritage Museum, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and maybe some Broadway show)
8/3 midday - we fly back to Europe
Now about car :
1. we saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo using "Dollar car rental" or "FOX" for $79 p/d with GPS and all the insurances (unlimited miles - LAX to LAX) - not sure it's big enough (5 people and suitcases...still unclear how many suitcases)
2. we saw Full-size SUV Chevrolet Traverse (big enough) - $96 p/d with everything included.
About food: since in SD we plan to stay at a condo or a house, we plan to do some groceries shopping and have some home cooked meals - thus, we expect an average budget of $150 per day to be enough.
So - as you can see due to personal reasons and your comments/feedback - we've changed a lot our plans...new comments are more than welcome - specifically re hotels and their areas as well as the SD house...
THANKS A LOT A AGAIN
Roadrunner
)Now...a few changes on our plans:
1. We just now got word of the exams schedule for our older one and we cannot start our trip mid July as we wanted - we will start only on the weekend of the 19th of July
2. Due to some compulsory staff in our middle child school - we must be back by the weekend of the 9th of August
So - our almost 5 weeks trip must be reduced to an almost 3 weeks trip
--> although this means we must come again to see whatever will be left out this time Being said the above, we decided to keep our trip simpler and have only the "must" see for first time visitors:
LA (Hollywood)
Universal Studios
Disneyland
SD Zoo
SD Sea World
SD Safary
NYC
Still - we are keeping our TOTAL budget, so, our daily budget was increased (for both accommodation and food).
Current plans and locations are:
7/19/2014 - evening arrival to LAX - potential hotel:
Hollywood Liberty Hotel - 1770 Orchid Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles - 2 rooms - $238 p/n (tax included)
7/20 - Hollywood area - Chinese theater, walk of fame, etc...
Same hotel
7/21 - Universal Studios - same hotel
7/22 - LA Getty Museum during the day and move to Anaheim for the night - potential hotel: Candy Cane Inn (Thanks Sharona) - Deluxe 2 queens bedroom - sleeps 5 - $186 (includes tax) p/n
7/23-24 - Disneyland (yes - we know about the fast passes - thanks again Sharona) - stay: Candy Cane Inn (as above)
7/25 - Move to San Diego - Stay: we saw a beautiful house near Sassafras St using HOMEWAY.com - sleeps 6 and it is approx $265 p/n - includes taxes and cleaning fee
questions - based on previous comments - are the properties in HOMEWAY legal? can I assume that if they charge taxes then they are legal? is the area a nice neighborhood?
during the 25th we plan to do the safari on our way to San Diego
7/26 - Sea World - still stay in the above property
7/27 - San Diego harbor, beach day (we also need to relax) - still same property
7/28 - SD Zoo - still same property for the night
7/29 - again - relaxing day and some shopping (unless someone knows of better areas: Las Americas Premium Outlet San Ysidro - been there before and was cheap - for us
we want an overnight fly to NYC from LAX
7/30 - arrive at NYC at 7 AM - options for the 4 nights:
1. Sohotel - 341 Broome street - Regency Plus room (sleeps 5) - $360 p/n (includes taxes and booking fees)
2. Hotel Five44 in hells kitchen - 2 double rooms for $500 p/n (tax included)
In NYC - we plan to do most tourist attractions (Ellis Island & Liberty, Central Park, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum, MoMA, Jewish Heritage Museum, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and maybe some Broadway show)
8/3 midday - we fly back to Europe
Now about car :
1. we saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo using "Dollar car rental" or "FOX" for $79 p/d with GPS and all the insurances (unlimited miles - LAX to LAX) - not sure it's big enough (5 people and suitcases...still unclear how many suitcases)
2. we saw Full-size SUV Chevrolet Traverse (big enough) - $96 p/d with everything included.
About food: since in SD we plan to stay at a condo or a house, we plan to do some groceries shopping and have some home cooked meals - thus, we expect an average budget of $150 per day to be enough.
So - as you can see due to personal reasons and your comments/feedback - we've changed a lot our plans...new comments are more than welcome - specifically re hotels and their areas as well as the SD house...
THANKS A LOT A AGAIN
Roadrunner
Oct 8th, 2013, 09:19 AM
#33
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Just a quick note: Do not use Fox car rentals. We were scammed by them in LA, and there's an entire thread about how awful they are. Their price always comes up as cheaper than any else, but they add on charges and are very unethical.
Enterprise is my favorite for great cars and great service. All the others we've tried have been fine: Alamo, Budget, Dollar, etc.
Enterprise is my favorite for great cars and great service. All the others we've tried have been fine: Alamo, Budget, Dollar, etc.
Oct 8th, 2013, 10:06 AM
#34
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Did you read the Tripadvisor reviews on the Hollywood Liberty Hotel? They're not particularly complimentary. I might think about looking elsewhere.
Like, NOT in Hollywood. The city has worked hard to clean up that neighborhood, but it's still, at best, gritty. Sightseeing in Hollywood is best done as a day trip from nicer parts of the LA area. And I wouldn't venture off the main streets of Hollywood at night if I didn't know the area (which I do, and I'd still hesitate to walk around alone). I'd look in places like West Hollywood, Beverly Hills (there ARE less-expensive hotels), West LA, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica.
Your challenge is: July and August are extremely busy months for tourism in the LA metro area. Hotels will be charging, and getting, top dollar. You should also know that the city has started major surface road construction all throughout the western part of LA metro, some of which will still be going on when you come here. This is making travel on the west side of town quite difficult during rush hour.
Some other miscellaneous thoughts:
The Getty Center is worth visiting for the views, the lovely grounds and the interesting architecture. However, as a museum it's pretty weak. I much prefer the Griffith Park Observatory as a place to get awesome views of the LA Basin, but that's me. I also like that the Observatory doesn't charge $15 for parking.
LA has MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more to see than just Hollywood. Like, several lifetimes worth of stuff. A lot of it is dreck, but some of it is pretty great. Like the way that New York City is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more than Times Square and the 453,215 tacky souvenir shops you find there.
That house you're referring to in San Diego is probably only a few blocks away from San Diego International Airport. Like, "in the flightpath of landing planes, as well as within earshot of planes spooling up engines to take off" close. I would rethink that choice. For example, in Hillcrest, Sommerset Suites Hotel has rooms with kitchens, and it's a pretty good budget choice; you can enjoy the awesome fresh produce that one finds year-round in California and save a little money for family meals.
Stay away from Fox car rental at all costs. Dollar is fine. A Jeep Grand Cherokee should be perfectly adequate for five people and their luggage.
I don't personally know your hotel choices in NYC, but that Sohotel gets pretty good Tripadvisor reviews. It's in Little Italy apparently, which would be a bit too close to Downtown for my tastes, but again-- that's me. Researching the other one, it sounds like too many compromises to be pleasant. A clean budget choice up in Little Korea is the Red Roof Inn on 32nd-- well, it was nice the last time we were in town. It might be worth a look.
Best of luck! I know we're throwing wrenches into your plans, but sometimes tough love means the difference between having a good time and having a miserable time on holiday.
Like, NOT in Hollywood. The city has worked hard to clean up that neighborhood, but it's still, at best, gritty. Sightseeing in Hollywood is best done as a day trip from nicer parts of the LA area. And I wouldn't venture off the main streets of Hollywood at night if I didn't know the area (which I do, and I'd still hesitate to walk around alone). I'd look in places like West Hollywood, Beverly Hills (there ARE less-expensive hotels), West LA, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica.
Your challenge is: July and August are extremely busy months for tourism in the LA metro area. Hotels will be charging, and getting, top dollar. You should also know that the city has started major surface road construction all throughout the western part of LA metro, some of which will still be going on when you come here. This is making travel on the west side of town quite difficult during rush hour.
Some other miscellaneous thoughts:
The Getty Center is worth visiting for the views, the lovely grounds and the interesting architecture. However, as a museum it's pretty weak. I much prefer the Griffith Park Observatory as a place to get awesome views of the LA Basin, but that's me. I also like that the Observatory doesn't charge $15 for parking.
LA has MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more to see than just Hollywood. Like, several lifetimes worth of stuff. A lot of it is dreck, but some of it is pretty great. Like the way that New York City is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more than Times Square and the 453,215 tacky souvenir shops you find there.
That house you're referring to in San Diego is probably only a few blocks away from San Diego International Airport. Like, "in the flightpath of landing planes, as well as within earshot of planes spooling up engines to take off" close. I would rethink that choice. For example, in Hillcrest, Sommerset Suites Hotel has rooms with kitchens, and it's a pretty good budget choice; you can enjoy the awesome fresh produce that one finds year-round in California and save a little money for family meals.
Stay away from Fox car rental at all costs. Dollar is fine. A Jeep Grand Cherokee should be perfectly adequate for five people and their luggage.
I don't personally know your hotel choices in NYC, but that Sohotel gets pretty good Tripadvisor reviews. It's in Little Italy apparently, which would be a bit too close to Downtown for my tastes, but again-- that's me. Researching the other one, it sounds like too many compromises to be pleasant. A clean budget choice up in Little Korea is the Red Roof Inn on 32nd-- well, it was nice the last time we were in town. It might be worth a look.
Best of luck! I know we're throwing wrenches into your plans, but sometimes tough love means the difference between having a good time and having a miserable time on holiday.
Oct 8th, 2013, 10:17 AM
#35
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Sorry you had to cut your trip short, RoadRunner, but your "new and approved" itinerary sounds much more doable!! With all there is to see and do in California, it's really easy to get greedy and keep adding..........
For your San Diego harbor and beach day, something you might consider is a tour of the aircraft carrier Midway. My nephew loved it. A trip to Old Town for Mexican food is worth it as well. By cutting off two weeks, I'm guess that will loosen up your budget a bit as well?
For your San Diego harbor and beach day, something you might consider is a tour of the aircraft carrier Midway. My nephew loved it. A trip to Old Town for Mexican food is worth it as well. By cutting off two weeks, I'm guess that will loosen up your budget a bit as well?
Oct 8th, 2013, 11:16 AM
#37
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Don't worry about the tough love ... "I'm loving it" - you have no idea how happy I am from all the feedback I'm getting, it is much better to know everything now, in advance, this way we can be better prepare and have a great trip and not a lousy one.
About hotels in LA - what about downtown LA hotels? I saw very good reviews about: "Hotel Solaire Los Angeles - 1710 West 7th Street, Downtown Los Angeles" (and it is very cheap...)
About the house in SD - we know it is close to the airport (even too close) - but we don't care - we don't plan to spend too much time in the house, rather we plan to be traveling around as much as possible...
About the car - we'll stay with Dollar - I have great experience with them...
Thanks again everybody for your feedback - keep it up - it is soooooo helpful!
About hotels in LA - what about downtown LA hotels? I saw very good reviews about: "Hotel Solaire Los Angeles - 1710 West 7th Street, Downtown Los Angeles" (and it is very cheap...)
About the house in SD - we know it is close to the airport (even too close) - but we don't care
- we don't plan to spend too much time in the house, rather we plan to be traveling around as much as possible...About the car - we'll stay with Dollar - I have great experience with them...
Thanks again everybody for your feedback - keep it up - it is soooooo helpful!
Oct 8th, 2013, 11:18 AM
#38
Re that Hollywood hotel . . . I don't live and die by TA reviews . . . But when there are more 'terrible' than 'excellent', I do sit up and take notice.
And do heed rjw_lgb_ca's concerns about the San Diego house location.
And do heed rjw_lgb_ca's concerns about the San Diego house location.
Oct 8th, 2013, 11:32 AM
#39
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I'm not a big fan of staying in downtown LA if one doesn't have business there (say, at the Convention Center or Staples Center). Again, my personal preference. But I will defend that choice by saying that downtown LA gets VERY quiet after dark except around the entertainment venues, and you do NOT want to be wandering around at night after those venues close.
"LA" is a huge, sprawling collection of over 100 communities and cities that are tied together historically by power and water utilities and a vast, overtaxed system of freeways. It's not a walking town, and few communities within metro LA are walking towns either. And each city/town/neighborhood needs to be carefully considered. I live in a lovely part of Long Beach, but there are some pretty shabby parts of that town scattered among startlingly beautiful (and very expensive) neighborhoods. All of LA is like that. It's complicated.
And so is San Diego; it's also quite spread out. The house location is close to San Diego International, but not particularly close to anything else that would interest you. Not without driving or taking a long, unpleasant walk (that is, nothing nice to look at on the way to the good stuff). The hotel I mentioned has the advantage of being just off the main drag of Hillcrest, which is a pretty cool neighborhood with fun shops, good restaurants and a kind of hip vibe. You'd also be a short hop to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. But again-- just a suggestion....
"LA" is a huge, sprawling collection of over 100 communities and cities that are tied together historically by power and water utilities and a vast, overtaxed system of freeways. It's not a walking town, and few communities within metro LA are walking towns either. And each city/town/neighborhood needs to be carefully considered. I live in a lovely part of Long Beach, but there are some pretty shabby parts of that town scattered among startlingly beautiful (and very expensive) neighborhoods. All of LA is like that. It's complicated.
And so is San Diego; it's also quite spread out. The house location is close to San Diego International, but not particularly close to anything else that would interest you. Not without driving or taking a long, unpleasant walk (that is, nothing nice to look at on the way to the good stuff). The hotel I mentioned has the advantage of being just off the main drag of Hillcrest, which is a pretty cool neighborhood with fun shops, good restaurants and a kind of hip vibe. You'd also be a short hop to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. But again-- just a suggestion....
Oct 8th, 2013, 12:03 PM
#40
What rjw above says about LA not being a walking town is true in the big picture sense in that you cannot reasonably walk from one part of such a huge metropolitan area to another. There are, however, areas in which you can have some very pleasant in-town walks.
I lived for a time in Los Angeles in a neighborhood between Beverly Hills and the Beverly Center/ Cedars Sinai Medical Center. That entire part of town bordered roughly by Sunset Blvd, La Cienaga Blvd, Burton Way & Rodeo Drive is infinitely walkable, no big "sights", but restaurants, shops & interesting residential areas. You may not want to stay there but it makes a good circuit to see what a segment of LA is about. I'll say the same for Westwood Village near UCLA, Santa Monica, Brentwood Village and a few other spots.
I lived for a time in Los Angeles in a neighborhood between Beverly Hills and the Beverly Center/ Cedars Sinai Medical Center. That entire part of town bordered roughly by Sunset Blvd, La Cienaga Blvd, Burton Way & Rodeo Drive is infinitely walkable, no big "sights", but restaurants, shops & interesting residential areas. You may not want to stay there but it makes a good circuit to see what a segment of LA is about. I'll say the same for Westwood Village near UCLA, Santa Monica, Brentwood Village and a few other spots.
