crellston

I am helping out our nieces with the planning of their RTW Gap Year trip. The plan is to fly LHR to SYD with a week's stay in LA en route. When we were there last year for a couple fo weeks we stayed in a friends place in Pasadena and love our time there and it seemed reasons convenient for getting around. Not sure this would be the best choice for three girls in their early twenties?

Any suggestions for the best place to stay to explore the city and its environs?

We got the trains into Downtown and subway to Hollywood but used our car to get around just about everywhere else. Is a car necessary for a weeks trip?

What would be a good, safe location for them to base themselves to see the highlights of the city and have a good vibe for kids of their age?

Any suggestions for hotel/motel chains of specific accommodations would be great.

TIA

mrwunrfl

Car rental companies ask if the driver is under age 25, so I would look into cost to see if it is near reasonable Costs of the car rental, insurance, multiple drivers. I would suggest Hermosa Beach though I have not been there for years. (not far from LAX, light rail in El Segundo, can go to LAX for a bus to Disneyland, I think, but maybe better options).

tomfuller

What month or week will they be in the Los Angeles area? My thought is to base in Burbank. You can get to the Burbank rail station on the light rail or on Amtrak. There is a bus connector from LAX to Los Angeles Union station to get onto the train system. The Burbank train station is directly across from the entrance to the Burbank airport so they could walk to the car rental any day they want to rent a car for the places that you can't get to by train or bus.
If they wanted to get a place by the ocean, they could take an Amtrak Surfliner train to Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara stop is within walking distance of the pier. The zoo and the mission on top of the hill are the two main attractions of Santa Barbara.

Jean

L.A. native here... Unless you tell us what the young women consider the "highlights," there's no way to know what part of the city would be best. What are their ages? Do their interests lean more to museums, cultural sights or entertainment, amusement parks? Do they want to focus on being around young people or on seeing lots of city sights? Do they have a lodging budget?

We do have public transportation, but Greater L.A. is huge and getting around using public transportation takes time and lots of planning. "Pairing" sights geographically is imperative and might involve a combination of train, light rail, bus and Lyft/Uber or scooter/bike rental at a kiosk. They could also take a couple of city tours (van or bus).

I think the cost of a car rental with an under-25 driver would probably be prohibitive. Plus, fuel and parking could push the daily cost out of sight. (California fuel prices are the highest in the U.S.)

MoBro

If they stay in Studio City, nextdoor to Burbank, they have several restaurants and shops to walk around, also parks and Universal Studios. There are mid-priced hotels to choose from.
Lots of things to do there for 20-somethings. Burbank airport is much easier to navigate than LAX, if that's an option.

tom42

Many years ago when we were in our late 20s, we stayed at the Hyatt on Sunset in West Hollywood (look like it may be an Andaz by Hyatt now) and we loved the location and the hotel itself. It was a great area for twenty-somethings. I assume it continues to be but maybe some Southern Californians in here have better info.

Jean

They should locate their sightseeing priorities on a map and then study the public transportation maps before choosing a hotel location. Lots of hotels and neighborhoods are fun but aren't convenient if you're relying on public transportation to other places spread out across the city. They could have a great time in Hermosa Beach if they mostly wanted to hang out in a beach town with young people. If their trip is in our summer, there are lots of activities (beach volleyball and surfing tournaments, etc.). They could rent bicycles and pedal north to Santa Monica and south to Redondo Beach. West Hollywood is a fun area for restaurants, shopping and nightlife. I'd stay somewhere on/near Santa Monica Blvd. (rather than Sunset Blvd.) for better public transportation access. I wouldn't stay in the Valley (Studio City, Burbank) if the sightseeing list is almost entirely on the city side of the Santa Monica Mountains.

As I said, it all depends on what they want to see/do.

International flights don't go to/through Burbank Airport, so that's not an option for either arrival or departure.

MmePerdu

I just did a quick scan of the alternative rental sites in this article & they seem to be younger than the big name companies. You might have a look:

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/t...r-alternatives

Jean

I'd be a little wary of the human-less rental experience... you're given instructions on where to find the car, how to unlock it and possibly how to exit a parking garage with a code, all from your phone. I'm the worrywort, so I'd prefer a situation where I'm not relying on good cell sevice, that allows for direct assistance if required, etc., especially if I'm in a foreign country. Not sure I'd go with Zipcar. I've heard stories of dead batteries, car not parked where it was supposed to be... all pre-Covid, but still...

One company not mentioned in MmePerdu's link is Rent-a-Wreck located a few minutes from LAX. Owner-operated for 60 years. Their website says they will rent to 17 and 18 year olds, although I don't know if they treat foreign drivers the same as U.S.-licensed drivers because of issues like insurance, checking driving records, etc.

https://www.rentawreckla.com/

MmePerdu

I know nothing about the companies in the link, a quick search to expand the possibilities. Rent-a-Wreck has been around for a long time which gives me a certain level of confidence.

janisj

Just something to think about -- and crellston doesn't mention their ages etc. But just that UK doesn't have the same 'driving culture' as in SoCal and IF they are early 20's young, and IF they don't have a lot of driving experience, and IF they've not driven on the right before . . . it might not be such a good idea to throw them in the deep end of driving in LA. Now . . . if none of those 'if's' apply ignore this.

But not sure I'd be happy with my 20 yo niece from Chico driving in Liverpool or Glasgow (of course that wouldn't be necessary since the public transport is great). And she's been driving since she was 16.

MoBro

Good point about driving skills needed for LA! Probably best not to try it.

Staying at Hermosa is a good idea, or another beach location. Taking bikes up and down the beach paths would be a great way to see lots of sites kids their age would enjoy. Maybe visit UCLA & Westwood, shop in Santa Monica, visit Abbott Kinney shops/restaurants. Uber to Malibu or Paradise Cove.

clarkgriswold

Pasadena is safe but that's about it as far as the positives go. Its not convenient to most of the touristy areas at all, last year you probably benefitted from the fact that traffic was still on the lower-end of normal due to covid. Burbank & Pasadena are usually very hot in summer time too, not a nice getaway from a European heat wave.

If their visit is in summer, the UCLA/Westwood area might be a fairly convenient and safe location that is fairly convenient by bus to both Santa Monica/beach/pier and to Hollywood and the Sunset Strip. But if they've got a whole week, maybe 3 or 4 nights near the ocean and then 3 nights closer-in (maybe West Hollywood) would be the best idea without a car. If the cost of the car (plus underage fee) is not a factor then Royal Palace Westwood includes a parking spot in their nightly room rate and so does The Beverly Laurel Hotel at West Hollywood.

Knowing more about what they plan to see and do and what time of year they're visiting, plus budget per room per night would help us help you.

MmePerdu

Last time I stayed in L.A. some time ago was at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel. It's been reborn as Short Stories Hotel and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I lived in L.A. for a time & had family there so knew where I wanted to be. That was it, on Fairfax across the street from the landmark Original Farmer's Market, well here's how the website describes the location:

"Located in West Hollywood, you’ll find yourself central to everything and anywhere you need to be. Across the street from The Grove Shopping Center, The Original Farmer's Market, CBS Studios, and within a 10 minute walk to the LACMA Museum District, the West 3rd Street Shopping District and many more of the city's best spots."

https://www.shortstorieshotels.com/

maitaitom

"Pasadena is safe but that's about it as far as the positives go."

Except for its plethora of good restaurants and a couple of world class museums, plus a few gorgeous gardens. Not knowing what these girls want to do, it's kind of impossible to tell them the best area to stay. Wherever they decide to locate, I would have them mostly Uber rather than get on our mass transit system, which is rife with crime (and getting worse by the week), and many times doesn't get you near where you want to go.

crellston

Thanks for all the great suggestions and comments. I did respond to some of them already, but those posts seem to have disappeared!
As mentioned in my OP the girls are in their early twenties and have been driving since they were 17 in various large cities in the UK including London. I am sure they would adapt to driving on the other side of the road well and with LA roads but I think the expense of renting a car would be the killer ( had to smile at your comment Jean - "California fuel prices are the highest in the U.S." still incredibly cheap compares to the UK!!. Uber seems to be the way to go. The trains from Pasadena into downtown and one or two other locations seemed very convenient but the subway out to Hollywood was not a great experience. More than a few dodgy characters and one or two passengers causing problems. Will think twice re moaning about London Underground in future!

In terms of budget for accommodation, I think it will be a case of the cheaper the better. There are three of them so that will help the PP cost But this is a year long trip. I had a look at some of the individual hotel you guys kindly suggested and $300+ is way above budget. Basically I think they will be happy with anywhere that is clean and safe. It is a long trip so they will have to watch the pennies particularly at the start before they get work in AUS.

I get what some of you are saying re perhaps beach + city. Before arriving in LA we drove down the coast and stopped at a few beach locations and visited a few from Pasadena - Santa Monica, Malibu apart from the usual tourists sites, I think that would give them a taste of California life and I think they would enjoy Santa Monica. As for what they want to see, I don't think they know at present. I am guess the "usual" sights. We enjoyed our time with Tdiddy and mlgb in Downtown so will suggest that plus, Beverly Hills/Hollywood etc. . a studio tour perhaps. Hermosa sound like an interesting location for twenty somethings so I shall mention that to them.

Thanks for the input. It is even beginning to temp me back .....

mrwunrfl

there is a hostel in Hermosa Bch for $42 pp/nt

Jean

FYI re the hostel in Hermosa Beach... SurfCity... There is a 14% city tax on top of all rates. The location is in the absolutely most hip/popular/noisy part of town. Great for enjoying the action, but not so great for a full night's sleep. All of the nearby public parking is expensive and the lots usually reach capacity on summer weekends and occasionally midweek in the evening. Summer events like volleyball tournaments, surf festivals, town fairs can bring traffic in the several blocks surrounding the hostel to a near standstill. If they plan to stick around most days, no problem. But if they plan to go sightseeing by car, finding parking when they get back could be frustrating. So much depends on when exactly they'd be here...

mlgb

Hi crellston. Am on another cruise so out of touch until now.

I agree with avoiding public transportation for the most part excepting some commuter trains. Lyft generally better than Uber.

You are already experienced with Downtown.

Generally West Hollywood to Santa Monica corridor is recommended for convenience although I also like Manhattan Beach/ Hermosa Beach and even El Segundo but those are a bit out of the way unless car rental is an option. Picking up outside the LAX tax area helps.

Just depends on what they have in mind for activities. Might even be worth staying in two different places.

crellston

Another cruise mlgb!!

The girls are coming to the end of the of their finals so are at the point of nailing there final itinerary. I have a feeling that they don't plan on enough time in LA for two destinations and a rental car is definitely out of the mix now. I think they would like Santa Monica and Hermosa which seems to have some cheaper accommodation which mrwunfl pointed out. Will have a look at Manhattan Beach.

For some reason they have thrown Las Vegas into the mix with a bus to LA - I think they can get a good deal on Virgin RTW ticket including that enroute.