Tips for going to LA?

[Lolita]

So Burzhui and I are planning a long weekend trip to LA. Where would you guys recommend staying? I found a good deal for the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in the center of the city – is that a good area to be in so we can go in either direction? I'm aware that we would have to take a taxi to most places, so I'd like to know how the rates are if let’s say we wanted to go to Santa Monica or Hollywood. And any suggestions are welcome to where to go and what to see :)

Thank guys, I know I can count on you for some helpful suggestions

[DaFunkyUnit]

i know that it costs between $20 - $30 to go from Santa Monica to Hollywood, but not sure about from SM/HW to Downtown. Why don't you guys rent a car?

things to do:

museums
Getty Center
MOCA

partying:
Sunset Strip area
Hollywood/Highland area
Santa Monica Main St. area

eating:
C&Os
Versailles
Tito's Tacos (just to say you've been there, however, i'm not a fan of that place)
Phillippe's
Tommy's ;)

beach:
Venice
Santa Monica

there ya go, thats what (i think) tourists/outoftowners should see/do. :)

[Yossarian]

and visiting all of the locals

[A Day]

Definitley rent a car, your ass is gonna be broke trying to get anywhere in LA without a car. You should come check out my school, Santa Monica College, lol, Ill be in my psycology class taking an exam.

Oh yeah, you should go to Downtown and check out all the crackheads there, lol, actually Hollywood has just as many, their like a damn gang there, watch out btw.

And I don't know what you mean by center of the city, umm south central LA? No. theres nothing so see any further south than Venice Beach anyways. The spots to see run from Hollywood West to Downtown, no need to go South or North really, South will go towards LAX and theres nothing past there, well theres Manhattan Beach but who cares. and further north than Beverly Hills/Hollywood is the Valley, not much to see there either unless your going to a TV Show Taping in Burbank where all the studios are.

[Jihforce]

RENT A CAR. Unlike NYC, there is no such thing as public transportation. And its expensive to get around in a taxi. A 25min taxi ride can easily cost you $50. Since LA is so spread out, 25-30 min travel time is common. Not to mention traffic.

If you are planning on visiting Orange County areas as well, I would suggest staying somewhere between LA and OC. Long Beach comes to mind... I live here so i'm biased. :D If you do, stay in the downtown area of LB. The West, Hyatt, Hilton and Renaissance Hotel are nearby. LB is located right between LA and OC so you can get to most places within 30 min. However, if you just plan to visit LA only, then stay near the downtown area.

If you want to party...Clubs close at 2am. All of them do. I know, its no NYC.
-Garden of Eden. I hear its nice but never been there personally. (http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2811646-garden_of_eden_los_angeles-i)
-V20 in LB. Not a huge club, but I think its pretty cool. Fairly modern. I saw Pepper there last month. (http://v2olongbeach.com/)
-Skybar at the Mondrean. I hear its nice too, never been. (http://www.mondrianhotel.com/mondrian_hotel_skybar.html)

If you want to eat...plenty of places here. As you will notice, mexican food is everywhere, but they are not all created equal. Local establishments tend to taste better, however, you at your own risk. Plenty of casual and upscale dining can be found.
-King Taco. Recommend by a lot of people I know, I haven't tried it tho. (http://www.kingtaco.com/)
-Yamashiro. Been there. Expensive but its got a nice view and its more of a romantic place to dine. Food is not bad, but nothing spectacular. (http://www.yamashirorestaurant.com/)
-Versailles. Cuban food. YUMMY. There are actually like 3 of them. One in Manhattan Beach, Venice and LA. Here's the one in Venice. (http://www.frommers.com/destinations/losangeles/D40916.html)
-Linq Lounge. Recommended by my old roomie. (http://www.linqlounge.com/)
-Sushi Roku. If you like fish and LA, come here. (http://www.sushiroku.com/roku_dsl/sushi.htm)

Places to visit...Tons of stuff here. I'll list whatever I think you should see. I'll avoid Tourist Traps as much as I can. :D
-DISNEYLAND...I'm kidding. Altho, there is Downtown Disney. It has ESPN Zone, Rainforest Cafe, House of Blues, etc... This is in Orange County, which is why I suggest staying somewhere in the middle. (http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/disneyland/a/disdowntown.htm)
-Getty Museum. Good place to go if you love art. Nothing like the ones in NYC of course. Check their site to see what they are exhibiting. (http://www.getty.edu/museum/)
-Queen Mary. In case you want to see a boat bigger than the titanic. It is actually a hotel as well. Might be a nice experience if you ask me. Located in LB. I can literally bike to that place from my home :) (www.queenmary.com)
-Santa Monica Pier. Most popular pier in LA. Crowded. Also near by is the 3rd Street Promenade. At night, they have street performers. Overall good experience. Don't think i can find a link for this one.
-Laguna Beach. This one is kinda far, but its a cute artist beach town located south of orange county. Sometimes they got fairs going on.
-Venice Beach. Fun but weird. Fairly unique experience. Bring some rollerblades if you want. That's kinda fun.
-Long Beach, I had to add it cuz i'm biased, remember? You can take a ferry to Catalina from here, go whale watching. Yardhouse is also here, lots of beer there. There's the Pike which is like a small entertainment place. Pine Ave has a lot of restaurants and clubs. About 5 min east, Naples island. You can go on gondola rides there. And 2nd street, lots of resturants and shops. Don't go in the water in LB. Do it elsewhere, cuz this is a Port City, not a Beach City. Huntington Beach to the south, Laguna as mentioned before are better options.

I hope this helps. If you and burz have more questions, you can PM me or any of the other So Cal folks here. I'm sure they have tons of great suggestions as well. Good luck, hope you enjoy you visit!

[Showtime]

The last thread may have some usefull info. http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81317&highlight=getty

Definitely go Disneyland and Knott's isn't too far from there and is not too crowded.
Go check out Hollywood. Hollywood and Highland is a nice touristy place. There's a couple of clubs that are decent right around there. Highlands is popular. Tons of bars off of the Sunset strip (legendary). You can even do a little walking bar hoping. Pine street in LB is a mini sunset strip.
That's all for now.

-j

[mechmike0034]

Petersen Automotive Museum: http://www.petersen.org/

[CornMonkey]

a popular touristy thing to do (especially if you like shopping/the beach) is to go to 3rd St. Promenade. it's an outdoor shopping facility just 2 blocks away from the santa monica pier.

[Kevster]

The cities of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach are also quite nice to hang out in. Hermosa's Pier area is much better though (a bit less touristy IMO).

EDIT: Also, definitely rent a car! If you guys want to go around a bit, I can show you lots of places (and get you there in one piece - I know LA streets very well). Who knows? Maybe we can arrange a G|A? LA meet in Hermosa or Santa Monica. :cheers:

[Airencracken]

EDIT: Also, definitely rent a car! If you guys want to go around a bit, I can show you lots of places (and get you there in one piece - I know LA streets very well). Who knows? Maybe we can arrange a G|A? LA meet in Hermosa or Santa Monica. :cheers:

:stupid: Where's ray?

[speedracer120]

Definitely go with the rental car. Use priceline or something at least a week ahead of time. Taxi, bus, trains, they are not a viable option in CA. Everything is spread out here in LA. It's definitely no Manhattan where you can walk the lenght of the island in a few hours.

[Burzhui]

i'm not 25, stupid rental places are not too fond of renting to people under the silly age of 25

[Jane83]

so youre staying at the biltmore downtown?
its going to be boring downtown, theres nothing there.
you should stay somewhere more closer to the sunset strip if youre just visiting, but anyways, you can go bar hopping on the strip, check out the shopping area by The Grove, or Santa Monica 3rd st. Promenade.

[Jihforce]

i'm not 25, stupid rental places are not too fond of renting to people under the silly age of 25
I believe hertz will let you rent one if you make a reservation with your credit card. It will probably cost you extra, but if you plan on going around town a lot, it will still be cheaper to rent than to take public transportation.

[speedracer120]

:stupid:
Bite the bullet and pay the extra money for the under 25 charge. It'll still save you loads of money.

You can save on insurance by using certain credit cards or by using your own insurance policy.

[Airencracken]

I've rented before and that was when I was 20. Hertz. Most likley a crizappy Furd, but better than horrible awful pubtrans.

[Burzhui]

I've rented before and that was when I was 20. Hertz. Most likley a crizappy Furd, but better than horrible awful pubtrans.


No what i meant to say is that they will rent me the car but the under 25 charge is the same as the actual rental ammount ... bastards

[Airencracken]

ah. Yeah they do screw you on the cost. (Tank goodness I didn't pay for mine! insurance :hihi: )

[InfiniteNothing]

i'm not 25, stupid rental places are not too fond of renting to people under the silly age of 25

I rented a car from enterprise once when I was 20. Didn't have any problems or extra fees.

[tupacboy]

enterprise doesn't usually ahve a fee... except airports... and it usuallt $5 or $10 per day.... i used to work there... well corporate at least... if you know anyone that works at enterprise ask them for friends and family discount rates.... or if ur friends with an insurance adjuster... they can get you insurance rates for the cars... which tends to be a lot better then normal rates usually... if the airports have a lot of cars... they go really cheap... hope u like it here in la! :)

[BrewMaster]

there's no choice about it. you have to rent a car. You could easily spend $200 in a day going from Downtown to the West Side and back depending on what you see in a day. There are so many places to hit along the way that it would be obscene to try and cab it. Not to mention there are not always cabs around when you want one so you'd end up waiting a while if you call one.

[Lolita]

Well thanks for the tips guys but as it turns out this trip won't work out :( (at least at this time) - it comes out to be a bit too pricey at the moment...but I will bookmark this for the future :P

[Jihforce]

Well thanks for the tips guys but as it turns out this trip won't work out :( (at least at this time) - it comes out to be a bit too pricey at the moment...but I will bookmark this for the future :P

Fly Jet Blue :)

[Burzhui]

Fly Jet Blue :)
even more expensive than other airlines we found

[Jihforce]

even more expensive than other airlines we found

Really? Must be the weekend you guys where looking at then. The prices i generally see are like 119 each way. Bummer. :(

[tupacboy]

wow...i flew jetblue last time... $99 bux each way from ontario ca... btw ontario is only 40 min from los angeles.... which isn't bad here in california

[Lolita]

Really? Must be the weekend you guys where looking at then. The prices i generally see are like 119 each way. Bummer. :(

Memorial Day weekend - no surprise about the price hike :(

[Airencracken]

Well thanks for the tips guys but as it turns out this trip won't work out :( (at least at this time) - it comes out to be a bit too pricey at the moment...but I will bookmark this for the future :P

have burz quit buying gazillion dollar shirts :P

[Lolita]

:heh: then we would be able to afford a private jet

:kiss:

[Burzhui]

have burz quit buying gazillion dollar shirts :P

what's next??? stop breathing ? :spock:

[Yossarian]

just stop spending 100k per pair of pants :-P