Another Las Vegas/Los Angeles thread.
Discussion
Hi all,
I understand you must all be getting bored of them however id rather not hijack someone else's thread!
we're flying into Los Angeles in October, and then driving to San Diego Island Palms for two days, then up to Malibu beach inn for a day and then back to Los Angeles regency hotel for three days, before driving to the MGM grand signature in Las Vegas for the second week and then home from there, we've booked a Group K car through British Airways (which shown as a mustang convertible, is this likely to be the car we get?)
Currently, we've booked these hotels and a helicopter ride to the grand canyon with papillon other than that we've not booked anything. Ideally id like to try and catch a Baseball game and an American Football game don't mind whether its professional or college, also enjoying cigars id like to find a few places along the way where I'm able to smoke without putting people off.
Is there anything along these routes that anyone would recommend to do or recommend to avoid?
any help appreciated!
thanks!
I understand you must all be getting bored of them however id rather not hijack someone else's thread!
we're flying into Los Angeles in October, and then driving to San Diego Island Palms for two days, then up to Malibu beach inn for a day and then back to Los Angeles regency hotel for three days, before driving to the MGM grand signature in Las Vegas for the second week and then home from there, we've booked a Group K car through British Airways (which shown as a mustang convertible, is this likely to be the car we get?)
Currently, we've booked these hotels and a helicopter ride to the grand canyon with papillon other than that we've not booked anything. Ideally id like to try and catch a Baseball game and an American Football game don't mind whether its professional or college, also enjoying cigars id like to find a few places along the way where I'm able to smoke without putting people off.
Is there anything along these routes that anyone would recommend to do or recommend to avoid?
any help appreciated!
thanks!
Dont bother with downtown LA, s
thole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.
On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
thole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
welshys90 said:
Hi all,
I understand you must all be getting bored of them however id rather not hijack someone else's thread!
we're flying into Los Angeles in October, and then driving to San Diego Island Palms for two days, then up to Malibu beach inn for a day and then back to Los Angeles regency hotel for three days, before driving to the MGM grand signature in Las Vegas for the second week and then home from there, we've booked a Group K car through British Airways (which shown as a mustang convertible, is this likely to be the car we get?)
Currently, we've booked these hotels and a helicopter ride to the grand canyon with papillon other than that we've not booked anything. Ideally id like to try and catch a Baseball game and an American Football game don't mind whether its professional or college, also enjoying cigars id like to find a few places along the way where I'm able to smoke without putting people off.
Is there anything along these routes that anyone would recommend to do or recommend to avoid?
any help appreciated!
thanks!
It looks to me like the Baseball season ends on the first few days of October. I'm not sure about the playoffs, but the selection of games will be fewer. The NFL starts in September and, from the cities you mention, the San Diego Chargers will be your best bet. I understand you must all be getting bored of them however id rather not hijack someone else's thread!
we're flying into Los Angeles in October, and then driving to San Diego Island Palms for two days, then up to Malibu beach inn for a day and then back to Los Angeles regency hotel for three days, before driving to the MGM grand signature in Las Vegas for the second week and then home from there, we've booked a Group K car through British Airways (which shown as a mustang convertible, is this likely to be the car we get?)
Currently, we've booked these hotels and a helicopter ride to the grand canyon with papillon other than that we've not booked anything. Ideally id like to try and catch a Baseball game and an American Football game don't mind whether its professional or college, also enjoying cigars id like to find a few places along the way where I'm able to smoke without putting people off.
Is there anything along these routes that anyone would recommend to do or recommend to avoid?
any help appreciated!
thanks!
It'll help if you can say the types of things you enjoy because there's a lot of choice from Theme Parks to National Parks.
pushthebutton said:
Downtown L.A is effectively the business district with a few exceptions. It's not somewhere you'd go on holiday and it'll be a lot quieter on weekends because everybody is at home.
It wasn't by choice believe me, it took all day to get to LA and when we got there there was some kind of convention or concert on at the olympic thing and no hotels anywhere, I think we got the last room, relieving me of $200 or so. Kinda puts you off a place.pushthebutton said:
It looks to me like the Baseball season ends on the first few days of October. I'm not sure about the playoffs, but the selection of games will be fewer. The NFL starts in September and, from the cities you mention, the San Diego Chargers will be your best bet.
It'll help if you can say the types of things you enjoy because there's a lot of choice from Theme Parks to National Parks.
Thanks all for the replys,It'll help if you can say the types of things you enjoy because there's a lot of choice from Theme Parks to National Parks.
Yeah I hope the giants are in the playoffs this year again, other than the chargers the only other team I've really found are the rebels!
I'd prefer the national parks parks to the theme parks, cigars, sports, cars and maybe some shopping!
stuart313 said:
Dont bother with downtown LA, sthole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.
On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
So miss out downtown LA Then? What about the rest of it?thole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
welshys90 said:
stuart313 said:
Dont bother with downtown LA, sthole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.
On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
So miss out downtown LA Then? What about the rest of it?thole. I drove from vegas to LA and stayed the night in the only hotel I could find - the Marriott in DTLA, we went for a mooch about at night, witnessed a bag snatch inside a store the police were actually inside at the time and then had to pay a large black gentleman 5 dollars to perform a rap for us. Oh yea, Hollywood is a bit of a dive as well.On the bright side Vegas rocks though.
Treat LA like a bunch of cities mashed together under 1 heading.
There's a ton of amazing stuff there, but if you just set your satnav to downtown LA you'll get the CBD others have talked about in posts above. That being said, I'd still give it a miss as a tourist - the shopping and stuff I'd recommend is better in vegas, and you'll have more time to spend doing the stuff California is much better at - outdoorsy nature stuff.
Baseball season will be over but the chances of there not being any playoff games are slim. Keep an eye on Stub Hub and the like nearer the time and adjust accordingly. For NFL, you'll be fairly near the Chargers. Good news is their tickets are cheap, bad news is they're the Chargers. Personally I'd be looking at College Football schedules if you're into the the sport, or NFL if you just want the spectacle.
If you've got the time and money free there's always the 49ers.
There's a ton of amazing stuff there, but if you just set your satnav to downtown LA you'll get the CBD others have talked about in posts above. That being said, I'd still give it a miss as a tourist - the shopping and stuff I'd recommend is better in vegas, and you'll have more time to spend doing the stuff California is much better at - outdoorsy nature stuff.
Baseball season will be over but the chances of there not being any playoff games are slim. Keep an eye on Stub Hub and the like nearer the time and adjust accordingly. For NFL, you'll be fairly near the Chargers. Good news is their tickets are cheap, bad news is they're the Chargers. Personally I'd be looking at College Football schedules if you're into the the sport, or NFL if you just want the spectacle.
If you've got the time and money free there's always the 49ers.
Have you had a look at other threads to get some ideas of previous recommendations?
What are you planning in San Diego? The Zoo is pretty epic and is definitely worth a visit if that's your thing. I'd also recommend the Trolley Tour as it stops at all the major places of interest and gives you a narrated journey around San Diego. You can hop on/off at any of the stops to look around and then return to the stop to get the next one. The drive down to San Diego is a pretty dull one so there's not too much to see on the way down in my experience. It'll take a couple of hours, but longer if you're departing from north LA/Malibu.
What are you planning to do in Malibu? Is it just for the beach or are you staying there because it's a familiar name? I'd definitely do a guided tour of LA as well. There are plenty of companies to choose from and Tripadvisor has some good reviews. Some focus more on Celebrity Homes and some more on locations associated with the entertainment industry. I'd go for one that has a bit of both. If you like the entertainment industry then there's some good historical tidbits about different clubs/comedy venues/bars where some famous names got their first break.
I've just got back from LV and I did Death Valley for the first time. It's a good day trip at a couple of hours each way. It's definitely different to anything we have in the UK. You'll spend most of the day driving and some of the stop offs have hiking trails associated with them are 3 mile round trips, so you probably won't have time to do all of them, but the drive makes up for it. Again, Trip Advisor has some good route recommendations. I've done most of the shows now and if it's your first time I'd go for 'O' or Mystere by Cirque de Soleil. 'O' is in the Bellagio and is always busy so it's better to book early. We booked the night before and paid $209 each for middle centre seats (perfect location IMO). The next night we went to see Mystere for $89 on discounted tickets and we were at the side and near the front. They were fine for the show and for the price we paid (I was the guy in the box if that means anything to anyone!!!)
I'll wait for your reply before writing anything else.
HTH
ETA: With regard to the Mustang the rental companies tend to say that "this exact model" on the quote/booking if that's the case. If it says "or similar" then you're not guaranteed. That said, Avis and the others have A LOT of Mustangs!
What are you planning in San Diego? The Zoo is pretty epic and is definitely worth a visit if that's your thing. I'd also recommend the Trolley Tour as it stops at all the major places of interest and gives you a narrated journey around San Diego. You can hop on/off at any of the stops to look around and then return to the stop to get the next one. The drive down to San Diego is a pretty dull one so there's not too much to see on the way down in my experience. It'll take a couple of hours, but longer if you're departing from north LA/Malibu.
What are you planning to do in Malibu? Is it just for the beach or are you staying there because it's a familiar name? I'd definitely do a guided tour of LA as well. There are plenty of companies to choose from and Tripadvisor has some good reviews. Some focus more on Celebrity Homes and some more on locations associated with the entertainment industry. I'd go for one that has a bit of both. If you like the entertainment industry then there's some good historical tidbits about different clubs/comedy venues/bars where some famous names got their first break.
I've just got back from LV and I did Death Valley for the first time. It's a good day trip at a couple of hours each way. It's definitely different to anything we have in the UK. You'll spend most of the day driving and some of the stop offs have hiking trails associated with them are 3 mile round trips, so you probably won't have time to do all of them, but the drive makes up for it. Again, Trip Advisor has some good route recommendations. I've done most of the shows now and if it's your first time I'd go for 'O' or Mystere by Cirque de Soleil. 'O' is in the Bellagio and is always busy so it's better to book early. We booked the night before and paid $209 each for middle centre seats (perfect location IMO). The next night we went to see Mystere for $89 on discounted tickets and we were at the side and near the front. They were fine for the show and for the price we paid (I was the guy in the box if that means anything to anyone!!!)
I'll wait for your reply before writing anything else.
HTH
ETA: With regard to the Mustang the rental companies tend to say that "this exact model" on the quote/booking if that's the case. If it says "or similar" then you're not guaranteed. That said, Avis and the others have A LOT of Mustangs!
Edited by pushthebutton on Wednesday 1st April 16:29
The drive straight from LAX to San Diego is boring but can be done in 2 hours no problem. SD is pretty cool but a small place. Nice restaurants/bars but i found it very small. On the way to Malibu from Sand Diego you pass imo much better spots than your destination. Manhattan, Huntington, New Port, Venice (which is crazy) Beaches are great alternatives and are heading the direction to LV anyway. I guess you have already booked your downtown accommodations, however I would say for the same money more or less you could be in one of the fancy Beverly Hills or Sunset type hotels.
No one ever mentions Universal Studios anymore, love that place. Ok it is over priced (really really overpriced), but it is great fun!
Vegas has everything you need from pool parties through to shows...a week there though seems like a long time. But there is the driving experience there, shooting gallery etc...
No one ever mentions Universal Studios anymore, love that place. Ok it is over priced (really really overpriced), but it is great fun!
Vegas has everything you need from pool parties through to shows...a week there though seems like a long time. But there is the driving experience there, shooting gallery etc...
Big Raff said:
No one ever mentions Universal Studios anymore, love that place. Ok it is over priced (really really overpriced), but it is great fun!
We did it...for the 2nd time. Splashed out for the VIP and so got the extended studio tour. First 3 rides were all the motion simulator and 3D type. I had a stinking cold and almost added a 4th dimension for my fellow riders 
We went earlier this year to LA and Vegas. Runyon Canyon near Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory are good places to go -you can look out over LA.
If you go to Manhattan Beach and park on the front make sure you park 'Head in', I backed in and returned to a $50 fine. I paid it before Avis added their change!
After Vegas if you have time Page is great especially Horseshoe Bend.
If you go to Manhattan Beach and park on the front make sure you park 'Head in', I backed in and returned to a $50 fine. I paid it before Avis added their change!
After Vegas if you have time Page is great especially Horseshoe Bend.
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