Los Angeles

[The G Kid]

Heading to LA for a few days in October. Anything that people would recommend is good to see for family with a 16 and 14 year old? Already on the list is half day covering Hollywood sign, Sunset etc, plus Santa Monica and Venice beach on another day. Also NFL and/or NBA.

Thanks in advance!

[The G Kid]

White-Noise said:

Mate of mine lived in la for a few years so went a few times. I wouldn't be too bothered going again but the beach around santa Monica was where we were mostly.

If as above you head out of town. We went to santa barbara, went surfing up there which I would recommend. Its a nice town. Maybe have a nose around Malibu. We also did a few nights in an old cabin up in Big Bear. Lovely hikes, kayaking, I really liked it up there.

There is an observatory in la but I didn't manage to get there. Oh, there is the california space center which has a shuttle which is cool. You could also visit Mexico for the day if you're adventurous.

Thanks, I'm probably going to head south for a surf, maybe Huntington or the Wedge if it's working. But Santa Barbara sounds like a good option too. Malibu too.

[The G Kid]

croyde said:

Santa Barbara is nice. Was seeing a girl in North West LA so it was a reasonably easy hop.

Can't remember the names but nearby to Santa Barbara were an old western town and an old Danish town that is now a tourist hotspot but odd to see Danish style as you come off the interstate.

There's the museum in LA with the Space Shuttle. We went but too late in the afternoon and it was shutting.

I'm no fan of baseball but it was interesting to go and be part of the crowd. Lots of food stalls and booze.

I was seated amongst all the East LA gang bangers tho

Thanks, space shuttle would be cool. Went to baseball a few years ago, and going to stick with NBA and NFL on this trip.

[The G Kid]

belleair302 said:

Newport Beach, Redondo Beach Magic Mountain and a swift day in Beverley Hills. Greater LA is pretty grim and the traffic is crazy.

Thanks, have heard lots of negative views on the traffic!

[The G Kid]

75Black said:

In terms of NFL, LA has 2 teams now, the LA Chargers and LA Rams, previously San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams. The NFL schedule is due to release at the beginning of May so there's a good chance you'll get a home game for either team. Tickets are easily accessible on the Ticketmaster US site. Rams and Chargers share SoFi stadium as well.

9th or 10th of May, so not too long to wait!

[The G Kid]

Thanks for all the info from everyone. Some good recommendations. Slightly surprised Rodeo Drive could be dodgy though?

[The G Kid]

gotoPzero said:

When I was there last there was a shooting on North Canon and then about a year ago there was another shooting literally 100 yards away on the same street.

N Canon runs behind Beverly Drive...

We been to the cheesecake factory one time and left quite late, think it was about 10pm and it felt a bit dodge especially as we had parked up on the car park near SaMo Blvd.

During the day its fine and never had a problem. Just watch out at night. IMHO. On the plus side there are police everywhere.

The only real issues we ever had in LA were both near The Broad.

Thanks for the info. Thinking now that 2 days will be enough in LA, and instead of flying to Vegas will drive via Grand Canyon.

[The G Kid]

mattyn1 said:

We have two days in LA in August - plan is:

Drive into LA from San Simeon...
Horse ride to see the Hollywood sign late afternoon (Sunset Ranch).
Evening walk and dinner in and about Hollywood. Hotel is in Hollywood.
Day at Universal. Evening, who knows?
Day doing Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard (if for any reason we have not done it at night), the Observatory perhaps, then drive onto Santa Monica Pier to say we have done most of Route 66.
Then to LAX for the flight home.

Thanks for this info, the horse ride sounds good.

[The G Kid]

EmilA said:

I've only been to California within the US so not sure how it measures to the rest of the nation but my family and I absolutely love it over there.
We have stayed in Santa Monica and its fine, there is alot of homeless people around but nothing like what Venice Beach is like. As quirky as Venice Beach is, unfortunately the sheer scale of homeless people there with the drug use, smell, shouting etc makes it abit comfortable for me to walk through with my young family.
I would say take a trip out but just be forewarned of the environment there as your family is much older than mine.

Point Dume is a lovely spot, we had half a day there on an insanely windy day, though challenging with the weather the views and hike was great. We parked at the beach and went up that way around.

Griffith Observatory is a must do IMO, and potentially my favourite place from our trip out. You can park along the road as you get towards the Observatory, use the car park at the top or park at the bottom by the theatre and get a bus. We parked on the road on our first trip then in the car park on the second when we went at night. Managed to see Jupiter and Saturn on the telescopes outside, and saw a SpaceX shuttle in the sky which was a nice bonus.

As this is Pistonheads, I'd suggest driving Angles Crest Highway and maybe doing some of the other canyon roads. We did a few of them in our rentals, slow drives but just enjoyed the scenic views and regular stops.

Another vote for the Science Centre, the space shuttle has been relocated to its new home but I don't think its open to the public till next year?

And be ready for a 1 to 2 hour wait at passport control and then another similar amount of time to leave LAX, especially if your renting a car.

Thanks for the info. We are considering a bike tour that starts in Santa Monica and covers Venice too. Then lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp, which has been recommended and has good reviews.......I'm generally disappointed in food in the US, so trying not to get hopes up despite the reviews!

I was kind of hoping LAX wouldn't be too bad at 1400 on a Weds. Is that being a bit naive? Two years ago we entered the US at a similar time at Newark (but on a Saturday) and didn't have any immigration queue (line) at all.

[The G Kid]

Rich Boy Spanner said:

I work for a company with offices in Orange County. When visiting I used to drive out into the desert and keep going until I got to Las Vegas, Death Valley, that kind of thing but they are long drives (LV is about 4 hours ONCE you get out of LA). I'd be tempted to do the theme parks if you want that, the Queen Mary (is that still open?), the observatory and then head out into the desert or head out North up the coast road for the scenery. As stated, the traffic is often horrendous and the Greater LA area is huge so add extra time to journey planning. Avoid the bad areas of the city like your life depends on it. It might.

Not really planning on any driving whilst in LA, although have been toying with the idea of driving LA to Vega via the Grand Canyon, rather than flying to Vegas from LA and then sorting out a day trip to the Grand Canyon.

No theme parks on this trip, thankfully!

[The G Kid]

w1bbles said:

I’ve been there for work quite a lot in the last couple of years - I’ve spent about 6 weeks there in total, 90% of it in the office. I don’t recognise the unsafe status applied in the posts above; I’ve walked extensively around downtown and Inglewood and it was no worse than London. Plenty of homeless people but mostly harmless. I’ve walked around Downtown, Rodeo Drive, Skid Row, Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard and on the bridges over the LA River too. In total I’ve only had a couple of days off, but I enjoyed the Observatory, the SoFi stadium, The Broad (modern art museum), the Angels Flight (which is next to my office) and various places to eat including Cole’s French Dip, which is in what many would consider a dodgy place. Chinatown is pretty cool too. There is a great food market at the bottom of the Angels Flight. The whole city is, however, frigging expensive! The only place that I was a bit wary of was the Walk of Fame, which had Leicester Square vibes. Next time I’m there I’ll go hiking in the hills surrounding the city, where there are some incredible trail hikes. I’d avoid the LA Metro, which seemed to be like a 24 hour sleeper train for the homeless but Ubers are cheap. Hope you enjoy it. The people are much more friendly than those in NYC.

Thanks for the info. Angels Flight appears on few peoples lists, so guess it must be worth doing?

[The G Kid]

aeropilot said:

Yes.

You'll be doing very well to get outside the terminal by 16.30-17.00 from a 14.00 landing time.

Grrr.....

[The G Kid]

Rollin said:

As a 70's and 80's rock music throwback, I can't visit LA without a drive up to the Laurel Canyon Country Store for a sarnie and coffee. Follow that with day drinking at the Rainbow, a show at the Roxy or Whiskey and a drunken tattoo before throwing up in a dumpster. Non of that is kid friendly though, plus you might not be as sad as me

Haha!

[The G Kid]

White-Noise said:

I'd definitely do the drive up to Vegas. Being out in the wide open is an experience. The road does go past a big solar array which you see from a distance but is quite incredible. But yeah la traffic is a mission.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dunes_Sol...

When you cycle along the coast near santa Monica etc there are often open public skate parks. I always enjoy standing and watching that stuff, your kids may be inspired. On the food front you can also get decent mexican and Japanese stuff which is quite rare here.

Oh also I don't recall if you have been to the states but if you want a beer take your Id. I didn't get id so much in la but some places were a real pain even my friends mum got checked in her 50s! I've had my drivers license refused before. It's funny they weren't that strict in the gun ranges. That's something I always enjoy there was one in Vegas were we tried full autos. May not be your thing though.

When I go to the states I usually to check if there is a restaurant that was featured on man vs food. Can help find decent interesting places to try.

Edited by White-Noise on Thursday 11th April 12:46

Cheers for the info, doing some shooting in Vegas is definitely on the list!

[The G Kid]

We're looking at doing the I-10 route, with at least one overnight stop before arriving at the South Rim. It's not completely set in stone as other variables to consider (such as NFL fixtures being released next month). But quite keen on spending a night at the Grand Canyon, which would fit better this way IMO.

[The G Kid]

mattyn1 said:

On our trip we are heading to South Rim from Holbrook and staying in Tusayan,
https://www.grandcanyonplaza.com

and getting a GC Plane ride. Sunset Hummer Tour of the South Rim included.

Next day we head to Page via the eastward route GC viewpoints - at Page do Horseshoe and Antelope (if there is time). Staying in an Airbnb.

Next day head to GC North Rim staying o/n at the lodge there.
https://www.grandcanyonnorth.com

Then following day, North Rim sunrise, then into Vegas (dusk arrival) via Zion.

Busy, but recommended by people on here.

Edited by mattyn1 on Thursday 11th April 17:56

Edited by mattyn1 on Thursday 11th April 17:57

Thanks for the info.

[The G Kid]

EmilA said:

Sadly yes, LAX is just that bad. My return flight home was around then and the traffic within the airport was the same as when I landed 2 weeks prior.

I saw alot of the bike tours, it’s a nice way to travel around and sight see. I tried Bubba Gump in Long Beach and it wasn’t that great, have been before to other branches aswell. The rides are fun on the Pier.

BOA for steaks is good in Santa Monica but pricy. And we were fans of the Indian restaurant Tumbi a few doors down, and really enjoyed HiHo burgers around the corner from them too.
Alternatively North Italia for some excellent food. Spoilt for choice in so many ways.
We stayed on Ocean Ave and Third Street Promenade was a nice place to walk around during Christmas.

A drive along PCH to Neptunes Net (seafood place from Fast & Furious 1) is also a nice way to drive along the coast.

Now I want to visit California again!

Thanks for the info. I may look at an alternative to Bubba Gump.

[The G Kid]

Any thoughts on staying Downtown LA v West Hollywood or Beverly Hills area? Always stay IHG hotels, so choice is between the amazing looking IC Downtown or one of the Kimptons. I appreciate traffic can be a pain but it appears the IC is actually quicker to get to from LAX than the others. Plans in LA are Santa Monica, sunset ride in the hills, visit to Coolkicks, hopefully an NBA game, and a bit of Beverly Hills.

Any advice gratefully received!

[The G Kid]

craig1912 said:

We stayed near the Kimpton Everly and that area was fine and walking distance from a few places and short taxi rides to others.
Picked up our car from Hertz at Loews Hollywood Hotel and found the driving fine.

Did you rate the Everly? Thanks.

[The G Kid]

craig1912 said:

Stayed near it not in it.
Don’t believe in staying in anything expensive when all we need is a bed for the night. Think we stayed T somewhere about half the price of the Everly but it was fine.

Sorry, misread your original post!