*Travel Tips>>>Los Angeles Travel Tips

My Trip to LA?

Travel Info
I am planning a trip to LA next summer. What are some of the highlights I should see? What's a good hotel to stay at that's not to expensive but still in reach of everything? Should we rent a car or public trans good there?

Travel Tips

Here's my top ten. Be sure to rent a car, because LA is large and spread out. Public transporation stinks. Really. I love LA, but public transit stinks.

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can鈥檛 be wrong. (Sometimes it seems all at once)

Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. Check out eBay. You can find some discounted tickets there. And Universal City Walk is a fun place to hang out in the evening after your day inside the park.

Hollywood: Hollywood Boulevard is ready for its close-up, thanks to years of urban renewal and renovation. Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Mann's Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. I have also added the Hollywood & Highland complex to my top ten list鈥?it has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards). I like the El Capitan theater, because it has been restored to its former glory, unlike the Chinese, which was essentially gutted and turned into a multiplex.

Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.

Venice Beach: Los Angeles kitsch and over-the-top culture at its best.
Here you'll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore.
Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste. And it's a short bike ride from:

Santa Monica Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. (The Sting and "Three's Company" come immediately to mind).
After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.

Santa Monica Third Street Promenade - Downtown Santa Monica's shopping promenade is often the scene of movie star-sightings. Just a short walk from the Santa Monica Pier.

Sunset Boulevard: Perhaps one of the world's most famous streets, it began as a route between the stars' posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the "Sunset Strip" on its way. It makes for a fun drive. Along the way, you see a lot of different neighborhoods. Hollywood, West Hollywood, Bel Air, and Pacific Palisades. When you get to the ocean, stop at Gladstone's for Fish.

Queen Mary: Once the largest ship afloat, she's been docked in Long Beach for longer than she sailed, and her elegance never fails to impress. Free to visit. You can actually stay on board, for a price.

Farmers Market and The Grove - A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, The Grove and Farmers Market coexist. Enjoy a movie or shopping, then take the trolley to the Farmers Market for lunch or dinner.
Farmer's Market is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping "The Price is Right". You might even get in.

Griffith Park - Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Getty Museum - The Getty's architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art or architecture better (or maybe you'll just enjoy the view), the Getty is sure to please. Free.

Attend a TV taping - You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It's very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the tonight show. Check the NBC web site for all the details there.

Places to eat:
In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.
Pink鈥檚 Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. Might see a celebrity.
Tommy鈥檚 Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. Original location at Beverly & Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.
Canter鈥檚 Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly & Melrose. Near CBS, might spot a celebrity.
Phillippe鈥檚: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station, Olvera Street. Watch the mustard, it鈥檚 hot.

Places to Stay:
In Hollywood, I recommend the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel and the Farmer's Daughter Hotel.
In Anaheim, I recommend the HoJo Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. If you want to splurge and make this a most memorable trip, stay at Disney鈥檚 Grand Californian. You get the full Disney experience. If you don't need to stay by the park, then stay at the Doubletree on Harbor, or even the one in Orange on Chapman.
In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced.

Places to Shop:
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
Citadel Outlets, Commerce
Beverly Center, Los Angeles
The Block at Orange, Orange
Ontario Mills, Ontario
Others

Go to the library and get Fodors and Frommers Travel Guides for CA. They list all the attractions and you can decide which interest you. The area is so large and the traffic so heavy that you should plan to stay in different areas. Public transit is poor so you need to rent a car.
OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT, GIRL! Lol, please don't come to LA without planning on renting a car. The public transport is terrible.. you can't hail a cab in most areas (have to call, and they're pretty expensive). The buses are generally not that clean or nice, particularly depending on the area, and the metro system is severely lacking. Living in most places of LA without a car (or even visiting) is like living in LA without 2 legs. The car is your legs. We didn't have a car for a week or 2, and it was awful. Anywho, you absolutely need a car, and maybe even a GPS. LA is a huge place, and it includes many areas, so I can't say which hotels would be nicer, as I have no idea where you'd like to stay. I'd suggest you don't stay anywhere farther west than Burbank (I mean go towards Glendale, don't go any more towards Northridge.. you'll know what I mean if you look on a map). Many parts of Hollywood are seedy, so watch out for that. LA (the city, not the county) also has some tough places, so.. definitely research that before you book a hotel there. The minimum you'd expect to pay for a decent hotel is probably going to be from 100-150 dollars. Anything less than 75 is literally a dump, and 100 is also generally pushing it. But again, it does depend where you are. As for highlights, go see Wicked at the Pantages Theatre, if you're into things like that. Visit the beaches and Santa Monica Pier (on Santa Monica Beach... although the beach isn't the greatest). Definitely go to Disneyland, Six Flags and/or Universal Studios. Universal is actually one of my favorites, as it's for all ages, really. I like them all, though. There are lots of great museums here as well, and the zoo is something to see too. It all depends on what you like, I suppose. Some people aren't museum people, while others don't care much for amusement parks. I'd definitely suggest you check out a guide, and go to a site like tripadvisor.com. There are also many LA travel guides online. Good luck, have fun and stay safe! :o)
LA native