Trip to LA this week with wife, any suggestions?

[cody8200]

Hey guys, my wife and I are flying out very early Friday morning to San Diego and plan on driving up to LA. We have been to San Diego before and really like it and plan on spending a night or two there during our trip but we have never been to LA as tourists (I used to go there for work a lot but it was always a quick trip with no time to sight see). Any recommendations of things we should do in LA? We will be there this Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday before driving back down to San Diego. We will be leaving on Tuesday.

[MrBug708]

What do you normally like to do?

Could visit the Getty or the Space Shuttle. What part of LA? Or does it not matter? One thing I did over Christmas is coming back from the Holiday Bowl, my wife and I stopped at the California missions. If you drive to LA, you can hit four of them. It's not for everyone though, but a nice piece of history

[cody8200]

Thanks! I forgot all about the Shuttle being there. I definitely would like to do that and I think she would be into it as well. As for the missions, I always find those fascinating but I'm not so sure about her. As for a specific place in LA, not really. I usually plan everything out in advance but I thought it would be cool to play it by ear and use the express priceline app to find a hotel wherever we end up in the city.

[MrBug708]

San Juan Capistrano Mission is pretty impressive even if you do just that one. Lots of nice restaurants for lunch too

[Chief Rum]

There is lots to do in LA, so it's hard to pick any one thing. But because it is such a sprawling city/metro area, by picking one option, you may be excluding any possibility of doing the others. So I would keep that in mind, what things can you do on the same day.

Bug is right, San Juan Cap is a neat little mission to go to, and is the most famous one, although you're a couple months too early for the swallows. You'll pass through San Clemente on your way there, and it's a fun little beach town with some bars near the pier area. But honestly, if you do the south OC thing for a day, I would just do the mission and than hop over to Laguna Beach, which is a great town to just stroll around. Lots of art galleries and picturesque scenery and pretty lively on the weekends.

Further up in the OC, you can check out Balboa Island in Newport or the Main Street/Pier in Huntington Beach, but that's more for drinks/hanging out near the beach. You could do Fashion Island or South Coast Plaza, too, but be careful there if your wife likes to shop and you're on a tight budget. If you go inland, of course, you can hit up the Anaheim resort district and do Disneyland. That's uber-expensive of course, but Disney is its own draw. Lots to do in Anaheim.

Moving on, you can hit up the Queen Mary in Long Beach, which is kinda neat to do. And beyond that, you have the usual tourist traps up in LA. You can see Mann Chinese theater, where they had the street walking actors who dress up as characters like Chewbacca and Spiderman, although you may want to search around on the Internet to be sure the city didn't drive them away (I seem to recall a recent crackdown on them). You can go up to Griffith Park and the observatory, and the Hollywood sign is close by there. Like Bug said, the Getty is a neat museum, and especially with the Shuttle.

You can also go to LA Live, where the Staples Center is. Less tourist stuff, but lots shopping and dining you can do there, and maybe try to finagle your way into a basketball game (won't be easy, both teams are selling out). Old Town Pasadena is neat place for dining and walking around. That's where the Rose Parade runs through, and of course the Rose Bowl up the way (not that there is anything going on there right now). And then you have the Santa Monica Pier area, with the famous ferris wheel, and Venice is close by, which is great for people watching.

And that just scratches the surface, of course, but it's the most obvious stuff.

[digamma]

Get a reservation for the Space Shuttle. I think there is a $2 processing fee and you have to pay for parking. They have been selling out on weekends, so go ahead and put in for your reservation. There is also a Cleopatra exhibit going on at the science center, but it costs a little more.

I also second the Getty suggestion. No reservation needed, but parking is $15. No entry fee to the museum. The museum is fine (the Van Goghs are great), but you are really there for the views. Really spectacular, particularly this time of year--very clear.

If you are into hiking, Runyon Canyon or Fryman Canyon are centrally located.

Beach areas are a good thing too.

If you like certain types of food, happy to recommend restaurants in various price ranges and parts of the city. Don't eat at any chains.

[Pyser]

good suggestions from everyone. like most say, you really need to pick a part of town, otherwise you could spend over an hour just getting from one attraction to the next.

if you do the getty (highly recommended), you are on the west side, and could also do santa monica, venice, brentwood, and stuff like that. beach/money communities.

if you do hollywood, you can do all the movie stuff, and still get in a museum or two if you want (lacma), or universal studios to continue the movie theme.

i personally wouldnt recommend downtown. i like it there, but it's lower on my list than the first two options. but there are good museums and food downtown, and could always catch a game at staples or a show nearby.

if you are around at night, driving mulholland is fun, especially when its clear out, like it has been lately. great views.

or just go to disneyland.

[Warhammer]

Las Brisas in Laguna Beach is awesome. Get a table near the window and watch the sunset during dinner.

[bhlloy]

I wouldn't bother with Hollywood, it really is a dump. Unless you are a serious movie buff and even then I would expect you to come out disappointed.

[Chief Rum]

Las Brisas in Laguna Beach is awesome. Get a table near the window and watch the sunset during dinner.

:+1:

[Julio Riddols]

Go to The Edison (http://www.edisondowntown.com/) if you get a chance.

[Dodgerchick]

Griffith Observatory - must, you have an awesome view of the city at night. Who knows, you may see a ghost or 2 :eek:

Universal City Walk - right by Universal Studios with shops, restaurants and a movie theater.

Venice Beach - good for people watching and you'll get to see some... unique characters

Santa Monica Pier - same as Venice Beach

Food:

King Taco - if you don't mind going to the ghetto, King Taco is a MUST. God I miss those burritos.

In n Out - best burgers ever (of course this is coming from a native SoCal Gal, so take it for what it's worth. They do have some tasty burgers)

And I agree with the Hollywood comment, it's not as glamorous as you may think. You are, however, almost guaranteed to see a tranny or 2.

[chadritt]

Go to The Edison (http://www.edisondowntown.com/) if you get a chance.

I really like the Edison but just be VERY careful to meet their dress code. In particular dont try to walk in wearing tennis shoes. Theres a similar bar called "Pour Vous" closer to Hollywood thats also very cool.

The Edison has cool acrobat shows some nights and Pour Vous has a more burlesque style show with a woman coming down from the ceiling in a cage.

[bhlloy]

King Taco - if you don't mind going to the ghetto, King Taco is a MUST. God I miss those burritos.



There is a non-ghetto King Taco in Old Town Pasadena, FYI

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I have ideas, but you would need to leave the wife at home. :devil:

[MrBug708]

King Taco is pretty overrated IMO. The one in Old Town is pretty different than the other ones

Queen Mary would be a nice half day too, if you find yourself in Long Beach.

As most have said, it really depends on what part of LA you want to visit. Not worth driving through all the parts in a day.

[finketr]

In n Out - best burgers ever (of course this is coming from a native SoCal Gal, so take it for what it's worth. They do have some tasty burgers)

Sorry, I've lived out here for a couple of years and I just don't get it. They are not awesome burgers yet the I&O is always packed and causing a backup on the streets here.

[cody8200]

Amazing info guys! I really appreciate it. I'll definitely fill you guys in on what we decided to do afterwards. I'm going to speak to my wife about some of these options this evening.