Los Angeles - Suggested itinerary in LA for 4 days?

Hello

I have read a few of the threads on the LA forum and have a few supplementary questions if anyone could please advise. ^

We are travelling to the West Coast soon and will be in LA for 4 days from Thu 7th July. There are 4 of us two adults, my recently widowed Father-in-Law, (76 and absolutely no mobilitly issues) and my 14 year old son staying at the Residence Inn by Marriot in Beverley Hills. I have decided at this stage not to hire a car and was looking for suggested/must see things to do during our stay.

We arrive mid afternoon on Thursday 7th and I was planning to do

Universal City Thu aft/evening
Universal Studios Friday

Sat/Sun are free so I was hoping that some of my fellow FT's could make any suggestions/places to go given the time constraints so some of my questions are:

1) I hope to just take taxis/tours and not hire a car. Is this a wise decision?

2) We would quite like to go to Santa Monica and Venice Beach. I assume it's busy at weekends and how busy is the 2nd week of July in the LA area?

3) Would we be better waiting until we are at the Hotel and book say Hollywood Sign/Celebrity Homes/Hollywood walk of Fame tour from there or pre-book from the UK?

4) Are there any nice (safe) walks/parks nearby our Hotel?

We are hoping to make this a very memorable trip for my F-I-L as he has been through a very difficult time lately. He quite likes the Old Hollywood stars thing and is there a Museum re this in LA?

Many thanks in advance, your replies will be very much appreciated. I won't be able to respond until very late on today so please don't think I will be ignoring any replies as I am away to work :(

Pete

How are you planning on traveling to Universal Studios from Beverly Hills?

Personally I would suggest that if you have to visit Universal Studios, do it only on the Friday as using public transit or taxis to go both Thursday afternoon and Friday is a bit much IMHO.

For a nice walking/people watching area I would suggest the Grove Shopping Center and the Original Farmers' Market at 3rd St. and Fairfax just East of Beverly Hills.

How are you planning on traveling to Universal Studios from Beverly Hills?

Personally I would suggest that if you have to visit Universal Studios, do it only on the Friday as using public transit or taxis to go both Thursday afternoon and Friday is a bit much IMHO.

For a nice walking/people watching area I would suggest the Grove Shopping Center and the Original Farmers' Market at 3rd St. and Fairfax just East of Beverly Hills.



Thanks SWCPHX

We will just take a taxi from the Hotel to Uni Studios. It doesn't really bother us that much doing it the next day as I was hoping to do the City Walk and associated events, meal etc and then have a theme park type day on the Friday. As far as I can see it isn't that far according to google maps, 6/7 miles ish max?

Thank you very much for the tip re the Shopping Centre and Farmers Market etc. These bits of info are very useful and I appreciate your reply. You can look at the net, books etc but from first hand experience is valuable.

I see it has been viewed 60 times so if anyone else has any other suggestions/tips/advice I will be very grateful :p

Thanks SWCPHX

We will just take a taxi from the Hotel to Uni Studios. It doesn't really bother us that much doing it the next day as I was hoping to do the City Walk and associated events, meal etc and then have a theme park type day on the Friday. As far as I can see it isn't that far according to google maps, 6/7 miles ish max?

Thank you very much for the tip re the Shopping Centre and Farmers Market etc. These bits of info are very useful and I appreciate your reply. You can look at the net, books etc but from first hand experience is valuable.

I see it has been viewed 60 times so if anyone else has any other suggestions/tips/advice I will be very grateful :p

Just be aware that distances in LA are measured in terms of time and not distance. What appears to be an easy 6-7 mile hop in a taxi can in fact take a significant amount of time. There really isn't a direct route over the mountain that separates Beverly Hills from Universal City. I've never used a taxi in LA so I can't speak from firsthand experience but I would be worried about an unethical driver taking a longer than necessary route in order to run up the meter a little bit. If you're not opposed to public transit, an easier/cheaper option may be to taxi/hotel shuttle? to the Metro (subway) station at Wilshire and Western and then take that to the Universal City station. It's been years since I've rode the Metro so somebody else may have some better info.

You mentioned that father in law likes old Hollywood so you may look into having a meal at the Formosa Cafe or Pig and Whistle. If you grow a bit homesick in the Santa Monica area at 2nd and Santa Monica there are several very British establishments (King's Head Pub and Tudor House).

I wouldn't bother pre-booking a tour from the UK, there are any number of options/opportunities once you arrive there.

L.A. is so sprawled out...if you like to plan ahead and are good with directions then having a car is best, so you'll have the flexibility and get to see/do more. Not having a car is certainly doable if you only want to see a few places and you're only doing tours.

Beaches (and freeways) will be busy. By SMB, there's lots of shopping, restaurants, and people watching opportunities on Third St. Promenade (http://www.thirdstreetpromenade.org/visitors/index.html).

Are you looking for the Hollywood Museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-hollywood-museum-hollywood)? For a good night view: Yamashiro (http://www.yelp.com/biz/yamashiro-hollywood-2) is near your hotel.

If I was you I would skip Venice beach, rent a car and take an early drive up the 101 freeway & visit Santa Barbara, make sure to return before 4 pm due to heavy traffic.

It is hard for me to imagine being here in LA without a car. You will probably spend a fortune on taxis. And getting from your hotel to Universal on a Thursday afternoon/evening could take over an hour. I know google maps says 10 miles 25 minutes under normal conditions -- but mileage means nothing in LA except in the middle of the night when the freeways are wide open. I work in Culver City (not too far from your hotel) but every now and then head over to Universal City for a meeting -- it takes a long time during the day.

In my opinion one day for Universal (studios and city) is plenty. Would take another day to focus on the downtown Hollywood area (i.e. walk of fame, Chinese Theater, Hollywood Museum) given the interest in Hollywood. Maybe get into West Hollywood/Sunset Strip for dinner (though the suggestion on The Grove/Farmer's Market is a good one as well). Then on the 3rd day (Sunday?) come over to the beach and see Venice and downtown Santa Monica/the Santa Monica pier. It will be crowded on a summer weekend assuming good weather, but that should not deter you -- more people to see is the whole point.

Another typical part of the LA experience is going up the hill somewhere to see the view. The Getty Center (http://www.getty.edu/)or Griffith Observatory (http://www.griffithobs.org/)as prime spots.

There are not really any significant parks near your hotel. But you should feel comfortable walking in that area. You are staying in/on the edge of one of LA's orthodox Jewish neighborhoods (Pico-Robertson), so you will see a lot of people out walking at night -- especially Friday evening. If you head north on Beverly from your hotel, there are a lot of storefronts once you cross Olympic Blvd. Nice for an evening walk - and if you are up for a slightly longer walk you could walk all the way to the main part of Beverly Hills -- i.e. Rodeo Drive (http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com/index4.html) (approx 1 mile from your hotel). That would actually be my suggestion for your first evening -- go to the hotel, get organized, take a nice 20-30 min walk to Beverly Hills, check out Rodeo drive, have dinner someplace there, and either walk or cab back. Then set out for Universal on Friday.

Just be aware that distances in LA are measured in terms of time and not distance. What appears to be an easy 6-7 mile hop in a taxi can in fact take a significant amount of time.

Thanks for that. The traffic really does sound bad! I think now we will just do Universal on the Friday and do a bit of local exploring when we arrive mid afternoon on the Thursday. I will maybe price a taxi to Universal on the Friday or maybe do Metro option too, or even see what the Hotel transport options are. Never thought about the Metro or was aware of that, again another possibility. ^ Again, very, very much appreciated.


Not having a car is certainly doable if you only want to see a few places and you're only doing tours. Are you looking for the Hollywood Museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-hollywood-museum-hollywood)? For a good night view: Yamashiro (http://www.yelp.com/biz/yamashiro-hollywood-2) is near your hotel.

That all looks very promising indeed and just the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you very much ^ and I will re-post once we have decided in what order etc to do.

If I was you I would skip Venice beach, rent a car and take an early drive up the 101 freeway & visit Santa Barbara, make sure to return before 4 pm due to heavy traffic.

Another strong possibility. I don't have any worries re driving in the USA as we have done it many times, mainly in Florida. It's just that I'd be doing all the driving and wanted to have that part of travelling around eliminated so to speak. I will now certainly have a look at maybe hiring a car on the Sunday.

Thank you X 100 :)

It is hard for me to imagine being here in LA without a car. You will probably spend a fortune on taxis. And getting from your hotel to Universal on a Thursday afternoon/evening could take over an hour. I know google maps says 10 miles 25 minutes under normal conditions -- but mileage means nothing in LA except in the middle of the night when the freeways are wide open. I work in Culver City (not too far from your hotel) but every now and then head over to Universal City for a meeting -- it takes a long time during the day.

In my opinion one day for Universal (studios and city) is plenty. Would take another day to focus on the downtown Hollywood area (i.e. walk of fame, Chinese Theater, Hollywood Museum) given the interest in Hollywood. Maybe get into West Hollywood/Sunset Strip for dinner (though the suggestion on The Grove/Farmer's Market is a good one as well). Then on the 3rd day (Sunday?) come over to the beach and see Venice and downtown Santa Monica/the Santa Monica pier. It will be crowded on a summer weekend assuming good weather, but that should not deter you -- more people to see is the whole point.

Another typical part of the LA experience is going up the hill somewhere to see the view. The Getty Center (http://www.getty.edu/)or Griffith Observatory (http://www.griffithobs.org/)as prime spots.

There are not really any significant parks near your hotel. But you should feel comfortable walking in that area. You are staying in/on the edge of one of LA's orthodox Jewish neighborhoods (Pico-Robertson), so you will see a lot of people out walking at night -- especially Friday evening. If you head north on Beverly from your hotel, there are a lot of storefronts once you cross Olympic Blvd. Nice for an evening walk - and if you are up for a slightly longer walk you could walk all the way to the main part of Beverly Hills -- i.e. Rodeo Drive (http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com/index4.html) (approx 1 mile from your hotel). That would actually be my suggestion for your first evening -- go to the hotel, get organized, take a nice 20-30 min walk to Beverly Hills, check out Rodeo drive, have dinner someplace there, and either walk or cab back. Then set out for Universal on Friday.

Lots of great suggestions and options there and I have also taken your wise advice re doing Universal on one day only. ^ We will just do that on the Friday as a stand alone. I am really grateful for the vast amount of information you have posted here.

Folks, thank you for your very kind suggestions and this info WILL make a HUGE difference now. Great place FT! I have a bit of a clearer idea in my head about what/when to do and will now have to go away and make some sort of itinerary. I like to plan ahead and without sounding too cheesy we really do like the USA, our favourite holiday destination with so many choices.

Mrs P and I have loads of BA miles to burn for next year and with reasonably decent reward availability we can't wait to go and see another part of the West Coast. The place is just so big and now maybe wishing we had spent more than 4 days in LA but hindsight is a wonderful thing and on the plus side it is always a good excuse to come back. :D

Pete

Another possibility is hopping on the Pacific Surfliner train and shooting down to San Diego, or up to Santa Barbara, if you didn't want to rent a car (however, add me to list of people who recommend a rental car for at least one/two days. Rental car companies allow you to keep the car for a full 24/48 hours, so it can actually be a great deal). The train is reasonably priced, and both the train stations in San Diego/Santa Barbara take you into the heart of downtown, so walking and taxis are the obvious choice. In fact, in Santa Barbara, there is a tram that costs $.25 a person for each ride, up and down downtown (goes to the wharf). Public transport in San Diego is probably even better (more widespread), but I have no experience with that.

Another possibility is hopping on the Pacific Surfliner train and shooting down to San Diego, or up to Santa Barbara, if you didn't want to rent a car

Indeed, there's a great site for that:

http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/

The Surfliner to either SBA or SAN is an excellent idea, although there is plenty in Los Angeles itself to keep you occupied. But as mentioned above, the sights in L.A. are so spread out that you either need to make a concerted effort to focus on a couple few things that are close to each other or you need to have a car to get around.

It's simply not feasible to take taxis between LAX, Universal City, Santa Monica, the movie studios in Burbank/Studio City, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, etc. (LAX to Hollywood is probably $80 without traffic), not to mention hitting the theme parks (Magic Mountain to Disneyland would be >$200 in a cab) or the thousand million other things to do (http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/California/Los_Angeles-753836/Things_To_Do-Los_Angeles-TG-C-1.html) in places like Pasadena, along the PCH, Beverly Hills, the Miracle Mile, the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and sights further afield in Orange County or the Inland Empire. You'd end up spending WAY more than a rental car in cab fares.

Without a car, you're largely limited to sites in Hollywood, Universal City, and Downtown (easily connected by the Metro). Even Santa Monica is pushing it without a car, though there are some OK bus connections out there. Still, if that's what you want to focus on, then you might be OK without a car in the area, but just know that if you want to get out and see some other stuff, having a car is not an option. Or, just realize that some things will be out of reach and focus on what is in reach. The idea for taking the train to SBA or SAN is a good compromise, IMHO.

Also, I'll throw this link out there in the event anything on it strikes your interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sites_of_interest_in_the_Los_Angeles_area

Murphy UA and jackal, thanks for the additional info.

I fully take on board your comments and I will now take my driving licence :D

I think on this occasion for a 4 day stay we will just stick to the main touristy/things we are interested in as posted/suggested by everyone. ^.

We are starting off in SFO then LAS finishing in LAX. My original plan was to drive SFO-LAX as I have always wanted to do the PCH but this holiday is in the main for my F-I-L who is unlikely to return to the West Coast and he wanted to go back to LAS. Not my idea of fun being there at such a hot time but it's only for 4 days and will no doubt be spending plenty of time exploring the A/C hotels as well as the Dam and GC.

Me and the good lady will just have to return and do what we would like, no FIL or child!

Thanks again.

Pete

I don't know if you are planning another trip to LA but if you ever want advice on avoiding driving and seeing Los Angeles I am probably the only one on Flyertalk that lives in LA and uses public transportation quite often. I do have a car but hate driving.

You are not the only one. ;)

I use Metro a couple of times a week but I don't hate driving. I hate traffic. There is a big difference.

You are not the only one. ;)

I use Metro a couple of times a week but I don't hate driving. I hate traffic. There is a big difference.

I just remember when someone posted about coming to LA and not renting a car and everyone posted that it couldn't be done and they had to rent a car. I probably would hate driving less if there was no traffic but even then it's a chore for me. Glad you use the Metro. I wish more people did.

I just remember when someone posted about coming to LA and not renting a car and everyone posted that it couldn't be done and they had to rent a car. I probably would hate driving less if there was no traffic but even then it's a chore for me. Glad you use the Metro. I wish more people did.

It's not that it can't be done, it's just that it's only convenient for a relatively small part of the L.A. area and insanely inconvenient for everything else.

That said, I helped piece together an itinerary for a couple of younger folk (too young to rent a car) that involved all of the L.A.-area and San Diego-area theme parks as well as some of the Hollywood-area attractions without a car. Of course, after all of that hard work, their older sibling decided to join them and they went for the rental car option. ;)

I just remember when someone posted about coming to LA and not renting a car and everyone posted that it couldn't be done and they had to rent a car. I probably would hate driving less if there was no traffic but even then it's a chore for me. Glad you use the Metro. I wish more people did.

It depends on what people want to do and where they are going. For most business travelers that are staying at Downtown or Century City hotels, rental car is just an annoyance. For family of 5 trying to go to Disneyland and the beach, rental car makes sense. It just depends.

I could get from Beverly Hilton to Santa Monica faster on the 720 bus than driving (no time wasted waiting for valet to get your car and looking for parking at the destination) but that doesn't mean a family with young kids will have the same results.

Well we are just back and here I am sitting in the UK at 5.05 am with jetlag!

Everything went very well in LA, we had a great time (with the exception of Starline buses and one taxi driver) and we did the following.

Thursday afternoon:

We arrived at LAX on Southwest at 12.40pm and a taxi to Pico/S. Beverly Drive was only $42. We dropped the bags off at the Hotel and had a leisurely walk to Rodeo Drive and had a wander around there and the surrounding area. Very interesting and we actually saw a Bugatti parked there! We had a lovely meal at Chin Chin's in Bev Drive before walking back to the hotel and settling down for the night. The area around the hotel seemed quite nice and a Factors, Garage and a local shop shop there were handy for buying water, snacks etc.

Friday

We went to Universal Studios by taxi which cost $44 and arrived at 9am. We purchased the Front of Line passes which turned out to be worth every cent as it was quite a busy day but literally no waits using these passes.

A very, very nice day indeed and Junior P (14) really enjoyed himself as did I. :D Again we got a taxi back which cost $37 and the driver must have been a stuntman from the Fast and Furious.

His driving was erratic to say the least and within a short space of time I let him politely know as there was passengers including a child, a Senior and we were in no hurry. This made little difference and again I hinted I was in no hurry. My wife hates fast driving. On arriving at the Hotel I refused to tip him and let him know I wasn't a happy bunny. He kept braking excessively, was weaving in and out of traffic, far too fast around corners, sighing and tooting his horn at the slightest delay or other driver in front of him as well as breaking the speed limit and not just by a little. A terrible journey.

I found this unacceptable and if he had been driving like this in the UK he would potentially be looking at a Dangerous Driving charge. I took his number etc and firmly told him that his driving was something to be desired and that I would be reporting him to the taxi company which I did. He did apologise and looked shocked but I was calm, reasonable but firm in my opinions of his driving which were , well, you can imagine.


Saturday

After a late breakfast we walked the 20 minutes to the Rodeo area where we got on the Starline Big Red bus. We got off at a few stops and really enjoyed the Farmers Market and the shops there. It really was a great place which was buzzing. We waited over an hour wait from there for another bus from there which was poor and when one did arrive we could only stand for 45-50 minutes downstairs where there was standing room only and you couldn't see anything!:mad: I complained to the driver who showed not a care with no apologies.

It was like this until we arrived at the Chinese Theatre area where we spent some time walking about etc. We waited for the Starline bus from 5.35pm. I went over to the Starline desk next to the Stop and the member of staff actually shrugged her shoulders, said she didn't know:confused: I asked her colleague who likewise was clueless and seemed more interested in trying to sell tickets. A bus arrived at 6.pm and it sat there until nearly 6.30 pm. We managed to get seats upstairs at this time but what a Cowboy company.

There were def more buses from Citysights in LA and I would have no hesitation in using them next time. Overall though a 95% great day and I refuse to let these kind of things spoil my vacation.

Sunday

A late breakfast, well 9am and late morning we got on a number 7 Big Blue Bus to Santa Monica beach which we caught from about 100 yards from out hotel entrance $1 dollar each and 50c for my FIL!!

Bargain and no hassle of driving there and worse trying to get parked. We spent most of the day there, the Pier, watching several 'exhibitors' doing gymnastics, buskers, walking along the beach etc. A truly relaxing day including a late lunch and some retail therapy the 3rd Street promenade. A number 7 bus back and then we then walked back to the Hotel, had a rest for an hour or two and then had Dinner again at Chin chins. We really enjoyed this place. The service was fantastic as was the food.

So LA was dooable for 4 days without a car on this occasion for our itinerary but we will return and see more of the many suggestions which I'd like to see and will no doubt hire a car the next time for this.

Overall, with the exception of Starline and one single taxi driver, we had such a fantastic time. Everyone we encountered were generally very helpful and we would have no hesitation in returning soon.

Thank you to all who responded ^^ and your advice and suggestions have been used/stored away for our next trip which will be just my good lady and I.

Pete

Glad you had a good time. I have been wanting to do the Starline Tour but after reading that I guess I don't.

I love the Big Blue Bus! I live in Downtown LA and I use their express bus that makes only a few stops then heads directly on the freeway to Santa Monica. It's cheap and I hate looking for parking in Santa Monica.

I have a car service that charges slightly more than a taxi so let me know next time.