Los Angeles - Staying in Redondo Beach, sightseeing in LA?

For a trip to LAX/SAN later this month, I was hooked by a good deal for a 6-night stay at the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club in Redondo Beach. I was originally planning to stay in Santa Monica/Culver City but the deal was too good to pass up.

Since then I've been second guessing myself as to whether I made a mistake in switching to a hotel down there.

This will be my first time to Southern California and I was planning to follow a fairly standard tourist itinerary, e.g. downtown LA, the typical Hollywood sights, Santa Monica and some beaches, etc. I'll have a rental car although I'd like to spend as little time in it as possible. I get the impression that I could be looking at some long drives to get to these places from the Portofino.

I figured that while there's still time to potentially change the hotel I thought I should ask whether Redondo Beach makes any sense at all for someone planning on sightseeing in LA. Any advice would be warmly appreciated!

Yes, you'll spend a lot of time on our lovely freeways. It's not a question of distance but time.

Portifino is rather inaccessible for typical tourist destinations but if you scored a really good room rate, I may be inclined to put up with the traffic congestion. Avoid leaving the hotel from 7am to 10am or trying to return to it from 4:30pm to 7:30pm and you should be ok. If you insist on slumming it with the rest of us commuters during rush hour, expect about a 30 minute drive just to reach the 405 freeway, and upwards of 1.5 hours to reach Hollywood. Taking local roads to Santa Monica during rush hour will take about 1 hour in traffic, potentially much longer via freeway.

Thanks, I think...

That is really jarring news. I guess I'll have to try to take advantage of the time difference to hit the road early, i.e. before 7, although I guess it'll be a little awkward because the attractions won't be open yet! Maybe just have breakfast and go for a morning walk.

Anyhow, thanks again for the useful advice.

Staying in Santa Monica isn't much better really for doing things outside of SM. Total gridlock even on the weekends. (Had a miserable experince getting to the Getty a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday.

I would say avoid leaving the hotel between 7AM and 10AM only if the traffic is going to really bother you. Look at the map below for example.

http://g.co/maps/fkqqd

You can avoid freeways and stay on surface streets that move pretty well, or at least they are consistent. There are even entertaining ways to go, like taking Highway 1 up through Santa Monica to Sunset and drive Sunset through some of the nicest homes in LA until you get to Beverly Hills and the famous Sunset Strip into Hollywood. That route you pass the Will Rogers Polo Field, the Riviera Country Club, Getty Museum, UCLA, Bel Air, the Beverly Hills Hotel and more.

http://g.co/maps/ppwkf

The location and hotel are great, so don't fret about that. LA is so spread out that if you want to see sights all over the area there's no such thing as a single great location to stay. The traffic in LA is actually overstated--there's rush hour just like any other city but at least the freeways and drivers can handle it. And you've always got at least a half-dozen ways to get from point A to point B, on multiple freeways or surface streets.

You can avoid freeways and stay on surface streets that move pretty well, or at least they are consistent. There are even entertaining ways to go, like taking Highway 1 up through Santa Monica to Sunset and drive Sunset through some of the nicest homes in LA until you get to Beverly Hills and the famous Sunset Strip into Hollywood. That route you pass the Will Rogers Polo Field, the Riviera Country Club, Getty Museum, UCLA, Bel Air, the Beverly Hills Hotel and more.

Good advice - I'll have to look for some interesting routes to take rather than just defaulting to the freeway each time.

Thanks for all the useful hints in this thread!

At least you're staying in a nice area down there. Sure, it will make for some longer drives, but things are spread out as it is. Be sure to enjoy what the South Bay has to offer to get the most out of this choice.

Good advice - I'll have to look for some interesting routes to take rather than just defaulting to the freeway each time.

Thanks for all the useful hints in this thread!

If you are feeling an impending doom about traffic, you can park your rental car at the Redondo Beach train station and try our rail system. I use it several times a week and it is actually the best way to visit the Hollywood area. I was just there last night for a concert at the Hollywood Bowl... got back to my house by taking the train in 1 hour. It would have taken 1 hour just to get out of Hollywood Bowl parking lot.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.pdf

$5 day pass gives you unlimited rides on our rail system.

If you are feeling an impending doom about traffic, you can park your rental car at the Redondo Beach train station and try our rail system. I use it several times a week and it is actually the best way to visit the Hollywood area. I was just there last night for a concert at the Hollywood Bowl... got back to my house by taking the train in 1 hour. It would have taken 1 hour just to get out of Hollywood Bowl parking lot.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.pdf

$5 day pass gives you unlimited rides on our rail system.

Great tip - thanks. I didn't think of LA as a subway destination, but looking at the system map it seems to make good sense for downtown and Hollywood.

(These comments about the traffic are starting to frighten me a little!)

You're pretty much fine with anything coastal - i'd recommend following the routes that hug the coastline. Not super-fast but a very scenic drive (you can manage this all the way up to santa monica) - in many cases, you'll want to be west of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to get the true coastal route.

Anything a bit more inland (downtown/hollywood) you'll just want to avoid rush hour which as others have said, starts early but really winds itself up around 930/10 heading "into" town and about 4-7 on the way from town back down to where you are.

Public transportation is fairly reasonable from where you are: the green line to the blue line will get you downtown. once downtown, the red line will take you to hollywood. the gold line gets you east to pasadena. I used to commute this way - not always a huge timesaver but it saved me stress and i could read or listen to music (or, more often, sleep).

If you put up your proposed itinerary, most of us locals can give you good routing tips/guidelines depending on day of the week and time of day. That seems to be a general obssession with us Angelenos (you might start some debates online about the best route or a "secret" route that no one wanted shared online).

I'd also encourage you to look south of where you are for some great drives. A loop around the Palos Verdes Peninsula is not to be missed - particularly on a clear day (although you'll be here during "may gray").

You'll be fine where you plan to stay :cool:

If you put up your proposed itinerary, most of us locals can give you good routing tips/guidelines depending on day of the week and time of day. That seems to be a general obssession with us Angelenos (you might start some debates online about the best route or a "secret" route that no one wanted shared online).

Very kind of you to suggest that!

Here's a rough outline... and none of the attractions are really written in stone. I'm sure we won't get to them all but we'll try to hit as many as we can:

Saturday, May 19 - Arrive at LAX in the evening, no firm plans

Sunday, May 20 - Santa Monica and Venice Beach

Touring Itinerary
Santa Monica Pier
Venice Beach
Getty Center
Sunset Boulevard
Third Street Promenade

Monday, May 21 - Hollywood/Beverly Hills

Touring Itinerary
Walk of Fame/Hollywood Blvd.
Rodeo Drive
Studio Tour
UCLA/Hammer Museum
La Brea Tar Pits
Griffith Park/Travel Town

Tuesday, May 22 - Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena

Touring Itinerary
Little Tokyo
El Pueblo
Fashion District
Exposition Park

Wednesday, May 23 - Anaheim

Touring Itinerary
Disney California Adventure
Shopping

On Thursday we have a day trip to visit family in Palm Springs and then on Friday we leave for San Diego. (Google maps tells me that PSP is about 2 hours away from Redondo Beach... I presume that applies only if we hit the road before 7 am?)

Based on the advice from bzcat, I'm thinking of planning at least one solid day that doesn't involve driving. I might combine downtown LA and Hollywood into one day (via subway) and then perhaps do Pasadena and Beverly Hills on other days when we have the car.

I'm digesting your itinerary - your groupings seem pretty on target without too much backtracking or running around pointlessly. What would be good is to consider even more or less in a day given how your day is tracking.

I'm also wondering how much crowds mean to you - some people like visiting areas when there are more people about and others love it when it's empty. You have the coastal area on the weekend which is likely the busiest time (since locals will be there as well)

In the meantime, as to your question regarding Palm Springs, you'll definitely hit some traffic in the a.m. but the positive is that once you are somewhat east of where you are (east of I-110), it's fairly decent on the freeway. You're heading in a direction in the morning that's away from the general traffic flow. However, it depends on what time you want or need to get to Palm Springs.

For example, I travel eastbound on the 91 (aka CA 91) from the 710 until the 57 most days and it's fairly predictable between 730am - 9am - I'm going full speed except for a few bottlenecks. Traffic is usually backed up in the other direction.

What time do you need to be in PS? If you can leave around 9am, you have a better shot of avoiding more traffic and that'll still get you there in time for lunch.

Very kind of you to suggest that!

Here's a rough outline... and none of the attractions are really written in stone. I'm sure we won't get to them all but we'll try to hit as many as we can:


Sunday, May 20 - Santa Monica and Venice Beach

Touring Itinerary
Santa Monica Pier
Venice Beach
Getty Center
Sunset Boulevard
Third Street Promenade




All of those places will be very busy on a Sunday and traffic between them will be heavy. You may have time to do Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and 3rd St Promenade, but unless you want to run through the Getty Center, you will not have any time left for that.

ETA if the weather is June gloom overcast, the crowds at the beach (Pier and Venice boardwalk) will not be as heavy earlier in the morning but will pick up as the day wears on.

I'm digesting your itinerary - your groupings seem pretty on target without too much backtracking or running around pointlessly. What would be good is to consider even more or less in a day given how your day is tracking.

I'm also wondering how much crowds mean to you - some people like visiting areas when there are more people about and others love it when it's empty. You have the coastal area on the weekend which is likely the busiest time (since locals will be there as well)

It's a bit ironic... while I find heavy traffic annoying, I don't mind busy or crowded places... I had no problem riding the Tokyo subway at rush hour! I thought Santa Monica and environs were best left to Sunday because I was under the impression that the other areas were better visited on weekdays. Would one of the other destination areas make more sense on a weekend? If so, I could rearrange my plans so as to visit Santa Monica on a weekday instead.

In the meantime, as to your question regarding Palm Springs, you'll definitely hit some traffic in the a.m. but the positive is that once you are somewhat east of where you are (east of I-110), it's fairly decent on the freeway. You're heading in a direction in the morning that's away from the general traffic flow. However, it depends on what time you want or need to get to Palm Springs.

For example, I travel eastbound on the 91 (aka CA 91) from the 710 until the 57 most days and it's fairly predictable between 730am - 9am - I'm going full speed except for a few bottlenecks. Traffic is usually backed up in the other direction.

What time do you need to be in PS? If you can leave around 9am, you have a better shot of avoiding more traffic and that'll still get you there in time for lunch.

We're meeting my wife's aunt so I don't think we'd need to be there especially early... I'll probably take your advice and just hang out in Redondo Beach for the early morning... have breakfast, go for a walk, and then hit the road around 8:30-9.

All of those places will be very busy on a Sunday and traffic between them will be heavy. You may have time to do Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and 3rd St Promenade, but unless you want to run through the Getty Center, you will not have any time left for that.

ETA if the weather is June gloom overcast, the crowds at the beach (Pier and Venice boardwalk) will not be as heavy earlier in the morning but will pick up as the day wears on.

Fair enough... I'll have to work the Getty Center into another day.

As for the June gloom...I've heard a bit about that (although it will be more than warm and pleasant enough for my purposes). Funny thing is I recall being in SFO in September a few years ago and was quite surprised by how cool it was... when is the ideal time of year to visit California from a weather standpoint?

Very kind of you to suggest that!

Here's a rough outline... and none of the attractions are really written in stone. I'm sure we won't get to them all but we'll try to hit as many as we can:




Sunday at the beach is ok... yes, there will be some traffic with locals heading to the beach too but I wouldn't worry too much since the traffic is a steady stream as opposed to weekday rush hour gridlock. UCLA Hammer Museum is very close to Getty Center so you may want to figure out if you have enough time to do both.

Monday I would reorganize a bit. Which studio tour are you planning to take? Your choices are Universal, Warner, or Paramount. Paramount works best with your itinerary but all 3 are feasible. Leave the hotel at about 9 am and drive to (in order):

1. Rodeo Drive
2. La Brea Tar Pits (don't forget about Page or LACMA museum nearby)
[lunch break]
3. Studio Tour (assuming if you take Paramount tour)
4. Griffith Park (stay until sunset for some spectacular views)

You can tack on Pasadena if you want for Monday. Either before or after Griffith Park.

Tuesday will be a "transit oriented" day. You can leave a bit early (8am?) and drive to Redondo Beach station. If parking is full there, you can try Douglas or El Segundo station further up the Green Line... you will find an open space at one of those station. Parking is free.

Buy a $5 day pass and keep it with you all day. The day pass is good for all Metro rail and Metro bus (but not the municipal buses). Here is a link to the destination guide for all our rail and BRT lines: http://www.metro.net/around/destination-guides/
Take a look at the guides and you can decide if any destination peak your interests and you can add it to your itinerary. But definitely all the places you mentioned are well within a day visit by train:

Little Tokyo (Red/Purple line Civic Center Station or Gold line Little Tokyo Station)
El Pueblo (Red/Purple line or Gold line Union Station)
Fashion District (Blue/Red/Purple line 7th St Metro Center Station
Exposition Park (Expo line Expo Park/USC station)
Walk of Fame/Hollywood Blvd (Red line Hollywood/Highland Station)

I can provide detailed step by step instruction on which train to take and where to get off if you need... :cool:

Wednesday to Disney is fine. You will spend a good portion of the day in the park. Not sure what kind of shopping you are interested by there are lots of options nearby.

Thursday to Palm Springs... I would leave the hotel around 10am and take the 91 freeway (405S to 110N to 91E). You will avoid most of the rush hour traffic and the Downtown LA bottleneck.

Thank you for that extremely useful advice, bzcat... just a few thoughts:

-I realize that we probably won't be able to do much more than get a really quick taste of Getty Center, but with our limited time in town I suppose that something has to give.

-Fitting Pasadena into the Monday plan sounds workable... I frankly have a limited understanding of exactly what there is to see and do there, other than a general sense that it's worth visiting. I suppose if we don't make it to Getty Center on Sunday that could end up replacing Pasadena.

-As for the studio tour, I would be inclined to take your advice and go with Paramount if it fits into the general plan better.

-I'm glad that a "transit day" is feasible as I like the idea of leaving the car behind for at least one day. I know a lot of first-time tourists don't make it to DTLA but I love big cities and I could not pass up this part of town. The transit destination guides are gold...thanks for that. The guides I have are relatively scant with info on downtown, so this is really good stuff to know.

-I was originally thinking of getting up early and hitting the highway to PSP before morning rush hour, but based on the advice in this thread I think the time might be better spent hanging around the hotel...maybe having a leisurely breakfast and a walk on the beach and then heading out. It beats a 6 am wakeup call any day! :D

Thanks once again for the plethora of information!

[QUOTE=heraclitus;18515921]
-I was originally thinking of getting up early and hitting the highway to PSP before morning rush hour, but based on the advice in this thread I think the time might be better spent hanging around the hotel...maybe having a leisurely breakfast and a walk on the beach and then heading out. It beats a 6 am wakeup call any day! :D
QUOTE]

That would entail hitting the road prior to 6am....:D

*On a clear day, the Getty Center has spectacular views.

*On your Griffith Park day, that's a good time to head to Pasadena as you'll be on the other side of the hill. If you have any interest in mountains, it's a pretty quick drive up the hill near Pasadena to Angeles Crest Highway. Just ascending it off the freeway above La Canada is great but if you drive a little further, you can take the turn to Mount Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Wilson_(California)) Coming down the hill, you can stop in Old Town Pasadena for some walking/shopping and dinner before heading back to your hotel - after traffic has subsided.

*On your transit day, there's a lot to see around Downtown LA. Keep in mind El Pueblo/Olvera Street is right next to Chinatown. Also, Union Station itself is a nice visit. When in Downtown LA, up the hill from Little Tokyo is the Disney concert hall which is a Frank Gehry designed building. From Bunker Hill you can take the Angel's Flight funicular down to grab some grub at the Grand Central Market. You can then also head over to the Bradbury Building

[QUOTE=heraclitus;18515921]
grab some grub at the Grand Central Market. You can then also head over to the Bradbury Building

Oh come now, if you're going to be at Union Station and Olvera Street the only place to eat is Philippe's! :D

[QUOTE=OskiBear;18516667]

Oh come now, if you're going to be at Union Station and Olvera Street the only place to eat is Philippe's! :D

OMG! You're right, how can I forget that. One of my faves.
Scratch the recommendation above - do not pass GO, exit Union Station, take a right and head straight to Philippe's!!! ^^^

Philippe's, "lamb double dipped", life doesn't get any better.

http://www.philippes.com/

And don't forget that Philippe's houses a free (at least I think it's free) rail museum in a section of the restaurant!

And don't forget that Philippe's houses a free (at least I think it's free) rail museum in a section of the restaurant!

Are you kidding? Landmark deli with a rail museum? I'm all over this! :D

Thanks for this excellent tip!

Now I need to spend some time poring over the destination guides bzcat posted...

You guys are a goldmine of information! Thanks!

Depending on what day you go to downtown LA, somebody around this forum has posted links to daily film shoot locations or call sheets I think they're called. Anyway, that area of downtown has become a rather busy area for film crews and you might be able to catch a glimpse of a working film crew if there's one around. Granted you won't see too much, a couple of off duty cops working overtime as "traffic control", a bunch of lights, reflectors, some trailers, equipment, and what not, but it's kind of like a studio :).

ETA found the link:

http://www.onlocationvacations.com/