I live in Los Angeles, the Chinese Consulate here was very easy to deal with. I had printed out the application after filling it out using Adobe, got my extra passport size pictures from a local CVS, printed out my travel documents (i.e. airline reservations and hotel confirmations). The location is easy to find, it's actually across the street from the actual Consulate building on a corner. Parking was very easy, street parking with meters. You go upstairs and right across from the elevator lobby is the Visa room. You go through non-working metal detectors where a security guard will ask if you're coming to apply for a Visa, he'll pull off a number 'next served' ticket and hand it to you. You then sit and watch the main screen for your number and which window to go to. There seems to be a bunch of new born babies there, not sure why. I sat for about 10 minutes max before my number was posted. I walked up to my window and handed over everything and the extra picture along with my passport. The clerk flipped through all the paper and handed back to me the hotel confirmations. My guess is they don't care where you're staying just when you arrive and when you leave. Gave me a copy of a form and told me to come back in 7 days. I walked out thinking 'That was easy'.
When I returned to pick up my passport and visa I suspected it would be this other queue in the room and was right. This line is maned by 1 clerk and she was multitasking with 2 sometimes 3 people at the window picking up their passports. When I got to the window I realized I had forgotten to bring my check book but saw they take credit cards *phew*. She was finishing up with the person before me and took my form with a number on it. She told me the price '$140' and I handed over my debit card with drivers license. She handed me back my drivers license and then my passport then a receipt to sign for the debit transaction. I walked out in less than 10 minutes.