9 days in LA with two pre-teens in mid-May
Mar 31, 2012, 12:21 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
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9 days in LA with two pre-teens in mid-May
Hello fellow travelers,
Together with my wife and two girls (11 and 8 y.o.) I am coming to LA for the first time in our lives. It's half business, half vacation trip. We are coming in May for a conference at a local university (Malibu, CA), and then we'll have about 9 days, from the 6th to the 14th of May to ourselves. During which we'd like to explore the area while on the budget.
Our travel accommodations are set, we'll drive a car (Chevy Malibu, funny enough). We will welcome advices on lodging and entertainment.
As for lodging, I've looked at airbnb and found apartments and houses from $70 and up per night. We're also open to hotels, preferably with free breakfast.
We hoping to shop for groceries and cook at home, as we traditionally do. But we would like to visit a few noticeable restaurants in the area.
As for entertainment, our primary goal is to enjoy the West coast. We are coming from a country where the closest ocean is the Arctic so we want to spend some time just lying on the beach. ;-) Some educational entertainment activities will be good too.
Our family has been to Disney World in FL so there is no real need to go to Disney Land. But we can spare a day or two.
We want to show Hollywood to our girls that it is basically a small village. I think I saw somewhere that there is bus tour. I'd appreciate any information about that.
What can we do in LA as first-time visitors?
I'm also monitoring other related threads in this subforum, e.g. "2 weeks in L.A with 2 kids" (though their kids are toddlers) and "Staying in Hollywood, what about shopping?"
What else would you recommend? I'll be checking and updating this thread every other day if not daily.
We would appreciate inputs on where to stay and to go while on the coast of CA.
Together with my wife and two girls (11 and 8 y.o.) I am coming to LA for the first time in our lives. It's half business, half vacation trip. We are coming in May for a conference at a local university (Malibu, CA), and then we'll have about 9 days, from the 6th to the 14th of May to ourselves. During which we'd like to explore the area while on the budget.
Our travel accommodations are set, we'll drive a car (Chevy Malibu, funny enough). We will welcome advices on lodging and entertainment.
As for lodging, I've looked at airbnb and found apartments and houses from $70 and up per night. We're also open to hotels, preferably with free breakfast.
We hoping to shop for groceries and cook at home, as we traditionally do. But we would like to visit a few noticeable restaurants in the area.
As for entertainment, our primary goal is to enjoy the West coast. We are coming from a country where the closest ocean is the Arctic so we want to spend some time just lying on the beach. ;-) Some educational entertainment activities will be good too.
Our family has been to Disney World in FL so there is no real need to go to Disney Land. But we can spare a day or two.
We want to show Hollywood to our girls that it is basically a small village. I think I saw somewhere that there is bus tour. I'd appreciate any information about that.
What can we do in LA as first-time visitors?
I'm also monitoring other related threads in this subforum, e.g. "2 weeks in L.A with 2 kids" (though their kids are toddlers) and "Staying in Hollywood, what about shopping?"
What else would you recommend? I'll be checking and updating this thread every other day if not daily.
We would appreciate inputs on where to stay and to go while on the coast of CA.
Last edited by pisistratus; Mar 31, 2012 at 9:33 am Reason: Car make correction
Mar 31, 2012, 9:24 am
#2
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Just a few comments to start.
There are fabulous beaches near Pepperdine University in Malibu, but May is not exactly prime beach weather in Southern California. The ocean is still cold and (under 60*) and the sky is overcast.
Hollywood is not a small village. It is just another part of town. Many of the studios are located away from Hollywood.
You'd be hard pressed to find lodging for a family of 4 for under $70 a night, especially on the west side of Los Angeles.
P.S. It's Chevy or Chevrolet, not Shevy.
There are fabulous beaches near Pepperdine University in Malibu, but May is not exactly prime beach weather in Southern California. The ocean is still cold and (under 60*) and the sky is overcast.
Hollywood is not a small village. It is just another part of town. Many of the studios are located away from Hollywood.
You'd be hard pressed to find lodging for a family of 4 for under $70 a night, especially on the west side of Los Angeles.
P.S. It's Chevy or Chevrolet, not Shevy.
Mar 31, 2012, 11:40 am
#4
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When vacationing on a budget, I love to window shop and pick up the occasional bargain. A great place for this would be the outlet Mall in Camarillo. It's a little out of the of the way from LA but I can easily spend half a day there. Camarillo isn't too far from Santa Barbara, my favorite place in southern California. It's a smaller less crowded town with a gorgeous beach flanked by a promenade.
Mar 31, 2012, 11:46 am
#5
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Wirelessly posted (htc Evo 4G: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.5; en-us; Sprint APA9292KT Build/GRJ90) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)
Santa Barbara has a terrific zoo that the OP's kids would enjoy.
Santa Barbara has a terrific zoo that the OP's kids would enjoy.
Mar 31, 2012, 11:59 am
#6
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Are the girls into anything like archaeology ? When we were out there, we went to La Brea Tar Pits (http://www.tarpits.org/) in the morning, drove around Wilshire Blvd/Rodeo Dr and then bought a map and drove around the hills to see famous people's houses. Stopped at a taco truck outside Dr Phil's house, had some great cheap food.
If the girls are into food ? You could make a tour of the food trucks and would be cheap way for food that day (http://www.findlafoodtrucks.com/).
Just make sure you know that driving into LA during the rush hours can be brutal, so make sure to time your activities accordingly.
I can't give you much north of the city. We stayed in Laguna Beach, went to Balboa Island, etc, etc.
Cheers.
If the girls are into food ? You could make a tour of the food trucks and would be cheap way for food that day (http://www.findlafoodtrucks.com/).
Just make sure you know that driving into LA during the rush hours can be brutal, so make sure to time your activities accordingly.
I can't give you much north of the city. We stayed in Laguna Beach, went to Balboa Island, etc, etc.
Cheers.
Mar 31, 2012, 3:06 pm
#7
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100 Free Activities in Los Angeles
A few that come to mind without even looking at that list...
I would put Griffith Observatory in your list as admission is free! That will also get you over in the Griffith Park/Los Feliz area in general, which is worth exploring.
Would suggest another day in my neighborhood at the Santa Monica Pier/3rd St. Promenade and then walking around Venice Beach. As mentioned many days in May will be overcast due to what is called "June Gloom," but hopefully you will have days where the marine layer burns off and it is sunny in the afternoon.
Check out both the Getty Museum and Getty Villa.. Admission is free, but parking will be $15 at each one. The Getty Center is a must LA visit for the view alone (assuming good weather).
Doing a day in Hollywood can be done inexpensively/free. For example, walking around and seeing the Stars on the Walk of Fame, checking out the front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, and going around the Hollywood and Highland complex. Not too far away you could park and hike up towards the Hollywood sign. And there are lots of discount tickets for the paid attractions like Madame Tussaud's (which is cool to visit).
The California Science Center downtown is also free admission to the permanent exhibition galleries.
The tar pits and perhaps visiting the Grove/Farmer's Market would be a good activity to match with either some shopping around the Beverly Center or checking our the Sunset Strip.
I think the Watts Towers are worth visiting and your pre-teens would get free admission. Your kids would also be free at the Reagan Library which I also think is an interesting visit.
Also check our the various local sites like yelp or citysearch for festivals, farmer's markets, and other things happening while you are in town. Every weekend there is something relatively cheap to do that is fun. For example, the Renaissance Fair is happening while you are here. Or perhaps a book festival in Pasadena (also an area worth visiting in general)?
Also, your profile does not say where you are from? If from the US, which bank do you use? I know May 6th is the Museums on Us day for Bank of America. And my Wells Fargo ATM has been asking me something about discounted museums lately. Might be worth looking into for admission to the higher priced musuems.
A few that come to mind without even looking at that list...
I would put Griffith Observatory in your list as admission is free! That will also get you over in the Griffith Park/Los Feliz area in general, which is worth exploring.
Would suggest another day in my neighborhood at the Santa Monica Pier/3rd St. Promenade and then walking around Venice Beach. As mentioned many days in May will be overcast due to what is called "June Gloom," but hopefully you will have days where the marine layer burns off and it is sunny in the afternoon.
Check out both the Getty Museum and Getty Villa.. Admission is free, but parking will be $15 at each one. The Getty Center is a must LA visit for the view alone (assuming good weather).
Doing a day in Hollywood can be done inexpensively/free. For example, walking around and seeing the Stars on the Walk of Fame, checking out the front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, and going around the Hollywood and Highland complex. Not too far away you could park and hike up towards the Hollywood sign. And there are lots of discount tickets for the paid attractions like Madame Tussaud's (which is cool to visit).
The California Science Center downtown is also free admission to the permanent exhibition galleries.
The tar pits and perhaps visiting the Grove/Farmer's Market would be a good activity to match with either some shopping around the Beverly Center or checking our the Sunset Strip.
I think the Watts Towers are worth visiting and your pre-teens would get free admission. Your kids would also be free at the Reagan Library which I also think is an interesting visit.
Also check our the various local sites like yelp or citysearch for festivals, farmer's markets, and other things happening while you are in town. Every weekend there is something relatively cheap to do that is fun. For example, the Renaissance Fair is happening while you are here. Or perhaps a book festival in Pasadena (also an area worth visiting in general)?
Also, your profile does not say where you are from? If from the US, which bank do you use? I know May 6th is the Museums on Us day for Bank of America. And my Wells Fargo ATM has been asking me something about discounted museums lately. Might be worth looking into for admission to the higher priced musuems.
Last edited by dbuckho; Mar 31, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Mar 31, 2012, 6:00 pm
#8
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Based upon the OP's statement that "[w]e are coming from a country where the closest ocean is the Arctic" and prior posts, it would appear that he or she is from Russia.
You made some excellent recommendations. I would add the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena.
You made some excellent recommendations. I would add the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena.
Mar 31, 2012, 6:55 pm
#9
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A couple of days at Disneyland are well worth it in a 9-day L.A. visit, even if you've been to Disney World. Disneyland Park is the original, the park that Walt built and walked and enjoyed. It's got a few killer attractions that are unique to it and are not found in Florida. Then Disney California Adventure is a second park, completely unique (although with a few attractions duplicated from Florida), and tons of fun.
Mar 31, 2012, 8:22 pm
#10
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The beaches north of Malibu will be nicer and less crowded. There's a beach called Pirates Cove just south of Zuma where you may be able to see whales migrating. There's a steep drop off about 100 yards offshore so the whales can get very close to the shore. I've even seen them breeching about 150 yards offshore. The only thing you may want to watch out for is Pirates Cove used to be a nudist beach. Not sure if it still is as I haven't been there in many years. As others have said the water will be too cold for swimming this time of year especially at the beaches north of Malibu.
Mar 31, 2012, 8:30 pm
#11
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CityPass
Check out www.citypass.com for discounted admissions on Hollywood Bus tours and more.
Many of LA's museums have free days or times, check their websites for details.
If you arrive at the Getty via public transport, admission is free.
http://discoverlosangeles.com/business-services/la-inc/
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/
will also be helpful in planning a visit to LA and California
Welcome!
Many of LA's museums have free days or times, check their websites for details.
If you arrive at the Getty via public transport, admission is free.
http://discoverlosangeles.com/business-services/la-inc/
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/
will also be helpful in planning a visit to LA and California
Welcome!
Mar 31, 2012, 9:48 pm
#12
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Posts: 2,426
If there are no further trips planned to Southern California, I would recommend a side trip to San Diego, with visits to the zoo and safari park (and seasons passes will be more economical than individual tickets to each). Both zoo and safari park are remarkable. On a budget, I would not go to sea world. 11-year-old is probably past prime for Legoland. Waterfront and beach areas are probably more interesting in San Diego than in LA. (2-3 nights). Aircraft carrier museum.
I would not miss Disneyland with kids of those ages. This can be done either as day trip from LA or staying for a night or two in Anaheim, perhaps on the way up or back from San Diego.
In LA:
One day should cover Griffith Park, Observatory, Hollywood. As stated above, Hollywood is not a village. It's a neighborhood. If you just want to drive around in the hills and explore, this could take up to a whole additional day as well. Several nice walking parks along Mulholland Drive.
One day to see Tar pits, LACMA, Peterson Automotive Museum (if of interest), Farmer's Market/Grove. You may actually want to stop at the Farmer's Market (Third and Fairfax) several times to eat while you are crossing the city. Walk Melrose Ave. if interested.
I would actually probably not recommend universal studios relative to the price ($77/person, not 1/10 as good as Disneyland). Perhaps there is a show taping at some studio with live audience (although I don't know how to do this) or a more personalized studio tour (such as at Paramount, although I can't personally vouch that $48/person is a good value).
Getty museum, Venice one day. Santa Monica is worth a drive thru or a brief stop at the third street promenade, which is generic, IMO.
LA zoo does not compare favorably to zoos in some other large cities. Same for Science Center/ Natural History Museum. Aquarium in Long Beach is pretty good, and the Queen Mary is across the water.
Baseball game (Dodgers or Angels)?
I would not miss Disneyland with kids of those ages. This can be done either as day trip from LA or staying for a night or two in Anaheim, perhaps on the way up or back from San Diego.
In LA:
One day should cover Griffith Park, Observatory, Hollywood. As stated above, Hollywood is not a village. It's a neighborhood. If you just want to drive around in the hills and explore, this could take up to a whole additional day as well. Several nice walking parks along Mulholland Drive.
One day to see Tar pits, LACMA, Peterson Automotive Museum (if of interest), Farmer's Market/Grove. You may actually want to stop at the Farmer's Market (Third and Fairfax) several times to eat while you are crossing the city. Walk Melrose Ave. if interested.
I would actually probably not recommend universal studios relative to the price ($77/person, not 1/10 as good as Disneyland). Perhaps there is a show taping at some studio with live audience (although I don't know how to do this) or a more personalized studio tour (such as at Paramount, although I can't personally vouch that $48/person is a good value).
Getty museum, Venice one day. Santa Monica is worth a drive thru or a brief stop at the third street promenade, which is generic, IMO.
LA zoo does not compare favorably to zoos in some other large cities. Same for Science Center/ Natural History Museum. Aquarium in Long Beach is pretty good, and the Queen Mary is across the water.
Baseball game (Dodgers or Angels)?
Apr 2, 2012, 1:03 am
#13
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 28
Yes, we will be coming from Russia though we have access to quite a few banking promotions. I am a FWF reader.
Those are great advices. I especially appreciate when people provide links and references. The food trucks idea is neat. We'll check out the outlet mall. Stops at farmer's market is also a great idea; we love them.
The more I read this thread and think about DisneyLand, the more I become convinced that we need to go there. CityPass seems the best option. That takes care of 5-6 days, depending on inclusion of Zoo. Unless there is something better out there, is there?
On citypass.com the only pass available is the described above 5-6 day pass, I have not found anything about discounted bus tours to/around Hollywood. Where should I look?
About Getty museum, if admission is free for those riding public transportation, where can a visitor park a car near a bus stop?
I'll compose a tentative schedule with all interesting places to go and post it here in this thread for review.
Those are great advices. I especially appreciate when people provide links and references. The food trucks idea is neat. We'll check out the outlet mall. Stops at farmer's market is also a great idea; we love them.
The more I read this thread and think about DisneyLand, the more I become convinced that we need to go there. CityPass seems the best option. That takes care of 5-6 days, depending on inclusion of Zoo. Unless there is something better out there, is there?
On citypass.com the only pass available is the described above 5-6 day pass, I have not found anything about discounted bus tours to/around Hollywood. Where should I look?
About Getty museum, if admission is free for those riding public transportation, where can a visitor park a car near a bus stop?
I'll compose a tentative schedule with all interesting places to go and post it here in this thread for review.
Apr 2, 2012, 6:24 am
#14
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If you're going to be in Malibu, consider visiting the Getty Villa (the original Getty Museum!) which is just off of Pacific Coast Highway and reopened within the past couple of years after being closed for renovations/remodeling, etc.
Apr 2, 2012, 7:52 pm
#15
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I probably would not make San Diego a side trip, but the main focus of the trip. There is no need to stay in LA County just because you are going to be at Pepperdine. You could stay a couple of nights in Hollywood at a reasonable hotel like the Orchid Suites or Magic Castle Hotel. The Hollywood Heights Hotel is reasonable too.
But then I would head to San Diego that is a bit warmer than the LA beach area and the ocean temps will be a bit higher too.
San Diego has a world famous zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld, a collection of Museums in Balboa Park, an aquarium and many great beaches.
But then I would head to San Diego that is a bit warmer than the LA beach area and the ocean temps will be a bit higher too.
San Diego has a world famous zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld, a collection of Museums in Balboa Park, an aquarium and many great beaches.