buggy51

Hey all,

I just wanted to pick your brains on improving my upcoming trip with family. I'll be arriving at LAX around noon, and I'll be there from Wednesday to Saturday. I'm thinking of staying at a Marriott property to take advantage of the Mega Miles promotion (is there a particular location that would be convenient to the attractions that I am planning? Currently I'm thinking of these sites to check out along with a studio tour:

* Getty Museum/Villa (I understand the admission is free, parking is not. Is there a shuttle that I can take that will go to both areas, or is it easier just to repark?)
* La Brea Tar Pits (is this worth going to or the Natural History Museum would be more enjoyable?)
* Griffith Park Observatory
* Huntington Library
* Also a studio tour (I'm looking at WB/Paramount/Sony (I think the NBC one is currently closed if I read the link correctly).

In addition, my family would like to check out Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and maybe Koreatown as well.

Currently, here's a rough estimate of my itinerary:

Arrive Wednesday at LAX (noon)
Find a rental car -> (I need to further investigate which company has a good deal right now, but is there easy access to rental car companies outside LAX? Or just easier to get one from the airport rental?)
Grab lunch, I'm thinking some good ramen followed by La Brea Tar pits.
After la brea, head towards either Chinatown/Little Tokyo/Koreatown for dinner and a little walking around.
Head back and check into hotel.

Thursday morning.

Breakfast (If anyone has some good recommendations, currently we had a blast eating at HK style cafes so maybe one of those places for a quick breakfast or some good congee).
Getty Center/Villa
Following that, I presume it will be in the afternoon/towards dinner time.
Find some dinner
Griffith Observatory.

Friday

Breakfast (Something warm)
Studio tour (Any recommendations? I haven't been to any unless you count the little Universal Studio Tram ride)
Lunch
Huntington Library
Dinner

Saturday

Breakfast Dim sum at Din Tai Fung (might interchange with Friday since it might be less crowded)
Lunch
Early dinner
Flight at 9pm (so arrive at LAX ~7)

Wouldn't mind if someone poked a few holes in something I omitted. I think we will be avoiding Disneyland/Universal this time visiting.

SWCPHX

The Getty Center and Getty Villa are two entirely different places and probably can't/shouldn't be done on the same day. There is no shuttle between the two and you have to travel the most congested freeway in the western hemisphere to get from one to the other. Ok you could take Sunset if you don't mind a winding canyon road but still pick one and forego the other.

Try to do Griffith Observatory and Huntington Library on the same day, it will minimize traffic time and they're relatively close to each other by LA standards.

DJ_Iceman

I think the JW Marriott downtown will be your best and most central location.

roadwarrior365

I have done all 4 studios tours last October and liked the ones at Paramount and Sony best.

Below are links to the Pictures I took during the tours. This will give you a overview of what you're going to see.

Universal Studio Tour
Sony Pictures Studio Tour
Warner Brothers Studio Tour

I'll second the recommendation about the JW Marriott probably being the best option. If its in your budget I suggest the Ritz Carlton,which is in the same building as the JW.

Pictures of LA Live and The Ritz Carlton Los Angeles

nsmn4945

La Brea Tar Pits are alright, but might be worth a visit since it is also next to LACMA and the Grove/Farmer's Market is right down the street.

Chinatown/KoreaTown/Lil Tokyo all have plenty of places to eat, but for walking around, I'd recommend Little Tokyo. Chinatown and Ktown are all pretty spread out, while Little Tokyo has some nice shops and a nice little village to hang out in.

bzcat

Just FYI, there are now 3 Din Tai Fung in LA area - the two original locations in Arcadia, and the new one in Glendale. The Glendale location closer from JW Marriott in Downtown LA.

http://dintaifungusa.com/


A 4th location will open in a few months at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

http://www.southcoastplaza.com/store...cialty%20Foods

mlshanks

Not the best idea on a weekday, as Griffith Observatory is swarmed with school groups on weekday mornings....and the Huntington is only open to visitors afternoons. (...unless you know an academic reader at the library who can smuggle you in... ;-) )

While the two *are* completely different entities... I disagree entirely with the idea that you can't see them both in the same day. Not only is a parking pass good on the same day at *BOTH* locations (per their website) but they are less than 30 minutes apart by surface streets (no need to travel ANY freeway) And calling Sunset Blvd a "winding canyon road" is a bit of an exaggeration... Yes, it's curvy, don't expect to do more than 40 MPH or so. But it's only about 10 miles between the two. (...and both have pretty fair cafes to grab a lunch in...)

buggy51

Wow, thanks for all the tips and suggestions. Feel free to suggest a few more items that are close to the areas I'm currently thinking.

I will be talking it over with family and seeing what they want to do. Also currently taking a look at JW Marriot prices during that time. I'm glad to get a fresh set of eyes on a city that I'm not too familiar with.

SWCPHX

I will amend my earlier suggestion that if you're going to attempt to visit both Gettys in one day, at least pick a Saturday since the Getty Center is open until 9 or 9:30. Otherwise IMHO trying to do both in one day just sounds like you want to check off a couple places on a list without experiencing either one.

CalItalian

Griffith Observatory is a great place to go ANYTIME on a weekday (they open at noon weekdays as most school groups - who can enter in the morning - wrap it up by that time). I would NEVER go on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday (and have tried a number of times). It is nearly, if not, impossible to find parking on weekends (during daylight hours). I've seen parking stretch nearly to Ferndell on weekends.

Do note that you must make a reservation for the Getty Villa on their website.

CalItalian

OP lists their flight time as 9 PM on a Saturday.

aBroadAbroad

Are you arriving domestic or international?
What class of service?
How many people?
What time of year?

I ask primarily because your arrival day may be a bit off. Can better judge with more info.

buggy51

Hey, sorry for the late reply, pretty busy throughout the weekend.

I'm arriving domestic from SFO (so I'm pretty sure I know when my date of arrival will be) with just both my parents and myself in the Spring. We really don't expect luxury items and for us its more of a walk around places and plan to mainly use the hotel as a place to sleep--nothing else.

I'll take into considerations for splitting up the Getty/Villas (but I was initially attracted to just seeing the two at the same time due to the parking pass). But I'm mainly unfamiliar with the geography and major traffic corridors (I presume its just like bay area rush hour but worse).

CalItalian

You can easily do the Getty Villa and the museum in one day. I'd start with the Getty Villa only because you need to make a reservation time there.

Traffic can be bad anywhere in Los Angeles but the Westside and Downtown are the worst...not only the freeways but also surface streets.

The best value for hotels close in to the city sites (and coast) would be around the LAX area.

buggy51

Hey everyone, decided to tweak a few things in the itinerary:

Wed
~ 10:30 Arrive in LAX
~ 11-2 Car Rental/Lunch
~ Afternoon Natural History/Maybe La Brea Tarpits/Farmer's Market
~ 6-8 Dinner and check into hotel (er... still deciding on that but not too big of an issue)

Thurs

~Breakfast
~10-2 Getty Villa/Lunch
~2-5 Getty Center
~ Dinner/whatever

Friday
~Ding Tai Fung
~12-4 Huntington Library
~ 4-730 Griffith Observatory
~ Dinner

Saturday
~Breakfast
~10-3Studio Tour (Paramount and Sony both look interesting, still a coin flip in deciding)
~ Wander around before getting dinner
~830 Departure.