Los Angeles

[no1fanofno21]

I'm going out to LA (Beverly Hills) for a wedding in early July. I know, its awhile away, but will be my first wedding and im really only going as an excuse to go out to California.

More about the wedding stuff, i have no idea what to wear; a suit which i don't own or just khakis and a jacket.

More onto LA, ive never been there but i have relatives out there that im gonna be staying with for a few days. They live in "the valley" I'm looking for cool stuff to do while im there. Leaving on July 4th which is a wednesday, so i will have all of thursday and friday to hang out, then sat is the wedding and sunday i can stay in LA if there is stuff to do.

Im going out there with my brother and were gonna go to the grand canyon and spend some time there hiking down and definetly checking out that sky walk thing. And then going to Vegas for a few days before flying home out of there.

We really don't have any set plans because we will just camp out at the grand canyon and then find a hotel when we get to vegas or have one reserved, ive seen there pretty cheap.

Just seeing what other people have done when visiting LA and for those who live out there if there are sites to definetly hit up. Probably go to hollywood for a half day or so.

[boofMcboof]

Don't go to Hollywood for site seeing or you'll be sorely disappointed, you're better off going to Universal Studios for a "look" into Hollywood (still a tourist trap). Clubs, concert venues and shops are a different story though . . . If you're into art, the Getty is a must see. The restaurant variety and food quality is unbeatable. You just have to know where to go. You have to specific in what you want or else you'll end up driving all over the place. Sorry, to hear you're staying in the Valley. Right in the middle of summer. Ouch. Head to the beach.

[no1fanofno21]

Sorry, to hear you're staying in the Valley. Right in the middle of summer. Ouch. Head to the beach.

I don't know anything about the valley. My Dad's cousin who i have never met is letting us stay at his place, and what ive heard he lives in a mansion.

Me and my brother are looking for something cool to do. Ive heard its nothing like NYC or DC; everyone drives and such. We plan on just being spontaneous while were out there but just curious if there were any "must see" attractions besides the walk of fame, which i don't really care for. And im not gonna go star sighting, more like if i see someone famous ok cool.

This is my first trip to Cali excluding a 5 day winter ski trip to Tahoe.

[TMK9973]

Hollywood does suck, but you should go see it. You have to. Valley will not be hot. THere is NO hummidity, temps will be in the 90's, but drop to the low 70's at night. It feels great.
Catch a Dodger game if they are in town. Dodger stadium is a ballpark that you HAVE to see. It's not that it's a great ball park, it's just so different and a legend.

Beach - Need to go. Head over to huntington Beach - Surf City. Walk Main street and the Pier.

Universal is cool -Universal City Walk is a must. Lot's more (Nature trails in the mountains, other beaches, Del Mar outside of San Diego) it just depends on what you are looking for or what you like.

[jthor99]

I just got back from Cali for my first time 3 days ago. I stayed in Hollywood and it was a major disapointment. Filled will fake people, and to be quite honest it isnt that great couple of the local bars were decent. Its hard to do alot of things you want to do out there because traffic is soooo bad everywhere you go and cab rides are outrageous and they take you the longest routes possible. My only suggestion would be either traveling down to Orange county if you have a chance or going to the beaches more north of LA. Also, if your thinking about going to Malibu my personal opinion would be no too i pictured it to get some sick place and i was sadly disapointed when i got there. have fun tho man there are plenty of girls out there anywhere you go.

[boofMcboof]

The best I could do for you without knowing what you're into is to check out some of these food joints:



In N Out Burgers- Make sure you ask for grilled onions. Whole-grilled onions are even better.

Zankou Chicken - Lebonese food? Everything there's good especially the hummus. Garlickly tasty stuff.

Lucky Boy's in Pasadena - Best breakfast burritos in the world, hands down. Served all day. I prefer bacon in them in the morning and pastrami for a dinner time breakfast burrito. Get lots of salsa.

King Taco - King of the after-midnight post-clubbing meal, although not all are open late. Get the al pastor or carne asada.

Fatburger - the other burger joint. Quality varies from place to place but make sure you get an egg in your burger and chili on your fries.





. . . Filled will fake people, and to be quite honest it isnt that great couple of the local bars were decent.

All the fake people that everyone complains about, including myself, are transplants from other cities. These are the people that talk big, trying to climb the social ladder and get ahead. This stuff permeates through west L.A. scene and the movie industry.

Natives and long time residents here are as real as can be.

[TMK9973]

In N Out - Yes - 100%

Ask for it Animal style. Trust me.

[Fergasun]

There's already been like 7 responses and nearly all of them hit upon most points.
- Check out the Getty Center, it's cheap to visit and there are nice views on the hill.
- 2nd the recommendation of getting fries animal style and In N Out
- Head to the beaches, Huntington is nice... and big
- I'd recommend the drive through Topanga Canyon Valley into Malibu and then north to ~ Oxnard and turning around and heading to Santa Monica... it's beautiful.
- The Valley will be hot as hell... although I live in an apartment with no central air.
- You might want to try to get tickets to a TV taping, but those kind've kill your night.

[no1fanofno21]

thanks for all the suggestions, keep em coming.

[Ignatius J.]

The Getty museum is a must. Even if you're not a museum person, just go.

If you like jazz check out Charlie O's in the valley.

The thing about LA is that it is huge. You have to look for stuff sometimes, but if you spend some time figuring out what you want, you should have a great time.

[Barney B]

Lots of good posts in this thread.

First, the San Fernando Valley doesn't feel nearly as hot as Southern Md., if you're standing in the shade. If you need to spend any length of time in direct sunlight, as the lower-income inhabitants do (vertically) by necessity, and the upper-income denizens do (horizontally) by choice, then the lower latitude of L.A. means that you will be hot. I used to see Latina women carrying umbrellas over their heads on sunny days (almost every day), which is pretty smart if you think about it, even if they look a bit goofy, like Mary Poppins with training wheels, grounded by parasol engine trouble.

I tend to think of Hollywood as the tackiest place on Earth - like a giant Spencer Gifts store, only not as classy, but with just as many transvestite prostitutes (hey Eddie!); so I'd recommend you go to Universal Studios instead, as boof says - take the tour: the people on the tour bus always looked as though they were lovin' every minute, even as they squinted in the blazing noonday sun with burning rivulets of sweat and sunscreen running into their stinging eyeballs.

You can't cross the street in L.A. without walking underneath a helicopter. One of the reasons for this is the hilarious fixation local TV stations have (or used to have; I've been away) with police chases - every news broadcast leads off with supposedly enthralling aerial footage of some death-defying young Robin Hood heroically trying to elude 75 cop cars on one of the of L.A.'s (roughly) 6 trillion miles of smoggy, hyper-crowded freeways, while some chopper-bound cameraman chronicles the convoy's progress to the inevitable apprehension (dead or alive) of Jackie McCarjacker. You'd think they'd learn. Smile for the cameras, jailbird, you're a celebrity now, just like OJ! Let's do this again tomorrow!

Another reason you get to see so many sputtering whirlybirds (and here's the real point of this long-winded, nonsensical spiel) is that some of them are for hire for sky tours of L.A. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=helicopter+tours+los+angeles&spell=1) - this is a great idea if you love to fly (and I'm sure you agree that anyone who doesn't enjoy getting airborne is an unpatriotic sissy, and should go back to Texas), and the City of Angels - with it's varied topography, extravagant domiciles, historical landmarks, and uninhabitable neighborhoods that you're barely safe flying over, let alone driving through - lends itself perfectly to this kind of tour. It's not free, but hey, you're a rich American - indulge yourself.

Los Angeles, which is about as ethnically diverse a city as you'll find, (motto: "We have more Armenians than Armenia!") has tons of good, authentic international restaurants. One well-known way to judge the authenticity of a restaurant's menu is to see if the place is full of those damn foreign-looking folks. If you're in a Mexican restaurant, and there's not a Gringo to be found, then you're in luck. This tactic is totally unnecessary with Thai food, because there aren't any bad Thai restaurants in L.A, but it can be harder to do with Italian fare.

Speaking of foreign food, take everybody's advice and get yourself an In 'N' Out Burger. This fast food is so good that there's a waiting list of cows volunteering for the priveledge of decomposing in your colon. Some people complain that the the menu is a bit limited, but that's a good thing - if everyone in America had tried this food, the East Coast would quickly be deserted. Bring me back a t-shirt.

L.A. isn't generally renowned for great BBQ, but since you're already in The Valley, stop by Dr. Hogly Wogly's (http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/300381/) in (not so) scenic Van Nuys for an incomparable assemblage of delectable pignacious delights. Go there on your last day in L.A., and on your way out the door, tell them The Chief sent you - they'll almost certainly drive you straight to the airport.

Have fun! And don't forget, when the groom is slow-dancing with the bride, it's always good form to cut in. :cheers:

[81artmonk]

Hollywood is just for the sleaze factor, cool to see the hookers and walk of fame. HA HA

No one said disneyland. Dude, you have to go to disneyland & Universal studios.

In & out is a must for eating, you haven't lived till you've had a double double!!

Check out the beaches if you don't live near one where you are coming from.

it's free(minus parking) and you get to check out the babes!

[bschurm]

Just skimmed through, but Tijuana is not far............:D

[no1fanofno21]

everything sounds real good. Probably won't hit any of the beaches only because im only gonna be in LA for a few days and actually going to the Dominacan Republic/Puerto Rico for a week after this vacation.

[Oldskool]

Actually be prepared for it to be cloudy and overcast. We are having what we call "June gloom" right now. Thats when the marine layer comes in, and doesnt leave until afternoon. Id say low 70s in the valley and 60's toward the beach is what you should expect. It should still be around by early July as well.

As for things to do...

Go to all the cheesy amusement parks if you want, but be prepared to pay though the nose.

Go to Hollywood and catch a show at the roxy or the avalon. You'll have a blast.

Go to the beach, especially orange county. its nothing like you see on tv and exactly as you see it on tv at the same time.

Do hit up In-n-Out. You wont be disappointed.

Be prepared for soul crushing traffic that makes NoVa look like Mayberry. Add to that the cost of gas will be about $.30 more than youre used to.

If i think of anything else I'll post it.

[Oldskool]

Just skimmed through, but Tijuana is not far............:D

If you go, bring your passport. No joke.

[TMK9973]

BTW - You will need to speak LA when you talk traffic. Here is a quick transalation for east coast to west Coast

Highway is called a Freeway.
HOV lane is a Car Pool lane. Say HOV and you get funny looks
Every highway (Sorry - Freeway)is called "The". It's not 5 north to 134 west. It's THE 5 north to THE 134 west.... etc...
Don't freak out on the motercycles - They are allowed to drive between lanes....

Just a FYI.....

[Predicto]

Bah, come up to NoCal, the California that doesn't suck. :)

Actually, I suggest staying in West LA as much as possible. Beverly Hills, Westwood, Santa Monica, etc. Orange County is the dullest place on the planet.

LA is full of interesting stuff. Tons of cool museums, the La Brea Tarpits, check out a Dodgers game (boo them for me), Rodeo Drive and the crazy mansions, Santa Monica Pier and Muscle Beach... there is a ton of stuff to do there.

It still sucks compared to NoCal.

[Fergasun]

Driving Tips:
- Beware the weaving motorcycles... freaks you out at first.
- Can't hop in and out of the car pool lanes.
- Car pool lanes on most freeways are NOT time restricted (ie. rules in effect 24/7).
- Don't be freaked out when your driver turns left in the valley. 3-4 cars will turn left when the light changes red (there are no left turn arrows).
- Every city in LA county pisses me off because the whole valley is laid out in a grid. I think this is also true of the San Gabriel valley as well, and downtown LA (of course).

[Ignatius J.]

BTW - You will need to speak LA when you talk traffic. Here is a quick transalation for east coast to west Coast

Highway is called a Freeway.
HOV lane is a Car Pool lane. Say HOV and you get funny looks
Every highway (Sorry - Freeway)is called "The". It's not 5 north to 134 west. It's THE 5 north to THE 134 west.... etc...
Don't freak out on the motercycles - They are allowed to drive between lanes....

Just a FYI.....

Ha, you know, when I'm in DC, it's "take 95 North until you hit..."

Then as soon as I'm back in LA, it's "Take the 405 north to the 10'

I can't believe I never noticed that.

West LA is where its at though.