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OT: Los Angeles Sightseeing/Day Trip

S

scarlethead

Junior
Jan 30, 2004
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My family (wife and 2 kids- 12 and 13 yrs) are going to travel with me to CA for a business trip. Will be there Thursday - Monday. Staying in Costa Mesa but want to check out LA. I never ask things like this on the board but I have noticed we have some members with a good knowledge of the area.

We are up for anything, even if it's a cheesy bus tour. Food suggestions welcome as well. Thanks!
 
Bus tour best.

Check AAA and LA Tourism Bureau for recommendations. Too many slipshod tour bus options.
 
I live in LA and want to do a bus tour so I can show people around. Too cold to chill on the beaches. I’d peobably do the tour. Or The Getty museum. If you want to see as much as possible on limited time, a tour is the way to go.
 
So much to see and so little time. LA is really spread out but here is what I would suggest. Take the 405 north from Costa Mesa to the 10 and head into Santa Monica and the 3rd street promenade area. Plenty to see and do there and many places to eat. A lot of celebs live and play there. There is cheap municipal parking in the area but I suggest the parcade on 4th street between Arizona Ave and Santa Monica Blvd.

From Santa Monica I would drive up the Pacific Coast highway to Malibu (about 18 miles) and see the Pepperdine campus. Its an amazing school built on the top of a mountain with a phenomenal view of the Pacific. On a clear day you can see Catalina Island out in the distance.My guess is that the kids are going to want to go to school there when they see it.

Backtrack on the PCH to Topanga Canyon Blvd and follow it through Topanka State Park to the opposite side of the mountain to the 101 (Ventura Freeway). Be sure to stop at the Top of Topanga Overlook to view the San Fernando Valley Valley below, and the Santa Monica, Santa Susana, and San Gabriel Mountains. Then follow the 101 back towards Hollywood and hang out on Hollywood Blvd where there are a lot of attractions and places to eat. There are also tour places on or near Hollywood Blvd.

Some advice and a must. Make sure you have a GPS device on your phone or in the car to find your way around the LA area or your going to get lost. And get an early start. I would be in Santa Monica no later than 10:00AM. Time flys. And stay away from downtown LA. Not much to see there except a lot of traffic.


https://www.santamonica.com/santa-monica-neighborhoods/downtown-santa-monica-third-street-promenade/
 
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Just me.......... but, since you're in Costa Mesa........ I'd check out OC: Disneyland, Laguna Beach, Balboa, Dana Point (maybe Catalina) -- but, then again, I live in OC and don't really know how to get to LA.......... :0


on your way up to (or back from) LA, you might consider Downtown Long Beach/Queen Mary if you're into that sort of touristy thing........ Getty is awesome for the views (not so much the art)...but, great place to eat... if you like modern Art - get tickets to the Broad ahead of time...
 
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Agree with Hugh above. Especially with the kids if they like the beach and can show them Santa Monica Pier. Sure it's touristy but it is a landmark. 3rd Street Promenade is a good place. Good to walk, lots of food and shopping. Wife and I stayed in Santa Monica for a week a couple times and enjoyed it a lot.

And a short ride up to Malibu like he said. Beautiful campus and views at Pepperdine. Watched a UCLA - Pepperdine soccer game there. Of course just cruising around Malibu is beautiful too.

And I second using GPS!
Haha we got suckered into buying a celebrity homes map first time out there and were popping addresses in one afternoon left and right. It was fun. Saw lotsa beautiful houses whether or not celebs lived there.

UCLA campus was really nice too near Beverly Hills.
 
Hugh Laurie said:
So much to see and so little time. LA is really spead out but here is what I would suggest. Take the 405 north from Costa Mesa to the 10 and head into Santa Monica and the 3rd street promenade area. Plenty to see and do there and many places to eat. A lot of celebs live and play there.

From Santa Monica I would drive up the Pacific Coast highway to Malibu (about 18 miles) and see the Pepperdine campus. Its an amazing school built on the top of a mountain with a phenomenal view of the Pacific. My guess is that the kids are going to want to go to school there when they see it.

Backtrack on the PCH to Topanga Canyon Blvd and follow it through Topanka State Park to the opposite side of the mountain to the 101 (Ventura Freeway). Follow the 101 back towards Hollywood and hang out on Hollywood Blvd where there are a lot of attractions and places to eat. There are also tour places on or near Hollywood Blvd.

Some advice and a must. Make sure you have a GPS device on your phone or in the car to find your way around the LA area.


https://www.santamonica.com/santa-monica-neighborhoods/downtown-santa-monica-third-street-promenade/
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After reading this all heard in my head were the voices from “The Californians” skit on SNL...

tumblr_ncyzynoFc51tnxaowo4_250.gif
 
Caliknight said:
I live in LA and want to do a bus tour so I can show people around. Too cold to chill on the beaches. I’d peobably do the tour. Or The Getty museum. If you want to see as much as possible on limited time, a tour is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Too cold to chill on the beaches???? I was there on January 3rd, it was around 70 with no real wind. Most of us that were there were quite fine shirtless. Venice Beach was a cool place, I would recommend for sure. Spectacular views with the mountains right there too.
 
dont want to add to the overload but if in Santa monica you might , instead, walking, rent a bike, rollerblading Venice Beach. Bikes are rentable where SM ends and Venice begins. If on a weekend it can be quite the visual experience. There are breakfast places and bruncheries.

As suggested earlier Disney is always nice but at 12-13 i suspect your kids have done that.

If the kids are at all artsy you could try the Getty Museum where the 5 meets 101 . It is a high vantage spot with wrap around balconies. If a clear day you have a 180degree wrap of the pacific and into beverly hills. Actually they have a damn good cafeteria in there and those tables would be on the balconies for great lunch views. there are 7 buildings devoted to media arts and art museums

Not to be confused with the Getty on the PCH in malibu. Spectalar but it is roman, greek, egyptian, etruscan sculptures with a lot of this outdoors.

There is a ton of stuff but i would, if you have not seen, either the Paramount studio, or warner brothers studio tours. Much easier and more condensed than universal studios which is an all day event. This tour would be closer to three hours. Note you must absolutely reserve a spot, online, to hope to get in.

Aspeople have suggested Santa Monica you could not go wrong there. It is a really nice spot and you may want to find out what al the fuss for "" in and out butger "" is about.

I think maybe you might want to get a small taste of all of this and return for a week at another point.
 
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hrdcorhays said:
Too cold to chill on the beaches???? I was there on January 3rd, it was around 70 with no real wind. Most of us that were there were quite fine shirtless. Venice Beach was a cool place, I would recommend for sure. Spectacular views with the mountains right there too.
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That's not beach weather here. It was 60 today. It's been a great winter weather wise though. I have been gone for a week or so but it was 85 when I left. That's beach weather, but the water is cold. Beach days here are in the summer. When you can get in the water without a wet suit. That's if you want the full experience. I guess beach days can be whatever you want them to be. I think a lot of bikinis on the beach are the ultimate determination.
 
I went to LA for the first time in Nov. Tried to go up to Griffith Observatory on a Sunday afternoon. What a nightmare. I scoffed at people who warned me about LA traffic, but they were all right. We were staying in Anaheim and it took us almost 2 hours to get to LA and an hour to get from bottom of Griffith park to the top, only to find there was no parking and drove right back down. Bottom line--plan for traffic.

Also -- went on a whale watching trip out of Newport beach. Stopped at Rubys burgers on coastal highway near newport beach. What an awesome view and a great burger. Highly recommended if you are in the area.
 
Santa Anita Racetrack is beautiful, with a playground on the infield. Walk through the tunnel to the grandstand while the horses are running overhead.
 
Took my kids around that age around 7 years ago Did the whole SFO to San Diego drill but while in LA did Disney, Newport Beach area, a studio tour to see set of friends and others shows that were current, a TMZ tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills and then walked around Hollywood Blvd.
 
- Walk around Venice for a bit. Keep your kids close though.
- Griffith is pretty awesome, but incorporate it in to a hike. Don't even try to park at the top.
- The Getty has great views and really cool art but not sure your kids will enjoy it.
- LA Live has good restaurants/touristy things if you want to parlay that in to watching a Clips/Lakers/Kings game.
 
scarlethead said:
My family (wife and 2 kids- 12 and 13 yrs) are going to travel with me to CA for a business trip. Will be there Thursday - Monday. Staying in Costa Mesa but want to check out LA. I never ask things like this on the board but I have noticed we have some members with a good knowledge of the area.

We are up for anything, even if it's a cheesy bus tour. Food suggestions welcome as well. Thanks!
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I've lived in So. Cal for 49 years. LA is great....and the suggestions of Venice Beach, 3rd street promenade (Santa Monica) are solid. Following up on UCLA (my eldest graduated from there)....provides good scenery / you're close to Bel Air...as well as continuing on to Malibu off PCH.

But I would suggest you also include a trip to Laguna Beach- if you rent a car it's off PCH (South). Laguna is the jewel of Orange County and has funky art shops, great scenery and plenty of good restaurants- it has the "it" factor.

MO
PS Laguna Beach also has a Rutgers connection: Ozzie Nelson / Family lived on the beach 3 doors??(not sure...and their house was torn down in 1998) from Bette Davis' house (believe it's Diamond St./ Ocean Way). Cal66 said he spent time there with Ricky Nelson back in 60's.
 
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Just saw that "K's Donuts and Burgers" on Ventura is CLOSED ughhhh! That place and "Chili My Soul" were 2 of the only things I liked about living out there!!
 
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