Travel Guide : Los Angeles

[lunabella]

my cousin and i are going to los angeles for two weeks on tuesday. we would like to know what there is to do there. i've already been once (when i was fourteen), so i did the whole disney-sea-world-universal-studios thing.
anyone know other attractions, museums, shops, etc, that are a must?
thanks!

 

[wyatt.]

well...moca is a pretty good museum and they generally have awesome traveling shows...ie lucian freud [best show i've ever seen] and andy warhol, they do them pretty good too because they had the largest collection of freud and warhol things in one place to date. not to mention the new dinsey concert hall is across the street by frank gehry and down the street are some other cool sites like the los angeles water park thing...it's like a fountain thing that has a stage in the middle and there are shows in there and stuff.

shopping wise...well there's rodeo drive if you want sort of thing and the beverly center, and then there's the santa monica 3rd street promanade but i don't really like the promanade because it's really generic, if you go to santa monica...which you should go to montana street because it's more mom and pop sort of thing and there's a fred segal right around there, there's one in beverly hills as well. other shopping sites...umm..there's the hollywood grahman's area...you know the old movie theather, well there's a huge shopping plaza around it, also includes the kodax theater (oscars) and there's a nice view of the hollywood sign and what-not but really touristy.

other good parts of la...surprisingly i really like venice beach...once you get off of the beach area...which you may like, it's a lot of tatoos and piercings and bongs, my sister calls it a freak show, but once you get off of it there are some really cool areas all around there.

silver strand is coming more into the spotlight and it's a nice area...haven't really been there a lot.

i would stay out of malibu unless you just want to see the backs of some nice houses, but you can park and go to the beach and celebrity watch if you like.

oh another shopping area that's HUGE is south coast plaza. it's in orange county...probably 1.5-2 hour drive south of LA and it has nearly every store, including high end, so you have abercrombie and gap in one wing and then chanel and ysl in the other. fashion island is there as well but it's not as good as south coast plaza. oh and then there's galleria's all over the place but eh.

one of my favorite cities in la county that you should check out is pasadena. it's beautiful there, and it has the norton simon museum which has the largest permanent collection of degas work in the country and just driving around the neighborhood is cool too because it has a lot of really famous homes, not that famous people lived in them but they're just architectually stunning, a lot by greene and greene [famous craftsmen] and frank lloyd wright. i would strongly suggest going on the home tour of the gamble house, by greene and greene. it's amazing, their use of wood and attention to detail. and once you get out of the more residential area the theater or downtown area is really nice and low key as well, with restaurants and shops etc.

hmm...you could always come up to ventura or santa barbara, which are pretty nice and coastal i guess but slightly boring. the only thing that's worth it is this hamburger place in carpenteria, south of santa barbara, called the spot, it's reported the best burger by julia childs.

...i'm still thinking

 

[Spike413]

I've always wanted to go to L.A and throw stuff at annoying celebrities I see.

 

[meowmix]

so much to do...I'm scared. I'm used to living in a place with nothing to do....I think I'll just stay in Claremont when I go down....

 

[SCBlondie]

My dad informed me yesterday that his buisness partner is moving to Beverly Hills and this Christmas break we are going to visit him or something like that. For some reason I have no interest in LA excpet for seeing famous people. I'd rather just go to NY...

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

Okay to add onto what Wyatt has said....

For shopping there's also Melrose Ave...whole bunch of shops from designer to independent to vintage shops its there on that street....I also go to certain lil "villages" to visit the kewl independent shops like on Vermont and on Larchmont. Also near the BEverly Center is the new Grove shopping mall and thats nice to stroll around(it has a mini park area with live bands playing during weekends and I like the restaurants there..(recommend Morel's...sit outside) its connected to Farmers market and there are some good eats there too.

theres a lot of museums on LA Brea Ave.( the "miracle mile" area)...La Brea Tar pits which is kinda ehh... I say if you go visit next door at the LACMA then just take pics at the Tar pit... dont bother with the small museum there....and there near the Gromans Chinese Theater...like Wyatt mentioned is the Hollywood and Highland mall and right on that street is also some small museums like the wax museum and Ripleys Believe it or not and its on the Hollywood Walk of Fame...where all the celebrities stars are on the sidewalk....Also I recommend watching a play/musical at the...dangit I forget where that place is called.they might be playing hairspray right now....its next to the Disney concert hall... I'll post the name later and what plays are showing...

For people who are really curious about celebs then I suggest trying the historic Beverly Hills Hotel and you can even go on a celeb house tour there in Beverly Hills....Personally I think I'm more up to date than those tour dudes...NO seriously...it's quite sad( me and my friends are nosy gits and we like to know who moves in next door)..um...up close maybe power lunch at Ivy, dinner at Bastide, Dolce( Ashton Kutchers restaurant), or hang out at the bar in thh Standard hotel... or hang during the wee hours at Swingers diner( someones there...mostly famous rockers...) I know more places where you might run into a celeb but I just cant think. Hmm...I'll think of clubs later but the one for sure club where celebs hang is Spider Bar- but if you aren't a celeb or just absolutely so fabolous that you should be forget it...hehe maybe you should chill at the coffee shop nearby in hopes of seeing the likes of Paris Hilton and others come our of Spider.

For nature people, we got prime surf here...I personally like Malibu, Ventura and Huntington to surf...people who like to golf...theres too many places here to golf...but Palm Springs is best but in the city..the golf place in Hancock park is lovely...also deserts here to do biking and all that... Inland Empire is where I'd go for that...forest people...people who like to hike...Griffith park is your friend...and its also right in the middle of the city too...unfortunately the Observatory is closed but the view there is wonderful and up there is the start of one of the best easy scenic trails there...Malibu has wonderful trails too...forgot the specific part on that too....snowboard and ski...go to Big Bear...theres a lake up there too to boat and stuff too boring for me though...only fun thing there is trying to wrestle this huge fish out of this pond..whoever gets him with a wimpy net gets a prize....mind you peoples been doing this for years...still no freaking cigar.

...There's too much crap to name so if there's specific or more extensive info you'd like to know...feel free to ask....I know pretty much the places to hang at to the best places for things like tacos, to shoes, to vintage, to haircuts and drinks...If I don't know the answer...then I'll be damned..

 

[asta]

please go see the gamble house.

http://www.gamblehouse.org/index.html

 

[MayaPapaya9]

Originally posted by loserunit@Aug 6 2004, 07:49 PM
oh another shopping area that's HUGE is south coast plaza. it's in orange county...probably 1.5-2 hour drive south of LA and it has nearly every store, including high end, so you have abercrombie and gap in one wing and then chanel and ysl in the other. fashion island is there as well but it's not as good as south coast plaza. oh and then there's galleria's all over the place but eh.

[snapback]323670[/snapback]​

You can get to the Irvine area in 45 minutes from LA if you avoid traffic. I managed it in half an hour once but it's NEVER been as long as two hours.

OH yes, South Coast Plaza is one huge mall, in Costa Mesa right off the 405, and my second home when I'm in school. It sprawls across the street, there are two Victoria's Secrets and two Abercrombies and some other duplicate stores, one on each side of the street. It has pretty much every store you could want in a mall: Ron Herman, Chanel, Burberry, Escada, Gucci, YSL, Jimmy Choo, Gap, Banana Republic flagship, Rampage, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Benetton, Guess, Miss Sixty, Puma, Paul Frank, I could go on. There's a secondary mall called Metro Point with movie theaters and a Nordstrom Rack that carries really high end discounted stuff. The department stores are Nordstroms, Saks, Macy's, Robinson's May and Sears.

Fashion Island is in Newport Beach and it's a very pretty, open air mall (you will see a lot of rich ladies with their little dogs) with a great food court and fabulous restaurants. Especially El Torito Grill which is like an upscale version of regular El Torito, best Mexican food I ever had outside of Mexico. They also have the standard P.F. Chang's and Cheesecake Factory. Department stores are Neimans and Bloomingdale's and I think Macy's. It's about a ten minute drive from South Coast Plaza.

Irvine Spectrum, also off of the 405, has the best movie theaters and the shopping is pretty good too.

Orange County shopping is worth the trip.

In LA, I really like Melrose Ave, especially Fred Segal, and Beverly Center, and 3rd Street Promenade is fun to walk around at night. Walking around Westwood is really fun too.

 

[marcj]

My suggestion..... Try to get onto the Price is Right... Shopping wise, I would avoid the whole South Coast Plaza, there are better stores in Beverly Hills anyways. I would suggest going to Melrose, west of Fairfax (East of Fairfax is way too seedy) , and go to Miu Miu, Costume National, Fred Segal.... Also check out Robertson which hits melrose... Hogan, Kitson, Madison et al. You should also go to Maxfield... at the end of Melrose. Check out the new Prada epicenter and the new Michael Kors on Rodeo Dr. The Standard, both in West Hollywood and Downtown are worth a look at, even if you arent staying there...

 

[oceanharlot]

Where are the good places to live if you are young, artistic, hip and a bit wild? Reasonably priced areas for college grads... Another place I am thinking about moving.

I heard good things about downtown, sunset, hollywood hills and melrose...

(Just in case no one noticed, I'm graduating in 1 year *YAY!* and need OFF THIS ISLAND!)

 

[lunabella]

thanks so much everyone. i am not really interested in shopping, but my cousin who is coming with me is. she already has all the shopping info. i want to go to the getty museum. i was there when i was 14 with my mum, but i was too young to appreciate it.
i think i want to do some nature-based things. also something cultural. i am also into eastern religion (taoism/buddhism) so that kind of stuff is cool. any suggestions? and maybe something crazy. not really interested in celebrities, unless kate moss happened to swing by.
thank you!

 

[wyatt.]

something i've always wanted to do, if it's crazy enough for you is go to see 'the pussycat dolls' [charlie's angels] they go around a lot of the clubs in la and hollywood like roxy.

 

[asta]

Originally posted by lunabella@Aug 9 2004, 01:39 PM
thanks so much everyone. i am not really interested in shopping, but my cousin who is coming with me is. she already has all the shopping info. i want to go to the getty museum. i was there when i was 14 with my mum, but i was too young to appreciate it.
i think i want to do some nature-based things. also something cultural. i am also into eastern religion (taoism/buddhism) so that kind of stuff is cool. any suggestions? and maybe something crazy. not really interested in celebrities, unless kate moss happened to swing by.
thank you!

[snapback]326078[/snapback]​

you can always go to the huntington gardens in pasadena....

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

Lunabella if you like eastern I suggest maybe visit the temple in Malibu...plus its pretty towardsthere and you can do lots of nature things in Malibu...

Theres eatern art museums about too...so you might want to check that out...

Also asian inspired hangouts like elixir(tea place that u sit out in a garden) and wonderful Asian restaurants about...authentic and fusion ones...

Wyatt, theres a p*ssy kat doll show thats for all ages during some afternoons thats slighty tamed down...if you wanna go to the full on version....grab your fake I.D. mister...

 

[scandinavianchic]

I'm going to California!

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but....

I bought tickets to San Fransisco to my BF for xmas (we're staying for 18 days), and we're planning to drive from SF to San Diego. (highway 1)

What I was wondering, is if any of you have any tips on things to see and places to shop?

Hope to hear from some of you!!

Thanks,
Scandi (from Norway)

 

[ingenue]

sf--> make the usual Union Square round-- big dept stores like Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordies, etc.. all the upscale stores are within the perimeter block.
Head over as well to Union Street Off vanness.. there are some nice shops there too.
Santana row strip mall is a good place as well if you're into the high end designer stuff. Westfield Valley Fair Mall is just across Santana row (both are in san jose).
if you like going to outlets, try the Great Mall of the Bay Area in Milpitas-- they have outlet stores like Off 5th (saks 5th outlet) as well as some designer brand outlets. Gilroy is another outlet hub, though unlike great mall, shops are located outdoors and you will need to drive to cover all the bases.
if you like quaint shopping, go over to east bay by Berkeley-- there are some nice little shops on 4th/ 5th street off university avenue.
Stanford shopping mall has Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Macys.
Go to Haight-Ashbury/ Castro district as well. Some nice specialty shops there.
Apart from what else i have mentioned, i cant really think of any other places. well my brain's kinda fried. its 7am and i havent slept a wink!!

 

[fourboltmain]

San Diego is boring. I live there. The only thing worth seeing is the beach and the mountains, but as far as night life, the place is dead. Downtown is alright if you're just people watching, but the clubs suck. Your best bet is going to Ocean Beach and bar hopping all over Newport Ave. So many cool poeple, nobody's up tight and everyone has their own style. Stay out of La Jolla, just a bunch of old people who can't drive and the place falls asleep around 9pm. Pacific Beach is alright, a lot of wannabes and cops are out like bees on weekends.

 

[wyatt.]

on your way down the coast past santa barbara there is a small city called carpenteria and right by the beach is this tiny hamburger place called 'the spot' they're soooo good and julia child's favorite. i live in ventura which is about 20 minutes south and urr...i probably wouldn't stop anywhere here though. but it's a nice place.

 

[model_mom]

Tangerine hasn't been on in a day or two, but he will have some info to add to this. It sounds like you're really excited about your trip. I would be too. I hope you have a great time.

 

[softgrey]

i think you should stop in santa barbara...there is also carmel...
great little quaint shops and restaurants...i've stayed at the montecito inn in santa barbara...used to be owned by charlie chaplin and is quite picturesque...

i forgot the name...but there is also a restaurant on the coast with a great view that is owned by clint eastwood...(he used to be the mayor of carmel)...i've eaten there and the view is worth it alone...

plus there are all these great spots for seeing marine life there...especially seals and sea otters...there are tons and they are so adorable... i think it's a great drive along the pacific coast highway...

have a great trip!!