Where to stay in Los Angeles?

JebusJones · 18th July 2012, 10:31 AM

My U.S. trip is almost all booked, now just finalising the first and last weeks.

Week 1 I fly into L.A. and then have about 6 days until I need to be in Chicago, I'm thinking this might be the bit where I either:
1. Head to Las Vegas and check it out and the Grand Canyon (doesn't really interest me but everyone says it needs to be done).

2. Head to the Nappa Valley wine region and check it out - could be an issue as I'm not driving so maybe need to find some kind of tour?

3. Check out San Fancisco or San Diego or Seattle?

Anyway, my main query is: on the way back I plan on spending up to a week in or near L.A. and was wondering where would be the best place to stay? So far I'm staying in everything from the Hyatt in Chicago (convention), a hostel in NYC, and a motel in Washington D.C. and a Holiday Inn in Philadelphia.

In the end, all I need is a room which I'd prefer to be private (hate sharing) but is also close to PT so I can get to various attractions. In L.A. I want to do the various studio tours and maybe head down to Anaheim to check out Disney Land or that big fun park down there. I'd also like to be able to walk to local restaurants and pubs if possible, especially somewhere that will be showing the AFL Grand Final as it will be on when I am there.

So, does anyone have recommendations?

munka · 18th July 2012, 7:10 PM

Short answer, don't stay in LA.

If you want to be in that part of the world I'd recommend Santa Monica but LA doesn't have much to offer.

Mickey V · 18th July 2012, 7:38 PM

I'm not a big fan of LA, but if I ever went back I'd probably stay in Venice Beach again.

JebusJones · 19th July 2012, 10:13 AM

Hmmm, I'm getting a lot of those types of rumblings. The only reason I'm really going there is for the studio tours and 'cause I fly in and out of there.

CoByau · 19th July 2012, 11:40 AM

LA was shit

spilla2003 · 19th July 2012, 1:31 PM

LA in general isn't that great.

Santa Monica & Venice Beach are pretty awesome, and Hollywood is good for the touristy thing.

Apart from those points and Anaheim, there's not much else worth staying there for.

Tomee · 19th July 2012, 4:53 PM

im leaving for LA in two weeks and we will be hiring a car to drive us around.

anyone done this? how scary is it?

Kommandant33 · 19th July 2012, 5:03 PM

Santa Monica is pretty cool - there are some good backpackers down there, and its good for a couple of days of wandering around, but if you want to go somewhere cool, go to San Fran - it would have the most to do, and if you are into walking around you will have nice toned buttocks from walking the hills!

spilla2003 · 19th July 2012, 6:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomee

im leaving for LA in two weeks and we will be hiring a car to drive us around.

anyone done this? how scary is it?

Get a GPS.

If you haven't driven in the US before, I'd recommend spending a hour or 2 on surface streets before tackling the freeways.

If you need to get anywhere in a hurry, don't get on the 5, 405 or 101 (or any other fwy really) between 4pm & 7pm!

munka · 19th July 2012, 8:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomee

im leaving for LA in two weeks and we will be hiring a car to drive us around.

anyone done this? how scary is it?

Q1 Yes Q2 Yes when a truck overtakes you at 100mile an hour at the same time a truck is undertaking you at 90 mile an hour. Otherwise it is fine.

Mickey V · 20th July 2012, 3:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomee

anyone done this? how scary is it?

Just remember:
1) When turning corners - Lefty loosey, righty tighty will keep you on the right side of the road.
2) If you're driving a manual (pretty rare in the US, but just in case) - The gearstick is on your right. If you try to change with your left hand, you'll just end up opening your door into oncoming traffic.

Seriously, once you get used to sitting on the wrong side of the car, and adjust your lane position accordingly, you've done half the work.

18th July 2012, 10:31 AM	#1
JebusJones Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brunswick, Melbourne Posts: 3,836	Where to stay in Los Angeles? My U.S. trip is almost all booked, now just finalising the first and last weeks. Week 1 I fly into L.A. and then have about 6 days until I need to be in Chicago, I'm thinking this might be the bit where I either: 1. Head to Las Vegas and check it out and the Grand Canyon (doesn't really interest me but everyone says it needs to be done). 2. Head to the Nappa Valley wine region and check it out - could be an issue as I'm not driving so maybe need to find some kind of tour? 3. Check out San Fancisco or San Diego or Seattle? Anyway, my main query is: on the way back I plan on spending up to a week in or near L.A. and was wondering where would be the best place to stay? So far I'm staying in everything from the Hyatt in Chicago (convention), a hostel in NYC, and a motel in Washington D.C. and a Holiday Inn in Philadelphia. In the end, all I need is a room which I'd prefer to be private (hate sharing) but is also close to PT so I can get to various attractions. In L.A. I want to do the various studio tours and maybe head down to Anaheim to check out Disney Land or that big fun park down there. I'd also like to be able to walk to local restaurants and pubs if possible, especially somewhere that will be showing the AFL Grand Final as it will be on when I am there. So, does anyone have recommendations? __________________ GAMING: Clevo Horize P150HMA from LBO \| i7-2720QM \| 8GB 1333 DDR3 \| 256GB Crucial M4 SSD \| ATI 2GB 6990m \| 95% Gamut Display HTPC: Clevo Horize W246 \| Blu-ray \| 3TB USB3.0 Hitachi Touro \| Dual HD USB tuner \| Fly Mouse DIABLO III: JebusJones#6949

19th July 2012, 10:13 AM	#4
JebusJones Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brunswick, Melbourne Posts: 3,836	Hmmm, I'm getting a lot of those types of rumblings. The only reason I'm really going there is for the studio tours and 'cause I fly in and out of there. __________________ GAMING: Clevo Horize P150HMA from LBO \| i7-2720QM \| 8GB 1333 DDR3 \| 256GB Crucial M4 SSD \| ATI 2GB 6990m \| 95% Gamut Display HTPC: Clevo Horize W246 \| Blu-ray \| 3TB USB3.0 Hitachi Touro \| Dual HD USB tuner \| Fly Mouse DIABLO III: JebusJones#6949

19th July 2012, 4:53 PM	#7
Tomee Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,196	im leaving for LA in two weeks and we will be hiring a car to drive us around. anyone done this? how scary is it? __________________ i5 2500K \| Venomous X Silent \| GA-Z68X-UD3R-B3 \| 8GB Ripjaws X F3 \| GTX 570 Phantom \| Vertex 3 240GB SSD \| Deskstar 7K3000 2TB \| TruePower 750W \| X-Fi Xtreme Gamer \| X6 \| X5 \| Z-5500 \| U2711 \| U2311H \| NZXT H2

19th July 2012, 5:03 PM	#8
Kommandant33 Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cheltenham VIC Posts: 861	Santa Monica is pretty cool - there are some good backpackers down there, and its good for a couple of days of wandering around, but if you want to go somewhere cool, go to San Fran - it would have the most to do, and if you are into walking around you will have nice toned buttocks from walking the hills! __________________ Mein Komputer ist Kommandant. Battlefield 3 - ollien33 Steam - ollien33

18th July 2012, 7:10 PM	#2
munka Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Perth Posts: 2,100	Short answer, don't stay in LA. If you want to be in that part of the world I'd recommend Santa Monica but LA doesn't have much to offer.

18th July 2012, 7:38 PM	#3
Mickey V Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 107	I'm not a big fan of LA, but if I ever went back I'd probably stay in Venice Beach again.

19th July 2012, 11:40 AM	#5
CoByau Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 33	LA was shit

19th July 2012, 1:31 PM	#6
spilla2003 Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,030	LA in general isn't that great. Santa Monica & Venice Beach are pretty awesome, and Hollywood is good for the touristy thing. Apart from those points and Anaheim, there's not much else worth staying there for.