Posted September 11, 200717 yr Going to LA in about a month. This will be my first time on the west coast. As of right now, the closest I've been to California is Wisconsin..... :wink2: A few suggestions of what to do from Friday to Monday would be nice. Will be flying into LAX and will have a rental car with no concrete itinerary and open to anything. It will be two adults and two kids, 7 and 8. So a few events or establishments to keep them interested would be nice too.
September 11, 200717 yr Lower Alabama? ... Check out Gulf Shores and bring us back some sand in a bottle.
September 11, 200717 yr Going to LA in about a month. This will be my first time on the west coast. As of right now, the closest I've been to California is Wisconsin..... :wink2: A few suggestions of what to do from Friday to Monday would be nice. Will be flying into LAX and will have a rental car with no concrete itinerary and open to anything. It will be two adults and two kids, 7 and 8. So a few events or establishments to keep them interested would be nice too. 3 total days, eh? Well, for the kids, they'll love Disneyland in Anaheim (about 40 min [without traffic]) from Hollywood). Secondary place would be Universal Studios Hollywood with the CityWalk (basically, a more entertainment-based Easton). If you are going to the beach, take them to Newport Beach (nice, safe, decent water, great surf, nice restaurants for children). The kids won't be interested in Santa Monica (except the pier), Beverly Hills, and might not appreciate Hollywood itself (Highland & Hollywood/Vine) until they are older. La Brea Tar Pits are interesting for an hour (Wilshire Blvd) and if you want to basically see Los Angeles, go to downtown and take Wilshire Blvd out to Santa Monica. Have fun with that camera of yours. So yeah... Disneyland & California Adventure Universal Studios Hollywood The touristic stuff in Hollywood/Highland (restaurants, wax museum, Chinese Theater) Griffith Park has tons of stuff (the Observatory, the LA Zoo [not worth it, compared to Cincinnati], various trails) Beaching at Newport Beach If you want skyline shots: *Mulhulland Drive has a great view (101/Hollywood Freeway north of Downtown, take Mulhulland Drive exit, and head west) *Echo Park (northwest/north of downtown) *Hollywood/Highland Complex, go up to the third floor and get "the" view of the Hollywood Sign and skyline "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 11, 200717 yr I wouldn't take the kids to citywalk unless it's early in the day. That place becomes a big gang hangout once school lets out. All 4 of you might find Barney's Beanery entertaining - the original in West Hollywood, not the hard rock cafe rip-off one on the Santa Monica pier. It's a bar/restaurant with a lot of interesting history and they have pool, video games and I think a table hockey board. Kind of like a TGI Friday's, but before TGI Friday's became a chain. You see all kinds of interesting people there. If they are outdoorsy at all, take them to the ocean, to Runyon Canyon for a hike, those are two great things to do. Topanga State park is also great for hiking but a little more difficult to find/get to if you're not familiar with the area. Everyone would enjoy the newly re-opened Griffith Observatory. GREAT views around it, with hiking, and also the observatory itself is spectacular. Santa Monica in general has good shopping and restaurants. As you get closer to Ocean there are a lot of homeless people but they are harmless. I wouldn't take them to Venice Beach. Don't bother with the Getty, they'd be bored stiff. They might also like the Petersen auto museum which is on Wilshire. And you're not too far from Legoland if you want a road trip.
September 11, 200717 yr Well we get there Thursday night around 10pm and leave Tuesday at 12pm. So we have four full day's.
September 11, 200717 yr The Southwest Museum, which is about Native American culture, was one of my favorite museums of all time. The exhibits on the Plains "Indians" are extensive. I think it is in Anaheim. You can end the day at Griffith Observatory, the place where they filmed "Rebel Without A Cause", and gaze out over the city lights watching the police helicopters.
October 9, 200717 yr Ok we leave this Thursday and I can't decide if we should go to Disneyland or the adventure park that it's connected to. We will probably check out the Santa Monica pier and surrounding area. We are also planning on possibly going to the San Diego zoo (kids are free in october) What about decently priced ocean(boat) ride/tours? or something similar. Thanks for the ideas so far, can't wait to get there.
October 9, 200717 yr Catalina Island has a wonderful boat cruise to the island and back that the kids would like. It leaves from the Port of Long Beach, I believe...? Go to Disneyland MAIN PARK, not California Adventure. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 9, 200717 yr LA Sam might have more. Here are some things I suggest. My nieces/nephews and cousins and their children have liked the below. i don't know what type of restaurants or bars you're interested in. Let us know. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles The Getty Center is a must [ www.getty.edu ] La Brea tar pits [ www.tarpits.org ] Griffith Observatory [ www.griffithobs.org ] Echo Park (good for some skyline pics) Shrine Auditorium [ www.ShrineLa.com ] The Rose Garden [ www.laparks.org/exporosegarden/rosegarden.htm ] Union Station / Olvera Street [ www.olvera-street.com ] Kodak Theatre / Hollywood & Vine [ www.kodaktheatre.com ] [ www.hollywoodandhighland.com ]fun! Hollywood wax museum Watts Towers Mann's Chinese Theatre [ www.manntheatres.com ] Hollywood Bowl L A Music Center / Disnery Hall [ www.musiccenter.org ] L A Farmers Market - Historic Trolley - The Grove (ugh..lifestyle center) Tour of the Star homes I would also check to see if any of your favorite TV shows are taping as all shows are in production. You could take a studio tour. It pains me to even suggest this but seeing as you'll be with kids and in the city, the Sony or Paramount tours might be the best as they are in the city and the others are up in Burbank. Also they are cheaper. Catalina Island I can't find the website, but you can take an express boat from Long Beach to the island for like approx. $50 roundtrip
October 9, 200717 yr Ok we leave this Thursday and I can't decide if we should go to Disneyland or the adventure park that it's connected to. We will probably check out the Santa Monica pier and surrounding area. We are also planning on possibly going to the San Diego zoo (kids are free in october) What about decently priced ocean(boat) ride/tours? or something similar. Thanks for the ideas so far, can't wait to get there. Best advice I can give would be to pick up an Eyewitness Top 10 Guide to LA. First of all, the maps are decent... and you NEED GOOD MAPS in LA. Second of all, it does a good job highlighting nice parts of the city. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the best family centered things to do in LA are since I don't have any kiddies myself yet. Disneyland is clearly a must. The Long Beach Aquarium is really nice too. Santa Monica is extremely tourist friendly and easy to navigate, with the Pier and Promenade in close proximity. There are some homeless that reside in the Palisade Park near the pier, but they are harmless and all pretty much concentrated in one spot. Venice Beach is a popular destination for people to check out, as well as the canals in Venice and Marina Peninsula. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is popular, and all of DT Beverly Hills is well kept and pleasant. West Hollywood is known for the Sunset Strip... and Hollywood is known for Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd is an area in transition, so you will see good (revitalized), bad (needing revitalization), and construction. Hollywood & Highland is the main hub. It's also worth walking North of Hollywood and Highland and seeing the Magic Castle and some of the neighborhoods in the Hollywood Hills. Not sure how old your kids are, but if they are old enough for a good hike, I would take a hike up in Topanga State Park, which you can access via Topanga Canyon off the Pacific Coast Highway. Griffith Park is also popular for hikes. A day trip to Orange County would be worth it... Newport Beach is amazing... San Diego is just a couple hours away and has Seaworld and the most kick ass zoo ever. A walk near the Point Vicente lighthouse in Palos Verde is nice, or checking out Point Dume in Malibu. Man... there's so much stuff to do... pick up the Top 10 Eyewitness Tour Books for LA and San Diego and have fun! The weather will be autumn-like this weekend so pack accordingly.
Create an account or sign in to comment