Travel Answers

Hi
We are visiting in June, staying in Eagle Rock and have the following on our hitlist - Santa Monica, Getty Center, Griffith Observatory and main Hollywood sights. We will have our own car but only two full days and I am worried that getting from A to B will take a lot of time as it did on one past visit. Not sure either how to group these attractions geopgraphically and split across the two days. My questions are these:
When are LA peak hour(s) for traffic and yeah, I know it is pretty busy all the time?
Are we better generally using the I and Freeways to get across the city or might other routes be less busy?
If travelling from Getty Center to Griffith Observ. Is it worth going north up 405 and peeling off on Mulholland and driving east at least as far as Laurel Canyon and dropping down on to Franklin or Hollywood Blvds, I am thinking in terms of views/more interest or will this just take forever (Google maps suggests going north and east on the 101). We want some of the journeying to be interesting if possible but Mulholland possibly aside, our main concern is to get from a to b wasting as little time as possible.

Thanks,
Sam from England

Hi,

Me and my sister are travelling to LA. We are udecided to where to stay altough leaning towards a week in week in West Hollywood or Hollywood and 3/4 days in Santa Monica.Things we want to do are shopping, Star walk, clubbing, Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive, Runyon Canyon and sporting events (basketball/baseball). What would people recommend in regards to accommodation location?? We are planning on using public transport as we are to scared to hire a car and drive around LA! (Australian lisence)

I have a full day at LA this July 2013, before I drive to Las Vegas the next day, where I need to reach by 4 Pm
I am staying at Saharan Motor Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
Please advice me on what I must and be able to cover in 1 full day and a couple of hours the next day.
I will have a car available for me to drive around if that is easier.
My family consists of me, wife and 10 yr old daughter..
Need suggestions and highly appreciated.

I have a full day at LA this July 2013, before I drive to Las Vegas the next day, where I need to reach by 4 Pm
I am staying at Saharan Motor Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
Please advice me on what I must and be able to cover in 1 full day and a couple of hours the next day.
I will have a car available for me to drive around if that is easier.
My family consists of me, wife and 10 yr old daughter..
Need suggestions and highly appreciated.

Hi

I will be travelling with my daughter to LA in June and do not want to hire a car. Does anyone know of an amazing hotel with wi-fi, costing a maximum of $150 per night, in a good, safe location near a Metro station?

Thanks in advance, Mark.

Staying at a Long Beach hotel for a convention but will be going to a Saturday evening Dodgers game. We will have a rental car so...

- Should we drive the car up to the stadium and get general parking?
- Or should we drive up to Union Station/Patsaouras Transit, park there and catch the Dodgers Express Bus into the stadium?
-'Or should we totally leave the car at the hotel and take the Metro Blue Line/transfer to the Red Line into Union Station/Patsaouras (to catch the Dodgers Express)?

Ease and not sitting in traffic make the Metro & Dodgers Express Bus sound good but I've been told the trip would take approx. 2 1/2 hours each way. That seems like a long time but would driving ourselves take just as long because of the traffic? Your advice would be appreciated!

Only got 2 full days in LA (although it's our 2nd time there) and wanted to know if the Warner Bros studio tour is as good as the Universal studios one. My view is that Universal will take up a whole day, whereas Warner Bros looks like it's just over 2 hours. We also want to fit in Hollywood Blvd, Santa Monica and Malibu in those 2 days. We're staying at the Omni hotel downtown. Any thoughts?

HELLO VT'ERS,
For my birthday, my husband and I will be going to Disneyland and spend all day and enjoying all the rides.
Since we are already in Los Angeles, we love watching this television show "THE PRICE IS RIGHT".
If you have attended this show, can you give us any tips?
someone has already requested tickets for us, but any tips will be highly appreciated...

Thank you all!!!

Is there a place in LA to see a shark. We have a family trip planed to see Disney, but my son and his daughter are shark nuts. They would rather watch Shark Week, than the Super Bowl. He was going to drive to San Diego, but he is not used to driving in traffic and we would rather see it there. Thanks.

Looking for comments getting tickets for the LA Dodgers Ball Game and other things to do in the area. Is there a marker at the end of the old Route 66? Is there a city tour that one can recommend? And not really too interested in the "Stars", though possibly the place where their hand prints are in concrete. We are staying near Westfield Century Mall on Santa Monica and may not have a car and thinking of using a taxi only. We will arrive at LAX and I welcome all comments.
Thanks in advance,
Chuck
Racine, Wisconsin

Hello I was planning to do the west coast US and I wanted some help. I have about 9 days and have a car. Need help in planning . Can you tell me which one is a better option.

Day 1 LA
Day 2 LA
Day 3 LA
Day 4 San Diego
Day 5 San Diego
Day 6 Santa Barbara
Day 7 San Francisco
Day 8 San Francisco
Day 9 San Francisco
Day 10 Leave back home

OR

Day 1 LA
Day 2 LA
Day 3 LA
Day 4 - Santa Barbara
Day 5 Monterey
Day 6 - Napa
Day 7 - San Francisco
Day 8 San Francisco
Day 9 San Francisco
Day 10 Back home

Flying into LAX and staying at Anaheim. Need to rent a car for 5 days to drive around LA area. Returning to LAX for departure. I hear the car rental lines at LAX are a nightmare, any advice?

Hello,

during our trip in US we will have a 4-days stop in Los Angeles. I've never been there, so I will appreciate info on what we should definitely see and visit during this short time. as we will have a car during our trip, moving around the city and nearby areas should not be a problem.

thank you,
Yulia

What are some of the best hostels in LA? How do you get there from LAX?!

Hi!

Me and my friend will be in US on Mar-Apr and will have a stop in LA & Anaheim on 04-06 Apr. Please help us plan our short trip so that we can see the best of these places. We're planning to go to Disney on 04 Apr and spend the rest of 05-06 Apr in LA and visit Hollywood, Beverly, Downtown, etc. Kindly guide us on our short trip.

Thank you so much!

Dear all,

Me and my girlfriend are visiting LA on the 6th of june. We will probably be staying in either Santa monica, Brntwood or West hollywood. We're looking for a decent budget motel. Not too far from all the action (beach / shops or cafes). Any recommendations for nice motels in the above mentioned area. Any recommendations for nice things we could do or visit are welcome. We don't care about visiting the hollywood sign or disney. We're only staying for 2 full days and would really like to experience the real california. See some nice places, enjoy some good food and experience the real southern california is all we want to do..

Greetings,

Andre

Planning my route: I have a course in LA (Sheraton Gateway) and a desire to visit a friend in San Luis Obispo with the possiblity of spending a few days in San Francisco. I would like to fly to San Francisco and spend a day at the botanical park and wander around the waterfront and also an area where I can see local art. Are these places close together or easy to move to and from? I love walking. Then bus (train?) to San Luis Obispo for 3-4 days to visit a friend; I have no problem with a bus route that hits some smaller places before it gets to SLO. I know there's an airport in SLO but if it works out okay for prices, I'd prefer a way that lets me see the landscape or is it all just freeways and asphalt? In L.A, I want to see The Getty Center in LA , take a 1 day trip along the coastal area (bus as I don't drive) or at least see it (not into being on beaches but seeing beautiful landscape yes), and check out a great place for economic art supplies. Then take the 3 day course and fly back to Vancouver from Los Angeles. Any help with places to stay near the Getty, art store in LA, and Botanical Garden, waterway, and art areas in San Francisco or general advice would be much appreciated. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed so trying to tighten up choices and not spread myself so thin. Thank you all. Elaine

We have never been to Los Angeles before. We want to show our kids (ages 6 and 8) the beach, Universal Studios, the Hollywood sign, and Disneyland. Also my wife really wants to see Brad Pitt's star on the sidewalk. We are going to be there March 27 - April 3rd. It's so overwhelming looking at the hotel websites. We have budgeted about $150/night for one room for all of us. thanks for the help!!

Which are the best Italian restaurants of LA?

What to do in Los Angeles?

Hi everyone! I am going to attend a 3 day course at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel in mid-April. Are there any decent, more economical hotels close to the Sheraton Gateway that are either within walking distance or have public transport close to them? I need to be able to get to the course early in the morning and late at night so I also want to feel safe travelling alone to and from? Thank you! Elaine

Am having difficulty searching for a serviced-apartment in or around central LA or Hollywood, Bev Hills, or even Marina Del Rey. Preferably a 3-bedroom apartment with daily maid or cleaning service. Any suggestion (with website or contacts) would be very much appreciated.

Thanks to all.

I am traveling with two German friends and need suggestions as to best neighborhood for a home base for 3 days. We will have a rental car and leave from LAX on the 4th day. There are so many things to see but would like recommendations for best of the best as travelers probably won't return. They enjoy a variety of things and want to experience California.

Hi We are renting a little studio in Eagle Rock for 3 nights in June at the start of a 3 wk long road trip. We have only been to LA once before and found getting around more difficult than expected due to the size of the city so didn't get to see everything we wanted in our short visit. I wondered if anyone can tell me if the metro runs anywhere near Eagle Rock? We will have a car but driving in LA is a bit stressful for foreign visitors and I understand parking is very expensive although I accept we will probably have to drive to get around to see what we want to. As we only have the two full days, I would like to spend one day exploring Venice canals/boardwalk and walk along the beach front to Santa Monica, have lunch, do a bit of shopping and then spend rest of day at the Getty Center. One the other day I'd like to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame/Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Griffith Park Observatory and Hollywood sign. Any thoughts or suggestions - negative or positive on this sights? i know some are a bit touristy but we only have the 2 full days and I just want to see some of the iconic locations associated with LA and Hollywood. Many thanks, Sam

I am going to be in LA for a week while my husband is in a conference.I would like to go on some tours while I am there,but really don't want the tacky touristy type,if there are any.Looking for a low key tour that I will still be able to hit the major sites.We are staying at the J W Marriott downtown and will not have a car.I would also, like to get out to the Getty Museum. Is there a way to get there with mass transit? Any good tips on shopping, restaurants and maybe some out of the box things to see.

Hi! I'm visiting USA (Los Angeles) at Christmas time. Could you advice me some special places, where I could feed the "spirit of Christmas". Everything: from big shop malls with great Christmas decoration to some great Religious events (I'm not religious man, but it is OK for me to visit the Church). I'm living near Venice blvd, Overland Need something special and cute, with Christmas songs, with Santa Claus images etc. To feel the holiday! Thank you!

Will be arriving on Christmas before moving off to Las Vegas on 30th Planned 25th - Hollywood walk, Griffith Observatory, Tar Pit 26th - Shopping (any good recommendation?) 27th - Universal Studio 28th - Santa Monica Pier area 29th - unplanned 30th - flying off to Las Vegas Any good recommendation for food? I have my own transportation to get around. Thanks for the help. Much Appreciated.

Hi everyone, I'm going to arrive in Los Angeles Monday, December 17 and leave on Wednesday, December 19. My friend and I will be at Universal Studios in Burbank on Tuesday the 18th and we were wondering where the best location would be for us to find a hotel. We'd like to visit the Getty Museum while we're their, possibly downtown LA as well. Would it be best to find a hotel in downtown LA and drive to Burbank for Universal Studios (or take public transportation), or should we find a hotel in Burbank and drive (or take public transportation) downtown? I personally don't want to HAVE to drive everywhere we go (I'd like to be within walking distance of restaurants, shopping, etc) and I'd also like to find a place near public transportation. I'm only sort of familiar with downtown LA, but I'm not at all with the surrounding areas. Any advice would be great!

Hi all, Could please someone advise me of reliable transportation service (with car and driver) in Los Angeles? A website will be better. Thank you.

Hi There, We are coming to LA for a week (and Vegas) and arrive on New Years Eve and wondering where the best place to stay would be so we can easily access some new years celebrations. To be honest I am not even sure what kind of celebrations happen on new years eve in LA, google has not been overly helpful so if you have any suggestions of where to stay/what to do on new years eve for a couple 25-30yo it would be much appreciated!!