LA Hotel

[uncw89]

I forgot to add that there is a Best Western hotel just north of the Hilton Garden Inn on Highland. I think it is called the Best Western Hollywood Plaza. Just one more hotel option in that area...

@uncw89: is there anything specific you're interested in seeing/doing? If I can make any suggestions, I'll let you know.

After going to Disney we don't really have any plans. I was thinking about going to Universal for one day, maybe doing some sort of Grayline Hollywood tour (Chinese theater, walk of fame, etc). What would you suggest? What area would be good to stay in, how many nights/days should we stay after Disney, etc. I was thinking maybe 4 or 5 nights after Disney. We are planning on taking a 10 pm flight home out of LAX (I haven't booked it yet)
Thanks for any advice/suggestions!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Will you be 3 adults? If there will be kids, what ages? Will you have a car? Are you interested in more amusement parks (you mentioned Universal -- how about Magic Mountain?), museums (L.A. has some very good ones of different kinds), television show tapings, shopping, ethnic food (L.A. has great varieties of authentic ethnic food), the beach, sports events, theater, etc.? There are so many different things to do here! If you can give me a more specific idea of your interests, that would help me make better suggestions.

 

[uncw89]

Will you be 3 adults? If there will be kids, what ages? Will you have a car? Are you interested in more amusement parks (you mentioned Universal -- how about Magic Mountain?), museums (L.A. has some very good ones of different kinds), television show tapings, shopping, ethnic food (L.A. has great varieties of authentic ethnic food), the beach, sports events, theater, etc.? There are so many different things to do here! If you can give me a more specific idea of your interests, that would help me make better suggestions.

me,DH, and DS (12). We are planning to rent a car. I'm not sure if we will want to go to any more parks. I looked into going to some tapings, but for some of them DS isn't old enough!!! So I'm still looking to see if I can find any! We might do the Warner Bros. studio tour. I do want to do some shopping!!! We like some ethnic food, but aren't real adventurous eaters!!! (Yep, we are picky!! ) I do want to check out some museums, beaches, etc! We are planning on going July 26-Aug.4 or so.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Well, just off the top of my head, here are some things that might interest you and your family:
Museums: The Tar Pits (always interesting to see what L.A. used to look like loooooooong ago!), The Peterson Auto Museum (if anyone in your family likes cars), The Museum of Tolerance (very thought provoking experience -- good for lots of family discussion), The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (currently the Disney Archives exhibit is there, but closes in April), The Getty Museum (both the Brentwood complex and the Villa in Malibu), and The Huntington Gardens. Google these to see if any appeal to you.

Shopping: The Grove/Farmer's Market is fun for shopping and eating, The Americana (the Grove's sister mall in Glendale) is newer and also fun for shopping and eating, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Place was recently remodeled and is close to the 3rd Street Promenade in SM.

Since you'll have a car, you could drive up to Santa Barbara for a day and see the beach, shop on State Street, and enjoy the atmosphere. SB is about 90 minutes north of L.A.

Hope these suggestions are helpful!

 

[uncw89]

THANKS!!! I will check these out!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Also, for your dates, I would highly recommend checking the Hollywood Bowl schedule (www.hollywoodbowl.com?). That is a historic, outdoor amphitheatre that has concerts of all kinds most evenings in the summer. You can get food there or bring in a picnic. The Bowl is walkable from the Hollywood & Highland center (and there are shuttles that run from there, too). For many Angelenos, concerts at the Bowl are a summer tradition.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I forgot to add that the Space Shuttle Endeavor is on display at the California Space Science Center by Downtown L.A. That might be interesting for your son.

 

[Needtorelax]

Thank you luckyrabbit for all the info. We will be traveling in August. It is me, DH, DS(11), DS(9), and DD(7). We will be arriving on a Saturday and spending Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday doing LA and Hollywood things and then heading to DLH on Tuesday to finish out our week. Thought about La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood sign for pics, CA Science Museum, Griffith observatory one night, Long Beach Aquarium, Farmers Market/The Grove. Kids are getting to the age that I would love to fit some educational opportunities with the DLR experience. Oh and we have to fit a Angels game in too. We are huge St. Louis fans and we have to see Pujols play.

Any suggestions on hotels and a plan? Not sure how far these locations are from each other or where the best place to serve as base would be. Also, how long realistically will these things take? Thank you in advance for any information.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Well, the Tar Pits, Hollywood Sign (assume you mean the photo op at Hollywood & Highland, since the sign itself is on private property and is not accessible to the public), Griffith Observatory, and Farmer's Market/The Grove are all in the same general area. The CA Science Museum is close to downtown L.A. Any of the hotels listed above would work fine for these sites. The Long Beach Aquarium is much farther away -- south of DLR. It would be easier to plan a visit there during the Anaheim part of your trip. Have you looked at the Museum of Tolerance? That is an often overlooked, very moving museum in west L.A. -- near Century City.

 

[Needtorelax]

Thank you luckyrabbit. We will take a look at the MOT. You're information in this thread is invaluable!!!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Glad to help! If you have any more questions, just ask!

 

[uncw89]

Glad to help! If you have any more questions, just ask!

Do you know anything about the GO LA card? I was thinking about getting one since it included a lot of the places we may go. I was wondering how you would make reservations for the WB studio tours with the caard since you need to make them in advance and I won't have the card til we get there.
Thanks for all your help and advice!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the GO LA card. But if you post a new thread asking specifically about it, I'm sure other DISers will have great info.

 

[uncw89]

Ok, thanks! I will start a thread.