going to LA.... what to do?

[trailerprincess]

I am going on a course at UCLA in June 'women kicking ass in business' or something and have booked a flight for a few days early - should I stay in LA or head elsewhere?

People are recommending going to San Diego for a bit? Is that a good idea? If I stay in LA, I need some ideas of places to stay. They're putting me up in a hotel on Wilshire Boulevard for the duration of the course but its $300 a night so don't really want to pay that for the extra days I am there...

[Echewta]

Depends on what you want to do.

Beach?

Mountains?

Wine?

Crazy?

Bars?

Etc.

Stars?

[like2_drink]

Just stop and breathe the air, I hear its really fresh there..

[Belt Parkway]

I am going on a course at UCLA in June 'women kicking ass in business' or something and have booked a flight for a few days early - should I stay in LA or head elsewhere?

People are recommending going to San Diego for a bit? Is that a good idea? If I stay in LA, I need some ideas of places to stay. They're putting me up in a hotel on Wilshire Boulevard for the duration of the course but its $300 a night so don't really want to pay that for the extra days I am there...
I was out in LA on business a few years ago and one of my co-workers pronounced the second syllable of Wilshire in a way that it rhymed with "fire". Pretty funny.

[KingPsyz]

der, do some Charlie Sheen

[insertnamehere]

there's a holiday inn in santa ana not toooo far away that i've stayed in that i liked. i don't know how much it costs but i think it's fairly reasonable? i was recently in LA for work. it was terrifying. i was doing outdoorsy manual labor things and all of the sites i had to visit where in really sketchy places.

[trailerprincess]

there's a holiday inn in santa ana not toooo far away that i've stayed in that i liked. i don't know how much it costs but i think it's fairly reasonable? i was recently in LA for work. it was terrifying. i was doing outdoorsy manual labor things and all of the sites i had to visit where in really sketchy places.


Excellent, thanks for the tip. I think I will probably try and do some beach time and walking around so somewhere outside of the city would be good€ for those extra days. We got the class schedule and we finish around 6.30pm so am hoping I can use the evening to do the touristy type stuff in LA itself.

[trailerprincess]

Have booked myself in at the Shorebreak hotel in Huntingdon Beach for 3 nights before the course starts - hopefully there will be some sun and some time to chill out. They also offer surfing lessons so am going to give that a go hahahaha!

[Turchinator]

check out Queen Mary in Long Beach

[Vic Colfari]

I would check out Supercuts at 4470 W Sunset Blvd in LA.

They do a great job if you need super haircut.

[cosmo105]

Santa Ana is far from anywhere Wilshireish. Orange County in general totally sucks. Huntington Beach has some nice spots but it's mostly tacky touristy along the main drag of the pier. Go to Santa Monica and Venice and don't just look at the stupid boardwalk shit - it's actually one of the prettiest beaches there is, and a great place to sit on the sand and lounge since everyone else is too busy taking photos with the guy with the suit covered with pot leaves and buying shell necklaces. There's a great smoothie place across from the shitty tattoo place that serves awesome acai banana bowls. SM's farmer's market is rad, too. Huntington Beach proper is always stupid packed with douchey bros with neck tattoos so Huntington Beach State Park right next to it or Bolsa Chica is better beach-wise if you just want to relax, but there's a lot more to do in HB. HB does have the awesome Bodhi Tree vegan restaurant that I highly recommend (y) You can't really ask for better weather than around there, anyway.

Downtown has some really rad bars and clubs, and there's always something fun going on down there. Just be safe, lotsa hobos.

Silverlake is the place to be. You MUST see a show or two at the UCB theater (Facebook is my favorite show, Comedy Death Ray is killer if you can get tickets) and walk along Sunset around Silverlake blvd for a great brunch. June is prime time for awesome shit so check out the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to see if they're showing movies - you can bring a picnic. Check out Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park. Go to Olvera Street if you want cheap awesome tacky Mexican gifts. Check out the Hollywood farmer's market if you're around and stop into Amoeba Records across the street for a great afternoon.

Don't bother with doing anything Hollywood, it is disgusting and not worth seeing at all.

Go to Wurstkuche for a rad German sausage and Belgian beer, or any of the other amazing classy bars downtown. The Edison is one of the fanciest and it is lovely to go and get all dressed up for. Expensive, but the best cocktails around. The atmosphere is very awesome, inspired by the steam era (and I hate steampunk, but this is rad) and Tesla and Edison and prohibition and everything fancy. And absinthe, too! Cole's is also really swank and has great old-fashioneds and a super cool vibe. La Cita has amazing Thursday night parties (called Dance Right) where you can see the hippest of the hipsters. (I went to Shepard Fairey's birthday party there one year, seriously.) See if there's a gallery opening you can crash. There's always some warehouse party where some hack is showing off his crap with free booze. Bar 107 downtown is fucking incredible and such a great dive, and if karaoke is your thing you will not find a better place than the Smogcutter. It is a shithole and it is beautiful. The owners are mean Thai ladies that will scream at you unless you buy more than two drinks, and they will get drunk and try to make out with you.

Go to the Getty, MOCA, or LACMA if you can swing it. The Huntington Botanic Gardens (closer to Pasadena, far from Huntington Beach) are my favorite place to spend a sunny day. Descanso Gardens is also a gorgeous place from what I hear.

Hope that helps some.

[camo]

a tonne of coke and strippers.

[Documad]

I assume you're renting a car?

Cosmo's tips make me want to go to LA.

[Bob]

Silverlake is the place to be. You MUST see a show or two at the UCB theater (Facebook is my favorite show, Comedy Death Ray is killer if you can get tickets)

how hard is it to get tickets? i have some vacation time this summer and am half-assedly planning to come to LA to see some comedy stuff and i have just the most gigantic boner for comedy death ray radio, i'd love to see the live show sometime

[DipDipDive]

Echewta.

[KingPsyz]

a tonne of coke and strippers.

Yeah, that's what I said, Charlie Sheen

[Echewta]

You can find me on citysearch.com

[Dorothy Wood]

I agree with cosmo about going to venice, ucb theater, and skipping hollywood.

I did some tourist things like going to the Dresden, the bar that's in Swingers; and Canter's, the deli/lounge where Guns'n'Roses used to hang out.

(y)

[Echewta]

Hollywood Blvd has some cool places to chill at. Velvet Margarita, Lucky Devils, Hungry Cat, etc. Sunset strip isn't at all what it use to be.

I use to go to Huntington Beach all the time and its where i learned to surf and bodyboard. Hit up that action if you can.

Long Beach has 2nd Ave and the canals.

Driving down the coast is rad. Driving up the coast is radder. Head to Neptunes Net and see where they shot a scene from Point Break and have some shrimps with Pink. Shes always there on the weekend.

[cosmo105]

how hard is it to get tickets? i have some vacation time this summer and am half-assedly planning to come to LA to see some comedy stuff and i have just the most gigantic boner for comedy death ray radio, i'd love to see the live show sometime

CDR is tough - I think that one may be the one you just line up for. Whoa, I just checked the lineup and it's not on the schedule anymore! They may have changed it to something else. You really need to come to LA and hang with our comic friends, Bob. You are so much funnier than so many people I know.

[Echewta]

Lots of good pancakes in this city.

[venusvenus123]

almost 20 years since I went! :o

I agree with Documad: Cosmo's post makes me want to go back.

oh and Echewta, of course.

I remember Venice being excellent. I liked Melrose Ave too, the bit up by Fairfax. It's probably all Baby Gap stores or some such rubbish now. . .

I went to an awesome diner on Santa Monica Blvd and Nic Cage pulled up to park his car next to mine. I was mouthing to my Husband, "OMG that's NIC CAGE". Then he couldn't get into the restaurant (along with Sean Penn "OMG SEAN PENN") bc they hadn't booked. LOL

anyway, lucky you for getting to go there on business. And you just got back from India...?! :D

[kll]

Hollywood Blvd has some cool places to chill at. Velvet Margarita, Lucky Devils, Hungry Cat, etc. Sunset strip isn't at all what it use to be.

I use to go to Huntington Beach all the time and its where i learned to surf and bodyboard. Hit up that action if you can.

Long Beach has 2nd Ave and the canals.

Driving down the coast is rad. Driving up the coast is radder. Head to Neptunes Net and see where they shot a scene from Point Break and have some shrimps with Pink. Shes always there on the weekend.

Huntington is so lame these days - tattoo'd guys with their pitbulls right and left. If you're into the Ed Hardy-wearin' dude, then go for it, G.

[Echewta]

Is it? Thats too bad. I haven't been there in years. But, having lived here most of my life, I tend to ignore a lot of that stuff.

Except Silverlake and all the beards and flannel and white people.

[Turchinator]

great list cosmo-

but how can someone go to UCB, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Amoeba Records and the Hollywood Farmers Market while dodging Hollywood all at the same time?


I think the genearl consensus is to avoid the touristy Hollywood blvd attractions...


I agree about Griffith Park and the Observatory, as well as Venice/Santa Monica . the walk from the new skatepark in Venice to the Santa Monica pier has some nice local attractions along the way, not too touristy etc... great for people watching.

[trailerprincess]

Well. Thanks for all the tips. I am glad I am staying outside of the city for a few days, hope to enjoy the beach and chill out. When I am in LA, I get picked up from the hotel at 7am (eeeeek) to have brekkie on campus at 7.30 and then we're in lectures and sessions until the evening (about 7pm ish) I would like to do some of the 'tourist' stuff then, not expecting to be able to do much else with whatever homework tasks they set and general fatigue. But might try and see Florence Welsh play if I am at a loose end, can't seem to find any other decent shows on while I am out there

[cosmo105]

I meant the Hollywood touristy crap like the shopping center on Highland and the wax museum and shit. Hollywood as a whole isn't a wasteland, it's just the stuff that most people think of when you say "Hollywood" that's crap.

There are a ton of clubs that are pretty sleazy and ridiculous around Cahuenga, Sunset etc. if you want to get a view of the debauchery that goes on around there, but they're gross. The only one I've ever enjoyed is the Beauty Bar. They play awesome funk and soul. Short Stop is also a great dive bar that's super hip, and on Sundays they play AMAZING soul music. Always a great dance party.

[Documad]

But the first time you go to LA, you have to drive by a bunch of the touristy crap. On my first trip as an adult with a rental car, I gaped places I'd seen on TV or in movies. It's one of the more recognizable places in the US.

[Myu-to]

What to do?

1. Bring Echewta a George Foreman grill, and see what he makes for you for dinner.
2. Visit Compton, it's really not bad at all.
3. Go by LA Ink and get that CMuteRhyme tattoo you've always wanted.
4. Eat at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.
5. Did I mention bring Echewta a George Foreman Grill?
6. Stop by H-Town, and holla at your boy.:D

[M|X|Y]

I liked Venice Beach. Yeah its touristy, yeah yeah.
Sun, surf, sand + bum fights galore(y)

Def need to rent a car though. I don't understand people who hate it there, its just a beautiful place. I saw it as what you'd get if New York has sex with a beach, something like that(y)

Lotta bums though...

[DandyFop]

Come to my hood! Silverlake, in east LA. We can go to brunch or a dive bar...and I can take you to a great comedy show

[DandyFop]

CDR is tough - I think that one may be the one you just line up for. Whoa, I just checked the lineup and it's not on the schedule anymore! They may have changed it to something else. You really need to come to LA and hang with our comic friends, Bob. You are so much funnier than so many people I know.

The name's changed to "Comedy Bang Bang" because of some legal issues I guess.

Bob, tickets aren't TOO hard, but let me know when you are coming and I can help you figure it out.