My friend and I are heading to LA. Last time I was there was back in 1992.
Any suggestions on what to do? Here's our shortlist

- Hollywood (see the stars walk of fame, Chinese Mann theater, Sunset Boulevard, etc)
- Jay Leno Tonite Show - do you know how to get tickets?
- Beach (Santa Monica, Venice, etc)
- Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive
- up in the mountains to see the Hollywood sign, there's a famous observatory up there too right?

11/4/2007 1:02:58 PM

- eat turkey

11/4/2007 1:03:40 PM

I went back in August and it was really fun. I think you have to get Tonight Show tickets like a month in advance or so, might wanna check into that. There was a road on the north part of town that was kind of a tour through the mountains there, that was pretty cool, I don't remember the name of the road though.

11/4/2007 7:42:47 PM

you could get burned up

11/4/2007 7:50:49 PM

do something non-cliche?

11/4/2007 8:06:41 PM

Quote :

"Jay Leno Tonite Show - do you know how to get tickets?"

did you try the website?

11/4/2007 8:32:15 PM

I went back in September and took a bus tour. Saw Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo, Disney theatre, Olvera Street

cost ~$50 and got it set up by the concierge at my hotel

11/4/2007 8:35:45 PM

THE TONIGHT SHOW likely won't be shooting episodes anytime soon because of the strike.

11/4/2007 8:35:57 PM

yeah i went on Tonite Show website where I had seen it awhile ago but they not longer have it.....yeah i don't want to do cliche stuff but it's all i got to go by for now

11/5/2007 1:13:58 AM

Quote :

"There was a road on the north part of town that was kind of a tour through the mountains there, that was pretty cool, I don't remember the name of the road though."

Mulholland Drive.

I lived in Santa Monica for a couple years recently, so I'll add a few things...

The pier in Santa Monica is worth seeing, but Venice is a more tourist-friendly beach area, perhaps (visit both imo). The 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is a major tourist trap, but you should check it out at least once anyway (excellent farmer's market every Wednesday and Saturday morning too). Also, check out Fred Segal at 5th and Broadway for the ultimate boutique shopping experience. There's also great shopping on Montana Avenue in northern Santa Monica, roughly between 7th Street and 17th Street (the area has a very cool vibe too). For the best burger in the entire world (not kidding) -- and an insane selection of amazing beer -- hit Father's Office at 10th and Montana (I cannot overstate the awesomeness of Father's Office...it is simply incredible). Personally, I don't think that there is a more delightful part of LA than Santa Monica (which is why I chose to live there ), so if you have the time to spare, I would definitely recommend exploring the town.

Beverly Hills is obviously replete with incredible shopping and eating, but it can also be a bit of a pain in the ass. Brunch at the Ivy is awesome (reservations required), and puts you in a good position to walk around and see the more interesting parts of the town. If you're actually looking for fun shopping though, I suggest heading a few blocks east to West 3rd Street -- lots of cool little boutiques and stuff (and if you have a dog, you really must check out Puppies and Babies at W 3rd Street and Kings Road).

Hollywood is fun for a couple hours, but you can only see so many stars etched into the sidewalk before it becomes a bit boring -- so don't plan to spend the whole day there. The observatory that you're thinking of is called the Griffith Park Observatory, and it offers a very cool panoramic view of west LA. I think that admission is $8, and it makes for a nice compliment to the "traditional Hollywood experience."

For your "cliche night out in LA," Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood is your ticket. You can walk the street and find seemingly endless options for fun and debauchery. If you've never been, grab a drink at Skybar in the Mondrian Hotel. It's a haven for sub-B-list talent and aspiring models, and offers very awesome views of of the west side below Sunset. Skybar is literally the epitome of the LA nightlife cliche, and it's a fabulous road to a memorable evening. And after you're properly toasted and the bars are closing for the evening, head on down to Melrose and LaBrea to grab at hot dog at Pink's in West Hollywood. You'll be glad that you did. Especially if you're drunk.

As far as the Tonight Show goes, your best bet is to head to the NBC studios in Burbank on the day of the show -- I think they open at 8am, so go early -- and hope that the box office still has tickets available (they often do). Also, if you know anyone who works at NBC, give them a shout and they can get tickets for you very, very easily.

If you have access to a car, you might consider driving the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH/Hwy 1) between Santa Monica and Malibu. It's a very scenic and fun ride -- particularly if you do it outside of rush hour -- and there are a bunch of fun little places to stop during the trip. For the drive back, you can either traverse the mountains east of Malibu and see some more awesome scenery (and then take the 101/405 back into LA), or just enjoy another ride down the coast.

If you have any questions or need more suggestions, feel free to let me know.

[Edited on November 5, 2007 at 1:39 AM. Reason : bold]

11/5/2007 1:24:19 AM

Hooters of Hollywood
323-962-3373
6922 Hollywood Blvd.
Suite 109
Hollywood, CA 90028

11/5/2007 7:59:08 AM

Quote :

"Jay Leno Tonite Show - do you know how to get tickets?"

yeah, ive been.
you have to get in line early as hell. you pretty much need to be in line for the tickets before they open the windows for free tickets.

then you come back and get in line about an hour before the show starts. filming starts at like 3 or 4pm i think

dress warm b/c its cold as hell in there

11/5/2007 9:53:25 AM

yeah I'm not thrilled about standing in line that early just for leno tickets....depends on who the guests are......i may skip it, esp if it takes a couple of hours out of the afternoon as well

adumb, you're writeup is awesome....i've built those suggestions into our iterinary.

11/5/2007 11:04:48 AM

punch everyone involved in the making of the hills and the oc in the face

even if they just get coffee for someone

11/5/2007 11:06:07 AM

in-n-out burger

11/5/2007 11:19:51 AM

Quote :

"in-n-out burger"

best hangover food ever

11/5/2007 11:23:04 AM

Two more quick things to add:

If you dig museums, you should definitely check out The Getty Center (it's the giant gleaming white complex on top of the mountain at Sunset and the 405 freeway...you won't miss it). Admission is free (parking isn't though), and there's a ton of awesome stuff to see. There are some really, really badass gardens up there too, and there are also scheduled lectures on an array of different topics. The complex itself is also very architecturally interesting, as Richard Meier's design has been universally praised for both it's aesthetics and the manner in which it masterfully exploits the surrounding terrain.

Speaking of architecture, if you're interested in such things, you can visit Frank Gehry's amazing/controversial Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles (1st Street & Grand Avenue, I believe). It's a pretty stunning piece of work. The only real caveat to putting this on your itinerary is that downtown LA is pretty boring (although Disney Hall is serving as the center for a massive gentrification project in the area), but I thought that I would mention it anyway, in the event that you like to look at neat buildings.

11/5/2007 2:38:33 PM

I'll be in L.A. from Nov. 29th to Dec. 2nd.

Going to the USC vs. UCLA football game, probably hitting up a Laker's game. So keep the suggestions coming... we need more stuff to do.

11/5/2007 2:57:54 PM

french quarter

11/5/2007 4:42:13 PM

Quote :

"Going to the USC vs. UCLA football game, probably hitting up a Laker's game."

USC vs. UCLA is a TON of fun. This year's matchup should be particularly interesting, imo. Definitely do this. (Go Bruins! ).

Lakers tickets are a tad overpriced imo, but even when the team sucks, the Staples Center is still a fun experience. And they're playing my Nuggets at Staples on November 29th, so I highly encourage this endeavor (cheer for Denver just to piss off Jack Nicholson). It should be pretty easy to get decent tickets, especially considering that this is Thanksgiving evening.

I'll make another post of things to do in LA later tonight. I have about a million and a half recommendations, so if you have any specific things/locations that you're interested in, feel free to let me know (in this thread or via pm), and I'd be happy to tailor some advice accordingly.

[Edited on November 5, 2007 at 4:57 PM. Reason : .]

11/5/2007 4:55:43 PM

Too bad the game is in LA this year and not at the Rose Bowl. The Coliseum is a cool experience but getting to see a game in Pasadena is awesome...

11/5/2007 4:58:22 PM

I totally agree...the Rose Bowl is a pretty surreal experience. The Coliseum is a decent venue, and has some mildly intriguing features, but the Rose Bowl -- like you said -- is just awesome.

11/5/2007 5:01:41 PM

venice beach is interesting.. when i was in LA a few years back, it got pretty chilly when the sun went down b/c of the wind off the ocean.. and my friend that lives out there told me that venice beach is not a good place to be after dark.. just fyi.

11/5/2007 5:15:06 PM

smot poke and egg Fred Savage's house.

11/5/2007 5:35:37 PM

No arson plz

11/5/2007 5:36:14 PM

We'll be going to LA / San Diego / Santa Barbara for about a week during Christmas / New Years.. What activities happen in that area around that time?

11/5/2007 8:37:37 PM

Quote :

"We'll be going to LA / San Diego / Santa Barbara for about a week during Christmas / New Years.. What activities happen in that area around that time?"

In my experience, Christmas in LA and Santa Barbara are pretty low-key affairs. Typically this is the week that locals travel out-of-state/out-of-country, and the mild weather seems to dampen the holiday spirit. Further, UCSB and SBCC are on their holiday break, so the social scene is a bit altered in Santa Barbara as well.

On the other hand, New Year's Eve can be a fun night in both LA and SB. Many of the best restaurants in LA offer special prix fixe menus (which often include wine parings and a champagne toast), and there are numerous ticket-based parties at the hottest night spots. If you want a list of restaurants/lounges/clubs to consider, let me know (need to leave work shortly, and I don't have time to list them right now).

New Year's Eve seems to be the point at which the college kids flood back into Santa Barbara, and so the party scenes in Isla Vista (a small community near UCSB that is home to roughly 20,000 people -- mostly students -- in a half-square mile area) and downtown SB come back alive pretty nicely. If you're in SB for New Year's I suggest maybe grabbing a reservation for dinner at the Wine Cask, and then walking around State Street (the main street in downtown SB) to see if any of the various clubs and lounges appeal to you (cover charge is almost a certainty on NYE, but it tends to be quite reasonable). If you're more into the college-style house party scene, just stroll around Isla Vista (aka IV) for 30 seconds and you'll probably stumble into hundreds of massive house parties that have spilled out into the streets (which is common for pretty much any Thursday-Saturday night in IV). It's sort of a mess, but I've had some fun times up there with friends who live in the community.

Santa Barbara is an awesome place, and there's a lot of fun stuff to do there during any time of the year. The downtown area (including the aforementioned State Street) has a bunch of fun shopping and some decent restaurants. If you're looking for lodging, Hotel Santa Barbara is a fun place to spend the night, as it is right in the middle of State Street and gives you immediate access to everything that downtown has to offer. Just south of Santa Barbara (less than a 10min drive from downtown), there is a cool little community called Montecito. It has some cool little shops and cafes, and is a peaceful little haven that is fun to relax in for an afternoon (beautiful scenery, great wine stores, amazing houses). If you have access to a car, I also suggest grabbing a map and driving some of the backroads up into the Santa Ynez Mountains (or if you want suggestions on some of my favorite routes, let me know). The views from up high on these hills is nothing short of breathtaking, and it doesn't take long at all to drive to many of the summits (there's also a bunch of great hiking trails). If you're into the spa thing, Bacara (in Goleta, near SB) is perhaps the best spa in the entire state. They have both day treatments and spa/lodging packages. There's also decent golf in and around SB (PM or post for a list), and there's an awesome outdoor rock climbing wall (the name of which escapes me at the moment, but I can dig it up if you'd like). Finally, about two hours north of Santa Barbara is the town of Paso Robles, and there are some pretty incredible wineries that are worth touring (if you don't mind the drive -- or you can probably find a shuttle tour that leaves from SB in the morning and returns you back home in the evening). JUSTIN Winery is my personal fav, but there are some other good ones up there too (and there are a couple decent wineries in and around SB as well).

I've never spent Christmas/New Year's in San Diego, so I can't really comment on what might be going on down there specifically related to the holidays, but the community of La Jolla (which is within San Diego, but is also sort of its own town) is one of my favorite places in California (along with Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Laguna Niguel). The shopping is great and there are some really excellent restaurants, and there is an extensive network of concrete paths and dirt trails that snake along the beaches (great for walking and exercising alike). There is also some really good surfing and windsurfing off of the beaches of La Jolla...and there's a pretty famous clothing-optional beach called Black's Beach. You should also check out Mount Soledad, which provides stunning panoramic views of San Diego and the coastline (if I recall, there are also some really popular cycling paths on and around the mountain). And of course, there are some pretty superb golf courses in San Diego.

And very quickly, I'll mention Laguna Niguel. It's located on the coast in Orange Country, just south of Newport Beach. It's a really fun little town, if you're looking for a detour on your drive from San Diego to LA (or vice-versa), it's the perfect diversion. Very fun little shops and eateries, some pretty nifty art galleries, and some cool little parks too. I sort of see it as the anti-Newport beach (which is home to giant shopping malls and overly-commercialized tourism), which may or may not appeal to you, perhaps.

Anyway, need to run for now, but hope that some of this helps. Please don't hesitate to PM me (or post here) if you want further information on anything.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 6:50 PM. Reason : []

11/6/2007 6:42:44 PM

I can't believe no one has mentioned my name. I've lived here all my life (before NyM posts....FOR THE MOST PART).

As for adumb's recommendations:

1) RE: Fred Segal in Santa Monica - Go to the Fred Segal on Melrose...must of the shit in there is overpriced anyway but if it's the experience that you want, go that one...it's the one the celebs are always seen it...if you care.

2) RE: Father's Office - Father's Office... Good choice...the beer selection is really good....and the fries are great...only suggestion though is to bring your own ketchup and don't let them see it. Seriously, it's forbidden in there...considered contraban.

3) Most (but not all) of the places mentioned by adumb are tourist traps. If you go to Pink's, be prepared to wait in line. A long one. The Ivy is fine and all but it's pricey and not the easiest place to get reservations. The News Room is across the street and a tad less prentious. If you want a good brunch/breakfast, I'd suggest 'Toast' or 'Cheebos' or something. The best place is 'Aroma Cafe' in Studio City (there are about a million 'Aroma's' in L.A. so be sure to go to the one on Tujunga (it's also right across the street from Vitello's (where Robert Blake ate and then 'witnessed' his wife being shot). Lots of celebs hang out at Aroma because it's low-key and very quaint.

4) RE: Griffith Park - They actually recently (about 1 year ago) completely redid the whole thing and up until this week or so....you had to make reservations and get tickets and park your car and then take a bus up...but since it's not as new (relatively speaking) they have now made it a shit ton easier to visit.

5) RE: The Tonight Show - Yeah, as of right now they're not filming so there's nothing to watch. If they happen to start I used to intern there and can maybe get you tix (you could get them yourself but you have to get there early and wait in line)

6) RE: UCLA v USC game. Unless you want to pay $texas...you aren't gettin tickets. And anyway if you don't have an allegiance to either school then it's no where near as fun. (and yes, Go Bruins)

7) RE: Driving around. Try to work in meals and shit...for instance, if you go to Malibu, go to Moonshadow's or Duke's (I'd say Gladstone's but it's a tourist trap worse so than the others and the food is fine, but meh) Mulholland is only good if the sky is clear. I mean I drive that shit almost every day so it's just a street to me but if you want to appreciate the view (and believe it or not, but back in the 80s you actually were able to see the ocean...now...not so much) then a clear sunny day is best. Also, my parent's recently sold their house on Carbon Beach I'd rate that as my favorite...just park on the street somewhere (on the weekends it's fairly difficult to find parking though...so I've been told) and walk down where there a parking lot by the pier (it's next to Surfrider's Beach).

8) RE: Venice Beach. Def something that is part of the L.A. experience but my cousin lived basically on the boardwalk for the last 4 months and yeah, after dark it isn't the best place to be but my cousin's prod studio that she worked for opened up a restaraunt attached to it (it's on Rose Ave and the boardwalk), but going to somewhere on Abbott Kinney is cool too....my best friend's inlaws own a couple places on there, the Brigg is one and it's a good spot.


adumb has good advice...but if you want any more, feel free to ask me...

11/6/2007 7:25:42 PM

dubstep show?

11/6/2007 7:51:01 PM

I'm flying out to LA (actually Torrance) on Sunday for a week on business. Knowing nothing about the area other than it's south of LAX and that it looks close to Redondo Beach, is there anything worth seeing down there?

11/6/2007 7:54:10 PM

Having lived here most of my life, I can count on my hands how many times I've been to Torrance...so I don't know much to see in Torrance. It is where 'True Religion' has it's main store (I believe outlet as well) if that helps any . Are you getting a car?

11/6/2007 7:58:02 PM

I'm not planning on getting a car. My meetings last all day M-F from 730-530, and it's all right there in my hotel. If anything, I'll just take a taxi to wherever I need to go, that is if there's anything worth seeing w/in a taxi-ride's distance.

A coworker of mine who just moved back out there lives somewhere in north LA. I was hoping to get up with him sometime, but he said traffic alone would take him 2 or 3 hours to get down to the Torrance area

11/6/2007 8:02:00 PM

north L.A.? that could mean a lot of places...we have west L.A., south L.A., east L.A., but no north L.A.

11/6/2007 8:04:29 PM

haha, well you got me on that one. I just looked up his mailing address from an old email, and he's in Van Nuys. That looks north of LA to me well, north-west

11/6/2007 8:07:27 PM

Van Nuys is L.A....one thing about L.A. is that it's different than anywhere else in the sense that 'area's' are given names for the sake of ease....No such thing as the Van Nuys PD, or the Van Nuys Mayor...it's just an area...however, all things considered, it is certainly more northern LA than most places...

11/6/2007 8:13:22 PM

Quote :

"north L.A.? that could mean a lot of places...we have west L.A., south L.A., east L.A., but no north L.A."

I'm guessing that he's referring to the Valley.

Edit: Indeed he is.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 8:20 PM. Reason : ^^^]

11/6/2007 8:19:11 PM

my2c just sounds irritated she didn't find this thread first because she was too busy attempting to spread snobbery elsewhere =(

/troll

11/6/2007 8:33:49 PM

Quote :

"Van Nuys is L.A....one thing about L.A. is that it's different than anywhere else in the sense that 'area's' are given names for the sake of ease....No such thing as the Van Nuys PD, or the Van Nuys Mayor...it's just an area...however, all things considered, it is certainly more northern LA than most places..."

It's an unincorporated town, I believe. Services are provided by LA county, but it still has its own post offices and zip codes, etc.

Not that this really has anything to do with the thread though...

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 8:35 PM. Reason : ']

11/6/2007 8:34:36 PM

no one who lives in L.A. considers Van Nuys to be a town. Everyone has different zip codes...It's a matter of geography more than anything. There are a million zip codes. As for post offices, almost any letter you send from any where in L.A. gets a Santa Clarita post office mark...even though 98% if people don't drop their mail anywhere near it. L.A. proper is L.A. There's no such thing as 'Sherman Oak High School' but people who live in certain parts of Sherman Oaks, attend Van Nuys High School. And people in Van Nuys who go to public school go to more than one school depending on their geography. Next door neighbors can easily go to different schools. For the most part you don't know what part of town you're in (well you have a general idea but not exact). The only two areas that are noticeably seperate are Beverly Hills and Burbank which have their own PD, etc.

Another note about post offices etc....there are plenty of people who live in BH POST but don't live in Beverly Hills and therefore don't use anything the city of BH has.



L.A. County and L.A. Proper are two seperate things.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 8:50 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 8:58 PM. Reason : wrong hs]

11/6/2007 8:50:12 PM

Quote :

"my2c just sounds irritated she didn't find this thread first because she was too busy attempting to spread snobbery elsewhere =( /troll"

The fact that I know the most about L.A. doesn't make me a snob...it makes me a native But OK....no problem. If my advice isn't wanted or needed, then by all means, I'm outtie.

11/6/2007 8:55:47 PM

it's more that you can't offer advice or any suggestions without having a holier than thou pretentious attitude. but i'm sure the OP would surely be upset if you refrained from helping her because of some random post i made.

11/6/2007 8:58:27 PM

I won't argue who knows the most about LA, but I will argue that I know the least about it.

11/6/2007 8:59:49 PM

^^^ Those students are gonna be pissed when they find out that they go to an imaginary high school...

11/6/2007 9:00:09 PM

Quote :

"I can't believe no one has mentioned my name."

probably because no one gives a shit

11/6/2007 9:01:07 PM

^^ & GrandMaster - I corrected myself...I meant to say it the other way around

And I'm not intending to sound pretentious but clearly, since it's not the first time someone has called me such, I obviously should keep my thoughts and knowledge to myself because clearly, I can't express them without offending everyone.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 9:04 PM. Reason : ]

11/6/2007 9:01:33 PM

hollywood boulevard, rodeo drive, the price is right, farmers market, santa monica pier, malibu, hollywood home tours, korea town, china town

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 9:06 PM. Reason : ..]

11/6/2007 9:05:29 PM

clearly

11/6/2007 9:10:55 PM

CLEARLY

11/6/2007 9:12:07 PM

CLEARLY

11/6/2007 9:21:21 PM

Quote :

"The fact that I know the most about L.A. doesn't make me a snob...it makes me a native But OK....no problem. If my advice isn't wanted or needed, then by all means, I'm outtie."

If you're going to make suggestions and stay on the topic of the thread, then that's awesome. But shitting up an otherwise helpful thread by condescending someone who is unfamiliar with the geography of California is really not very useful. Van Nuys is a place in California; WillisBWhite has a friend there. He provided this information to supplement his original post, and you used said information to convey to the rest of us that you aren't familiar with the term "unincorporated township." Furthermore, you can draw a line on a map from Van Nuys to Torrance, so there's no need to make someone feel like they've given you erroneous information, when in reality he's given us a very clear picture of why it will be a pain in the ass for his friend to drive down from the Valley.

Also, with regard to your hasty Van Nuys High School ninja-edit, it's Sherman Oaks.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 9:36 PM. Reason : -]

11/6/2007 9:30:18 PM