Anyone living in LA [Archive]

legion

Jun 1, 2004, 08:51 AM

LA is really, really large (as in very spread out.) I'd say going to Santa Monica and Venice for a beach day (you can wander the shops on the Santa Monica Promenade, go to the beach and the Santa Monica pier and ride the rides, hang out on the beach, rent bicycles or rollerskate the boardwalk, walk the Venice boardwalk shops, explore main street, and of course eat at a lot of places.)

Also, if you're over 21, you should do the Sunset Strip on a Thursday night (not Friday when it's more touristy; Thursday's locals night); it's where all the famous bars and clubs are and where a lot of famous bands got their start. If you're into shopping, Sunset also has a large high-end shopping area on the westside during the daytime; of course Bev Hills would fit into this too. You could also drive down to Manhattan Beach and spend the day there playing sand volleyball and then head down to the pier in Hermosa Beach for the night life. (I'm a westsider, so beach life is pretty important to me-- that's why I pay the high rent)

There's some great off-the-beaten path bars to go to: StarShoes, the Burgandy Room, St. Nick's, Daddy's...

If you're into food, I've got a long list...

agreenster

Jun 1, 2004, 09:34 AM

Aaaahhhhh...Manhattan Beach. That's where I proposed. :)

krimson

Jun 1, 2004, 10:17 AM

I'd say you have to Hit up Melrose Ave at least once, great shopping (esp clothes), there are always japanese tourists there. I find 3rd St to be too touristy. Museum row is nice to go and wander around (La Brea Tar Pits, MOCA, etc). The Getty would be a nice place on nice sunny afternoon.

Doctor Q

Jun 1, 2004, 10:35 AM

We're a town of malls. That's our culture.

If you want to buy overpriced luxury items or, better yet, window shop while you pretend that you could buy overpriced luxury items, visit Rodeo Drive (http://losangeles.about.com/cs/daytripstours/a/walkbev1.htm) in Beverly Hills. You can even dream of running into movie stars there. Or visit Century City (http://www.westfield.com/us/centres/california/centurycity/) for slightly more down-to-earth shopping.

And be sure to visit The Grove (http://www.thegrovela.com/), best at night, including the flagship Apple Store.

Olvera Street (http://www.olvera-street.com/olvera_street.html), in download L.A., is the original center of Los Angeles. Great (authentic) Mexican food and fun to watch the glass blower and sample the candy snacks. It's mostly a tourist site but, what the heck, you're a tourist!

krimson

Jun 1, 2004, 11:32 AM

dont know if you're into coasters, but Six Flags Magic Mtn would be a good place to hit up on a weekday if you are... Goliath is nice, it's no Steel Dragon, but they've got a nice collection of rides.

edit: the Huntington Library (http://www.huntington.org/) is also a nice place if you're into art and plants.

janey

Jun 1, 2004, 12:32 PM

teh grove :D :D :D :D
the grove is so awesome
http://thegrovela.com

Anyway, all of Los Angeles in some way or another is very interesting, so check out as much as you can.

ratspg

Jun 1, 2004, 01:34 PM

Well just in case you find yourself, not in the city..... check out Ventura Blvd.... lots of tiny stores in Studio City, or drive up to Encino, but the city owns.... melrose at night.... urth cafe, and elixir :) good stuff

if you aren't here for long,i agree the grove/farmers market is a little cool place

wowser

Jun 1, 2004, 05:39 PM

I , a Brit, went and really enjoyed it! A nice layed back feel to the place. I liked the gardens of the Getty Center, to get a nice view of the city. Don't do what I did on my first visit - walk the entire strecth from Downtown, east to the Greayhound station (with my suitcase in tow). Taking the subway south to Long Beach was an eye opener, too :o

Doctor Q

Jun 1, 2004, 06:49 PM

A lot of visitors from Japan like to go to UCLA, because, um, er, I've never known exactly why. In any case, UCLA is in Westwood, not far from the Getty Center.

Travel agents will tell you that Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain are "amusement parks in Los Angeles", but they are each an hour away from the center of Los Angeles by car in good traffic (which is rare), and longer in bad traffic. The same holds for the Long Beach Aquarium. Universal Studios Hollywood, on the other hand, is an amusement park that really is in town. And Universal Citywalk, which it adjoins, is a great place to hang out and look at both locals and other tourists.

UCLA and Universal Citywalk charge for parking but then wandering around is free. The Getty is free admission too. In contrast, Disneyland, California Adventure, Knott's, Magic Mountain, and Universal Studios cost plenty.

Doctor Q

Jun 1, 2004, 06:59 PM

I'm sorry, Coolvirus007, but we are being lousy travel agents ourselves. We didn't ask the basics: What do you like to do? What do you want to see?

Are you coming with a group? Are you on a tight or generous budget? In what part of the city will you stay? Will you have a rental car?

wowser

Jun 1, 2004, 07:18 PM

I found that if you don't have a car, the subway (as awful as it is) is essentially free :p

Neserk

Jun 1, 2004, 07:38 PM

So far everyone is assuming he means Los Angeles. Is it that or Louisiana?

janey

Jun 1, 2004, 08:22 PM

So far everyone is assuming he means Los Angeles. Is it that or Louisiana?
its probably los angeles... worldwide, i doubt people will assume LA stands for Louisiana. Only people who live in and around Louisiana will think that LA stands for the state name rather than the city in California.

krimson

Jun 1, 2004, 08:31 PM

No one would go and visit louisiana for a whole week in the summer! that's insane!! :)
unless it was mardi gras or something ;)

If you can't find anything else to do, you can sit with me on the porch and drink a 40. :D

Neserk

Jun 1, 2004, 09:24 PM

its probably los angeles... worldwide, i doubt people will assume LA stands for Louisiana. Only people who live in and around Louisiana will think that LA stands for the state name rather than the city in California.

I assumed it was Los Angeles, but I figured that is because I live there. I've never been to Louisiana but I know the postal codes :D

wowser

Jun 1, 2004, 09:47 PM

I assumed it was Los Angeles, but I figured that is because I live there. I've never been to Louisiana but I know the postal codes :D
I once thought that Tabasco Sauce was made in LA - it referring to the southern state on the bottle

Inspector Lee

Jun 1, 2004, 11:24 PM

There's some great off-the-beaten path bars to go to: StarShoes, the Burgandy Room, St. Nick's, Daddy's...

I second The Burgundy Room. In fact, you can do a loop involving The Frolic Room (old Bukowski/Orson Welles hangout), Powerhouse, The Burgundy Room and Boardner's. Keep in mind these are drinker's bars.

On the strip, Ye Coach and Horses is a good stop before rambling into West Hollywood.

For food, avoid at all costs El Compadre (on The Strip). I have a friend who lives out there and he said he ordered a beer in there once and it tasted like human hands.

Good restaurants include Mirabelle (West Hollywood), Cat n' Fiddle (The Strip just east of La Brea), Barefoot (on West 3rd), Elixir for coffee and treats (Melrose West Hollywood).

The beaches out by Malibu (i.e. Zuma) are cleaner.

rt_brained

Jun 2, 2004, 02:03 PM

What are interesting places to go in LA? I've never been there and I am going for a week this summer.
Compton. But bring your camera, wear a pair of plaid polyester pants and take lots of money with you.

Okay, okay...before I get flamed...definitely do not do that.

Coolvirus007

Jun 2, 2004, 03:40 PM

Thanks for your responces. I really had no clue of what I wanted to do there. I've always wanted to go to the west coast. This is the first summer that I have time to hang out.

And LA means Los Angeles, NOT Louisiana. As Krimson said, who would visit Louisana for a whole week. And I don't care about Tabasco.

wowser

Jun 2, 2004, 03:44 PM

And I don't care about Tabasco.

Harsh... harsh

krimson

Jun 2, 2004, 03:46 PM

^
LOL! :)

i suppose if you find yourself without something to do, i can take you to the shooting range with me :D

chewbaccapits

Jun 2, 2004, 09:39 PM

If your coming towards the end of July, you could always go to the COMIC CONVENTION in San Diego...

Watts Towers...Yes, I know its a crappy area but the towers are really worth the trip; in the day...with many people.

Go to our version of GRAND CENTRAL station in downtown right across the street from Olvera Street (www.olvera-street.com/olvera_street.html) then take the "GOLD" line to Pasadena and you could shop there and hang out for the night life... Or use the "RED" line (subway) to literally take you thru Hollywood all the way to Universal City...3 bucks will get you the ALL day pass; quite a bargin I might add...

If your still in downtown make your way to theSAN ANTONIO WINERY (http://www.sanantoniowinery.com/)...Great wine and a great dining experience....

Hope that helps...

krimson

Jun 2, 2004, 09:44 PM

I think July 4th weekend is the comic convention in Long Beach.

Neserk

Jun 2, 2004, 10:10 PM

.

And LA means Los Angeles, NOT Louisiana. As Krimson said, who would visit Louisana for a whole week. And I don't care about Tabasco.

LOL. You'd be amazed at where people would go for a whole week ;) Just glad that it was read correctly and you didn't end up getting all kinds of ideas you couldn't use!

ibookin'

Jun 3, 2004, 03:07 AM

legion

Jun 3, 2004, 03:53 AM

There are also some nice museums in LA. Check out the UCLA Armand Hammer center, LACMA, The Getty, and the Museum of Modern Art.

If you get over to that side of town, The Norton Simon in Pasadena (this is around an hour away from the westside) is in a really nice setting and has nice collections.

LA is no New York when it comes to museums, though.

Don't forget the Petersen Museum (Cars).. the Norton-Simon has the largest Degas collection and has some of my favourite paintings in their collection (Mulberry Tree by Van Gogh, Rembrandt's Titus, Seurat's Stone Breakers, Rivera's Lily Gatherer--which I thought was still mounted as a mural until I lived in Pasadena) and this great sculputre garden. It's a beautifully small museum with some really important pieces. (Only problem is the hours are really odd and limited, so call ahead to find out if it is open and how long)

I think most people know the Norton Simon because the Rose Parade judges are right in front of it so the camera catches the outside of the museum.

LACMA and MOMA are great, but I think the Getty is over-rated except for Gehry's architecture and the visiting collections (unless you are into 18th C collections) The old Getty in Malibu still has the a lot of the Greek/Roman pieces but hasn't been reopened yet (that museum is also important becuase in Rebel Without a Cause, Getty's properties are shown)

Don't discount LA's art/culture compared to NY :)

wowser

Jun 3, 2004, 08:42 AM

LACMA and MOMA are great, but I think the Getty is over-rated except for Gehry's architecture

The Getty was designed by Richard Meier, not Gehry. Gehry's architecture makes a fun tour itself, though, such as seeing his collaboration with Claus Oldenberg (The binoculars building in Venice).

janey

Jun 3, 2004, 12:24 PM

dont forget the brand new walt disney concert hall in downtown los angeles
and the huntington libraries/gardens near caltech
and you cant forget the apple stores ;)

Surprisingly, even though i have lived in los angeles my entire time, i cant really think of any ABSOLUTELY GREAT OMFG OMFG WONDERFUL places or events to go to.
You just missed E3, too bad Macworld cant be here...gah.

Really, if I didnt live here, I'd check out the westside first, because we rock :D :D
Glendale and those boring ol' places...:D
Oh, if youre going to be in the valley, make sure to bring water, wear something cool, tons of sunblock. it gets HOT during the summer. Which is why it sucks to go to my HS, because its so goddamned hot :p

krimson

Jun 3, 2004, 12:36 PM

LA is like "hollywood" and food.. that's about it.

edit: and the westside has massive parking/congestion problems. :rolleyes:

janey

Jun 3, 2004, 12:47 PM

edit: and the westside has massive parking/congestion problems. :rolleyes:
cough cough cough freeways
cough cough all of goddamned los angeles has massive transportation problems. the westside is no exception, neither is the eastside

applemacdude

Jun 3, 2004, 01:07 PM

I used to live in Silmar, Pacoima and Pasadena...Now im in Oakland and next year im moving to oregon...

krimson

Jun 3, 2004, 02:07 PM

cough cough cough freeways
cough cough all of goddamned los angeles has massive transportation problems. the westside is no exception, neither is the eastside

Try getting a parking spot anywhere decent in the Palms area at night... :P

I rest my case. :)

janey

Jun 3, 2004, 02:38 PM

Try getting a parking spot anywhere decent in the Palms area at night... :P

I rest my case. :)
lmao thats no problem, the palms area is like a 5 minute drive away for me :)
its not THAT hard to find parking there.

janey

Jun 3, 2004, 02:44 PM

the UCLA Armand Hammer center
mondegreen of the day, Steve Harvey style ;)
first time i heard that back when i was like in 2nd grade, i thought it was called the "UCLA Arm and Hammer Center". :)

krimson

Jun 3, 2004, 02:47 PM

lmao thats no problem, the palms area is like a 5 minute drive away for me :)
its not THAT hard to find parking there.

Bleh, when I go at night, i have to park like 5 or 6 blocks from my friend/gf's apt.

janey

Jun 3, 2004, 02:49 PM

Bleh, when I go at night, i have to park like 5 or 6 blocks from my friend/gf's apt.
bah that sucks :(
Oh well...

legion

Jun 3, 2004, 03:30 PM

The Getty was designed by Richard Meier, not Gehry. Gehry's architecture makes a fun tour itself, though, such as seeing his collaboration with Claus Oldenberg (The binoculars building in Venice).

Whoops... sorry about that. Can't believe I made such a huge mistake seeing as the Getty carries Meier's signatures of squares and white buildings (well, as much as the city commission would allow in the way of white)

Mercury

Jun 3, 2004, 10:08 PM

janey

Jun 4, 2004, 01:40 AM

And bah, New York sucks, stop trying to convince yourself otherwis, Josh. I'd recommend going to In-N-Out burger. People who move away from California swear by the stuff.
jacob, josh cant be convinced to stop convincing himself otherwise.
and in-n-out...flying dutchmen and 4x4s god, the stuff on their secret menu just sounds repulsive.

ibookin'

Jun 4, 2004, 01:49 AM

Too bad the Villa isn't open yet. It's the original location of the Getty, and is going to have all the classical stuff. And bah, New York sucks, stop trying to convince yourself otherwis, Josh. I'd recommend going to In-N-Out burger. People who move away from California swear by the stuff.

Have you ever been to New York? NYC is full of excellent museums, like the Met, MOMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim. Not saying I like New York more, just that if you want to go on a museum tour in the U.S., New York is a nice place to go. Also, the public transportation is good enough that you can get anywhere in the city without a car.

On another note, I second the In-N-Out burger recommendation. Definitely stop by; it's a California institution.

Mercury

Jun 4, 2004, 01:53 AM

Have you ever been to New York? NYC is full of excellent museums, like the Met, MOMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim. Not saying I like New York more, just that if you want to go on a museum tour in the U.S., New York is a nice place to go. Also, the public transportation is good enough that you can get anywhere in the city without a car.

On another note, I second the In-N-Out burger recommendation. Definitely stop by; it's a California institution.

We've been through this like 23,000 times. Yes, and I hated every minute of it. No other city (Besides Pomona) has ever made me want to slit my wrists so much. Besides, this is a thread about LA, not NY. =P

p.s. oh emm gee, three in a row

LethalWolfe

Jun 4, 2004, 02:25 AM

Typically I would recommend going to the Griffith Observatory (especially at night to get a great view of the city - smog permitting), but w/all the construction it's all closed off for now. :(

Lethal

legion

Jun 4, 2004, 04:20 AM

krimson

Jun 4, 2004, 09:48 AM

... I'd recommend going to In-N-Out burger. People who move away from California swear by the stuff.

OoOoOoo.. yeah, can't believe I forgot about In N Out! 3x3 Animal Protein style!

Oh, and Roscoe's (Gower and Santa Monica in Hollywood) for some Chicken and Waffles... if you're lucky, you'll bump into a rap star or someone famous. Last time I was there, we bumped into Usher, and some other guy we didn't know, but he has a diamond encrusted Rolex, so i think he's a somebody.

wowser

Jun 4, 2004, 01:27 PM

Whoops... sorry about that. Can't believe I made such a huge mistake seeing as the Getty carries Meier's signatures of squares and white buildings (well, as much as the city commission would allow in the way of white)

Yeah, i heard the yuppies got quite upset over that one. I like the way the Getty is inclusive, rather than snooty (basically, you see all types there) Bring your own food, though - the restaraunt is heavily overpriced (well, typical for an art gallery, actually)

As an impartial England-er, i have to say I much preffered LA to New York. A much less stressful place - in fact, a good place to chill out in. If there is time, taking the coast up to Santa Barbara is a lovely trip (beautiful coastline)

LethalWolfe

Jun 4, 2004, 11:44 PM

You can still go up, just can't go in. Plus you can see the Greek too.

When I went up there a few weeks ago they had all the grounds blocked off (there were maybe 10-15 parking spots left near the trail head at the top but everything else was blocked). Is it no longer like that?

Lethal

Neserk

Jun 5, 2004, 01:09 AM

, but I think the Getty is over-rated except for Gehry's architecture and the visiting collections (unless you are into 18th C collections)

I loved the Getty. The museum itself is a piece of artwork! I was there for 2-3 hours and wiped out. Couldn't see it all. If I were to go back I'd skip the furniture/decorative pieces and just look at the more traditional artwork/scrulputres/ancient artifacts.

Doctor Q

Jun 5, 2004, 01:22 AM

I loved the Getty. The museum itself is a piece of artwork!.I agree. Worth going for the art and/or the architecture and/or the pretty good view (once June gloom weather is over).

But it's too bad they filled the garden maze with water. When they were building the museum, I thought I was going to get to wander around in that maze. :(

legion

Jun 5, 2004, 02:26 AM

I agree. Worth going for the art and/or the architecture and/or the pretty good view (once June gloom weather is over).

But it's too bad they filled the garden maze with water. When they were building the museum, I thought I was going to get to wander around in that maze. :(

At the pre-opening party they hadn't filled it with water and you could wander through the maze!

legion

Jun 5, 2004, 02:29 AM

When I went up there a few weeks ago they had all the grounds blocked off (there were maybe 10-15 parking spots left near the trail head at the top but everything else was blocked). Is it no longer like that?

Lethal

Well, when they were filming Charile's Angels II, they opened it all pretty much up and when the last meteor shower happened and when the planets were in-line, both only a few months ago, they not only had that area opened but they opened the roof observatory. So far, everytime I've been in Griffth in the last year, that area has been accessible, just the interior of the Observatory has been closed under contruction (though there usually was contruction equipment all over the place except during the movie shoot)