Going to LA...recommendations?

[Mike Teezie]

I'm going to be heading out to LA the first week of September. This is going to be my first trip out.

What are some cool palces to check out? I know there are probably a million things to do there, but I want to hit some of the places the locals like. Clubs, resturants, museums, anything and everything. I'm goin to check out the Whiskey one night for sure. But eerything else, I'm up for suggestions....

[LeeTom]

Personally, I prefer the eastside gritty to the westside pretty of L.A.... I suggest:
-Cha Cha Cha: GREAT Carribbean food, on Virgil Ave. get the pork and the sangria.
-Go to the rooftop of the downtown Standard hotel. pretty amazing rooftop bar with a pool and funky furniture.
-For good local rock shows, check out The Smell, downtown, or Silverlake Lounge/Spaceland in Silverlake. Also, The Short Stop is a good place to go in Silverlake, if you like dirty smokey bars with lots of hipsters.
-In general, I think the Silverlake/Echo Park/Los Feliz area is pretty cool

Lee Tom

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says...only been there once but my friend did take me to Cha Cha Cha and it was very good, and pretty reasonably priced too. The Hotel Cafe is another good place for live music....oh yeah!

[absolut_mac]

I'm going to be heading out to LA the first week of September. This is going to be my first trip out.

It's difficult to make suggestions without knowing your interests, but here are a few.

The Getty museum, and it's free too :)
Third Street promenade in Santa Monica - free and a nice little Apple Store too
The Grove in the Fairfax area- as above
Venice Beach - lots of free entertainment there that is not available anywhere else in the world :)
Catalina Island - only a short boat trip

Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, Knots Berry Farm if amusement parks are your thing.

More than likely time and money will be major limiting factors.

I hate the smog and the traffic here, but I love the fact that there is no shortage of things to do :)

[krimson]

dunno if it's still around, but someone posted the same thing a few months ago, and IIRC, there were lots of good suggestions.

if you want awesome taco's, let me know, ill post a bunch of places.

Hollywood is nice, but it's touristy...
The Standard is nice, but if you dont have reservations on the weekends, forget it.
Red @ Larchmont (www.nexxez.com) is nice, if your into electronic and dont want to fight the crowds at Spundae or Giant. There are plently of afterhours places too.

[Mr. Anderson]

If you're into Space - JPL is right there in Pasadena - although I don't know if you can get tours anymore. Venice Beach and the Pier at Santa Monica are ok, you see them in tons of movies. There's tons to do and see, you probably won't have time to do much, getting around is always fun :D

How will you be traveling around town?

D

[obeygiant]

Someone already said this but i'll second it.

The Getty Museum is a great time and Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is a nice time as well.

Also if you like boutique shopping Montana Street in Santa Monica offer some upscale stuff. Not as upscale as Rodeo Drive, but maybe a little artsy.

And of course, Venice Beach.

[krimson]

If you're into Space - JPL is right there in Pasadena
...

I just asked my friend there, tours have to be arranged in advance. He is already giving a tour on Fr Sep 3rd, you can jump in on that if you're interest/in town.

PM me if you're interested :)

[Doctor Q]

another thread on this topic

[Mr. Anderson]

I just asked my friend there, tours have to be arranged in advance. He is already giving a tour on Fr Sep 3rd, you can jump in on that if you're interest/in town.

JPL is a very cool place - I worked there for a summer in 92 - so much more is going on now, though. Especially with Cassini and the Mars Rovers - it would be very cool if you got a tour....makes me want to go back :D

D

[Doctor Q]

JPL is a very cool place - I worked there for a summer in 92What did you do there?

[janey]

da grove, da grove!!!!!!!1111oneone

they have free concerts wednesday nights this month i think...and maybe next month...not sure.
the apple store is awesome. the food at morel's is great (french restaurant across from the italian restaurant thats like right next to the apple store). parking is a bitch, but the higher you go up in the parking structure the easier it is to find a good parking space.

people have mentioned great places, but dude guys, you're forgetting downtown LA lol. there's the central library which is interesting, restaurants like philippe's (http://philippes.com), theres staples center...
and theres miracle mile, with all those museums like lacma...

[Balin64]

Don't Go!

That's just me though...

[noel4r]

Don't Go!

That's just me though...

Yup, just you.

[Doctor Q]

Here's some pretty cheap entertainment. Find a good spot and watch the sun set over the Pacific ocean. My favorite spot is along Ocean Avenue (essentially 1st Street) in Santa Monica. You can walk there from the Santa Monica Place shopping center.

On Mapquest: Ocean Ave & Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA, 90401

[3rdpath]

pick up an L.A. Weekly mag when you get here( they're free)...you can find out most everything thats going on for the week.

as was mentioned, silver lake is the hipster hangout...spaceland is a great place to catch bands while they're still under the radar. the Troubador is legendary and has some cool local and national acts playing ( scissor sisters where there this week). genghis cohen has some good groups/songwriters on occassion and their food and sake are quite nice.

the sky bar at le mondrian is a great place to watch the beautiful people and the attached restaurant( asia de cuba) has amazing, though pricey, food.

for star spotting and good food and drinks the bar marmont on sunset ( next to the hotel) is great.

sadly, the griffith observatory is still being rehabbed. museums such as the LACMA and the Getty are great though the getty can be a pain to get to sometimes.

if you're into shopping, melrose and la cienega both have nice shops( new and vintage stuff)...my favorite watch store ( wanna buy a watch) is on melrose...

as was mentioned, santa monica is nice and should be quite a bit cooler in temperature. the venice boardwalk can be quite a freak show if you're into that.

ok, i'm done for now....

[musicpyrite]

Going to LA...recommendations?

I've been to LA a few times, and like Duff-Man said, defiantly try to go to Cha Cha Cha, it's, imho, a very good restaurant.

Oh, and DON'T go to any gay bars of ANY kind.
I had a bad experience with them when I was a few years younger.


(and I don't have anything against gays :) )

[Mr. Anderson]

What did you do there?

I worked for the summer with the Radar Group writing an animation app that took SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery and ran through the polarizations on both the receiving and transmitting antennas. Created the whole GUI for it too. Not bad for C programming and 1992 - did it on a Sun Workstation. I really didn't want to leave and they were interested in giving me a job full time, but they had a hiring freeze on at the time.

Probably best it didn't happen - but it was still fun.

Also, up above JPL in the mountains you can go and see the Mt. Wilson Observatory. On good day the view is great - but my favorite was the museum that had images of the moon (taken way back when, behind these old wooden cabinets with glass fronts and locks) with captions like "The craters on the moon were formed by volcanoes". and underneath it scrawled by some graduate student - "This is incorrect, the craters were formed by meteor impacts". They're probably not there now, but who knows. I really wish I had taken a picture of that - damn funny.

Don't ask me why I remember this from 12 years ago and not the name of the guy I lived with in Pasadena....... :D

D

[Mike Teezie]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm going to print the pages form this thrad out, so I'll remember these places.

I should have said in my first post - I'll be staying with my uncle. He has a house out there I'll be crashing at, and I'll be using his vehicle to get around town.

Music and art are my passions, so I'll be sure to try and hit at many of the places mentioned as possible.

Thanks everybody, keep 'em coming....

[seamuskrat]

Well, don't say you were not warned....

As a LA resident I can say it sucks, but that i smy personal opinion, probably not shared by the majority of my neighbors...

Museums:
The Getty for sure if you like art.
California Science Center and Exposition Park. Its also free and has many cool technology based and life science based exhibits - and uses Macs
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach if you like the aquarium thing.
Fun:
Universal is a bit tired, but a neat experience if you have never been before. Knott's has a more hometown feel than Disney, and I prefer DisneyWorld to DisneyLand.
Touristy:
Get a tour of Hollywood, Rodeo Dr, and such. See UCLA as so many movies and TV shows use the campus as a backdrop you should recognize most of it already.
The beaches can be nice, Santa Monica (the third street prom has many shops).

Apple related:
The most Apple Stores per region anywhere. We got loads of them all over LA.

You WILL need a car as mass transit is nearly non-existent here in LA.

Good luck and have fun.

[krimson]

Speaking of the California Science Center.. The Body Worlds exhibit should still be there when you get here, if you're interested.

Since you're into music and art.. Disney Hall /Redcat theater are must see's since you'll be here. Pantages, Dorothy Chandler, So Coast Rep, plenty of other houses have great shows going on all the time.

Since you'll be driving it seems.. remember, Go with the flow of traffic, otherwise, bad things happen. ;)

[Mr. Anderson]

He has a house out there I'll be crashing at, and I'll be using his vehicle to get around town.


Well, if you go to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, you can take the coast road up north a little, say to Malibu and back. Its a nice drive and not too congested. Also, Nobu Restaurant is there in the main shopping center in Malibu - best sushi/new asian food - some of the things they prepare are amazing. The new style shashi is awesome....

D

[Mike Teezie]

Since you'll be driving it seems.. remember, Go with the flow of traffic, otherwise, bad things happen. ;)

I can't wait to see how driving in LA compares with driving in NYC during crazy rush hour traffic.

[seamuskrat]

I can't wait to see how driving in LA compares with driving in NYC during crazy rush hour traffic.
Having lived in both cities, its very similar. LA has NO PAINTED lane markers, which is odd if you are used to the NYC freeways.
The insane mergers here in LA are worse than New York, but NYC beats LA with rubbernecking and lane changes.
LA used to be worse about freeway signs, as we have few to no exit numbers, you need to know what CITY instead of direction and what street exit you want. While in NY you take 95 North to exit 75, in LA you take the 5 to Sacramento and get off at Roxford. If you are unfamiliar with the names, it can be confusing.

[scem0]

I just came back from LA.

The weather is great, so I recommend doing stuff outside.

Venice beach is awesome (or another beach, but I'm not familiar with the other beaches).

If I knew a restaurant with a good outside patio I'd recommend that, but I don't know the first thing about dining in LA :cool:.

have fun,

scem0

[CubaTBird]

Good cuban restaurants in LA, i think la cubana is EXCELLENT. So is Portos if you want pasteries and the like.

http://cuban-food-usa.com/los_angeles.html

[janey]

Well, if you go to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, you can take the coast road up north a little, say to Malibu and back. Its a nice drive and not too congested. Also, Nobu Restaurant is there in the main shopping center in Malibu - best sushi/new asian food - some of the things they prepare are amazing. The new style shashi is awesome....

D
oh my god dont even mention asian food. theres like a freakin sushi place every other block here. its ridiculous.
havent been to the restaurant you recommend... but to the guys coming here...dont go to *any* asian restaurants unless you get suggestions/recommendations for specific ones. the sheer number is just...insane.

theres this really popular place on 3rd street just about 10 minutes away from the grove called the toast cafe. like *really* popular (place packed, 20+ people waiting in line), decent food, et cetera. word of warning - if youre going to go, make a reservation lol. i think their number is 323 655 5018, if i have the right number in my cellphone.

[absolut_mac]

the venice boardwalk can be quite a freak show if you're into that.

Venice beach is not a freak show!!!

You obviously just don't appreciate good cheap (as in free) entertainment :)

As I said in my earlier post, one will see things there that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world!

And I second your recommendation of the LA Weekly mag, especially if one is into alternative music/shops/entertainment etc.

Isn't LA grand? So many free things to do here - that is if you can make it through the tight traffic :)

Two additional museums definitely worth visiting are the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena and the Huntington Library. The latter has some incredible gardens for relaxing in.

[absolut_mac]

theres this really popular place on 3rd street just about 10 minutes away from the grove called the toast cafe. like *really* popular (place packed, 20+ people waiting in line), decent food, et cetera. word of warning - if youre going to go, make a reservation lol. i think their number is 323 655 5018, if i have the right number in my cellphone.

Just to clarify übergeek's recommendation. She's referring to 3rd street in the Fairfax area, where The Grove is and not Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

By the way, there are also quite a few English pubs in Santa Monica too, if you're into that. Some of them have patios so you enjoy people watching while getting a bite or a drink.

[neoelectronaut]

You people really need to abbreviate correctly.

I thought you meant "Louisiana".

[Mr. Anderson]

oh my god dont even mention asian food. theres like a freakin sushi place every other block here. its ridiculous.
havent been to the restaurant you recommend... but to the guys coming here...dont go to *any* asian restaurants unless you get suggestions/recommendations for specific ones. the sheer number is just...insane.


while that is quite true - Nobu stands out amongst the rest. They don't serve traditional asian/japanese fair, but something much more fun and tasty. I wouldn't have recommended it if I hadn't been there :D

I went to San Diego 2 January's ago, flew into Long Beach, drove to San Diego - on the return, we drove up to Malibu (way out of the way) just to go to Nobu before our flight home to DC.

There are few Nobu's around the country and internationally now, but here's a link to the one in NYC, which I've also been to.

http://www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/Restaurants/nobu/Nobu%20Main.htm

Not a bad choice and its not too pricey. I'll be going back when I get out that way again.

D

[seamuskrat]

Good cuban restaurants in LA, i think la cubana is EXCELLENT. So is Portos if you want pasteries and the like.

http://cuban-food-usa.com/los_angeles.html

Versailles is an excellent Cubqan resteraunt.

[krimson]

Cafe Brasil on Venice Blvd its wonderful and just down Venice Blvd from Versailles (Venice not the LA Cienega one) is great too.

I know one of the waitresses at Nobu ;)
There are plenty of sushi places, yakitori, RAMEN!@ (hehe) I'd be happy to give you recommendations, and ill even ask my japanese friends if you want authentic tasting food instead of the the French/Anglo-Fusion Sushi that is popular here nowadays.
Chinese food.. head to Monterey Park/Alhambra aka Little Taipei or Chinatown
Korean food.. well, there's "K-town"
Roscoes is good if you wanna bump into rap stars and the like, but since your'e from LA, the soul food here may not compare.
Pink's in hollywood is really good if you want crazy dog/sausages and you'll have a better chance of bumping into someone famous there.


edit: and if you need good taco recommendations, please let me know, ill take you myself... but of course, you have to buy me a few.. ;)

[noel4r]

Versailles is an excellent Cubqan resteraunt.

i second that. their roast pork is the best...

[vga4life]

LA is a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.

Seriously. I used to live there. It had almost everything I wanted from a city to live in (except mass transit) - good little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, great weather, etc. I lived on the miracle mile and worked in venice, so my commute to work was 15 minutes on surface streets. Great place to live.

But as a place to visit? Can't think of anything that hasn't been mentioned, and I'd further say that LA's assorted museums and attractions kinda suck in comparison to other places I've lived (particularly NYC).

LA does the basics of day-to-day life well but there's no real unique attractions bar one - Los Angeles still has some genuine single-screen movie palaces in operation.

You can see a movie in any town, but the experience is a pale ghost of what it's like to see a movie in a great LA theater. I live in NYC now, which is possibly the *worst* large city for seeing a movie. Theaters are mostly tiny multiplex screens where noise bleeds in from adjoining theaters or worse, the subway (many cinemas here are underground).

Anyhow, I recommend catching a flick (or several) at one or more of the great cinemas in LA. Here's a good page that lists some of the best: http://www.silverscreens.com/enla.html

-vga4life

[janey]

k-town's always fun. :)
as for restaurant recommendations there
theres this one `tofu house` dealie with branches all over k-town. rather popular hangout for people, good decent cheap food, and stuff like that...
http://bcdtofuhouse.com

and there's always an interesting restaurant depending on what you want to eat...
and the supermarkets are bizarre, check them out when you can ;) its really unlike your usual whole foods/ralphs/trader joes/whatever.

[krimson]

kalbi & beef tofu combo! :D

[Mike Teezie]

You people really need to abbreviate correctly.

I thought you meant "Louisiana".

Thanks for the advice. I live in Louisiana - unfortunately.

[janey]

kalbi & beef tofu combo! :D
roflmao. that would sound good to me if i didnt know that they use a lot of MSG..

[Mike Teezie]

...but NYC beats LA with rubbernecking and lane changes.

It's insane how people change lanes in NYC. People yapping on cell phones, (thank God they passed that hands free law) messing with their kids, going 60 mph, swerving to avoid a guy on a scooter, then diving over three lanes of trafiic to make a turn.

I felt like I had just come put of a battle the first time I was in a vehicle there.

[krimson]

Yeah, i can taste it, but i dont care, drink more water and you'll be fine.

but you probably should have told people that before you recommended it ;)

[Doctor Q]

It may be silly to spend a lot of time indoors watching TV when you are in sunny Southern California and right next to the beach and so much else to see outdoors. But...

People who visit L.A. or New York get a chance to enjoy the Museum of Television and Radio (http://www.mtr.org/welcome.htm). You can find huge libraries of old shows that you'd find nowhere else. You check them out and watch them in a comfy viewing room with headphones. That's where I got to watch the short-lived "Max Headroom" show. (Not everyone's taste (blipvert) but I loved it.)

Maybe you'd like to see the original "Starsky and Hutch" show or a Star Trek episode they no longer show. A lot of our culture is reflected in their collection and they have something for all tastes.