Visiting LA? Where to go? What to do? Ask here

[Lt Dan]

Good point Don Choralone,
Get a car!

I'm open to staying slightly outside of that, but in your guys opinion, what is the most walkable part of LA? I legit just want to hit the local spots and be able to roam

Probably Santa Monica

 

[Bandit]

Good point Don Choralone,
Get a car!


Probably Santa Monica

Or old Town Pasadena. That’s pretty far out from the rest of what we’ve been talking about though.

 

[Lt Dan]

Or old Town Pasadena. That’s pretty far out from the rest of what we’ve been talking about though.

I consider Pasadena its own country

 

[Bandit]

I consider Pasadena its own country

I mean you can shop and dine in Old town, hike up Mount Wilson, pop over to Arcadia for a horse race, stop in at JPL to see what planet we’re exploring next, get a degree at Cal Tech or Art Center, see the Foo Fighters at the Rose Bowl, check out the Huntington Library or Norton Simon. There are plenty of countries that offer less.

 

[Lt Dan]

I mean you can shop and dine in Old town, hike up Mount Wilson, pop over to Arcadia for a horse race, stop in at JPL to see what planet we’re exploring next, get a degree at Cal Tech or Art Center, see the Foo Fighters at the Rose Bowl, check out the Huntington Library or Norton Simon. There are plenty of countries that offer less.

Sounds like a country to me. You can't do all that in Acton or Pacoima

 

[Bandit]

Sounds like a country to me. You can't do all that in Acton or Pacoima

This is what I’m saying. Everything is shittier in Whittier.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

I consider Pasadena its own country

Glendale to me is the one that feels like its own country.

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna stay in Hollywood simply because I want to be in a relatively convenient place to meet up with my friend in Glendale. Everything people have said in this thread indicates to stay in Long Beach, Santa Monica or in OC at Newport or Huntington.

I'm open to staying slightly outside of that, but in your guys opinion, what is the most walkable part of LA? I legit just want to hit the local spots and be able to roam.

LA proper is massive sprawl. There are places that are somewhat walkable / bike friendly. Once again, the South Bay beaches are all connected by a pedestrian path on the Beach. I live in Long Beach and it's very flat making it easy to bike. There are neighborhoods that are both walkable and the transit system in the city is surprisingly efficient. It's mostly busses but there is a light rail downtown, the Aqualink which is a boat that connects downtown and Alamitos bay with stops at the Queen Mary. There is also a free shuttle that goes between Belmont Shore and downtown. If you want any suggestions for Long Beach, let me know your interests. There are a variety of watering holes, breweries (Ballast Point is on the water in Alamistos bay which is a great place to hang outside on a sunny day), outdoor activities, museums, nightlife and just about anything you can think of. Long Beach almost reminds me of a mini-Chicago. A downtown with lots of touristy things, a waterfront and lots of small very old neighborhoods that have different vibes. Long Beach is one of the the few places in So Cal that have an abundance of buildings that are over 100 years old.

This is what I’m saying. Everything is shittier in Whittier.

How about Garbage Grove or Guadalahabra?

 

[Jyrki21]

Hi everyone – doing a family trip in August. Tentatively booked a place in Sherman Oaks... will it be way more of a pain to get around (basically the stereotypical tourist stuff – Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal... not Disney) as compared to, say, Mid-Wilshire? We won't have a car.

Are any of the more affordable places closer to the heart of the city likely to be pretty sketchy? The reviews seem to be pretty discouraging in the general area west of downtown.

 

[Bandit]

Hi everyone – doing a family trip in August. Tentatively booked a place in Sherman Oaks... will it be way more of a pain to get around (basically the stereotypical tourist stuff – Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal... not Disney) as compared to, say, Mid-Wilshire? We won't have a car.

Are any of the more affordable places closer to the heart of the city likely to be pretty sketchy? The reviews seem to be pretty discouraging in the general area west of downtown.

Yeah I'd avoid west of downtown. I take it your plan is to use uber/lyft? Public transportation in LA is pretty useless.

Sherman Oaks is nice but it's not super convenient to the places you've listed. I'd probably try Studio City instead or if you want to go on the Hollywood side of the hill Los Feliz is decent. West Hollywood is fine too (if you're not homophobic), but that would be kinda far from Universal.

 

[Jyrki21]

Yeah I'd avoid west of downtown. I take it your plan is to use uber/lyft? Public transportation in LA is pretty useless.

Sherman Oaks is nice but it's not super convenient to the places you've listed. I'd probably try Studio City instead or if you want to go on the Hollywood side of the hill Los Feliz is decent. West Hollywood is fine too (if you're not homophobic), but that would be kinda far from Universal.

Thanks for responding -- I'm willing to try public transport if it won't take forever... or if Uber/taxi fares are insane (I saw one estimate for taxi fare from Sherman Oaks to somewhere central at one point which kind of shocked me, but pulling up another one now it seems more normal).

I think we are likely to get hop-on-hop-off bus passes, so as long as we can get from where we're staying to one of those stops pretty easily, I don't need it to be super-convenient to everything all at once.

Is Sherman Oaks nice enough to walk around if we do spend some time around there?

And as an alternative, keeping in mind my kids are pretty sheltered from growing up in an extremely safe and comfortable Ottawa neighborhood, how sketchy is the Wilshire Park area?

 

[motalar]

Thanks for responding -- I'm willing to try public transport if it won't take forever... or if Uber/taxi fares are insane (I saw one estimate for taxi fare from Sherman Oaks to somewhere central at one point which kind of shocked me, but pulling up another one now it seems more normal).

I think we are likely to get hop-on-hop-off bus passes, so as long as we can get from where we're staying to one of those stops pretty easily, I don't need it to be super-convenient to everything all at once.

Is Sherman Oaks nice enough to walk around if we do spend some time around there?

And as an alternative, keeping in mind my kids are pretty sheltered from growing up in an extremely safe and comfortable Ottawa neighborhood, how sketchy is the Wilshire Park area?

By Sherman Oaks I assume you mean on/around Ventura blvd? There are lots of places to eat and shop pretty much the entire length of the boulevard.

 

[Jyrki21]

By Sherman Oaks I assume you mean on/around Ventura blvd? There are lots of places to eat and shop pretty much the entire length of the boulevard.

Awesome, thanks.

 

[Bandit]

Thanks for responding -- I'm willing to try public transport if it won't take forever... or if Uber/taxi fares are insane (I saw one estimate for taxi fare from Sherman Oaks to somewhere central at one point which kind of shocked me, but pulling up another one now it seems more normal).

I think we are likely to get hop-on-hop-off bus passes, so as long as we can get from where we're staying to one of those stops pretty easily, I don't need it to be super-convenient to everything all at once.

Is Sherman Oaks nice enough to walk around if we do spend some time around there?

And as an alternative, keeping in mind my kids are pretty sheltered from growing up in an extremely safe and comfortable Ottawa neighborhood, how sketchy is the Wilshire Park area?

I've never really taken busses in LA so I can't comment there. The Metro is decent IF it's going where you're going and you can find a nearby stop.

I'd avoid Wilshire for the most part. There are some really nice areas and some really shitty ones and without knowing the area well it would be easy to fall into the latter. Ventura does have shops and restaurants but like everything in LA the sprawl is insane. Ventura Blvd is like 20 miles long. Depending on where you're staying you might have a bunch of cool stuff on a few blocks or you might have to walk 2 miles to find anything.

A Walking Tour of Sherman Oaks

Many of L.A.’s favorite restaurants and stores have locations in Sherman Oaks. Though it’s nice to come across familiar brands, there are numerous local gems that make Sherman Oaks truly a delight to explore on foot.

www.discoverlosangeles.com

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Thanks for responding -- I'm willing to try public transport if it won't take forever... or if Uber/taxi fares are insane (I saw one estimate for taxi fare from Sherman Oaks to somewhere central at one point which kind of shocked me, but pulling up another one now it seems more normal).

I think we are likely to get hop-on-hop-off bus passes, so as long as we can get from where we're staying to one of those stops pretty easily, I don't need it to be super-convenient to everything all at once.

Is Sherman Oaks nice enough to walk around if we do spend some time around there?

And as an alternative, keeping in mind my kids are pretty sheltered from growing up in an extremely safe and comfortable Ottawa neighborhood, how sketchy is the Wilshire Park area?

As a person who used to ride public transit (busses and trains) in LA and encouraged people to use it, I would absolutely avoid anything MTA related. It's gotten so bad in the past 5 years that even members of the County Board of Supervisors admit it's dangerous. I think two bus drivers have been stabbed in the past few months. Multiple incidents on the trains have happened in the past 12 months. The metrolink is still safe but that is a regional rail that won't take you to the places you want to go. It would be useful if you wanted to travel between Sherman Oaks (Van Nuys station) to Disney (Anaheim station). The train to get you from Sherman Oaks to Universal is the red line (MTA) which is dangerous and at the very least your kids will see some disturbing shit. It would be very convenient otherwise which is very unfortunate that it's in such a bad condition.

Bite the bullet and rent a car. If you're not familiar with Turo it's a great app that's essentially AirBnB for cars and you save a considerable amount of money. You can even have the person meet you at the airport for an additional charge. No rental counter etc. I use it all the time and never had a problem. If not, you can always Uber to an offsite rental car company instead of using the overpriced airport locations. I do that too quite frequently and save money. If you're going to be traveling long distances frequently then Uber is probably not going to be cost effective.

Safety is a concern for LA metro riders and officials are trying to find the best solutions

Over the last 12 months, violent crime reported by the Los Angeles Police Department on Metro properties increased 14% to 16% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

abc7.com

EDIT: Hop on hop off tourist busses are completely different. They are likely safe but I have no idea where they go and how efficient they are.

 

[Jyrki21]

As a person who used to ride public transit (busses and trains) in LA and encouraged people to use it, I would absolutely avoid anything MTA related. It's gotten so bad in the past 5 years that even members of the County Board of Supervisors admit it's dangerous. I think two bus drivers have been stabbed in the past few months. Multiple incidents on the trains have happened in the past 12 months. The metrolink is still safe but that is a regional rail that won't take you to the places you want to go. It would be useful if you wanted to travel between Sherman Oaks (Van Nuys station) to Disney (Anaheim station). The train to get you from Sherman Oaks to Universal is the red line (MTA) which is dangerous and at the very least your kids will see some disturbing shit. It would be very convenient otherwise which is very unfortunate that it's in such a bad condition.

Bite the bullet and rent a car. If you're not familiar with Turo it's a great app that's essentially AirBnB for cars and you save a considerable amount of money. You can even have the person meet you at the airport for an additional charge. No rental counter etc. I use it all the time and never had a problem. If not, you can always Uber to an offsite rental car company instead of using the overpriced airport locations. I do that too quite frequently and save money. If you're going to be traveling long distances frequently then Uber is probably not going to be cost effective.

Safety is a concern for LA metro riders and officials are trying to find the best solutions

Over the last 12 months, violent crime reported by the Los Angeles Police Department on Metro properties increased 14% to 16% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

abc7.com

EDIT: Hop on hop off tourist busses are completely different. They are likely safe but I have no idea where they go and how efficient they are.

Thanks, enough people have been saying the same thing that I bit the bullet and did rent a car... although from an airport counter (we're getting in really late).

 

[Lt Dan]

As a person who used to ride public transit (busses and trains) in LA and encouraged people to use it, I would absolutely avoid anything MTA related. It's gotten so bad in the past 5 years that even members of the County Board of Supervisors admit it's dangerous. I think two bus drivers have been stabbed in the past few months. Multiple incidents on the trains have happened in the past 12 months. The metrolink is still safe but that is a regional rail that won't take you to the places you want to go. It would be useful if you wanted to travel between Sherman Oaks (Van Nuys station) to Disney (Anaheim station). The train to get you from Sherman Oaks to Universal is the red line (MTA) which is dangerous and at the very least your kids will see some disturbing shit. It would be very convenient otherwise which is very unfortunate that it's in such a bad condition.

Bite the bullet and rent a car. If you're not familiar with Turo it's a great app that's essentially AirBnB for cars and you save a considerable amount of money. You can even have the person meet you at the airport for an additional charge. No rental counter etc. I use it all the time and never had a problem. If not, you can always Uber to an offsite rental car company instead of using the overpriced airport locations. I do that too quite frequently and save money. If you're going to be traveling long distances frequently then Uber is probably not going to be cost effective.

Safety is a concern for LA metro riders and officials are trying to find the best solutions

Over the last 12 months, violent crime reported by the Los Angeles Police Department on Metro properties increased 14% to 16% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

abc7.com

EDIT: Hop on hop off tourist busses are completely different. They are likely safe but I have no idea where they go and how efficient they are.

I second this with the MTA. Not safe

Thanks, enough people have been saying the same thing that I bit the bullet and did rent a car... although from an airport counter (we're getting in really late).

Renting a car was the smart move
If you can still cancel, Try Costco for renting a car. They are cheap

Home | Costco Travel

Costco Travel offers everyday savings on top-quality, brand-name vacations, hotels, cruises, rental cars, exclusively for Costco members.

www.costcotravel.com

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Thanks, enough people have been saying the same thing that I bit the bullet and did rent a car... although from an airport counter (we're getting in really late).

I have had people on Turo leave me their car at the airport parking lot. Believe me, I'm not on their marketing team but it might be worthing looking into. Most people that do that are willing to accommodate you the best they can.

 

[Maynard]

My mom used to say “there’s always one weirdo on the bus.”

I can never find him.

 

[Schrute farms]

Turo is a great suggestion. so much better than a rental car agency. I've used it on vacation in hawaii, etc. Highly suggest it.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Glendale to me is the one that feels like its own country.

It's called Armenia.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

It's called Armenia.

You don’t think I know that? Check my location. Although, I don’t live there anymore. Just too lazy to update it.

Stats say Armenians make up 40% of Glendale, which feels like bullshit. It feels more like 90%. When you’re on the 5 South as you approach the 134 interchange, there’s always a traffic jam. Because you know them Tesla’s, Beamers, and Benzies are on their way to the Galleria and Americana.

It does feel like you’re not in the LA metro area when you’re in Glendale. They do love the Kings and the Lakers especially in the playoffs. But you’ll never feel any Dodger fever in Glendale even during the playoffs. Armenians are just not into baseball. You won’t see Dodger car flags.

But comparing Pasadena to Glendale, I’d take Pasadena all day. Better food choices and just has more activities. Both cities are equally diverse, with Pasadena having a much stronger African American presence. I do have one question about each city, though. Glendale is 818, but are they considered SFV? Pasadena is 626, but are they considered SGV?

 

[Carbooja]

I second this with the MTA. Not safe


Renting a car was the smart move
If you can still cancel, Try Costco for renting a car. They are cheap

Home | Costco Travel

Costco Travel offers everyday savings on top-quality, brand-name vacations, hotels, cruises, rental cars, exclusively for Costco members.

www.costcotravel.com

We followed the advice of many in the LA sub on reddit and rented offsite, ended up getting a great deal at Sixt Venice beach, price difference was around $163 for the same car, same number of days.

Question for you folk, we're coming down in a week and were told get ready for 100F weather, but seeing it's been around the 80's lately, is that seasonally below normal for you guys? Also we're staying in Hawthrone, so we're kinda glad it'll be a few degrees cooler.

 

[Lt Dan]

We followed the advice of many in the LA sub on reddit and rented offsite, ended up getting a great deal at Sixt Venice beach, price difference was around $163 for the same car, same number of days.

Question for you folk, we're coming down in a week and were told get ready for 100F weather, but seeing it's been around the 80's lately, is that seasonally below normal for you guys? Also we're staying in Hawthrone, so we're kinda glad it'll be a few degrees cooler.

That entirely depends on location. It's always going to be cooler by the water. So Hawthorne will be cooler than Pasadena or Riverside
There has also been some monsoon like weather (with little to no precipitation) so it's been a little more overcast so it's been cooler but a little humid

 

[Carbooja]

Yeah that's what i've been reading, ya'll aren't used to the Humidity like us Eastern folk!