OT - Los Angeles suggestions for early June

[texbike]

Greetings fellow Paceliners! I'm looking for the collective wisdom of our wonderful community regarding the best places to stay in the LA area at the end of May/beginning of June.

It's my 10 year old son's turn to pick the vacation destination and he decided on "Hollywood". Hmmm, 10 year olds.... Anyway, that's where we're headed but we would like to stay on the beach (a beach) or very close to it (within a couple of blocks at most). We were leaning toward Santa Monica or Venice due to their proximity to other parts of the Los Angeles area that we want to see. Do you guys have any suggestions of great places to stay in Santa Monica or Venice for a family of four with a 12 and 10 year old? Any other areas that we should potentially be considering as well? Malibu was a consideration as well but it's a bit further out and the lodging options are a bit more limited.

Also, I've read that Santa Monica can be a bit cold, overcast, and foggy during May/June. Is that true? Should we be looking at a different beach area that doesn't have as much fog or overcast skies?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Texbike

[cgolvin]

Our "May Gray" and "June Gloom" weather patterns are pretty much the standard, it doesn't matter which beach community you choose. It burns off at some point of the day, the further inland you are the earlier it happens.

Even though I've lived here all my life I'm relatively ignorant about prices at hotels, so apologies up front if these suggestions don't align with your budget, but here are general possibilities for locations:

Santa Monica: lots of hotels, upscale would be Shutters, Loews, and I think there's a Sheraton (maybe renamed); other more boutique ones too, just don't know the names.

Venice: probably more luck with AirBnB or VRBO, maybe also consider Marina del Rey or (less pricey) Playa del Rey. My brother and his family have gotten some decent places this way in Venice though usually in the part of Venice further from the beach.

The south bay beaches (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo) are IMO too far away from the other things you will likely want to visit.

If you're willing to come inland a bit, look at Culver City (revamped walkable downtown, proximity to the Expo Line light rail that terminates several blocks from the Santa Monica pier), Westwood, Century City, and Beverly Hills.

If you actually want to be closer to Hollywood, there are some nice boutique hotels in West Hollywood.

Sorry if I'm not really narrowing things down for you, but if you give some tighter parameters I might be able to do better. Other local paceliners may have more experience with handling out of town visitors.

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[texbike]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions and for the confirmation on the June Gloom. It doesn't sound like we'll escape it if we want to be close to the beach. We're thinking Marina del Rey to Santa Monica will be our target area. There seems to be quite a few hotel and VRBO options in the area. However, we're open to other suggestions as well. We'll probably book something in the next couple of days.



Maybe more details about what your family is interested in seeing, etc?

Have fun!
.

Our family has a wide variety of interests. As mentioned, my son wants to go to Hollywood (whatever that means - still need to define it). Probably a studio tour or ? Outside of that, parks, zoo, beach time, hiking, horse riding (probably head North for that one) for my wife and daughter, music, cool/divey restaurants, and just generally sampling Los Angeles and being outside as much as possible.

Thanks!

Texbike

[AngryScientist]

santa monica is an ideal place for a family to stay, since there is so much to do.

tons of outdoor shopping on the promenade, the pier is a fun place to spend time with the kids, easy access to the beach. couple good places to rent a nice road bike and access to the SM mountains if you're so inclined to escape the fam for a few hours. a ton of very good restaurants, coffee shops, etc.

my experience with the "gloom" is that it's very luck driven, hit or miss. if you're there for a week, you'll almost certainly have a few good days and a few not so good, but it's not as if it'll be miserable weather, just not typically sunny SoCal all day long.

hollywood.....

yea - take the drive out and walk the walk, find your favorite stars, have a starbucks on hollywood and vine, etc, but dont expect to spend too much time there - there's a lot better ways to occupy yourself in southern california.

finally - and you may already be considering this - the disney properties and attractions are an easy day trip from the beach area, if your son is into the "hollywood" thing - he may very well have a blast with all the movie themed stuff they have going on there, it's probably a good way to spend one of your days down that way.

[Ken Robb]

Check out The Magic Castle Motel. Staying there allows admission into The Magic Castle which is a private club for magicians and their fans. It has a long waitlist to join and EVERY person coming into the building has to be a member or authentic guest. There are big and small venues within the club and wandering magicians eager to show you "magic" up close and personal. I've been there a few times over 40+ years and loved every visit.
I think kids are only admitted on Sunday afternoons. The motel is a short walk from the club.

[cgolvin]

We're thinking Marina del Rey to Santa Monica will be our target area. There seems to be quite a few hotel and VRBO options in the area.

Our family has a wide variety of interests. As mentioned, my son wants to go to Hollywood (whatever that means - still need to define it). Probably a studio tour or ? Outside of that, parks, zoo, beach time, hiking, horse riding (probably head North for that one) for my wife and daughter, music, cool/divey restaurants, and just generally sampling Los Angeles and being outside as much as possible.

Good call on location, IMO. Second Angry's advice re: Hollywood, it's kind of a prescription for disappointment; Universal Studios might better satisfy your son's appetite, or the Disney properties as suggested (but recognize that is a full day commitment).

You may not have to go as far for the horse back riding as you think. I don't know about what's on offer but I see people on horseback all the time in the Santa Monica mountains, in particular there's an equestrian park on Old Topanga Canyon Road and even closer to Santa Monica on Mandeville Canyon (no idea if these are private).

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to food, check out the LA forum on Chowhound as a resource. Abbot Kinney in Venice might, in addition to the Santa Monica Promenade, be a fun place to walk around, window shop, and get a bite.

There is some very nice hiking in close proximity to Santa Monica, and you might save the activity for a June gloom day since elevation is your friend. I can give more specifics if you're looking for a route.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

[ravdg316]

As a resident in Venice Santa Monica, I'd recommend you avoid the Promenade. It's a standard mall-like place you can get anywhere except it happens to be next to the ocean with expensive, crowded parking.

If I were to do LA, I'd VRBO/air BNB a Venice bungalow of some kind so you can get the "feel" of the place. No need to stay in a hotel. Look for a place on the canals if you can swing it -- that area is awesome and scenic and your kids will love it.

In terms of food, you'll have a lot of amazing sit-down dining options on the Westside, but all the best cheap options are further east.

LA is a tricky place to visit for a short time because of its layout. Do things right and you'll be able to walk most places, eat amazing food, enjoy great weather and live the life. Do things wrong and you'll be stuck in traffic for hours every day trying to get to overrated tourist traps and leave wondering what all the fuss is about.

Lastly, I'd avoid Hollywood.

Still, rent a car for day trips up and down the coast. I've been a lot of places in the world, but PCH heading north from Santa Monica through deep Malibu is still breathtaking. You'll find lots of empty beaches too.

[KJMUNC]

Just did it in January with our 11 and 9 y/o's and took the 9 y/o back in Feb for a weekend. Granted we used to live there so that makes it easier.

As for studio tour: We specifically went to see Harry Potter world at Universal. We spent a full day there, which some people said wasn't enough time....we found it to be more than enough for us, but we only rode rides one time, didn't spent a ton of time shopping and quickly navigated to the areas we wanted. Fun for the kids at that age, but that was a one and done trip for us.

Other cool things you might enjoy that aren't necessarily on any top-10 visitor's guide:

Drive up PCH to Point Dume. Cool beach, light hiking to the top for great views, and lots of great seafood spots along the way to eat. Stop at Malibu pier. Consider driving back via Topanga and take Mulholland back to Hollywood....great drive, amazing views. If you go beyond Point Dume you can hit the sand dunes along PCH.

Check out Olvera St, Chinatown, and old Union Station in downtown. Hit MOCA, the contemporary art museum. Time that around a Dodgers game if you're in the area.

Having lived in Manhattan/Redondo Beach, I'm partial to the South Bay. Spend a day at the beach, we always find it fun to rent bikes and ride
or drive down the strand from Manhattan to Redondo.....eat at seafood market at Redondo Pier, let kids play in the old school arcade. Or take a drive into Palos Verdes and hit the Abalone Cove tidepools at low tide.

Lots of hiking exploring close to Hollywood that doesn't involve walking on pavement: hike to the Hollywood sign or Griffith Observatory. Go a little further west and visit the Will Rogers State park....great history and hiking there too.

If you like cars, check out the Petersen auto museum.....go see the tar pits while you're there.

You can stay pretty much anywhere on the west side, just need to plan your days to manage traffic, as you'll never avoid it.

We'll just miss you....will be there from late June through August. PM me if you want to compare notes or chat since we're both in Austin.

[AngryScientist]

As a resident in Venice Santa Monica, I'd recommend you avoid the Promenade. It's a standard mall-like place you can get anywhere except it happens to be next to the ocean with expensive, crowded parking.

.

lol.

i was just thinking about how cheap parking in SM is! arent all the garages around the promenade free for 90 minutes and then a buck an hour after that, or some such?

[texbike]

Great suggestions everyone. Thank you! Yeah, I can't imagine that we'll be spending a lot of time in Hollywood. ;)

The Venice Bungalow or something more local sounds very appealing to me. However, I may lose out on that as the kids love having a pool in the evenings. So, a hotel it may be. We'll get that part nailed down in the next couple of days. Our goal is to spend as little time in the car as possible (at least its one of mine). The horse-riding in the SM Mountains sounds perfect - not too far away. Great hiking in that area as well, right?

Universal or Disney may be on the list for one of the days.

Thanks and feel free to offer any additional suggestions for fun, family stuff.

Texbike

[texbike]

lol.

i was just thinking about how cheap parking in SM is! arent all the garages around the promenade free for 90 minutes and then a buck an hour after that, or some such?

The parking looks crazy! We were joking that the parking fees were going to double the costs of our trip.

Texbike

[cgolvin]

lol.

i was just thinking about how cheap parking in SM is! arent all the garages around the promenade free for 90 minutes and then a buck an hour after that, or some such?

Yes, if not exactly right that's about right. But, while you'll want the rental car for things like the trip up the coast, I'd recommend using Lyft for short trips after which you'll be a pedestrian. (BTW, it's still more than a few miles from Point Dume/Zuma, which recommendation I second, to the sand dunes that are past the Ventura county line.)

Olvera St, MOCA, Union Station, and food at Central Market (Guerrila Tacos if the truck is there) are good recommendations — and you can get there from SaMo via light rail and avoid parking issues (downtown parking is more pricy than SaMo). Which reminds me of a couple of food options down there:
- Chego for rice bowls
- Howlin Ray's for fried chicken (I hear the line is often 1 hour+)
In the "LA institution" category (I can already hear the cries of "overrated!"):
- Phillipe's original French Dip
- The Pantry
In the more upscale category, any of Josef Centeno's joints such as Baco Mercat.

Believe me, these are just off the top of my head, the range of options is staggering.

[cgolvin]

The horse-riding in the SM Mountains sounds perfect - not too far away. Great hiking in that area as well, right?

Right -- lots of options too. Will Rogers, as suggested by another poster, is a good one. So is Sycamore Canyon for a more shaded option and Paseo Miramar for a longer one including a scenic overlook. Happy to provide exact directions.

[SoCalSteve]

Not sure what “ Hollywood “ means to a kid or what the expectations of it are...but, if you are looking for a more authentic experience of film making then skip past Universal and head to the Warner Brothers backlot tour. No rides and no themes, but they do have a very small automobile museum and another one dedicated to the Harry Potter movies ( maybe other stuff too, never been inside it ). You will actually be on a working studio lot. You will see much more of “ real “ Hollywood then anywhere else in Los Angeles. Even if you do happen upon a movie shoot on the streets of LA in your travels, you will more than likely not get to see anything, security is usually very tight.

If a real working studio backlot isn’t the appeal and rides and themed areas are, then Universal Studios Tour is the place.

As for a place to stay, I’ve always wanted to stay here: https://www.marinadelreyhotel.com I walk my dog by there often and it just looks like it would be a great place to stay. And they have a pool. And, the Water Taxi will be up and running by then, it’s a great way to see the largest man made Marina in the US. Starts running June 21st through the summer. http://marinawaterbus.com Oooops! Just realized you are coming beginning of June. I’ll leave the water taxi link up for anyone else interested.

Enjoy!

[ravdg316]

Haha! You're right. I was associating traffic with expensive -- while Promenade parking is indeed not expensive, it can sometimes take 30-45 minutes to get out of a parking garage.

lol.

i was just thinking about how cheap parking in SM is! arent all the garages around the promenade free for 90 minutes and then a buck an hour after that, or some such?

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[Louis]

Anyone in the family a "Blade Runner" fan and/or into architecture?

If so, you have to see the Bradbury Building.

https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/bradbury-building

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury_Building

https://writingaboutmovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/screen-shot-2015-03-31-at-11-26-51-am.png

https://www.legendarytrips.com/wp-content/uploads/Sebastian-home_Bradbury-Building_Blade-Runner_1982.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Bradbury_Building%2C_interior%2C_ironwork.jpg/1280px-Bradbury_Building%2C_interior%2C_ironwork.jpg

[cgolvin]

Or, if they are fans of The Big Lebowski, you can try to visit the Lautner house (where Jackie Treehorn, Ben Gazzara's character, lives)

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-lacma-lautner-house-20160217-column.html


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[texbike]

Guys,

These are fantastic suggestions! Thanks to everyone so far for all of the guidance.

KJMUNC, yeah it would be great to compare notes. The drive that you mention sounds incredible. Steve, thanks for the suggestions around Marina del Rey and also the film perspective. We get a lot of filming activity here in Austin (there was a crew a half block down from our house in April) as well. It would still be fun to see the Warner Bros lot. We'll add that to the list. Cadence, the aquarium is a great idea. The kids love zoos and aquariums. We do plan to hit the LA Zoo when we go to Griffith Park. We may as well add an aquarium as well. ;) Cgolvin, I'll send you a separate note regarding hiking suggestions.

The plan is to do one "major" activity a day and have the home base at the beach to work from and relax at. I'm hoping to get a bit of surfing in each morning and let the traffic subside a bit before heading to the bigger activities.

Thanks,

Texbike

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[Louis]

The "Blade Runner + Great Architecture Double-Size-Me Tour" is the Bradbury Building + Frank Lloyd Wright's

+1 I almost mentioned FLW too. ;)

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bladerunner/images/3/30/Rachael_and_Deckard_in_Apartment.png/revision/latest?cb=20161024045422

[slowpoke]

re: Bradbury Building. Unless you happen to have a friend that works there, you can only peek inside the lobby.

Instead of the MoCA, I'd recommend checking out the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA, "lack ma"). Buy the most basic ticket, and you can still see a bunch of cool stuff that's kid friendly. For example, Chris Burden's Metropolis II will definitely please anyone who loves Hotwheels (http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/metropolis-ii), the Japanese Pavilion has gorgeous architecture and netsuke sculptures, the Richard Serra is stunning, and there are also the La Brea tar pits (free of charge).

[Louis]

I'd recommend checking out the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA, "lack ma").

And if you're sleepy, you can take a nap under this:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8c/f3/bc/8cf3bcce88556ca5044a33b10a1db83f--instagram-blog-los-angeles-county.jpg

http://image.trucktrend.com/f/36220850+re0+ar0+st0/levitated-mass-rock-trailer-truck-stop.jpg

[Climb01742]

Here:

https://www.hoteloceanasantamonica.com/

I've been traveling to LA for over 20 years to shoot commercials and staying in Santa Monica is my first choice. I love Shutters but for location, and for a family, the Oceana would be my top pick. It's location is, IMO, ideal. You can walk so many places. There are rooms with kitchens, which for families, can be a huge advantage. And the sunsets right outside your door are spectacular.

One pro tip: if you can, book a room on the third floor, so there are no little feet running around above you.

One fun fact: for years, whenever John Cleese needed to be in LA, he'd ensconce himself at the Oceana. Bumping into him was funny and gracious.

One geographic twist: When Texas played USC for the national championship (remember Vince Young?) every Longhorn fan seemed to be staying at the Oceana. I was the only person there not wearing burnt orange,;)

Wherever you end up staying and whatever you end up doing, hope you have fun. LA can be great. Just avoid the 405. Take the 10.

[Ken Robb]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned either or both Getty Museums. Less obvious but still great is The Huntington Library and Gardens. The Gettys are FREE and the food at the big one just off the 405 is so good I would go there just for lunch if I was in the area.

I second the Petersen Museum suggestion. It dazzles folks who aren't even very interested in cars.

[old_fat_and_slow]

Don't underestimate May/Gray June/Gloom. If you're near the beach it doesn't necessarily burn off by noon. In many cases it won't burn off period. Sure a sweater is usually adequate, but if you're in an area that is sunny, and then go to an area that is overcast with June/Gloom you can easily experience a temperature difference of 30 degrees. If you stay in a beach city, don't get your hopes up that it will be sunny at the beach. Often it is cold and quite unpleasant. To enjoy SoCal beaches I would recommend August over May or June.

Hope you have a nice trip but bring some warm clothes too.

[JasonF]

Even if you do happen upon a movie shoot on the streets of LA in your travels, you will more than likely not get to see anything, security is usually very tight.


As for a place to stay, I’ve always wanted to stay here: https://www.marinadelreyhotel.com I walk my dog by there often and it just looks like it would be a great place to stay. And they have a pool.

Enjoy!

Steve gives great LA advice as usual. We are in the midst of moving to Windsor Square (smack dab in the middle of LA) and there's a lot of filming in the neighborhood. All you'll see is equipment trucks and it's kind of a PITA.

We've stayed at the MDR hotel multiple times and it's a great place. The pool is very nice and it's convenient to Westside stuff and LAX. You'll probably get a fair amount of June Gloom though.

[Climb01742]

Folks make a good point about June fog+coolness by the beach. In my experience, it often burns off...but true, not always. Santa Monica is still a good option, I think.

That said, West Hollywood could also be a good base camp. Probably less driving to get to many things vs by the beach. And for kids, the whole West Hollywood vibe might be cool. I've always found this hotel a nice oasis in West Hollywood. Might not be the_best_family option, but it could also give you a real LA vibe:

https://sunsetmarquis.com/

[campy man]

Santa Monica is a good jumping off point close to;
- 10 fwy for traveling east/west
- 405 fwy(via 10 fwy) for traveling north/south
- PCH for traveling north

If you plan on driving while visiting and not familiar with the surface streets, the ability to access the fwys is priceless ... afternoon and evening traffic can be brutal.

[m4rk540]

Wherever you end up staying and whatever you end up doing, hope you have fun. LA can be great. Just avoid the 405. Take the 10.

That's the strangest thing I've ever read on Paceline.

[Climb01742]

That's the strangest thing I've ever read on Paceline.

May I ask why?

[m4rk540]

These days the two worst freeways on "off hours" are the 10 and the 210. The 10 as you may be aware can be a parking lot from PCH to Downtown LA, where it becomes the San Bernardino Fwy. Traffic patters on the 10 can be unpredictable unlike the 405 which is heavy during a more traditional rush hour commute but fine on weekends and early mid-day. These days there's more traffic heading Westbound on the 10 than Eastbound, ie, away from The Central City!

As for the 210, when it was extended to the 15 that changed the game for the San Gabriel Valley. Any time of day, any day of the week, bumper to bumper traffic whether 4 lanes or 6. It's horrific.

[Climb01742]

These days the two worst freeways on "off hours" are the 10 and the 210. The 10 as you may be aware can be a parking lot from PCH to Downtown LA, where it becomes the San Bernardino Fwy. Traffic patters on the 10 can be unpredictable unlike the 405 which is heavy during a more traditional rush hour commute but fine on weekends and early mid-day. These days there's more traffic heading Westbound on the 10 than Eastbound, ie, away from The Central City!

As for the 210, when it was extended to the 15 that changed the game for the San Gabriel Valley. Any time of day, any day of the week, bumper to bumper traffic whether 4 lanes or 6. It's horrific.

It’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve been to LA. Your knowledge is clearly more current. Thank you for correcting things. The worst traffic jams I’ve ever been part of have been on the 405. I know it’s subjective, but I always found the 405 dicey any time on a weekday.

The 10 always worked for me getting around the west side. But I totally buy that things have changed. I stand corrected!;):)

[CaptStash]

Guys,

These are fantastic suggestions! Thanks to everyone so far for all of the guidance.

KJMUNC, yeah it would be great to compare notes. The drive that you mention sounds incredible. Steve, thanks for the suggestions around Marina del Rey and also the film perspective. We get a lot of filming activity here in Austin (there was a crew a half block down from our house in April) as well. It would still be fun to see the Warner Bros lot. We'll add that to the list. Cadence, the aquarium is a great idea. The kids love zoos and aquariums. We do plan to hit the LA Zoo when we go to Griffith Park. We may as well add an aquarium as well. ;) Cgolvin, I'll send you a separate note regarding hiking suggestions.

The plan is to do one "major" activity a day and have the home base at the beach to work from and relax at. I'm hoping to get a bit of surfing in each morning and let the traffic subside a bit before heading to the bigger activities.

Thanks,

Texbike

You could easily spend a whole day at the LA Zoo - it's huge. The Cabrillo Aquarium is great, but it is a snaller, more intimate aquarium/ The Long Beach Aquarium is big and really good as well. It's across from the Queen Mary. Long Beach can be a bit tough to get to though from Santa Monica. You'd really have to plan your trip around traffic.

CaptStash....

[m4rk540]

It’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve been to LA. Your knowledge is clearly more current. Thank you for correcting things. The worst traffic jams I’ve ever been part of have been on the 405. I know it’s subjective, but I always found the 405 dicey any time on a weekday.

The 10 always worked for me getting around the west side. But I totally buy that things have changed. I stand corrected!;):)

Well, we're talking degrees of awful. On a Thursday at 4pm it can take 45 minutes to travel a few hundred feet to enter the 405 South at Wilshire. Santa Monica Blvd from Bundy to the 405 is another parking lot at rush hour. I don't have kids and couldn't begin to speculate what preteens find interesting these days. But, I don't think LA has much that's visually stimulating for a young person, other than the beach. That said, Santa Monica is a total compromise. You'll basically be stuck on that side of town until sunset. All the major arteries east (10fwy, Pico, Olympic, Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire, and Sunset) and south (Lincoln) will be jammed for hours each day. Islands are great for vacations, however.

The MDR suggestion is interesting.

[srcarter]

I concur with the Santa Monica recommendation for where to stay.

My top pics (with a 10 year old in mind):
- Universal Studios/Harry Potter World
- La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA
- Either or both Getty Museums (especially on a clear day)
- If you like roller coasters: Six Flags Magic Mountain
- If into cars, Petersen Automotive Museum (was recently revamped)

More grown-up:
- Broad Museum in downtown LA (right near Bradbury Building) and lots of great food
- Any performance at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica
- Will Greer's Theatricum Botanicum - Outdoor Shakespeare/Theater in a great setting (opens in June)
- Huntington Library and Gardens (in Pasadena)

My respectful disagreement with others:
- I didn't find the LA Zoo or local aquariums all that impressive.

[campy man]

... You'd really have to plan your trip around traffic.

Great advice regardless of location.

[weisan]

This thread reminded me of my last trip to LA (https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=26175) all the way back in 2004. I was there for a conference but I met up with forum pals Tom Byrnes and BlastinBob. Tom let me borrowed his Ottrott for a couple of days. It was great to be able to ride the bike after cooping several hours inside the conference center every day. I did a long ride from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes, it was awesome!

Just another positive anecdotal experience that wouldn't have happened if not because of the connection made in this forum.

I haven't seen Tom and Bob posted anything on this forum for a long time. I missed my pals, hope they are doing well.

[SoCalSteve]

Well, we're talking degrees of awful. On a Thursday at 4pm it can take 45 minutes to travel a few hundred feet to enter the 405 South at Wilshire. Santa Monica Blvd from Bundy to the 405 is another parking lot at rush hour. I don't have kids and couldn't begin to speculate what preteens find interesting these days. But, I don't think LA has much that's visually stimulating for a young person, other than the beach. That said, Santa Monica is a total compromise. You'll basically be stuck on that side of town until sunset. All the major arteries east (10fwy, Pico, Olympic, Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire, and Sunset) and south (Lincoln) will be jammed for hours each day. Islands are great for vacations, however.

The MDR suggestion is interesting.

Interesting...If you don’t have kids, how could you even begin to speculate if LA would be interesting for kids?

I grew up here, second generation in fact. My father was an architect and a photographer. Growing up, I spent many a weekend traveling all over LA with him. He taught me a great deal about the city, architecture and photography. I found LA to be an amazing place visually to grow up in.

So, what city would you recommend for a young person to find visually stimulating?

And I do believe you are greatly exaggerating regarding the extent of the hours our traffic is really bad.

[m4rk540]

Interesting...If you don’t have kids, how could you even begin to speculate if LA would be interesting for kids?

I grew up here, second generation in fact. My father was an architect and a photographer. Growing up, I spent many a weekend traveling all over LA with him. He taught me a great deal about the city, architecture and photography. I found LA to be an amazing place visually to grow up in.

So, what city would you recommend for a young person to find visually stimulating?

And I do believe you are greatly exaggerating regarding the extent of the hours our traffic is really bad.

Almost any city where you don't have to sit in traffic for more than 45 min to get anywhere interesting.

Any city with history and monuments:

New York
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Chicago
Boston
San Francisco
London
Paris
Tokyo
Mexico City
Buenos Aires
Rome

Any city that's a resort
Maui
Las Vegas
Singapore

As for traffic congestion, zoom in on the 10 East (to go to Hollywood, DTLA or basically anywhere that has been recommended) and zoom in on Lincoln (to go to other nice beach cities) and the average speed is about 8mph ON A FREEWAY! Worst traffic in the nation, SoCalSteve. That is a confirmed metric.

Tuesday at 5:30pm
https://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?lat=33.99103&lon=-118.35132&z=0

I don't think people from outside our city have a sense of the volume. Just imagine 10 Mississippi Rivers filled with cars.

[mosca]

Kids might like the Griffith Observatory, Traveltown Railroad Museum, and also the old, abandoned LA zoo:

https://californiathroughmylens.com/old-la-zoo-griffith-park

As far as traffic, do this: download waze for the predictive drive times, plan your travels outside of rush hour, and always remind yourself that you don’t live here and you don’t have to do this everyday.

[SoCalSteve]

Almost any city where you don't have to sit in traffic for more than 45 min to get anywhere interesting.

Any city with history and monuments:

New York
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Chicago
Boston
San Francisco
London
Paris
Tokyo
Mexico City
Buenos Aires
Rome

Any city that's a resort
Maui
Las Vegas
Singapore

As for traffic congestion, zoom in on the 10 East (to go to Hollywood, DTLA or basically anywhere that has been recommended) and zoom in on Lincoln (to go to other nice beach cities) and the average speed is about 8mph ON A FREEWAY! Worst traffic in the nation, SoCalSteve. That is a confirmed metric.

Tuesday at 5:30pm
https://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?lat=33.99103&lon=-118.35132&z=0

I don't think people from outside our city have a sense of the volume. Just imagine 10 Mississippi Rivers filled with cars.

The OP stated that his 10 year old wanted to come to LA because of Hollywood. Given that, there is plenty of Hollywood history and monuments all over Los Angeles. They probably won’t see any famous actors ( probably lots of out of work non-famous actors working as waiters though ), but they can great a sense of the history of the TV and movie business.

As for resorts, Maui for sure. Singapore I’ve never been to and Vegas is a pit! Would not consider it a resort, especially for children.

Yes, LA has the worst traffic in the nation, but you can avoid much of it by avoiding rush hour driving. I have driven in this city for going on 45 years ( actually spent many years as a driver in the movie industry ). It is bad, but should not be a deterrent from anyone coming here to see our great city. With apps like Waze, Google maps and Sigalert, you can avoid lots of traffic.

[AngryScientist]

i would agree fully that as a tourist seeing LA land - the traffic is not as big of an issue as it's made out to be.

it's not as if the OP needs to get to a 9AM board meeting or has any need to be on the main roads at 5PM either.

yes, there is ridiculous traffic, but if you plan accordingly, and adjust your expectations a bit - it's more than manageable.

[m4rk540]

yes, there is ridiculous traffic, but if you plan accordingly, and adjust your expectations a bit - it's more than manageable.

Sure, but is it enjoyable, with young kids?

In any case, most seem to be recommending that the OP stay in Santa Monica. Regardless of apps and workarounds (believe me, I know many) you guys are basically telling a family of 4 to stay in Times Square....without the lights and sounds.

I don't know. Are kids better than when I was 10? I hated being in a car for more than 10 min.

[texbike]

Thanks for all of the additional suggestions - especially those fitting 10 and 12 year olds. We've taken them to every major West Coast city except LA, so this should be fun.

As for the traffic discussion, I get it. I'm traffic-averse. We live in Austin and I travel to Houston and Dallas regularly for work so am accustomed to dealing with traffic and working around it when possible. However, I do appreciate the heads-up - especially for the areas that tend to be more congested than others.

Texbike

[texbike]

Thanks to everyone for all of your suggestions!

We just returned from a wonderful week in LA. We ended up staying at a Airbnb option in Marina del Rey that was a modern apartment/condo complex. I lobbied for a VERY cool Airbnb bungalow option on the Venice Canals, but lost out to the family's wish for a pool and hot tub (I suggested that they could just swim in the canals, but they weren't buying it...). The apartment was a bit further from the beach than I would have liked (about a 10 minute walk down Washington to the Venice Pier), but we still managed to spend a decent amount of time along the shore. I ended up surfing 4 of the 6 full days that we were there.

Outside of that, we rode horses in Paramount Ranch, hiked in Malibu Creek State Park (beautiful!), made it up to Griffith Observatory, walked in Griffith Park, meandered around the Hollywood Hills neighborhood and Hollywood Lake Park, saw Solo at Grauman's Chinese Theater and saw the footprints/handprints of the stars while we were there (there are some really cool ones - like Marilyn Monroe's next to Jane Russell's), wandered down Rodeo Drive, went to the La Brea Tarpits Museum and The LA Art Museum/Japanese Pavilion, wandered around Malibu and downtown Santa Monica, walked down the Venice Boardwalk, and probably quite a bit more than I'm remembering right now. The wife and kids went to Universal Studios for one of the days and left me behind. It gave me a chance to get a couple of hours of surfing in before heading out on a single speed beach cruiser to explore Venice and ride along the bike paths south of MDR (went down to Manhattan Beach and back). It was great!

A few items of note:

-The biking options are incredible! I was impressed by the number of bike lanes/pathways and also the number of cyclists that were out and about everywhere that we went.

-The weather was soooo perfect. It was nice to have highs that were 20-25 degrees cooler than what Austin is having right now. The May Gray/June Gloom was actually kinda nice. It was great to look up the coast and see the marine layer up against the Santa Monica mountains.

-The traffic wasn't nearly as bad as expected. We spent time on the PCH, I-10, the 405, the 101, and multiple inner-city streets. There were a slow-ups on each, but nothing that was tremendously worse than what we experience in any of the major Cities in Texas. However, it probably helped that we planned our driving around the main traffic flows and weren't in particular hurries on most days.

Anyway, we had a great time and are already planning to go back later in the Summer for a long weekend. There was so much that we didn't find time to do. OR, if we could just figure out how to afford a decent house in Santa Monica, maybe we would just move out there... ;)

Thanks again!

Texbike

[beeatnik]

-The weather was soooo perfect. It was nice to have highs that were 20-25 degrees cooler than what Austin is having right now. The May Gray/June Gloom was actually kinda nice. It was great to look up the coast and see the marine layer up against the Santa Monica mountains.

-The traffic wasn't nearly as bad as expected. We spent time on the PCH, I-10, the 405, the 101, and multiple inner-city streets. There were a slow-ups on each, but nothing that was tremendously worse than what we experience in any of the major Cities in Texas. However, it probably helped that we planned our driving around the main traffic flows and weren't in particular hurries on most days.

Anyway, we had a great time and are already planning to go back later in the Summer for a long weekend. There was so much that we didn't find time to do. OR, if we could just figure out how to afford a decent house in Santa Monica, maybe we would just move out there... ;)

Thanks again!

Texbike


Good choice on the MDR bnb. Interesting that you liked the weather. I've been here my whole life and I can't recall a colder, more rainy May (4 or 5 days of light rain). In fact, I hadn't heard the term May Gray until a few weeks ago. It sounds like you had more sunshine on the coast than we did 15 miles inland. That's gold right there.