RealGM

Hey guys,

Long time Aussie lurker here, love the board and always come here for my Laker fix.

I'm coming to LA for the Christmas day game (and will hopefully see the OKC game too) and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for good places to stay, drink, etc while I'm there.

Thanks all

Oh and I might get flamed for this, but I want a Metta World Peace jersey (kinda an inside joke among friends) but can't seem to find one on the net (asides from a Custom NBA.com store jersey). Can they be found in stores?

As for the Metta jersey you can find it at the Team LA store inside Staples Center. For visiting, well it depends on how many days you're here. It's a lot to do and see, Hollywood Strip, hanging in Santa Monica...shopping in Beverly Hills is good too. And wear sun glasses if you're with your girlfriend or wife, that way you can look at all the cuties without your girl knowing it !

Food....definitely do In-N-Out, Pinks Hot Dogs if you can get on the westside.

Awesome, thanks. We've got about 7 days in LA all up (another 7 in SF and Vegas) and we're hiring a car so we should have time to check them all out.

Any suggestions on places to stay? Or where not to stay?

Good tip on the sunnies too, but thanks I'm freshly single.. Muwahhaa >=D On that note, are there any bars (i.e. non-douchey nightclubs) you'd suggest?

You can stay at the JW Marriot, it's right across the street from Staples. The W Hotel in Hollywood is top notch. There's also plenty of nice hotels on the westside. A cool place to hang out is House Of Blues on Sunset Bl in West Hollywood , a lot of known people hang there.

Kick back at the beach. What winter? How long are you staying? Are you planning to check out about an hour south? Orange County is also awesome. Bring those kids to Disneyland if you got any.

20 days all up and besides seeing sports (Lakers, NFL game and probably GS/Clips ), a live Adam Carolla podcast and checking out SF and Vegas - we don't have much planned.

No kids, it's just me and my best mate and most likely way too much alcohol

We'll definitely check out the sites in OC and I want to go to Disneyland , hopefully the warm weather keeps up for our sake.

Cosign on In-n-Out. Make sure you get your burger "animal style" if you like grilled onions and pickles. And you can get your fries "well done" if you like em crispy. Philippe by Dodger stadium also has awesome french dip sandwiches (double dipped or wet depending on how you like it). Chomak in Gardena for sashimi, pricey but well worth it if you like it. Up in Norcal there's Sushi House in Alameda if rolls are your thing (Lion King, Island, and Bay Scallops). Try to go for lunch since there's no reservations and you might have to wait a while to get a table for dinner. Oh and stick to SF for the nightlife, much better than Oakland. Not sure what kind of crowd your looking for though.

even if you not going to the game, go to LA live. You'll still get the vibe of being at the game , lots of things to do there and central to all of LA so you can pretty much go off to Hollywood/Sunset which isnt to far away, lots of clubs around the area as well.

LApwnd wrote:even if you not going to the game, go to LA live. You'll still get the vibe of being at the game , .

Good to know, I got tickets for the Christmas game but no way can I afford to see any others live

Great tip for the french dip sandwiches too, was going to go hunting for them otherwise

deargodno wrote:

LApwnd wrote:even if you not going to the game, go to LA live. You'll still get the vibe of being at the game , .

Good to know, I got tickets for the Christmas game but no way can I afford to see any others live

Great tip for the french dip sandwiches too, was going to go hunting for them otherwise

oh thats good then, LA live isn't a venue, its the area surrounding Staples, full of bars, restuarants, shops etc.

If you like chili burgers I would try a Tommy's Burger joint. In-n-out is amazing, dont forget to eat there. Depending on where you stay the redline subway can get you into Hollywood without the pain of the parking and Hollywood traffic.there are a few places that do tours of celebrity homes, but I have never been on them. Not sure if you are into that sort of tourist attraction. Some of the studio lots like Warner bros & paramount do tours.

Do you know where you are staying at?

If you are in LA for 7 days break it up into the sections

day: Downtown LA, Grammy Museum (literally next to Staples), ESPN Zone and a Laker game
day: BEACH DAY: See the freaks at Venice
day: BEACH DAY: 3rd street and Santa Monica pier
day: Anaheim and Disneyland
day: Hollywood walk of fame, all that stuff half the day - half the day at Universal City (Book of Mormon will be done at Pantages Theater, but it was funny as hell, too bad you missed that) Howl at the Moon at night (it's a bar where 4 musicians tell jokes and play covers all night at Universal City, very safe, friendly to tourist)
2 days: If I was coming to Cali from another continent, I would do San Diego for a day and Santa Barbara for a day. They are really cool cities. An hour and a half drive to each.

Mamba Venom wrote:If you are in LA for 7 days break it up into the sections

day: Downtown LA, Grammy Museum (literally next to Staples), ESPN Zone and a Laker game
day: BEACH DAY: See the freaks at Venice
day: BEACH DAY: 3rd street and Santa Monica pier
day: Anaheim and Disneyland
day: Hollywood walk of fame, all that stuff half the day - half the day at Universal City (Book of Mormon will be done at Pantages Theater, but it was funny as hell, too bad you missed that) Howl at the Moon at night (it's a bar where 4 musicians tell jokes and play covers all night at Universal City, very safe, friendly to tourist)
2 days: If I was coming to Cali from another continent, I would do San Diego for a day and Santa Barbara for a day. They are really cool cities. An hour and a half drive to each.

thats about as good as it can get...

Mamba Venom wrote:If you are in LA for 7 days break it up into the sections

day: Downtown LA, Grammy Museum (literally next to Staples), ESPN Zone and a Laker game
day: BEACH DAY: See the freaks at Venice
day: BEACH DAY: 3rd street and Santa Monica pier
day: Anaheim and Disneyland
day: Hollywood walk of fame, all that stuff half the day - half the day at Universal City (Book of Mormon will be done at Pantages Theater, but it was funny as hell, too bad you missed that) Howl at the Moon at night (it's a bar where 4 musicians tell jokes and play covers all night at Universal City, very safe, friendly to tourist)
2 days: If I was coming to Cali from another continent, I would do San Diego for a day and Santa Barbara for a day. They are really cool cities. An hour and a half drive to each.

That. Sounds. Awesome.

Ghost Snack wrote:
Do you know where you are staying at?

Not yet, the Christmas period is kinda booked up and expensive. We'd like as close to Staples Live as we can but it's pricey and we have a car so it's not too important.. any suggestions?