OT: Planning a LA Vacation

magic1636 · Post #1 » by **magic1636** » Sun May 1, 2011 2:40 am

So as the title says my family and I were thinking about heading out west next summer for a vacation. I was just wondering what will be some good family oriented stuff to do. A couple things that I know we will most likely do is Magic Mountain and California Adventure. I know neither park is in Los Angeles with one in Valencia and the other in Anaheim. I was also wondering how far time wise they are outside the city. Also any hotel suggestions would be appreciated.

Post #2 » by **dockingsched** » Sun May 1, 2011 3:55 am

any idea of where you want to stay by? LA is a huge place.

magic1636 · Post #3 » by **magic1636** » Sun May 1, 2011 4:28 am

Haven't figured that out yet. We basically came to the decision a few hours ago about going there.

LA Forever · Post #4 » by **LA Forever** » Sun May 1, 2011 4:41 am

You need to let us know which part of LA you're going to be satying at, and I can tell you the driving distances to those places.

magic1636 · Post #5 » by **magic1636** » Sun May 1, 2011 4:59 am

Do you guys have any suggestions as to where to stay. I'm not familiar at all with the area so that would also be helpful. I've done a little bit of research but I'm still unsure of where would be good to stay at.

Post #6 » by **dockingsched** » Sun May 1, 2011 5:17 am

magic1636 wrote:Do you guys have any suggestions as to where to stay. I'm not familiar at all with the area so that would also be helpful. I've done a little bit of research but I'm still unsure of where would be good to stay at.

you looking to stay near the beach? near touristy places? shopping? budget or high scale status?

magic1636 · Post #7 » by **magic1636** » Sun May 1, 2011 5:24 am

I would say probably the beach or touristy areas.

unleashell · Post #8 » by **unleashell** » Sun May 1, 2011 5:40 am

I would recommend Orange County (OC), Huntington Beach is close to everything, very safe area as well, I live in OC and rarely travel to LA...

LA Forever · Post #9 » by **LA Forever** » Sun May 1, 2011 7:20 am

Santa Monica would be a great place to stay at if you want to be near LA and bext to the beach. Downtown LA is only a 20-40 minute drive, depending on the traffic.

digcom · Post #10 » by **digcom** » Sun May 1, 2011 10:06 pm

if you want to visit the touristy spots of l.a., then you shouldnt stay in orange county. other than disneyland and knotts berry farm, everything else of interest is way too far of a commute. i grew up in the o.c. and hated the traffic to go into l.a. you'll spend much of your time on the freeways.

santa monica/manhattan beach might be youre best bet thats close to the ocean. its about the same distance to disneyland and magic mountain since you'll be in the middle of both. also, not that far from hollywood, universal studios, museums, the grove (where youll very likely see celebrities), beverly hills, etc.

Speedlot · Post #11 » by **Speedlot** » Mon May 2, 2011 5:03 am

For Orange county...

Newport beach (pricey).
Irvine - safe as @#@$
costa mesa/huntington beach- decent all around

La is an Hour away.

Go beaching. Disneyland is 20 mins away. South Coast plaza will please the wife.

lovethisgame · Post #12 » by **lovethisgame** » Mon May 2, 2011 6:17 pm

There have been many posts in the past on recommendations...

You'll have to tell us a little more of what you're after--beach cities, shopping, museums, attractions for children (age?).

So you're going to Magic Mountain AND Disneyland? I would still recommend staying in Los Angeles (central to both Magic and Disney). Valencia is the definition of suburbia while Anaheim isn't your typical vacation spot. Although parts of Orange County are real nice, I wouldn't recommend staying in the OC over LA. I also wouldn't recommend staying near the Staples Center even though the surrounding areas are up-and-coming. It's not conducive to walking around aimlessly like it is in areas like Santa Monica.

I would recommend heading to the Getty museum (http://www.getty.edu/) and LACMA (http://www.lacma.org/). It can be enjoyable for both adults and children. Even check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA (http://www.laphil.com/) that Frank Gehry designed. Even if you can't get a ticket to a show, you can still tour the venue.

Some popular shopping areas:
Abott Kinney (Venice) http://www.abbotkinneyonline.com/
The Grove (Central LA) http://www.thegrovela.com/
Third Street Promenade (Santa Monica) http://www.thirdstreetpromenade.com/visitors/index.html
Rode Drive (Beverly Hills) http://www.rodeodrive-bh.com/index4.html

Dining:
There will always be places like Tito's Tacos, Canters Deli, Pink's Hot Dogs and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, but I prefer a little more discreet places like:

Gjelina (Venice) http://www.yelp.com/biz/gjelina-venice-2#query:gjelina
Akasha (Culver City) http://www.yelp.com/biz/akasha-culver-city#query:akasha
Doughboys (Central LA): http://www.yelp.com/biz/doughboys-cafe-los-angeles

Tell us a little more about yourself because this can go on forever. For instance, I'm a big fan of architecture and love to visit sports arenas in other states.

Best