Posted on 06/03/2015 7:59:45 AM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
I am planning to fly into LAX this August with my daughter (7) and son (9) while Mom stays home with the other two. We are mainly going to spend an afternoon with my dad on the Iowa at his Navy reunion, but will have a day, day-and-a-half to do other things.
I would definitely like to go to a beach as the kids have never seen the ocean. Some other attraction or park would be nice too.
I've never been to the L.A. area before and am not entirely sure what to expect. Could use some advice! Thanks.
There’s so much to see, you really won’t have enough time. Stick to stuff that’s reasonably close to where you’ll be. The Iowa is in LA Harbor so you’ll have nice beaches both north and south of you. You could hope on a ferry and spend the day out at Catalina Island. If you’re lucky you’ll see a dolphin pod or whales.
Canter’s is great for pastrami, but Langer’s on 7th and Alvarado is just as good.
I would say that Disneyland and Universal Studios are required, if one visits California.
Unless those have lost it in recent decades, they are experiences of a lifetime, unlike anything else, anywhere.
Pink’s hotdogs on La Brea are also quite good.
Wow...
So much negativity. There is actually a lot to do, and it is perfectly safe.
I like to take out of owners up the coast to Malibu - at Ventura County Line, there is a great spot called “Neptune’s Net” - Popular with bikers, and non-biker’s alike. beautiful beaches up that way.. Whale watching, from the shore, hiking, etc.
There are a bunch of Catalina Island boats - really nice day trip to really see the Pacific, etc.
I would say that Hollywood is a bit of a bore, but then again, I work at Paramount Studios. (We have a ‘real studio’ tour - not like Universal, but I am not sure that it’s worth the money)
Also, drive Sunset Blvd. from about the 101 (or Downtown LA - to the beach)
Keep your doors locked and your guns cleaned, oiled, and loaded.
For burgers, Tommy’s on Rampart and Beverly.
In-And-Out is also good.
Eh, never mind. I see the museum is closed for renovations.
Manhattan Beach Blvd goes right to the beach. They have a nice pier with a little aquarium at the end. They even have a tank where kids can touch starfish. They have great restaurants there, bike rentals, etc. They might also be having a beach volleyball tournament at one of the beaches while you're there which can be fun to watch.
Los Angeles is really big and rather than spending most of your time trying to get from one place to another, it might be best to find one area and stick to it. If you're going to see the Iowa in San Pedro, there is Cabrillo beach right near there. I have not been to that beach so I can't say what the crowd is like but you can probably get some info from Yelp.
If you're going to be in San Pedro then there is also the USS Victory Lane to see but if you're going to see the Iowa then that might just be too much of the same thing. You might want to look up the Victory Lane though as an alternative to the Iowa. The Iowa is just a self-guided tour with some volunteers positioned along the route to answer questions. The Victory Lane tour includes an air show, a buffet, and you can take a trip down into the bowels of the ship to see the engines. They haven't set up the Iowa to allow you to see the engine room yet.
Ports O' Call village is near the Iowa. It's a bit junky, but lots of places to eat and some shopping. They have a harbor cruise run by Fiesta Harbor Cruises. It's a little over $10/person for a 1-1/2 cruise through San Pedro Harbor. It goes past the Iowa, Pt. Fermin and other places of interest. We go on that boat ride every year in remembrance of my father whose ashes we dispersed at sea.
If you go see the Iowa the best places for lunch are at the west end or west of Ports O' Call village. Ports O' Call Restaurant and 22nd Street Landing are both great places but a little pricey. Acupulco Mexican Restaurant is good and more reasonable. The Grinder on Harbor Blvd is basically a diner that's a step or two up from a Denny's and might have a better selection for kids.
San Pedro is at the end of the 110 freeway. You can go up the 110 to downtown LA. There you can go to Exposition Park where they have the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum, one of the Space Shuttles, rose garden, etc. all conveniently located in one spot. They have plenty of parking too, so you just have to park once and can spend an entire day seeing lots of stuff including an IMAX film or two if you want.
Another possibility is the set of museums on Wishire Blvd. near Fairfax Blvd. Park once and see the LA County Art museum which has Metropolis II (huge set of tracks with miniature cars running through a maze of erector set buildings. Very cool.), the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. There are plenty of restaurants nearby including a Johnny Rocket's hamburger place inside the Petersen Museum. But you can also head up Fairfax and go to the world famous Grove or have a really good brisket or pastrami sandwich at Canter's Deli.
I hope I've provided some good ideas.
The 101 Freeway intersects with Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
Sunset Blvd dead ends at Pacific Coast Highway near Gladstone’s restaurant and the Getty Villa.
The beach there is Will Rogers.
DODGER STADIUM
Well, having the choice to fly in to LAX or Orange County (John Wayne) airports, I would pick Orange County as it’s South and closer to Oceanside, still close to the Amusement parks in LA and in a bit easier area.
If your Dad lives in LA, ask him which airport to fly into. Orange county or LAX.
If you’re renting a car, pay extra for a premium SUV. You’ll want the comfort.
Travel modestly. The traffic can be very unforgiving at times.
You won’t regret trying In-N-Out Burger!
P.S.: I would recommend NOT going to expensive mob scenes like Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. They are overpriced, so once you go in you’ll want to stay all day in order to “get your money’s worth”. But your-moneys-worth will be spent mostly waiting in lines or eating so-so food.
Very good. Tail of the Pup used to be good too. OKi DOG is more of a dare….
The AF-1 Exhibit at the Reagan Library is awesome.
If the beach is a priority,then you leave LAX exit the airport going south on Sepulveda and a little more than one mile later make a right on Imperial. You be going West right to the beach and at the end you can go into a parking area at the beach. This will cost you maybe five bucks. The best time to go is on weekdays otherwise you get stuck in weekend traffic. You can go back the way you came and grab something to eat in the nice little town of El Segundo. Go East on Imperial and make a right on Main Street, that’s El Segundo. You can walk safely there.
Be careful around LAX. I was hit while dropping off a cousin by an undocumented immigrant, who then drove off like a scalded perro. Hundreds of dollars of damage.
`On a clear day UCLA.’
Thank you so much! Definitely going to Manhattan Beach.
Definitely getting an SUV but we must fly into LAX.
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