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If you're going to be near Olvera Street, then I agree with everyone else who suggested Phillipe's. Very good food and old world atmosphere.

Across the street from Olvera Street is Union Station. Just pop in to see the beautiful art deco interior. You may remember it from lots of movies, especially film noirs that used it as part of the setting.

Agree that if you're going to the Peterson, then across the street is the Tar Pits. There is also the LA County Art Museum. It has a wide variety from very modern to very old. They have a good Chinese jade collection. Behind the museum there is a giant boulder they dragged in from somewhere. Not as impressive as I had hoped when it was talked up.

I have been to the Getty Villa a few times. Very beautiful and peaceful place. The restaurant on site has very good food. The drive along PCH is also nice.

I also agree that if you are going to be near PV that the Original Red Onion is a great choice for dinner if you like Mexican food. There's a room that saved all the photos that used to hang on the walls of the Brown Derby restaurant. We sat at a booth that had the official menu from a cruise that John Wayne took. For breakfast, there's an Original Pancake House on PCH/Sepulveda just after PCH starts turning inland.

Have a great time. Despite all the bad news and naysayers, there is still a lot of great things to see and do in LA.

Just don't drive on the freeways late at night. There have been a large number of hit and runs and DUIs lately.

Also, if you want to know the area to avoid it is bounded on the North by the 10 Fwy, on the South by the 105, and on the west by the 110.

You mentioned "Very good food and old world atmosphere."

We ate lunch at the Moss Beach Distillery in Moss Beach north of Half Moon Bay on Sunday. It was a speakeasy during Prohibition and smugglers brought booze into the building. It's like stepping back 100 years. The building hasn't changed much. Really good food and spectacular ocean views. It's one of our favorites.

During prohibition, the San Mateo County coast was an ideal spot for rum running, bootleggers and “speakeasies,” establishments which sold illegal booze to thirsty clients.
One of the most successful speakeasies of the era was Frank’s Place on the cliffs at Moss Beach. Built by Frank Torres in 1927, Frank’s Place became a popular night spot for silent film stars and politicians from the city of San Francisco. Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett frequented the place and used it as a setting for one of his detective stories.
The restaurant, located on the cliff above a secluded beach, was a perfect location to benefit from the clandestine activities of Canadian rum-runners. Under cover of darkness and fog, illegal whiskey was landed on the beach, dragged up a steep cliff and loaded into waiting vehicles for transport to San Francisco. Some of the booze always found its way into the garage beneath Frank’s Place. Frank Torres used his excellent political and social connections to operate a highly successful, if illegal, business. Unlike many of the other speakeasies along the coast, Frank’s Place was never raided.
With the repeal of prohibition in 1933, Frank Torres remained in the food service business as one of the most successful restaurateurs along the San Mateo County coast. Now called the Moss Beach Distillery, the restaurant and bar still delights customers with its spectacular view and secluded location above the ocean coves.