Coolest thing to do with 1 day in L.A.?? (1 Viewer)

[Leroy]

I'll be heading out to California for a week in August. Me and a bud are going to climb Mt Whitney, go to Death Valley, head out to Vegas and then we will have about an entire day L.A. (our train doesn't depart until 10:30pm).
What would be something cool for a couple of guys in their 30's to do on this day (aside from my friends idea about starting our own adult entertainment empire!! )?

 

[Julie K]

Death Valley in August!?!?!!
Uh, enjoy yourselves....
(The one thing it won't be is "cool"...)

 

[Howard Williams]

Coolest thing to do with 1 day in L.A.??

Survive

 

[Pamela]

What would be something cool for a couple of guys in their 30's to do on this day

Hmmm...let me think...ummm...guys in there 30s...ok...Spearmint Rhino. Definitely.

 

[Leroy]

Well, we're basicaly stopping by Death valley so we can take a picture to say "we were there". Out of car time will be minimal!! I've actually been to L.A. (and surrounding area) about 8 times, all as a small child.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Avoid the tourist traps--especially the new Hollywood & Highland Entertainment Complex (get real), as well as Universal City Walk and that horrid park way down in Anaheim (think "mouse ears").

Spend some time walking Melrose Avenue. Though the scene is not as manic and frantic as it once was, it is still one of the few genuine street scenes in L.A. Best to do Melrose on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Avoid Hollywood Boulevard altogether if you want to leave with a good impression of the city. Hey, I have long hair (I'm a '60s refugee)--but the guys with long hair you see slumming on the Boulevard look like they just got out of County Jail. They probably have.

Drive along Sunset Boulevard into West Hollywood. You'll get a taste of what most outsiders visualize when they think "Los Angeles."

Cruise up and down the PCH. Malibu may be obnoxious, but the Pacific Ocean isn't. Cruise up Mulholland Highway (not Mulholland Drive) and check out the legendary Rock Store--the most popular hangout for motorcyclists of all stripes (sportbike riders, touring types, the cruiser crowd).

Go to LaserBlazer on Pico Bourlevard. Lots and lots and lots of DVDs.

Check out a film at the Mann National. Or the renovated Chinese Theatre (but that means walking on Hollywood Boulevard--remember, you want to have a good impression of this scary town).

Or go to the one-and-only Cinerama Dome on Sunset and Vine.

 

[Leroy]

Jack,
That's the kinda stuff I was looking for. The Cinemarama Dome sounds like an interesting stop. Although Spearmint Rhino may fall in line with our empire building plans!!
Anyone else?

 

[teapot2001]

Visit Disneyland.

~T

 

[RobertR]

Griffith Observatory may be closed right now, but the spot is a nice vantage point for getting an overview of the city. The Hollywood sign will be right behind you.

 

[Leroy]

Going to Disneyland was one idea we had thought about. We were just worried that we wouldn't be abel to do it all in one day. How are the crowds during the week(we would be there on a Friday-Aug. 16th)? Also, how would traffic be getting from Anaheim to L.A. around 8pm?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

LazerBlazer is a godlike DVD store. Had tons of LDs last time I was there too

 

[teapot2001]

It can get pretty crowded in the summer. They have a speed pass system now that it supposed to make waiting in line shorter for people who use it. Driving from Anaheim to L.A. should be about an hour.

~T

 

[Pamela]

I think there are cooler things to do than Disneyland. That would really suck up your day. Like museums? MOCA in downtown is great and you get 2 for 1-both MOCA and the Geffen at one price. LACMA is also a good bet, with a broader range of art.

For a great overview of LA, I take my visiting friends to Hollywood first. I know it's yucky, but I really have a soft spot for that area. In my former life, as a documentary photographer, I spent probably four years on Hollywood Blvd. taking picture. Everyone needs at least a quick glimpse of the stars on the sidewalk and what would be a trip to LA without putting your hands and feet in the imprints at Mann's. From there drive west on Melrose and up to Wilshire and hit Rodeo Drive. Stop at Johnny Rockets for lunch (or try Pink's for a world famous hot dog, at Melrose and LaBrea). Check out some stuff on Rodeo Drive. See how the other half lives. Continue west on Wilshire to Santa Monica. Peruse the Third Street Promenade. Great shops (including a couple of killer book stores), interesting people, street entertainment. Good area for celeb spotting. Dinner at one of Santa Monica's great restaurants. If you still have time and aren't pooped, check out the Santa Monica Pier for a few minutes.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I can only speak from my one-day experience last year.

Visit Ken Crane's in Westminster.

Then...drive along the Pacific Coast Highway with the windows down...at least, until it turns inland and starts to smell like New Jersey.

- Steve

 

[teapot2001]

Ken Crane's is known as DVD Planet now, but yeah you should visit that store. It's about 15 minutes from Disneyland.

~T

 

[Jack Briggs]

If you look at Hollywood from Pamela's perspective, I can dig it. But you will also bear witness to Hollywood's lovely, charming Yucca Corridor. Yes, lovely. Last time I was walking away from World News & Book on Cuheunga, I was informed by a, um, street vendor that I could purchase smokable heroin from him at great prices. And the 7-Eleven on Yucca is especially lovely. Last time I was there to pick up some smokes, a woman tried to pawn off some Valium on me. Ahh, Hollywood!

And I'm sorry, but that damn theme park down in Anaheim is not a way to get a taste of Los Angeles.

Time to do any nightclubs? I sort of like The Gig on Melrose Avenue. Not far from my abode. The Coconut Teazser on Sunset was a fave of mine back when I was writing rock & roll reviews.

Try to see things you can't see anywhere else.

Venice Beach, for example. If you want to see the eccentricity for which Los Angeles is noted, then you must walk up and down the Venice Boardwalk. Parking's a bitch, though.

 

[RobertR]

Venice Beach, for example. If you want to see the eccentricity for which Los Angeles is noted, then you must walk up and down the Venice Boardwalk.

Wooh! I remember there was a model doing a shoot the first time I walked there, and she was changing clothes between shots

 

[Leroy]

Thanks for the suggestions. We might actually have a bit of time for some nightlife as we will be getting into L.A. on Thusday night. So any suggestions there would be helpful also.

 

[Pamela]

We might actually have a bit of time for some nightlife as we will be getting into L.A. on Thusday night.

No, no no! You must go on Friday! Jon Brion at Largo. Now that's cool (or at least, it used to be). It's quite the show and you never know who's gonna join him on stage. Aimee Mann's there alot. Everyone from Elvis Costello to Margaret Cho have joined him. Great entertainment. Afterward, it's across the street to Canter's for some fab corned beef. Check out the Chutzpah Room, for the their nighly entertainment.
Gosh, I really used to have fun in this town! :frowning:

 

[Steve Owen]

I had a similar situation a couple of years ago... conference I was at ended before noon... plane didn't leave until about 11:00pm. I ended up driving around and having a great time of it. I drove out to Burbank and past the studios. Drove through Hollywood. Stopped and had a late lunch in Bevery Hills. Saw some celebrities eating at the same place. Drove down Mulholand Drive (very cool). Cruised around Bevery Hills looking at houses/mansions. Drive through a park (I forget the name) near there that wound through the woods and had an outdoor concert pavilion.

-Steve