Going to LA this weekend. Any good places to see? (1 Viewer)

[LDfan]

Yes it'll be my first trip to LA this weekend and also my first plane trip. Any suggestions on places to see, things to do, restaurants to eat at etc....


Jeff

 

[Scott H]

Jeff, it's a pretty common question, you might search this forum for opinions.

 

[Jason Bovberg]

Might want to set aside a day for Six Flags Magic Mountain, one of the best roller-coaster parks in the world. If you're into that kind of thing. (I am.)

Also, be sure to stop by an In-N-Out Burger for a classic Double-Double with grilled onions.

 

[Dave_Brown]

It isn't all bad, but if you're not used to such a crowded and expensive place it can get confusing. For my visits, the best thing to see was the airport from the air on my way back home. Big city life just wasn't for me.

 

[Jack Briggs]

But it's for me, and all I will consider (unless I someday move to Eugene, Oregon). Los Angeles is a beautiful city (especially after a rain or a Santa Ana condition clears the air).

Avoid the touristy stuff. See the real city. And forget amusement parks that aren't even in Los Angeles County (especially the one based on the damn mouse).

I don't understand comments like "it isn't all bad." What was so bad? If you're used to smaller towns and prefer them, then living here is not the way to go. Of course, if you have a bad experience or two, that's understandable.

 

[Mark Lee]

Wow Dave -- you found LA crowded? You'd probably die if you went to NYC or Chicago!! While there certainly are a lot of people in LA, the unique thing about this "city" is the huge amount of real estate that those people have taken over to settle down on. It's not so much a city, as a loose confederation of neighboring towns connected by the most convoluted freeway system anywhere.
As far as things to do, I guess that depends on what sort of tourist you are -- if you're looking for the "Hollywood"-type tourist experience, I suppose there's the good-old-standbys: Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, buying one of those "Star maps" from those sidewalk vendors and scoping out celebrities' homes, studio tours....
Though it's perhaps a bit too cold for much in the way of beach activity ("cold" of course being a relative thing here -- 50-60 degrees gets Angelenos a-shivering....), the whole stretch of beach towns, from Malibu, down thru Santa Monica, to Venice Beach and Manhattan Beach, are all very nice, plus out here, you get the added bonus of watching the sun set into the Pacific! Very picturesque.
Food is everywhere here -- ironically, despite the widespread impression of Angelenos as health-crazed, image-conscious anorexics (that's only true in Beverly Hills.... ), LA has a dizzying array of good, properly unhealthy food to partake of. Aside from the justifiably-legendary In-N-Out Double-Double that's been mentioned, there's also partisans for the Fatburger, Pink's chilidogs, Philippe's French Dip sandwiches (where the sandwich was allegedly invented), the Tommyburger (a grease-laden, tasty mess of a chiliburger)....the list goes on. And that doesn't even touch on the huge variety of ethnic cuisines, all served up in their own thriving communities (Korean, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Vietnamese, etc, etc.), or the various high-end eateries (Spago, Patina, Matsuhisa).
Finding the stars is surprisingly difficult here (if that's what you're interested in), probably because no one walks anywhere -- you'll have to run into their cars to meet them! Though I suppose certain places, like The Ivy, Matsuhisa, the super-deluxe shops on Rodeo Drive, might be more fruitful.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Thing is, Los Angeles was planned that way! Downtown is one thing, but there are clumps of cityscape all over the place and this could fool someone not used to this place, causing difficulty in determining where "downtown Los Angeles" is.

San Francisco, while a much smaller town, feels bigger than Los Angeles, given its density and true urban core.