My husband is working in Los Angeles for a week and I am flying in for a few days of vacation without the kids. Where do you recommend staying (what city or area) that is less than a 2 hour drive from LAX? We'd like somewhere that is scenic, not overly tourist and not too pricey. It will be November, so the weather should be nice, but not beach friendly. What are the must do tourist activities?
The Getty, hands down my favorite thing to do in LA. I could go back again and again and never tire of it. Best of all, besides the tram fee it's FREE.
We also like the Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica, beach at Malibu and Olvera Street. Have fun!
The Queen Mary in Long Beach.
Laguna Beach is really cute. Even if it's not beach weather, there are lots of little shops and art galleries just to walk around and see. And, it's going to be in the mid 80's next week, so it might be very nice next month too. : ) The Laguna Playhouse is a good community theater if you want to see a small, local play. From Laguna, you are also close to Newport Beach or you could go a bit farther south to San Juan Capistrano and see the Mission and historic district there.
Santa Barbara is about 90 minutes north of LA, so you could head up there as well. They have a Mission that you could tour and, like Laguna, lots of little shops.
Have you been to LA before? There is so much to do right there in the city! Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills. Even downtown LA has been revitalized recently with lots of trendy new shops, restaurants and bars. You could easily fill your time just visiting the different neighborhoods in LA. The Griffith Park observatory is really nice, you could visit museums on Miracle Mile (such as LACMA) and check out the Getty Museum, which has gorgeous views and is free (just pay for parking). Go see a Movie at the Fox theater in Westwood - it's huge and they do tons of premieres there.
If you want really good food, Mario Batali has a restaurant and pizzeria (side by side) in LA. Reservations should be made ASAP (if it's not already too late). The fancy restaurant is Osteria Mozza and the pizzeria is Pizzeria Mozza. So tasty! There are so many other great restaurants in LA. You're going to have a great trip no matter what you do.
for shopping/ dining/ people watching I like third street promenade in santa monica.
For quaint, I like laguna Beach (orange county) Its the off season so it won't be too crowded like summer. Small town feel, art, galleries, restaurants, beautiful beach views.
Getty is a beautiful museum on a hill top and if memory serves free entrance.
whatever you do don't go see the Hollywood walk of fame. that part of hollywood is ghetto.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33052-d1034...
When I go to LA to visit, I stay with a friend of mine who lives in Malibu - now that is the life! Try and stay in Malibu (or nearby, but definitely on the west side). Try to see a Lakers game while you're there. You're almost guaranteed to see a bunch of A-list famous people there. Plus, even if you're not a Lakers fan, the games are just FUN.
