Visiting LA? Where to go? What to do? Ask here

[ADifferentTim]

Food truck alert! Nutella will run its "Spread the Happy" truck on these respective dates, days, locations, and times:

September 13 and 14, Saturday and Sunday, Fiestas Patrias California (Pico Rivera). 10AM-3PM
September 15, Monday, LA City College Student Union Building. 9AM-1PM.
September 16, Tuesday, Westwood. 9AM-1PM.

Source: LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydi...-free-samples-los-angeles-20140910-story.html

 

[seen em all]

Our hockey and tourist trip to Anaheim and LA

Please report back to let us know what you did and what you liked. I'm always curious.

If you have the time (and money) Catalina Island is great. I just visited for the first time and had a blast. You'll need to take a ferry from San PEdro, Long Beach, Newport or Dana Point.

My wife and I were in LA and Anaheim last year from Sept. 1st until Sept. 10th we landed at the John Wayne Airport, picked up a rental car and our luggage in about 10 minutes after getting off the plane we then went to the Ayres Hotel in Anaheim (really nice) checked in and had a great meal at Anacondos restauraunt right at the hotel.We then headed to Newport beach to see an amazing sunset.The next morning we drove to LA in about 45 minutes 10 am departure,arrived at the rink in El Segundo TSC and watched the Kings practice,after practice we headed downtown to Hollywood, went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, walked around and saw all the freaks, went to Planet Hollywood for lunch (so so) then went to Griffith Observatory, from their we headed back to Anaheim to the hotel and had a few brewskies by the pool and called it a night.To be continued.......

 

[seen em all]

My wife and I were in LA and Anaheim last year from Sept. 1st until Sept. 10th we landed at the John Wayne Airport, picked up a rental car and our luggage in about 10 minutes after getting off the plane we then went to the Ayres Hotel in Anaheim (really nice) checked in and had a great meal at Anacondos restauraunt right at the hotel.We then headed to Newport beach to see an amazing sunset.The next morning we drove to LA in about 45 minutes 10 am departure,arrived at the rink in El Segundo TSC and watched the Kings practice,after practice we headed downtown to Hollywood, went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, walked around and saw all the freaks, went to Planet Hollywood for lunch (so so) then went to Griffith Observatory, from their we headed back to Anaheim to the hotel and had a few brewskies by the pool and called it a night.

The next morning we headed out to Huntington Beach, we were not sure if it was foggy or foggy,it cleared up nicely in the afternoon, we then headed Downtown Disney,later we went to Beverly Hills, ou la la a little to rich for my blood. To be continued...

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Hey people, im from montreal and im planning a trip to l.a. This december/january... Gonna catch the nashville game in january for sure...

Anyways just looking for sum suggestions. I am planning on staying at a beach house either at hermosa or manhattan beach...
I was wondering if there's a chance id be able to meet a few players from the kings... U guys know where they hang out, any specific places... Dont worry, im not a stalker, just a big fan that wants his jersey autographed by the champs..

Also, i is it a possibility to buy my tickets the day of the game ?? I know the games r always sold out but maybe there r scalpers there...

Last question... Hows the weather in dec/jan??????

Thanx guys..

You might as well stop at the North End. Its a dive bar in Hermosa and the team has gone there after some big playoff wins. Honestly, you have a chance at bumping into them at just about any restaurant or bar in Manhattan/Hermosa beach. My friend bumped into Darryl Sutter and his family eating at Pancho's in Manhattan Beach while the Chicago series was going on. It was after a game.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

The next morning we headed out to Huntington Beach, we were not sure if it was foggy or foggy,it cleared up nicely in the afternoon,

That is called the Marine layer.

 

[DoughtyJovi]

You might as well stop at the North End. Its a dive bar in Hermosa and the team has gone there after some big playoff wins. Honestly, you have a chance at bumping into them at just about any restaurant or bar in Manhattan/Hermosa beach. My friend bumped into Darryl Sutter and his family eating at Pancho's in Manhattan Beach while the Chicago series was going on. It was after a game.

Heres another 2 questions

Is it worth renting a beach house in january? Considering ive been reading the temperatures drop at that time of year... Water ok to go in??

Hows venice beach??
My 'rangers fan' buddy prefers venice beach... Probably cuz we read most of the kings players live on manhattan beach..

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Heres another 2 questions

Is it worth renting a beach house in january? Considering ive been reading the temperatures drop at that time of year... Water ok to go in??

Hows venice beach??
My 'rangers fan' buddy prefers venice beach... Probably cuz we read most of the kings players live on manhattan beach..

The water will be way to cold in Jan

The Atlantic is a warm current, where the Pacific is a cold current.

I am guessing the water temp would be in the high 40s or low 50s. I would not go in without a wetsuit and a strong constitution.

manhattan beach>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>venice beach

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Heres another 2 questions

Is it worth renting a beach house in january? Considering ive been reading the temperatures drop at that time of year... Water ok to go in??

Hows venice beach??
My 'rangers fan' buddy prefers venice beach... Probably cuz we read most of the kings players live on manhattan beach..

Is it worth it? That's relative. It's going to be expensive even in the off season. IF you have the means to do it, then yes! But yeah, the water will be in the mid 50's in January. I still get in the water to surf with a 3/2 suit during the winter. I remember last February/March, I was out at Huntington surfing and saw more than a few people in the water in their swim trunks. Being you're from Canada, you might not be deterred by the water being in the 50's but you won't be able to stay in that long. Nor will there be as many people at the beach as there would be in the late spring to early fall.

Venice Beach = Freak Show and lots of shopping for knick knacks and junk. It's a tourist trap.

Manhattan Beach = hot chicks and a much nicer area to hang out at.

If I were visiting, I'd much rather stay at manhattan/hermosa than Venice. Stay in the South Bay (manhattan/hermosa/redondo) and visit Venice one day while you're here.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Is it worth it? That's relative. It's going to be expensive even in the off season. IF you have the means to do it, then yes! But yeah, the water will be in the mid 50's in January. I still get in the water to surf with a 3/2 suit during the winter. I remember last February/March, I was out at Huntington surfing and saw more than a few people in the water in their swim trunks. Being you're from Canada, you might not be deterred by the water being in the 50's but you won't be able to stay in that long. Nor will there be as many people at the beach as there would be in the late spring to early fall.

Venice Beach = Freak Show and lots of shopping for knick knacks and junk. It's a tourist trap.

Manhattan Beach = hot chicks and a much nicer area to hang out at.

If I were visiting, I'd much rather stay at manhattan/hermosa than Venice. Stay in the South Bay (manhattan/hermosa/redondo) and visit Venice one day while you're here.

and by freak show: he means stinky hippies and street performers

 

[Kings123]

Heres another 2 questions

Is it worth renting a beach house in january? Considering ive been reading the temperatures drop at that time of year... Water ok to go in??

Hows venice beach??
My 'rangers fan' buddy prefers venice beach... Probably cuz we read most of the kings players live on manhattan beach..

HEY! I live in Venice and swim in the ocean. Water will be colder in January than it is now. You can google santa monica pier water temperature and find out what it is. Probably around 61-62 in January, cold but bearable depending on what you're used to. Right now it is 70F, perfect! September is the warmest water month.

Venice is great. Santa Monica is cool too. Enjoy!

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

Hey everyone, I'll be in LA for a week and a half next month. It'll be a solo trip, so I'm not too interested in bars or restaurants or theme parks, but I'd like to get a sense of where I should be checking out for scenic drives (I know the PCH is a must, but everything else is a question mark - anything within 2-3 hours of downtown is fair game), hikes (Griffith Park is a frontrunner, anything else that combines reasonably challenging trails with awesome views & vistas of the city or the scenery is welcome).

I'd also like some advice on the best place to set myself up. I'll have a car, but I'd prefer being in a walkable part of town with plenty of parks and cafés and streetlife. Bonus points if you think I can find decent Airbnb accommodations for $80-100 a night in that part of the city

Thanks!!

 

[ElKingsFan92]

Hey everyone, I'll be in LA for a week and a half next month. It'll be a solo trip, so I'm not too interested in bars or restaurants or theme parks, but I'd like to get a sense of where I should be checking out for scenic drives (I know the PCH is a must, but everything else is a question mark - anything within 2-3 hours of downtown is fair game), hikes (Griffith Park is a frontrunner, anything else that combines reasonably challenging trails with awesome views & vistas of the city or the scenery is welcome).

I'd also like some advice on the best place to set myself up. I'll have a car, but I'd prefer being in a walkable part of town with plenty of parks and cafés and streetlife. Bonus points if you think I can find decent Airbnb accommodations for $80-100 a night in that part of the city

Thanks!!

Downtown Long Beach is right by the ocean and makes for a really nice drive if you take the 710 (the Long Beach Freeway) all the through as the last exit literally leaves you right in the middle of downtown Long Beach. From there, parking usually isn't too difficult and you can walk up and down Shoreline Dr. and Ocean Blvd. and get a really nice view of the coast. Downtown Long Beach has a great night life as well with tons of bars and restaurants. They also have the Aquarium of the Pacific. That place is awesome. So, yeah, check downtown Long Beach out. The city also has an airport, but I think it only deals with domestic flights and a few international flights. You may be able to fly directly into it since it is cheaper than LAX, but I doubt it.

I would also suggest walking up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards if only to make yourself feel like a bad ass when you tell everybody you survived walking up and down those streets. That's not to say that they're dangerous, but there's a lot of stuff that tourists would consider odd or maybe even a little off-putting.

 

[onlyalad]

Angeles Crest Hwy is a nice ride, more for motorcycle
Drive the canyons when you can. It will give you a view of California most people never expect

 

[tigermask48]

Booked a flight out for Christmas and the GF is coming with me for the first time (she's a Wild fan... Ick) and we are going to the 12/27 game with a friend of mine. Neither him or I eat seafood but the GF loves the stuff so I need recommendations. I was thinking of taking the Metro to China town one day and our hotel will be in North Hollywood. Any good places in either of those two areas?

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Booked a flight out for Christmas and the GF is coming with me for the first time (she's a Wild fan... Ick) and we are going to the 12/27 game with a friend of mine. Neither him or I eat seafood but the GF loves the stuff so I need recommendations. I was thinking of taking the Metro to China town one day and our hotel will be in North Hollywood. Any good places in either of those two areas?

If you want to score mad points with the gf

http://www.gladstones.com/

It's in Mailbu , but it's ****ing amazing.

 

[Buddy The Elf]

Bummer that Roy's Hawaiian closed in DTLA. THat place was excellent. I don't know about eating fish in China town but if you can afford a fancy meal, the White Sea Bass at Chaya in DTLA is awesome. I used to hate that place but the White Sea Bass there might be the best fish I've ever had. Just throwing that out there (they got sushi there too):

http://www.thechaya.com/downtown-la/

 

[Darth Milbury]

Parking with a little one

Don't kill me if you guys get asked this a lot, but I'm taking my little nephew (only 9 YO) to his first King's game this coming weekend. I live in Toluca Lake and I usually just take the metro down to King's games (Redline to Expo Line). Sometimes when I am driving straight from work, I just park on the street somewhere on Fig (usually about a half mile away, near Pico). However, with the little guy in tow, I don't want to mess around at all. If you were bring a child to the game, what would make the most sense as far as parking is concerned?

 

[tsanuri]

You'll pay more but right next to Staples in that covered lot is the shortest distance to have to travel.

 

[Darth Milbury]

You'll pay more but right next to Staples in that covered lot is the shortest distance to have to travel.

Do you mean that lot on across the street on Fig? I'd rather pay $20 or something to park than take any chances with my little guy.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Any of the lots right around Staples will be $20. Pretty safe. There's security around the stadium in those general areas.

 

[onlyalad]

Do you mean that lot on across the street on Fig? I'd rather pay $20 or something to park than take any chances with my little guy.

It is normally $20 across fig or 25 to park in the structure behind Nokia

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Do you mean that lot on across the street on Fig? I'd rather pay $20 or something to park than take any chances with my little guy.

I am pretty sure that he's talking about the lot under LA Live. Right across Chick hearn court from staples

 

[tsanuri]

Do you mean that lot on across the street on Fig? I'd rather pay $20 or something to park than take any chances with my little guy.

The lot between Staples and the Convention Center. You don't even have to cross the street.

 

[Darth Milbury]

Thanks guys!



Funny, all the years I've been going to Kings games, never had to thing about it. Generally go to the game alone or with a buddy, and where I part is never an issue.


Once kids are part of the equation, suddenly you think more about safety.

 

[Quattro]

not exactly sure what safety concerns you have, I wouldn't think twice about parking on the Fig near Pico lot you mentioned with a kid...