I got some really great recommendations a few months ago when I asked for suggestions on where to stay/where to eat/what to see when we were doing college visits in New York. So, hoping for the same this time. I’ve probably spent a grand total of 8 hours in LA in my whole life, so I’m pretty clueless. We’re just seeing two schools (USC and LMU - both tours in the morning so we’ll have time later in the day both of those days) and I will have my 17 year old, her 18 year old friend, and my 12 year old with us. We’re going to Disneyland already one day (not my first choice, but my 12 year old has never been to Disney and extracted a blood oath from me years ago that if we were ever in Florida or California, we’d go. So we are.) We’ll only be there three nights, so time is limited.
I would love:
Hotel recommendations. There are So. Many. Hotels. How to decide what part of the city to stay in? Near Hollywood? Near the beach? If so, what beach - there are so many of them! (And, for reference, even though we live in the midwest, my kids go to the beach on the east coast all the time, so the ocean itself won’t be a novelty, but cool places that happen to be on the beach would be great. For example, I’m guessing they’d like Santa Monica pier . . . or would they?)
Fun places to go and things to do with this age group. The teenagers are saying they want to go to Universal Studio and Rodeo Drive (Ugh!). But, I’m happy to override their preferences (especially Rodeo) as they really have no idea.
Any great restaurants, bakeries, cafes, breakfast places we should try?
Thanks! I know our time will be pretty limited, but hoping to make the most of it.
Personally, I feel that both Hollywood as well as Santa Monica/Venice are pretty grungy and touristy but your are a tourist and they are something to see. Considering you are going to Disneyland one day, driving to Universal might be too far and take up too much time for your 1/2 days after the college visits.
We lived in LA pre-kids, when my husband was teaching at USC, and we have been back with our kids many times. Santa Monica might be a good base for you, as it is reasonably convenient to both USC and LMU (as well as Disneyland). I would agree with @lkg4answers that Hollywood and Venice are pretty grungy, but I wouldn’t put Santa Monica in the same category. My kids in particular have always liked Santa Monica. As teenagers, they always wanted to spend time on the Third Street Promenade - lots of shops and restaurants as well as lots of street performers. It’s very close to the Santa Monica Pier, which is worth a visit but probably won’t take much of your time. There are a lot of nice hotels in Santa Monica. My husband and I like the Georgian, the kids loved the Shore Hotel, which often has good discounts. Both are facing the ocean. Rodeo Drive is actually very pretty, as is Beverly Hills as a whole, so if that’s where they want to go, you might find it not so awful. Beverly Hills would be a lot more convenient than Universal Studios, which is not really in Hollywood but over the hill in the Valley. It might not work for your particular group of kids, but one place we’ve always enjoyed visiting is the Getty Villa in Malibu - it’s a recreation of an ancient Roman country home. Visit the Getty Villa Museum (this is different from the Getty Museum in LA, which is more of a traditional art museum, although also terrific). The drive up the coast from Santa Monica to Malibu is beautiful and the Villa is up on a cliff with gorgeous views. There are a couple of waterfront restaurants in Malibu, at different price points.
I’m from LA. I still go regularly. Last time I went to Disneyland, we stayed off the 405 fwy in Costa Mesa. It was a great location for Disneyland, but it’s not particularly convenient for visiting these two colleges.
LA traffic is a beast. You will crawl in traffic for most of the day, basically from 6:30-10:30, then from 2:30-7. Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, and it does depend a bit on which fwy you’re on. In your shoes, I personally would stay near Disney for one night and probably in Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Culver City or near LAX for the other two nights. Switching hotels doesn’t bother me.
I love the old historic area of Olvera Street. It’s the only place to see what LA was like way back when it was nothing but a pueblo. https://www.olvera-street.com/
From there, it’s a few minutes walk to Union Station, which is quite distinctive. You’ll get fantastic Mexican food at Olvera Street. This area is close to USC.
I love Griffith Observatory. Great views, and the building on its own is worth seeing. It’s got cool exhibits and is free, or at least it was last time I went.
Bike rentals at the beach - pick up around
Santa Monica and just go.
Also, my older teens love Abbot Kinney Blvd - right near Venice. Cute shops, feels hip and won’t take more than an hour to up and down both sides of the street. Google and you will get an idea.
Driving up and down Rodeo drive was enough for my teens - they are shoppers, but prefer Abbot Kinney. Honor Bar for dinner was good and in Beverly Hills.
Recommend you get to Disney before opening and plan ahead with fast passes to make the most out of your one day there. We stay until close and it makes for a great day! I would stay near Disney at least one night - you will be beat and nice to fall in bed after that day. You can visit both parks in 1 day - if you plan well. The older kids could be on their own for a lot if it and you would have the freedom to see what matters most to your son.
Easy to grab lunch right across from
USC in their big plaza and continue to get the college feel.
When is this trip? Figuring out how to do Disneyland in one day is a feat in itself. I would recommend staying walking distance from the park. Disney parking is $35/day. It would be nice to get there when the park opens but be able to walk back to your hotel, take a break, change clothes, etc. and return for the nighttime shows. You might look into Genie+ and Lightning Lane. There are certain iconic Disney rides that you shouldn’t miss (Small World, Pirates, Space Mountain, etc.). Rise of the Resistance is pretty remarkable and is a must see, but you definitely need to pay (ie Lightning Lane) or you will be spending hours in line.
Fast passes are no longer available. They now charge for Genie +/Lightning Lane. So many people pay now that the regular line (aka standby line) takes forever.
Correct - hard to teach an old dog new tricks as I still remember when Disneyland used tickets !! Highly recommend the Genie/Lightening Lane - extra charges and worth it imo.
If you’re spending a day at Disneyland, you need to be aware that it’s not enough to just have a ticket. You also need a park reservation. There a bunch of info on the Disneyland section of the Disboards.com website and people there are very helpful.
When we visited the area many years ago with kids, we did the following:
-Ode to Big Bang Theory day…ate at the Cheesecake Factory, walked around the Ca Tech Campus and saw the stadium where the Rose Bowl is played…I suggested an observatory, but the family was not interested. I think we went to the Warner Brothers tour (where BBT was filming) the day before or after.
Hollywood open bus tour…hit the major touristy sites-Hollywood sign, Rodeo drive, homes of the famous, then walked to Grauman’s Theater where the driver said a Van Halen Concert was playing in the street as a part of one of the late night shows. So, we were able to see the stars in the sidewalk.
My son is big into the Presidents of the US so went to Ronald Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley. We kind of wished we would have gone to the Nixon one in Yorba Linda too.
We stayed at a Marriott in Burbank where a monster makeup convention was going on. I have a bit of a nervousness around elevators (being enclosed in a small space with a stranger) anyway but definitely did not want to ride the elevator alone on that trip.
That library really is a schlep from Los Angeles. It’s also off the notorious 91 fwy, which I think now beats the 405 for traffic jams.
Melrose Avenue is fun and funky, though pretty upmarket these days. Pink’s famous hot dog stand is there. And even though Hollywood Blvd is tacky, it’s still fun to do the Walk of Stars and see the Capitol Records building and the Chinese Theater.
