Visiting LA

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Our family is visiting LA in February (we're from the East Coast.) One morning will be spent touring the USC campus and doing a 'drive-by' look at Loyola Marymount, but we will have 2 other full days to get to know the city. Everyone has different ideas about how to spend our time: I'm trying to talk everyone into doing one of those touristy bus tours the first day, just to get our bearings in a city we know nothing about. We'll have two teenage girls with us, and one teenage boy. </p>

<p>Any suggestions on what to be sure to see? Any hotel suggestions? From what I'm reading, we don't want to stay near the USC campus? Is that right?</p>

<p>Is Gladstone's restaurant still there? The last time I was in LA was in the 1980's! It was a seafood place, overlooking the ocean, as I recall.</p>

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<p>It used to be good, not sure it is anymore.</p>

<p>Review:</a> Taking the bait at Gladstone's Malibu - Los Angeles Times</p>

<p>My neighbor said Larry King's favorite place, Nate & Al, is worth a visit.</p>

<p>Nate'n</a> AL</p>

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<p>thanks, Columbia_Student!</p>

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<p>Nate & Al's is DEFINITELY worth a visit. I went there with my friends a couple weeks ago and it was amazing. One of the best delis I've been to in a long time. Another unique experience that I'd suggest is going to the Farmer's Market at the Grove. It's a really cool oasis in the middle of LA. And, of course, I have to toss in a plug for Yogurtland because it's just that good :).</p>

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<p>Get a hotel at priceline.com. It is significantly cheaper.</p>

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<p>Being born and raised in LA, I cannot imagine spending time at a deli in Beverly Hills. </p>

<p>Would not recommend staying near USC because you'd probably be in downtown. I don't know if I'd recommend a tour bus, because my city just isn't like Chicago, NY or SF, it's so spread out. </p>

<p>Gladstone's is still here, expensive, maybe overrated, but you can't beat being on the beach in February if you're from the cold East Coast. Another good place right on the beach is The Lobster in Santa Monica on the Santa Monica pier. You can eat there, then walk around the Third Street Promenade. </p>

<p>The Grove is a good idea together with the Farmer's Market, but again, it depends on your transportation situation.</p>

<p>Are you planning on renting a car? If so, I'd definitely recommend a drive up the coast from LMU (gorgeous campus) through Santa Monica and up to Malibu. If you're near LMU, you can hit Venice Beach which is just a mile or two north and walk along the boardwalk to see some of the nuts the area is famous for.</p>

<p>If you give me an idea of budget, likes, interests, maybe I can help. There is a lot to see spread over a large area!</p>

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<p>Not sure I'd suggest a bus tour for LA, it's just so spread out. With just two days, you need to narrow your interests and focus on a neighborhhod or two in a day. If you like the movie biz, a drive through Hollywood/Culver City or Universal/Burbank would be of some interest. As a father of a teen girl, I can tell you that shopping on Melrose along with the Grove mentioned above is a sure hit. We live here, and just a few weeks ago we went to watch a TV show be taped - it was fun for our teen son that is interested in that sort of thing, and it's free.</p>

<p>As an FYI, I don't think LMU is conducive to a drive by. It's set in a residential neighborhood very close to the airport (LAX) and it's a large campus, split in half with an older uphill campus and a newer downhill section. And the view from the bluff will give you a great "lay of the land".</p>

<p>USC is a relatively small/compact campus and very conducive to a walking tour. Not a great location for hotels. I'd suggest a hotel closer to Santa Monica, UCLA/Westwood or Pasadena - nicer areas with some good choices for strolling/shopping/dining. And since you're in LA, rent a car - with a Navigation System and skip the bus - "when in Rome".</p>

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<p>I have to put in my vote for the third street promenade. Not from LA but visit often, cause family is there... well not often often, but often enough coming from another country and I make sure everytime we're there that we go to third street at least twice. Just the street preformers alone make it worth it. That and the walk along Venice Beach, like from Santa Monica to Venice, awesome stores, awesome people and awesome things to look at. But everyone has said that already.</p>

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<p>Universal Studios!</p>

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<p>Thank you, everyone -- What a helpful bunch! To answer questions, shopping (daughter)and the film industry (son) would be two points of interest. Yes, we'll rent a car. Hotels will be done with points, so to some extent, price isn't that important. I like the idea of staying in a cool neighborhood where you can walk around, as opposed to downtown. Is Universal Studios in LA at all simliar to the one in FLorida (ie, a theme park.) Is Santa Monica really that close? That would be cool. I picked up a Frommer's Guide and I will take your suggestions and try to put together a fun 2 days.</p>

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<p>If you really want options to walk around, my vote is Santa Monica. It's probably around 15 miles to USC, and walking distance to the Promenade, Venice and Santa Monica Pier. Not knowing what points you'll be using, the Doubletree Hotel is reasonable, right off the freeway, and in the center of things, while Loew's is upscale and right on the beach.</p>

<p>Are there any other SoCal colleges your kids are interested in looking at? Occidental isn't far, and the Claremont Colleges are probably 45 minutes east of USC.</p>

<p>Santa Monica should provide plenty of shopping for your daughter along the Promenade. Not having been to Universal Studios in FL, I can't say if it's similar. It is something of an theme park with a few rides, but it is a working studio, so the tour is very interesting, and they may offer a VIP tour that would take you more behind the scenes. I've heard the Warner Bros. tour is less like an amusement park, and that may be more up your S's alley. Warner Bros. is in Burbank, maybe 45 minutes from Santa Monica.</p>

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<p>I don't have the link, but a search should find the new LA tour bus company that uses London buses with the open top. I'm thinking of taking the family on that tour, and we live in So. Calif. (Orange County).</p>

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<p>I don't mean to discount the tour bus idea, but as much as I love Los Angeles, the traffic is the worst part of living here. I'm not sure where the bus would go, but being on top of a bus stuck in traffic sounds horrendous. Does it just go around Hollywood or something? We're not the kind of city that you can experience by driving around!</p>

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<p>My son went to the Warner Bros studio tour with his SC dorm and thought it was terrific. Much less like an amusement park, got to see real sets of current shows. We have stayed downtown (I like the Omni very much) and it's not that bad. We walked down to Little Tokyo and there's some interesting architecture in the area. Loved the Getty Museum, but you need several hours to really enjoy it. The kids will all enjoy the beach at Venice or Santa Monica - you can rent bikes or just stroll.</p>

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<p>The greater Los Angeles area is so varied and has an extraordinary number of cultural venues it will be difficult to see even a few in your short visit. If there is any time you may wish to vist the Getty Museum, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena and the Huntington Library art collections. There are botanical gardens associated with the Library, but those will not be at their best in February.</p>

<p>Try not to miss the Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was designed by SC alumnus, Frank Gehry.</p>

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<p>If you are into art at all, both Gettys are amazing. The Getty Center has a beautiful 180 degree view of the ocean to downtown on a clear day, while the Getty Villa is on the coast and has a world renowned antiquities collection.</p>

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<p>My daughter LOVES to shop on Melrose in Hollywood. It can seem kind of seedy when you drive up but just park near Melrose and Highland and walk west. You can find affordable and fun clothes and accessories. There are even some cool second-hand shops. (We have often had star sightings while shopping.)</p>

<p>Melrose</a> Ave.</p>

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<p>a TV taping is certainly an experience, especially when it's a favorite show. It's usually an all-night type of deal though, for a 30 minute show I've found you show up 3/4/5pm and depart 4 or 5 hours later (usually slice of pizza/water bottle provided, free) late-night TV like jay leno, jimmy kimmel is shorter, maybe 60-90 mins + arrive early to get in line.</p>

<p>in short, it's great for the locals but kind of hard to fit in a 2-day trip, unless its something you really want to get to.</p>

<p>I can't imagine going on a bus tour in LA. you'd have to spend more time getting from point to point then actually sightseeing. I second the "pick a small number of things to do" and really give time to enjoy them.</p>

<p>The Huntington and Getty are really nice "cultural" things to do, but if you're not into that stuff it might seem anticlimactic for such a trip.</p>

<p>A note on getting around in LA. Usually the freeway is the fastest way except at certain hours of the day, when it can be horrendously slow. For example, there are two ways between Burbank and LA: the 405 and the 101. Attempting to get to Burbank along either of these routes around the hours of 4pm-5pm is a nightmare that simply should not be attempted - reorg your schedule to leave earlier or late enough to miss.</p>

<p>In short, either ask a local who typically drives on the freeways what the conditions are like, or use Google Traffic (on google maps) to look up the average traffic during that time.</p>

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<p>Note that the full USC visit is three hours long, one for admissions, one for the campus tour, and one with a selected department. We're going this morning. (My S is a little bit familiar with the campus, having visited before for various functions as my H is on the faculty.)</p>

<p>If you like art, the Getty Museum is awesome. The first time I went, I wasn't sure what i wanted to spend my time looking at, the art inside, the building itself, the gardens, or the views of the LA area from the hill.</p>

<p>Santa Monica is a good location for shopping and the beach scene, although in February you may not spend a lot of time on the beach. Even if the air temp is nice, the water will be cold.</p>

<p>If you're visiting LMU, stop by Marina Del Rey on the drive north to Santa Monica. Lots of fun places to stop and nosh, watch the boats sail by.</p>

<p>Not sure what the one poster meant about LMU campus being so sprawling. It's certainly smaller than USC, and they both pale in comparison by acerage to UCLA. My S took some summer classes at LMU. It's in a nice location, but quite different than USC in vibe.</p>

<p>Plot your movements carefully so you can try to avoid the morning/evening rush hour periods as much as possible. If you stay in a central location, say Culver City, the drives to Santa Monica, USC, Venice, the Grove, etc. can all be handled by surface street if necessary, if the freeways are all balled up. If you don't have a portable GPS to bring with you, rent a car that has one.</p>

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<p>Thank you to everyone, again. We're staying centrally in Culvery City, FindAPlace -- thanks for the tip. I think in 3 days we'll have time to check out Venice Beach, Third Street Promenade, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios, Getty Center and USC for our son who applied to SCA (our session/tour is only 1.5 hours -- we didn't opt for the extra department-specific hour.) LMU is a safety school of my daughter's, so she just wants to drive by and wave, having just gotten her acceptance. Very unlikely she would attend, as beautiful as it is. Happy Holidays, we can close this thread now! Thanks again for the help!</p>