Los Angeles weekend

[WSPanic]

I'm heading to downtown Los Angeles at the end of June for a long weekend. We're seeing concerts at the Orpheum at 8th/Broadway, so we're looking to stay close to that area. Was wondering if any forumer had some downtown LA experiences/tips that would come in handy. I'm pretty much flying blind on this one.

[chrizow]

downtown LA can be divided into three loose categories:

* boring, like any CBD is after 5pm.
* arty/edgy, with lofts, galleries, punk rock shows, etc.
* scary.

i recommend walking around a lot after dark to experience all three of these things.

enjoy!

[DaveKCMO]

i think it's the last downtown in america that still smells like pee. it's also hilly as hell. take the subway, check out union station, the hispanic market, the ugliest municipal building ever (caltrans on 3rd?), then head somewhere else...

[kcjak]

As DaveKCMO mentions, the old hispanic market along Olivera street is nice and within blocks of Union Station and Disney Hall, if you're into architecture.  At the other end of downtown near Staples Center is LA's new entertainment district, but not quite finished yet.  Downtown LA is larger than it appears from afar or on tv, with dodgy neighborhoods mixed in with up and comings.

If you've never been to LA, I'd take the subway to Hollywood/Vine and see the Chinese Theatre...this area has been clean up A LOT recently and nice for first timers.  If you have a car there is good, funky shopping along Melrose and right around that area is the LA County Museum of Art and La Brea tar pits.  West Hollywood also has some good, cheap thrift shops where you can find name brand clothing, if that's your thing.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Go drive around the Valley and greater Orange County and view first hand the true definition of suburbanized shit in its ultimate manifestation. 

[Midtownkid]

i think it's the last downtown in america that still smells like pee. it's also hilly as hell. take the subway, check out union station, the hispanic market, the ugliest municipal building ever (caltrans on 3rd?), then head somewhere else...

Hey!  Calitrans is awesome!  I plan on see it when I go to LA in a couple of weeks. 

Don't for get to go see the Getty Museum or Getty Villa in Malibu, if you have time!

[GRID]

Check out Cordish's LA Live development near the Staples Center.

They are building towers

[chrizow]

if you're into cool music and cute/stinky art kids, go to a show/happening at The Smell.  it is in downtown l.a. and is supposed to be fun.  they have vegan pancakes, $5 haircuts, and cool bands (no age, mika miko, HEALTH, abe vigoda, etc.)  the new yorker magazine just did a piece on the smell.

[moderne]

Go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City.  Everything from genuine human horns to the official Soviet oil portraits of the space dog hero martyrs.  "We may never have the same knowledge again."  Old Town in Pasadena is a great place to stroll and dine. 

[skim82]

downtown LA can be divided into three loose categories:

* boring, like any CBD is after 5pm.
* arty/edgy, with lofts, galleries, punk rock shows, etc.
* scary.

i recommend walking around a lot after dark to experience all three of these things.

enjoy!

Agreed, however I don't know about walking around, especially at night... could be a dangerous.

I'll be in Los Angeles in late May for the Memorial day Weekend. 

Here are the places I'm going...

-Manhattan Beach
-3rd street promenade (sp)... it's just off Santa Monica Beach/Pier and is a cool, walkable, shopping/entertainment district similiar to the let's say the Plaza... lot's of good eats and chill bars.
-Santa Monica... cool bars and lounges
-Hollywood, cool clubs.
-Koreatown, I'm Korean, so... but seriously, the largest collection of Koreans on earth besides of course Korea.  Great food, but helps if you know the language.
-DTLA, basically around the Gehry designed Disney Music Hall and in and around the Colburn School.
-Beverly Center... but only for H&M... and maybe Todai, althought the one in the I.E. is much better.
-Camarillo, CA... bit of a drive from L.A., but they have alot of Outlets, like Diesel for example.
-Westwood/Century City etc.  have a friend that lives off Wilshire in Westwood, so i'll be there.
-Brentwood... that's where I'm staying.  It's beautiful there.

That's what I'm planning to do.. i'll post some pics when I get back hopefully if i remember...

[skim82]

Oh, and i almost forgot

Def. stopping by the In and Out burger at LAX as soon as i arrive.

Also, have to hit up Crackberry, or better known as Pinkberry. Although now there are many competitors such as Kiwiberri and Red Mango.  They're all good.

Can't wait!  Having lived in SoCaL, it's always fun to go back... although I won't spending time in the I.E. this time.

[DanCa]

I agree with what everyone has said.  Downtown L.A. is a big dissapointment, for the most part.  It's getting better, but has a long way to go.  You'll have more fun exploring West Hollywood (well, if you're gay) Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, Santa Monica, and Pasadena. 

I've often wondered how downtown evolved in such a strange way, with no skyscrapers being built until the '70s, other than the old art deco city hall, which is only about 25 stories.  I used to think it was because of earthquake danger, but then why did San Francisco build many skyscrapers earlier than the '70s?

[cknab1]

Yes, Yes, In & Out Burger, Get the double double.  Tasty.  Go up the 405 to the Getty, wonderful place.  If you have a rental car, continue a little North of the Getty on 405 to Mulholland Drive. It’s a winding road on the spine of the hills with beautiful views.  Rent bicycles at Santa Monica pier and bike for miles down the coast.  Drive north of Santa Monica to Malibu and see how the beautiful people live.  Drive down Sunset strip in Hollywood.  It’s a little seedy now, but still an LA landmark.  So many things to do, I’m jealous.

[skim82]

Yes so many things to do... and the weather is usually always goregous.

I'm leaving this friday and spending the Memorial Day weekend there... I've never rented a bike and rode down the coast, sounds like a good time.

PCH is beautiful, but like the previous post, it makes me jealous to see how the beautiful people live, so i always turn back

BTW, Coffee Bean is delicious... i think way better than Starbucks.  I don't know if we have any in our metro.... I always go there too when i'm in L.A... oh and Pink's (hot dogs) and West hollywood is very trendy... and from what i heard there is a sizable gay population there, the area is always hopping. 

For the most part, West L.A., or the "Westside" is clean with a lot of things to do.. the further south, north, or east you go, the more JoCo it looks...

[moderne]

Just a couple of LA notes....
LA Live coming along nicely and the huge new convention hotel complex has added a southwest bookend to the skyline.  Finally hotels adjacent to the convention center after 40 years of waiting.  Was told other DT hotels fought it, i.e., the Bonaventure and Hyatt.
Finally cleaning up the seedy east end of Hollywood Blvd.  A huge W hotel going up across the street from the Pantages.  Even a luxe restaurant(more decor and see & be seen than memorable food) across the street from a gay bath house.

[Marreekarr]

Downtown L.A. is a big dissapointment, for the most part.  It's getting better, but has a long way to go. 

You're not kidding!  There's a lot of life going on in LA and the new LA Live seems to be drawing pedestrians even as parts of it are still under construction.  But why does LA have that crazy law that makes all tall buildings have flat roofs so helicopters can land on them?  The architecture here is so boring without anything to jazz up the tops of the towers.  There's no KCP&L to look at.  There's no TransAmerica Pyramid.  Just lots of squares a rectangles in a city that's supposed to be different than the rest.

[pstokely]

You're not kidding!  There's a lot of life going on in LA and the new LA Live seems to be drawing pedestrians even as parts of it are still under construction.  But why does LA have that crazy law that makes all tall buildings have flat roofs so helicopters can land on them? 

Easier to evacuate by helicopter?

[DanCa]

You're not kidding!  There's a lot of life going on in LA and the new LA Live seems to be drawing pedestrians even as parts of it are still under construction.  But why does LA have that crazy law that makes all tall buildings have flat roofs so helicopters can land on them?  The architecture here is so boring without anything to jazz up the tops of the towers.  There's no KCP&L to look at.  There's no TransAmerica Pyramid.  Just lots of squares a rectangles in a city that's supposed to be different than the rest.

I never thought about that but you're right.  Other than the city hall building - I think it's only around 25 stories tall, but it's the first skyscraper built in downtown L.A. and the top comes to a point similra to the KCPL building.  It's easy to miss with all the taller buildings surrounding it though. 

My guess is that it has to do with when all the skyscrapers were built - the first round went up in the '70s when buildings were all square.  Then more went up in the late '80s/early '90s.  Denver suffers from the same thing, other than the Cash Register building.  The 4 Seasons hotel/condos are under construction here and when complete, it will have a spire on top, so finally something to stand out on the skyline.

[trailerkid]

What is the prognosis on going to LA/OC sans automobile? I'm getting even more grief on Yelp from KC area ppl than I anticipated. I looked on Google Maps and it seems like the transit system isn't any worse than KC. 

[DaveKCMO]

What is the prognosis on going to LA/OC sans automobile? I'm getting even more grief on Yelp from KC area ppl than I anticipated. I looked on Google Maps and it seems like the transit system isn't any worse than KC. 

prognosis: good to very good

i've done LA city/long beach/east LA without a car a few times. their transit system is extensive and reliable, far more so than KC. my advice is to know exactly where you want to go, group those destinations geographically, and then plan accordingly (in other words, don't expect to get from LA to OC and back more than once in a day and have any time left to do things).

all of the area's transit providers are on google transit (LACTMA, metrolink, amtrak california), so that makes trips that cross service boundaries easy. they also have a lot of express buses, but i never rode them so i can't speak to whether or not they save much time.

i did feel a bit like a loner when i actually walked between destinations, but strangely the buses and trains had lots of people on them.