First Time To La,ca For 4/5 Days With Kids And Parents (tot 6). Must See Places And Hotel Info Plz…?
travelling to LA with 1yr and 4yr kids for the first time. heard of hollywood studio and disney land. Any other places to visit? Which one will be better – package tour or individual visits?
i can spend 3 or 4 complete days there. Suggestions regarding hotels is also very much helpful.
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Tags: Days, disney land, First, Hollywood, hollywood studio, hotel, Kids, Laca, Must, parents, Places, studio, Time, With
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Here’s my top ten:
Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can’t be wrong. (Sometimes it seems all at once)
Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. Check out eBay. You can find some discounted tickets there. And Universal City Walk is a fun place to hang out in the evening after your day inside the park.
Hollywood: Hollywood Boulevard is ready for its close-up, thanks to years of urban renewal and renovation. Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Mann’s Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. I have also added the Hollywood & Highland complex to my top ten list… it has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards). I like the El Capitan theater, because it has been restored to its former glory, unlike the Chinese, which was essentially gutted and turned into a multiplex.
Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.
Venice Beach: Los Angeles kitsch and over-the-top culture at its best.
Here you’ll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore.
Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste. And it’s a short bike ride from:
Santa Monica Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. (The Sting and “Three’s Company” come immediately to mind).
After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.
Santa Monica Third Street Promenade – Downtown Santa Monica’s shopping promenade is often the scene of movie star-sightings. Just a short walk from the Santa Monica Pier.
Sunset Boulevard: Perhaps one of the world’s most famous streets, it began as a route between the stars’ posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the “Sunset Strip” on its way. It makes for a fun drive. Along the way, you see a lot of different neighborhoods. Hollywood, West Hollywood, Bel Air, and Pacific Palisades. When you get to the ocean, stop at Gladstone’s for Fish.
Queen Mary: Once the largest ship afloat, she’s been docked in Long Beach for longer than she sailed, and her elegance never fails to impress. Free to visit. You can actually stay on board, for a price.
Farmers Market and The Grove – A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, The Grove and Farmers Market coexist. Enjoy a movie or shopping, then take the trolley to the Farmers Market for lunch or dinner.
Farmer’s Market is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping “The Price is Right”. You might even get in.
Griffith Park – Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.
Getty Museum – The Getty’s architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art or architecture better (or maybe you’ll just enjoy the view), the Getty is sure to please. Free.
Attend a TV taping – You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It’s very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the tonight show. Check the NBC web site for all the details there. (6YO is too young, may have to stay in hotel for this)
Places to eat:
In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.
Pink’s Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. Might see a celebrity.
Tommy’s Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. Original location at Beverly & Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.
Canter’s Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly & Melrose. Near CBS, might spot a celebrity.
Phillippe’s: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station, Olvera Street. Watch the mustard, it’s hot.
Places to Stay:
In Hollywood, I recommend the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel and the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel.
In Anaheim, I recommend the HoJo Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. If you want to splurge and make this a most memorable trip, stay at Disney’s Grand Californian. You get the full Disney experience. If you don’t need to stay by the park, then stay at the Doubletree on Harbor, or even the one in Orange on Chapman.
In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced.
Places to Shop:
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
Citadel Outlets, Commerce
Beverly Center, Los Angeles
The Block at Orange, Orange
Ontario Mills, Ontario
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Stay at the Renaissance in Hollywood. Your right at Hollywood and Highland blvds with big new mall and the famous Gromans Chinese theater. Right where the stars on the sidewalk are. Perfect for tourists.
Your 5 mins from Universal Studios-take a cab.
Be careful of package deals, because the European tourist don’t know that 30 dollars is ridiculous for a 5 minute bus ride, tour operators take advantage.
As far as Disneyland, it’s an hour. You can move to a hotel down there, where life revolves around Disney, so finding a shuttle will be easy, or if you choose to stay in Hollywood, I’m sure you can get a shuttle.
The Renaissance is geared toward tourists, they’ll have lots of packages and info.
Go to the Disneyland website, they own many hotels, not all are called “the Disneyland hotel”.
There used to be an Enterprise rent a car in the hotel….probably the best bet to drive to Disneyland.
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Disney is always awsome!! There is also Leggo Land, Knot’s Berry Farm. The beach(s) are not fat at all!! Just go south for the beach. It is also a warm summer go weather for the beach. I like Seal Beach. Big Bear mountain is not far. I lived there for 30 yrs. Have Fun!!
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
please try this
Posted on January 20th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
31, IF YOU ARE ABLE RENT A CAR (DOLLAR IS GOOD PLACE AT AIRPORT). THAT WAY YOU CAN GO TO MORE THEN ONE PLACE. IF NOT TRY STAYING IN BUENA PARK (CLOSE TO DISNEYLAND AND KNOTT;S BERRY FARM, BOTH EXCELLENT FOR SMALL CHILDREN. I THINK YOU WILL HAVE YOUR HAND FULL FOR 4 DAYS THEN. MANY HOTEL THAT ARE KID FRIENDLY ON HWY 39 N(AKA BEACH BLVD). AND I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND AN INDIVIDUAL VISIT, IN CASE YOU SKIP A DAY OR GO TO ANOTHER VENUE.
HOTEL, I ALWAYS ENJOYED EMBASSY SUITE WITH MY KIDS, BREAKFAST INCLUDED BIG ROOMS AND FREE SHUTTLE TO PARKS (DISNEYLAND OR KNOTTS) SAVES PARKING TIME AND COST). IF YOU LIVE NEAR A COSTCO, DISNEYLAND PASS OFFERED BUT EACH ONE IS GOOD FOR ONLY ONE PERSON AROUND $100 EACH. WHEN YOU BOOK ANY HOTEL, BE SURE TO MENTION AAA DISCOUNT (MOST DON’T ASK FOR CARD IN CASE YOU DON’T HAVE ONE). BOTH THESE PLACES HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND KNOW THEIR BUSINESS. SO THEY ARE ALWAYS A GREAT SOURCE OF HELP WHILE HERE.
LEGO LAND IS ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTH OF DISNEYLAND AND IS ALSO GREAT FOR SMALL CHILDRED……..BUT A FULL DAY AND KIDS REALLY HAVE FUN, JUST BE CAREFUL IN THE PARKING LOT WHEN WALKING. WAS THERE LAST MONTH AND AN 8 YO GIRL WALKED RIGHT INTO A LIGHT POST AND SUFFERED
THOMAS
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 12:32 am
Personally for the criteria that you mention I would personally choose Disneyland. Reason being is because the little ones may not be so entertained by the movie making process however Disneyland offers many adventures for the little ones. Disneyland is located in the city of Anaheim and is easily accessed from the “5″ freeway otherwise known as the Golden State freeway. Which is apx. 30 miles from Los Angeles. Their is various hotels and motels to choose from and ofcourse you can always stay at the Disneyland Hotel which the kids will get a kick out of because a bell rings when the Monorail passes by. Phone# 714) 999-4565. Have a super vacation!
Posted on January 21st, 2010 at 5:17 am
on top of hollywood, an ddisneyland, there is universal studios, there is The Block in Orange, there are a few Gameworks around, there is Catalina, Second Street in Long Beach, Knottsberry Farm(sp), there is Huntington Beach, Irvine Spectrum