# Has anyone been to LA?



## Pip (Feb 20, 2009)

Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.

The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad? 

Thanks.


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

For a start it's huge. You can't just write it all off. Therer are lots of areas worth seeing, but you have to like driving around a fair bit (it can be 20 miles from one part to another). If you've ever watched many movies you'll be constantly surrounded by 'sets' you've seen. Hollywood, Korea town, Santa Monica, Venice and more. I stayed in Santa Monica for 2 weeks once and liked it, great beaches, good town centre (shops, ice cream, coffee, bookshops, nice atmostphere). Admittedly LA is a 'city experience' but it's unlike any city you'll ever experience anywhere else. We also did things like went to the baseball, drove inland to the edge fo the desert (for a vintage car meet ). I just liked being there and driving around seeing stuff I'd unconsciously taken in via 1,000 movies.


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## Griff (Feb 20, 2009)

There's quite a bit to see and a lot to eat there. 

As mentioned, Santa Monica & Venice are nice. Also it's worth going round the shops at Rodeo Drive for the lulz. 

I was in my element looking at the many old car-dealers there. 

If you like big rollercoaster & cool rides, there's Magic Mountain to the North of LA I think (it's been 16 years since being there), which will scare the life out of you.  Plus of course Disneyland or Disneyworld, can't remember which one it is. And of course the Universal Studios.  

It's worth spending a couple of days there to be fair then take the Pacific Highway, up to San Francisco preferably in a decent car with the roof down.


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## trashpony (Feb 20, 2009)

I used to live there


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## spanglechick (Feb 20, 2009)

hmm - do the hoollywood stuff (handprints, drive up to the planetarium thing to see the best view of the sign / have your jimmy dean moment), maybe have a look at rodeo drive in the afternoon - dinner at the formosa..

job done.


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## kyser_soze (Feb 20, 2009)

Wot Spion sed really ^^^

I agree that it's a unique city experience - the exprience of being a city that's actually a giant suburb. Very, very weird. Not as fun as SF tho.


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

Griff said:


> It's worth spending a couple of days there to be fair then take the Pacific Highway, up to San Francisco preferably in a decent car with the roof down.


I'd keep the roof up for the mornings where the fog doesn't lift til noon 

Driving LA to SF inland via the edge of the Mojave desert, up the eastern side (Owens Valley) of the Sierra Nevada and then cutting across the mountains and down to SF via Tahoe is my fave, but you gotta do the coast route too


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## Griff (Feb 20, 2009)

Spion said:


> I'd keep the roof up for the mornings where the fog doesn't lift til noon
> 
> Driving LA to SF inland via the edge of the Mojave desert, up the eastern side (Owens Valley) of the Sierra Nevada and then cutting across the mountains and down to SF via Tahoe is my fave, but you gotta do the coast route too




Well I did the triangle of landing in LA, driving to Vegas (in a Cadillac with the King on the radio ) then up to SF then back down along the coast road back to LA.


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.



I'd skip Seattle unless you're keen on rain and baseball!

In LA go to Katana for sushi!


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## fractionMan (Feb 20, 2009)

Didn't like it much.  SF is sooo much nicer.

If you do go, see if you can find the outdoor cinema that runs once a week or so in a cemetery.  That was wicked


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

Griff said:


> landing in LA, driving to Vegas (in a Cadillac with the King on the radio ) then up to SF then back down along the coast road back to LA.



I LOVE driving in the desert. With the Doors on the stereo. Some music just seems to work so well there


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## bluestreak (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.


 

Heh, at some point in time my missus and I have had exactly the same conversation, with me taking your side and her taking his!  It definitely doesn't look like a place you'd want to be for more than 24 hours.


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## bluestreak (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> I'd skip Seattle unless you're keen on rain and baseball!


 
Ignore this man, Seattle is great, some real fun to be had if you look in the right places.


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## fractionMan (Feb 20, 2009)

Downtown LA is one of the more depressing bits of america.  I'm not sure why anyone would want to be there for more than a day.  Hollywood is a triumph of failed expectations.  It's _shit_.

Pasadena was a nice leafy suburb, but again, why would you want to spend a holiday there?  Not been to the beach so perhaps that's better.


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

bluestreak said:


> Ignore this man, Seattle is great, some real fun to be had if you look in the right places.



I did have fun, especially with the Mariner's Moose!


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## paolo (Feb 20, 2009)

LA is California's Birmingham.

Like Birmingham, it's not _all_ shit, it's just that _most of it_ is.

I'd try and tweak the tour dates to stay in places like Santa Barbara or Laguna Beach. You can pretend that it counts towards staying in LA.


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## beeboo (Feb 20, 2009)

I loved LA - I've got more of a hankering to go back there than SF.  The touristy bits of Hollywood were dire though, like Leicester Square but worse.  

Los Feliz was my absolute favourite area, I could live there and go to the Good Luck Bar every night


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## chilango (Feb 20, 2009)

LA is horrible.

I liked it.


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## Pieface (Feb 20, 2009)

God I really want to go on holiday to America. So much to see.........I'd like to spend a couple of months there.


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

paolo999 said:


> LA is California's Birmingham.





chilango said:


> LA is horrible.
> 
> I liked it.



I hear both of you. 

I grew up in Birmingham, btw

Really tho, it's mostly the geographical sprawl of the place that's like Brum (more like the whole West Mids really). 

Brum doesn't have the sun, the strange familiarity you have from so many movies, the ludicrous wealth next to the downright scuzzy, the desert, the beaches, the variety (and extremes) of neighbourhoods.


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## paolo (Feb 20, 2009)

Spion said:


> the ludicrous wealth next to the downright scuzzy



Sutton Coldfield, Kingstanding?  

(No, you're right... LA is a bit polar like that)


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

paolo999 said:


> Sutton Coldfield, Kingstanding?


LOLz

Wrong side of town for me. Different rules. *shudder*


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## ovaltina (Feb 20, 2009)

Another vote for Santa Monica and Venice Beach here. Not sure about the rest of it though.


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## damnhippie (Feb 20, 2009)

ovaltina said:


> Another vote for Santa Monica and Venice Beach here. Not sure about the rest of it though.



err yeah, agree. you could probably spend a fun couple of days there but a week would be pushing it. 

also helps if you have a local who knows where very specific cool stuff is. 

when i was there we went to a bar that was pretty much someone's front room, a punk rock radio station, a squatted music venue, a bicycle co op and some great food places... all great fun but none of which were the kind of thing i'd have found without supervision.


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## middle C (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.



San Fran is in Cali 

LA was alright.  I didn't enjoy it much.  It's so spaced-out.  It felt empty there


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## Spion (Feb 20, 2009)

LA's like Marmite. You either like it or you don't.

That said, if you know someone there or are resourceful enough to find your own way around there is tonnes to be seen and done


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## middle C (Feb 20, 2009)

fractionMan said:


> Didn't like it much.  SF is sooo much nicer.



Agree with this.


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## Biglittlefish (Feb 20, 2009)

LA is awesome. Most people pass through for a quick trip and hate it but thats another plus point as far as I'm concerned. Firstly you have to have a car. Not having one will make doing anything a proper pain. 
The Getty museum is a really incredible site way up in the hills overlooking the city. Whatever you do get there. Downtown is like nowhere else in the world. Some would say its grim, but I love it, every corner has a dilapidated old theatre or a cool mural. At night there are a ton of rock clubs, bars and lounges. (Find out about one before you go down there or you'll just drive around missing them). Venice is an exp in it self. Like an unselfconscious Camden. gets crowded though. Santa Monica is a nice up market shopping district with a beautiful long beach. V crowded on sunny wkds holidays/though. 
The sunset strip is pure, clubs, bars and drunken girls and frat boys. Worth a trip for the exp. If you feel like seeing some b list movie stars leering over beautiful willing woman go to one of the upmarket clubs on the strip and give the bouncer a hundred. They'll be only too keen to accept it. 
Drive up to mulholland drive, get out and walk around the hills overlooking the city. La has great Mexican food, its cheap and everywhere. eating in a restaurant is also a lot cheaper than in the UK for the quality of food on offer. O and the thai food is legendry (its even mentioned in the Pulp fiction script) Its also cheap and everywhere.
The best advice I could give you about la is to pick a few places you want to see and just head there. Its not really a city you can wander round and find stuff interesting things. Its too spread out.


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## MightyAphrodite (Feb 20, 2009)

If you want to feel like youre on another planet for a while you should visit LA.


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

If you're into clubs Avalon is the best of a bad bunch in LA. Americans just aren't bery good at clubs unfortunately.


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## MightyAphrodite (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> If you're into clubs Avalon is the best of a bad bunch in LA. Americans just aren't bery good at clubs unfortunately.



what you need to do pip is save up (?) and stay a week at the chateau marmont...

dont even bother with clubs!

all the good clubs are in las vegas anyway.


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## Detroit City (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> .


i lived in LA for a year.  the weather is nice, the people are not that nice and there are fake breasts all over the place.  but i would recommend you not stay a week.  3 to 4 days should be more than enough as there is plenty to see.

oh yea, the traffic is unlike anything you've seen before...


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

MightyAphrodite said:


> what you need to do pip is save up and stay at week at the chateau marmont...
> 
> dont even bother with clubs!
> 
> all the good clubs are in las vegas.



Which clubs would you recommend in Vegas? I'm off there in March and can't remember the names of the ones we went to. I remember there was one proper one we went to because my mate was playing there but the rest were meat markets with a Vegas twist.


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## MightyAphrodite (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> Which clubs would you recommend in Vegas? I'm off there in March and can't remember the names of the ones we went to. I remember there was one proper one we went to because my mate was playing there but the rest were meat markets with a Vegas twist.



The ones ive had THE BEST times in are...

Tao (its in the venetian)

Tryst (at the wynn)

ive been in loads of em, but you cant go wrong with either of those...especially tryst...ive been to las vegas and never even left the hotel wynn, you dont need to really, so obv thats where id recommend staying too..where are you staying or do you know yet?


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

MightyAphrodite said:


> The ones ive had THE BEST times in are...
> 
> Tao (its in the venetian)
> 
> ...



Not sure. Stayed at the MgM Grand last time when we went on stag do, same group of lads for another stag this time so I would imagine somewhere similar. You would think I'd know where I've paid for wouldn't you


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## MightyAphrodite (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> Not sure. Stayed at the MgM Grand last time when we went on stag do, same group of lads for another stag this time so I would imagine somewhere similar. *You would think I'd know where I've paid for wouldn't you*



nah thats perfectly normal for vegas ....

where ever you stay, really take one night to spend at the wynn and take in tryst , you wont regret it  

(or stay there, even better!!)


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

Last time the 'glamour' of Vegas was somewhat tainted by the fact there was a darts championship going on in the basement of our hotel and one of our mates ended up in a brawl with Eric Bristow


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## MightyAphrodite (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> Last time the 'glamour' of Vegas was somewhat tainted by the fact there was a darts championship going on in the basement of our hotel and one of our mates ended up in a brawl with Eric Bristow





its a cliche when people say anything can and does happen there, but its a true cliche innit  


i try not to think about holidays there, they can make you squirm


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## Griff (Feb 20, 2009)

Yelkcub said:


> one of our mates ended up in a brawl with Eric Bristow


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## Yelkcub (Feb 20, 2009)

Sorry Pip, I've Vegas'd up your LA thread.

In penance, here's another bitesize infosnack:

In San Fran, give Ruby Skye a miss. Like Pacha London but with even worse dad-dancing.


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## Pip (Feb 20, 2009)

Thank you everyone for all your replies, very interesting 

Yelkcub, I don't really give a shit about American clubs tbh, sampling clubs in Miami was one huge WTF. The less said about South Beach's take on New Rave the better


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.



You're spot on. I hated it.


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## christonabike (Feb 20, 2009)

We went to Club Six in SF for a dubstep night with Hatcha and Youngsta

http://www.clubsix1.com/

There's a decent bar over the road as well

Vegas is fucking ace, so we got married there, Pussycat Dolls Lounge was the only clubby place we went to, and the missus got the whole po-faced crowd dancing. The whole of Vegas is just like a club really

Peppermill Lounge is very recommended

http://www.peppermilllasvegas.com/

No pics here so google it, it is fun


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## phildwyer (Feb 20, 2009)

trashpony said:


> I used to live there



Me too.  Worth a week at least.  If you get bored you can drive out to the beaches for the day--Newport, Manhattan etc are all nice.


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## phildwyer (Feb 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Yelkcub, I don't really give a shit about American clubs



Try the Standard in downtown LA, you might be pleasantly surprised.  You could be in London, except that you're on a rooftop.


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## MikeMcc (Feb 21, 2009)

I agree that about 3-4 days is about it for the place unless you really start looking out for some more out-of the way things to do.  A good experience was staying on the Queen Mary in Huntingdon Beach, it was only $100 for the night.  It's amazing how seedy the area around Mann's is. 100 yards in any direction and you find prostitutes propositioning you, even though I had my ex with me!  Venice was excellent.

I prefer SD or SF, even those places have some pretty depressing areas and sights though. Since you are coming down that way stop off in Muir Woods (just north of SF), it's an amazing place.


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## beatrix (Feb 21, 2009)

Watts Towers is worth a visit.


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## Part 2 (Feb 22, 2009)

^^
Beat me to it.

Museum of Tolerance is supposed to be good although we never got there.

Six Flags if you want a theme park

Farmers Market for food, loads of different stalls with seating a pitchers of beer and the best sushi in LA so my mates told me. Also a sportie LA on Melrose not far away for the biggest choice of collectible trainers I've ever seen.

Huntington Beach, nice coffee and donuts there, Venice for comedy value, Santa Monica is okay, Santa Barbara is probably the best beach and Long Beach to look at the houses.


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## tastebud (Feb 22, 2009)

wanna go to visit a friend in san fran this year! 
LA for a couple of days would be okay i think.


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## phildwyer (Feb 22, 2009)

You can't really go wrong on the SoCal coast, all the way from San Francisco to Rosarito.  Drive inland as well, and look at the redwood forests.  They have "micro-ecologies," so the flora and fauna change every 10 miles or so.


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## trashpony (Feb 22, 2009)

Part2 said:


> ^^
> Beat me to it.
> 
> Museum of Tolerance is supposed to be good although we never got there.
> ...



I'd agree with all that - Watts Towers are cool and the Museum of Tolerance I found really moving. Melrose has lots of interesting shops and there are tons of swap meets and second hand clothes shops in LA where you can get vintage stuff you'd never find anywhere else (St Vincent de Paul is good)

The beach is amazing early morning. I've seen dolphins and pelicans there a lot. The body surfing is good off Santa Monica and if you surf, Palos Verdes is great. You can also go on some great walks in the Hollywood Hills - the one past Madonna's old house and up into the mountains is absolutely beautiful and you cannot believe you're on the edge of a massive city. The other place I'd recommend is Griffith Park - it's beautiful, you can hire a horse and of course you can go to the Observatory (which has been refurbished and is supposed to be brilliant now).


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## Biglittlefish (Feb 22, 2009)

Griffith park is really worth the trip. The Observatory has been refurbed and is v cool. Though the actual show in there is lame.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2009)

Been thinking about this a lot over the weekend and have put the seeds of going to San Francisco and around California/Nevada into Mrs.Griff's head.

Maybe think about September time. Also been looking at the decent cars that Avis do, like Corvettes and Mustangs.


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## Part 2 (Feb 23, 2009)

We did a drive by past Snoops house too 

His cribs house is just round the corner from my mates.


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## D (Mar 2, 2009)

Pip - just let me know when you're really going.  I lived in San Francisco for 4 1/2 years, spent a bit of time in LA too.  I love California.  I've dished out my two cents a billion times on these boards (but, mind you, I haven't been to CA in a year - I'm touring my solo there in June, though).  I'm happy to do so again if you're interested.


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## Poi E (Mar 2, 2009)

Hire a '73 Eldorado convertible while you're there. Recommended.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 2, 2009)

I was there for 6 weeks when I was a kid but was stuck on a military base.

However, there's more to California than LA, and there's more to LA than Hollywood.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of it except Universal Studios, Disneyland etc.  Think we went to some Spanish mission and to the mountains in Ojai for the day but was stuck on the base the rest of the time.


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## oryx (Mar 2, 2009)

I did a road trip from Seattle to California (SF) back in 1991 - it was one of the most fun experiences of my life.

I went back to Seattle in 1995 and then went to see a mate in LA - or just outside it. We didn't see much of LA itself but I remember Laguna & Huntington Beaches were nice. 

We went down to San Diego and on to Tijuana  in Mexico - highly recommended if you have the time.


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## Sadken (Mar 18, 2009)

Pip, I could hook you up with some funsters in San Diego.  We had an amazing time in that very odd city and came away really glad to have known someone there.


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## Diamond (Mar 18, 2009)

Finally spent the weekend with my west-coast roadtrip crew from four years ago and found out the name of a place that is really, really worth a visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle

Unbelievably opulent home of the fellow on whom citizen kane is based.


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## beeboo (Mar 19, 2009)

Diamond said:


> Finally spent the weekend with my west-coast roadtrip crew from four years ago and found out the name of a place that is really, really worth a visit:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle
> 
> Unbelievably opulent home of the fellow on whom citizen kane is based.



If you go, do it first thing in the morning.  You have to go on guided tour, but get on the first one of the day, when it is nice and quiet.  Also often as not the fog is in at the time, and as you go up the hill to the 'castle' you emerge into brilliant sunshine, as if you're on an island surrounded by a sea of cloud.  Enhances the surreal fantasy feeling 

And book in advance, or you won't get to go at all


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## upsidedownwalrus (Mar 20, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.



the image I get of LA is of somewhere where you absolutely must have a car, but where, if you do, and if you live in a good area, it could be a fantastic place, but if you lived in the wrong area, it would suck majorly.


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## MightyAphrodite (Apr 2, 2009)

RenegadeDog said:


> the image I get of LA is of somewhere where you absolutely must have a car, but where, if you do, and if you live in a good area, it could be a fantastic place, but if you lived in the wrong area, it would suck majorly.



That pretty much sums it up RD....

los angeles is a great place as long as (like RD said) you stay out of the wrong areas, im back there soon, want me to make/get you a list of stuff to do pip (well i'll get advice for you from people that live there, who know plenty about where to and not to go etc etc...)

oh and you do need a car imo.


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## SpookyFrank (Apr 3, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.



LA is a shithole. We drove the stretch of coast from LA to San Francisco though and it was wonderful. Go to Yosemite as well, it's fantastic. The US national parks make ours look like, well, like parks


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## beeboo (Apr 3, 2009)

Yosemite is fantastic.  Unless you've got camping gear with you, I recommend Housekeeping Camp if you want something approaching a taste of the outdoors - it's not wilderness by a long shot but it's camping of sorts and the only place in the valley that you can have a camp fire.  Of all the places on our west coast trip, Yosemite was the one place I really didn't want to leave, it was absolutely stunning.


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## THX (Apr 26, 2009)

Hi Pip,

I lived in LA for 28 years.

It can be a fun place to visit, a week maybe the most time you would want to spend there.

There is Disneyland (lol) and the beaches in Orange County like Newport are awesome.

Hollywood is fun if you like the rock scene, there are still some of the best clubs anywhere.

(I live in Seattle now btw.)

That coast highway is a very long haul... scenic, but takes about twice as long as the Grapevine.

THX


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## Corax (Apr 26, 2009)

No.

Thanks for asking though.


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## Spion (Apr 27, 2009)

beeboo said:


> Yosemite is fantastic.  Unless you've got camping gear with you, I recommend Housekeeping Camp if you want something approaching a taste of the outdoors - it's not wilderness by a long shot but it's camping of sorts and the only place in the valley that you can have a camp fire.  Of all the places on our west coast trip, Yosemite was the one place I really didn't want to leave, it was absolutely stunning.



I've always had bad luck/timing with Yosemite and found it too crowded when I've been there, but seeing as I didin't hang around both time I may not have found the best parts.

I really liked Sequoia NP, a day's drive further south in the Sierras. Try Mineral King campground. It's about 10,000ft up and near lots of high wilderness with miles of hiking to be done


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## beeboo (Apr 27, 2009)

Spion said:


> I've always had bad luck/timing with Yosemite and found it too crowded when I've been there, but seeing as I didin't hang around both time I may not have found the best parts.



We were there at a busy time and it IS crowded on the valley floor - but just get your walking shoes on and get off the main tourist trails and you soon have the place to yourself.  It's deservedly crowded as it's absolutely stunning.  It's just like the Lake District here - 90% of people don't stray more than a few minutes from their car - if you hang out in the centre of Windermere it's not much fun, but up on the hills you soon escape the crowds.


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## DMark (Apr 27, 2009)

There is an old joke that says, "Los Angeles is 27 suburbs in search of a city."
Lots of truth in that.

I lived in LA for 14 years and loved it, but I lived in West Hollywood and could walk to movie theaters, bars, restaurants, Sunset Strip, etc. etc.

LA is very spread out, some places boring/dirty/dangerous - other places fun/upscale/funky.  The trick is to get from one good place to another without wasting time and landing in the wrong place.

West Hollywood (very Gay, but fun and friendly), Beverly Hills (pricey, but interesting to go up and down Rodeo Drive), Century City (shopping mall is OK) Westwood (lots of UCLA students and cool shops and restaurants) Santa Monica (on the beach, nice pedestrian zone with shops and stuff). 

The above tour, from West Hollywood to Santa Monica, is a straight shot down Santa Monica Boulevard, quite safe, very pretty for the most part, and you cannot get lost. Although it is only about 10 miles, depending on time of day and traffic, could take you from 1 hour to 4 hours to drive it non-stop. (Traffic is a bitch!) Just stay on Santa Monica Blvd. from West Hollywood and go west...or start in Santa Monica and go east to West Hollywood.  However, you should stop and check out the sights as you make your jaunt down the boulevard.

There are lots of other places (as noted by others in this thread), but for a newbie on their own, this is a very simple driving tour that pretty much covers the gambit for a quick visit.


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## editor (Apr 27, 2009)

Pip said:


> Me and my man are talking about at some point driving down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Francisco, to California.
> 
> The thing is, he's talking about spending about a week in LA  whereas it strikes me as somewhere you'd lol at then want to leave after about a day. Am I being unfair? Is it really that bad?
> 
> Thanks.


I worked there for a few days. Hated it.

My office was about a mile from my hotel and they couldn't get their heads around the fact that I turned down their limo offer and wanted to walk - yes _walk _- to work.

Despite me being surrounded by houses, the footpath was about the size of a hedgehog track, and anyone walking the streets is presumed homeless/mad.

I usually take hundreds of pictures of places I visit, but LA was so dull I only managed about 40.


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## upsidedownwalrus (Apr 27, 2009)

Pip said:


> Thank you everyone for all your replies, very interesting
> 
> Yelkcub, I don't really give a shit about American clubs tbh, sampling clubs in Miami was one huge WTF. The less said about South Beach's take on New Rave the better



This yank was recently trying to tell me that New York 'wiped the floor' with London as far as nightlife was concerned, and that really, in terms of nightlife and clubs, London was about the same as a 'fourth tier' (whatever that means ) US city.


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## editor (Apr 27, 2009)

RenegadeDog said:


> This yank was recently trying to tell me that New York 'wiped the floor' with London as far as nightlife was concerned, and that really, in terms of nightlife and clubs, London was about the same as a 'fourth tier' (whatever that means ) US city.


New York is fucking great - I'd move there in an instant if I could - but London still has the best club scene by miles. Saying that, the cheesy disco scene or the 'upmarket' bars might be better in New York, but London kicks NY's ass when it comes to the wild and wonderful.


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## upsidedownwalrus (Apr 27, 2009)

editor said:


> New York is fucking great - I'd move there in an instant if I could - but London still has the best club scene by miles. Saying that, the cheesy disco scene or the 'upmarket' bars might be better in New York, but London kicks NY's ass when it comes to the wild and wonderful.



Yeah, that's very much the impression I get.

Never been to NY.  I wasn't offended by him saying NY's club scene was better than London's, more the insinuation that London was about the same as a 'fourth tier' city, by which I understood nowheresville with not much going on...


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## beeboo (Apr 27, 2009)

editor said:


> I worked there for a few days. Hated it.
> 
> My office was about a mile from my hotel and they couldn't get their heads around the fact that I turned down their limo offer and wanted to walk - yes _walk _- to work.
> 
> ...




It's definitely the most car-centric city I've ever been in - the entire infrastructure is set up around it.  

I initiallly found it quite strange that shops/restaurants etc don't seem to be very clustered together - but they don't really need to be, you just drive to one, then hop back in your car and drive to the next.  

Driving in LA was a slightly terrifying experience - it's all multi-lane madness, and whatever "lane discipline" they use (or don't) takes some getting used to.


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## MightyAphrodite (Apr 27, 2009)

beeboo said:


> It's definitely the most car-centric city I've ever been in - the entire infrastructure is set up around it.
> 
> I initiallly found it quite strange that shops/restaurants etc don't seem to be very clustered together - but they don't really need to be, you just drive to one, then hop back in your car and drive to the next.
> 
> Driving in LA was a slightly terrifying experience - it's all multi-lane madness, and whatever "lane discipline" they use (or don't) takes some getting used to.



Jesus, thats true, there are some real idiots on the road...i have to drive to LA from Las Vegas tomorrow and im dreaaaaaaaading it.

I *HATE *driving in Los Angeles.


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## phildwyer (Apr 27, 2009)

editor said:


> New York is fucking great - I'd move there in an instant if I could - but London still has the best club scene by miles. Saying that, the cheesy disco scene or the 'upmarket' bars might be better in New York, but London kicks NY's ass when it comes to the wild and wonderful.



Pish what nonsense.  New York's nightlife isn't what it was, but there are still more "wild and wonderful" bars and clubs in the East Village alone than in the whole of London.


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## editor (Apr 27, 2009)

phildwyer said:


> Pish what nonsense.  New York's nightlife isn't what it was, but there are still more "wild and wonderful" bars and clubs in the East Village alone than in the whole of London.


Says Phil who neither lives in New York or London and - as far as I can recall - barely _ever_ posts about going out clubbing in either.

What were the last clubs you went to in London?


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## weltweit (Apr 27, 2009)

I landed at LAX at about 0900, drove to a massive exhibition space, met lots of boring people just like me and then at about 1900 drove to San Diego to stay with a friend. The next morning I drove back to LAX handed my car back and flew away. 

Well you only asked if anyone had been there. Ive been there but not really


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## phildwyer (Apr 27, 2009)

editor said:


> Says Phil who neither lives in New York or London and - as far as I can recall - barely _ever_ posts about going out clubbing in either.
> 
> What were the last clubs you went to in London?



Offline.

But seriously, I've lived in both New York and London, and New York's nightlife is much better.  It has to do with the concentration of venues in lower Manhattan I reckon.  Nowhere beats the East Village on a Saturday night.


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## ChrisFilter (Apr 27, 2009)

phildwyer said:


> Offline.
> 
> But seriously, I've lived in both New York and London, and New York's nightlife is much better.  It has to do with the concentration of venues in lower Manhattan I reckon.  Nowhere beats the East Village on a Saturday night.



My New Yorker assistant would beg to differ. She seemed to think the nightlife in London was a real eye opener.


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## phildwyer (Apr 28, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> My New Yorker assistant would beg to differ. She seemed to think the nightlife in London was a real eye opener.



Well I suppose it's a matter of taste really.  I find London's nightlife too spread-out, so that you can only really go to one place a night.  In New York you can wander around to several different venues all on the same block.

But anyway, this thread's supposed to be about LA...


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## ovaltina (Apr 28, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> My New Yorker assistant would beg to differ. She seemed to think the nightlife in London was a real eye opener.



According to this sniffy piece in the Telegraph, the New York Times says Deptford is where the cool kids hang out:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...-by-New-York-Times-travel-recommendation.html



> Describing Deptford High Street as a "blissfully chain-free zone", the author encouraged Americans to try lunch at pie and mash shop A J Goddard, drink coffee at a converted train carriage that had been abandoned at a railway yard, and picked out the best pubs to see live bands.


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## MightyAphrodite (Sep 2, 2009)

Now's not a good time to be in Los Angeles. Incase anyone from here is or was planning on making the trip anytime soon.

The place is burning down. My friends car was literally covered in ash.


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## dat brown skin (Sep 12, 2009)

SpookyFrank said:


> LA is a shithole. We drove the stretch of coast from LA to San Francisco though and it was wonderful. Go to Yosemite as well, it's fantastic. The US national parks make ours look like, well, like parks



I love LA, but even I had to leave after 13 years. I headed for Texas for some years only to come back to California 5 years later but lived in a small coastal town in Ventura County, about 1 1/2 hours from LA.  How long where you there for before you decided it was a shit hole?  It's a neat place, but not the sort of place you visit for 2 days.


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## dat brown skin (Sep 12, 2009)

MightyAphrodite said:


> Now's not a good time to be in Los Angeles. Incase anyone from here is or was planning on making the trip anytime soon.
> 
> The place is burning down. My friends car was literally covered in ash.



No longer. The fires are now pretty much contained.  Besides it's life as usual in unaffected areas any way.  Oh well won't be long before there's another one.

"Here comes those Santa Ana winds again"


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