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Anything that I don't want to miss in LA?


school17777
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Lots of stuff! But as you are only there for a short time I would concentrate on what is close to where you are staying (unless there is something you have always wanted to see). LA is huge so you might have to drive half the day to see some of the sights. If you let us know what area you will be in we can easier make a recommendation.

Edited by Twolittleboys
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It depends on what area you are going to.  If you need to be with a  sick relative, I wouldn't drive too far out of the way.

 

West Side:

 

Getty Museum (free!)

Tar Pits

Simon Weisenthol Museum (closed on Sat for the Sabbath)

 

South Coastal Area

 

Queen Mary (free after 6pm with a purchase on ship, website explains)

Aquarium

 

North area:

 

Griffith Park Observatory 

Huntington Gardens (Pasadena)

 

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The L.A. experience is really the Southern California  experience.  You will have to pick your must do and plan accordingly.  Distance and traffic must always be factored, even, or especially, on the weekend.  I suggest you stay near the hospital or  your activity/attraction.  I would avoid flying to LAX, staying downtown, visit at Cedars, and then going to Disneyland.

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Depending on where the sick relative is located, I would probably try to stay near where they are.  Many things to see and do, depending on where your relative is and what is near to them. La Brea Tar Pits have been mentioned. Griffith Park Observatory has been mentioned. Many things to do and see. Have you been there before? Hollywood Blvd.?  Beverly Hills?  Santa Monica Pier?  Drive up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica at least to Malibu?  Go to the beach at Zuma Beach?  Those things would be fine, if you are in West L.A., but they would be a long way, if you are in some other part of the L.A. area. If you can specify where you will be some of the people here may be able to give you better suggestions.

 

ETA: Farmers Market in L.A.  This is their Home Page: http://www.farmersmarketla.com/

Edited by Lanny
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I grew up in S. Calif., and went to UCLA a couple years (MA).  I agree with the others - WHERE will you be staying/visiting relative?  Be specific and we can direct you to nearby stuff to avoid what free time you have being stuck in traffic.

 

The day we were in LA with the kids to show them the sites a few years back, after "doing" Hollywood Blvd we got stuck in horrid traffic, as a nearby Pride parade had just ended. Cut into our Getty time before we had to hit traffic again to get to our motel in Redlands (where my Dad then lived).  So you want to check event schedules, too.

 

Wish I knew how to post a photo or two....have some cool shots from in from of Grauman's Chinese

Edited by JFSinIL
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OP do you live near an Ocean? Do you live in or near Mountains? I grew up in L.A. .   You might go over to Catalina Island and see the Flying Fish and the town of Avalon, etc.  Or, go fishing.  You might also want to pay and go on a Sightseeing Tour.  They can show you more things, and explain them, in one day, that you could see on your own in 3 or 4 days. I took one of those in Washington DC and one in NYC and it was well worth the money, to see so many things in so little time.  I am not suggesting something like the famous "see 12 European Countries in 16 days".    Again, if you can let us know where your relative is located, hopefully you will stay near there, and then we can try to point you to things that are not hours away.  If you don't live near Mountains, you might drive up to Lake Arrowhead, which is just North of San Bernardino, for example.  Have a safe trip!

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Lots of stuff! But as you are only there for a short time I would concentrate on what is close to where you are staying (unless there is something you have always wanted to see). LA is huge so you might have to drive half the day to see some of the sights. If you let us know what area you will be in we can easier make a recommendation.

 

We will be in Tustin, and/or wherever the VA Hospital is.

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We will be in Tustin, and/or wherever the VA Hospital is.

 

 You will be in Orange County. S.E. of L.A.  I am assuming that Disneyland is not among the things you are interested in visiting.

 

First, look at the things on this URL:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g33198-Activities-Tustin_California.html

 

Here's the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tustin,_California

 

It wouldn't be a horrible drive to go from there to beaches South of Long Beach or to see the Queen Mary or to take a boat to Catalina Island.   The town of Avalon is where you would explore and go from there.

 

You would be fairly close to  The Mission in San Juan Capistrano?

https://www.missionsjc.com/

 

You could go to Newport Beach or Balboa. 

 

Knotts Berry Farm?

 

Straight shot South to San Diego and if you have never been in Mexico, you can    go across the border and visit "TJ" (Tijuana).  If you take any expensive medications, probably  less expensive to buy them in Mexico than in the USA.  NOTE: Although we always drove across the border, better to park your car on the USA side, walk across, and then take a Taxi to where you want to go.

 

These are places I went to, many years ago...   :-)

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I am flying into and out of LAX. That was the only airport that had the most convenient flights for a quick trip.

 

EEK.  Are you picking up a Rental Car at LAX or taking a Shuttle Bus to Orange County?  If you are flying in there today (Friday) I hope you do not need to drive to Orange County in rush hour traffic.  

 

ETA: On my last trip there, I flew in/out of LAX, but what I needed to do was in Orange County.  Orange County Airport is more convenient, if there are nonstop flights there from where one is, but in my case, I would rather drive farther and not risk misconnecting to another flight...

Edited by Lanny
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EEK. Are you picking up a Rental Car at LAX or taking a Shuttle Bus to Orange County? If you are flying in there today (Friday) I hope you do not need to drive to Orange County in rush hour traffic.

 

ETA: On my last trip there, I flew in/out of LAX, but what I needed to do was in Orange County. Orange County Airport is more convenient, if there are nonstop flights there from where one is, but in my case, I would rather drive farther and not risk misconnecting to another flight...

We are landing shortly before midnight. My uncle said an uber would be the best option.

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We are landing shortly before midnight. My uncle said an uber would be the best option.

 

On my last trip into LAX, what I had to do was in Orange County, and a Cousin there said I wouldn't need a car on that trip.   Wrong.  

 

However, I did take the Airport Shuttle Bus from LAX to the Property I stayed in, the same one I had stayed in 2 or 3 months before that. I think it was in Anaheim.  Not having a car was OK, for what I needed to do, until that Sunday morning when I got the phone number for another Cousin and was invited to a birthday party for their one year old son and got to visit with one of my Aunts.  So, off to Orange County Airport to rent a car.   I returned the car at LAX and there was no Drop Off charge.  

 

Try to see if the Airport Shuttle Buses go from LAX to Orange County Hotels at that time of the night/early morning. I bet they do, but I'm not sure. Depending on how many passengers in your party, probably much less expensive than taking an Uber from LAX.  After you get the closest you can to your property in Tustin, if the bus doesn't go there, take a Uber from where the bus can take you to the property you are staying in.  

 

This is the web site of the company that runs boats to Catalina Island:

https://www.catalinaexpress.com/schedule-fares.html

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We will be in Tustin, and/or wherever the VA Hospital is.

 

Oh!  Then scratch some of my earlier suggestions.

 

Long Beach (Queen Mary) would still be doable.  The Aquarium is next door.

 

You could do the Knott's Berry Farm after 4 thing......4-closing (although they will let you in a bit after 3:30) for only $35.  We had planned to go at 2, eat a large lunch at the famous chicken restaurant there, and then go in to the parks around 3:30 and stay until closing, but we ended up doing Disney instead.

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The VA hospital is in Westwood, around the corner from UCLA. You will DEFINITELY need your own transportation if you are staying in Tustin. Plan carefully, a commute from Tustin to Westwood can easily be 2 hours+

 

Geez! My uncle made it sound like it was around the corner.

 

We may not be doing anything besides visiting him in the hospital, if that's the case.

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Geez! My uncle made it sound like it was around the corner.

 

We may not be doing anything besides visiting him in the hospital, if that's the case.

 

Maybe there is another facility in OC that he was talking about? If so, I would stay in the Orange County area and visit Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Laguna Beach, or San Juan Capistrano (basically any of the beach areas around there).

 

If you are up in Westwood for the hospital though anyway I would probably visit the Getty Museum (beautiful views and a cool atmosphere in addition to the art) or Santa Monica.

 

Hope you have some time to enjoy what LA has to offer! Once you get over the distances it is a great city.

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The VA hospital is in Westwood, around the corner from UCLA.  You will DEFINITELY need your own transportation if you are staying in Tustin.  Plan carefully, a commute from Tustin to Westwood can easily be 2 hours+

 

Yep. There's your LA experience right there!! And Saturday traffic can be worse than rush hour.

 

Isn't there a VA hospital in Long Beach? Still a bit of a drive from Tustin.

 

For you Angelenos. Ds and I were driving past Hollywood on the 101 early one Saturday morning. A storm had passed through the night before, everything looked fresh and clean and there was zero traffic. I found myself thinking what a great place it would be to live -- for like 2 seconds -- and then common sense flooded back as I remembered what the typical 101 traffic is like.  :laugh:

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If you want a beach experience, I'd go to Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. It's natural and peaceful. There a good Mexican restaurant near there that is very pretty inside. Javier's is in Crystal Cove shopping center. If you love gardening there's a great garden shop close to there called Rogers Garden. They now have a restaurant (haven't eaten there yet) and they have a fun Halloween "goods" room. I think their Christmas stuff might be out as well.

Tustin has a cute little downtown area. There's antiques and shops. There's a flea market this Sunday. Right behind it is a Japanese restaurant that's popular for breakfast/brunch. It's called Cream Pan.check them out on yelp!

There's also an Indian market/restaurant Laxmi Sweet and Spices that is dirty and delicious for lunch.

Hth

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The VA hospital is in Westwood, around the corner from UCLA.  You will DEFINITELY need your own transportation if you are staying in Tustin.  Plan carefully, a commute from Tustin to Westwood can easily be 2 hours+

 

I googled and it looks like there are 3 VA facilities in Orange County. Possibly more? These show to be Clinics, so they may not be hospitals.  

 

https://www.google.com.co/search?q=Veterans+Administration+hospital%2BOrange+County+CA&oq=Veterans+Administration+hospital%2BOrange+County+CA&aqs=chrome..69i57.14672j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

This is the Directory for VA in CA:

https://www1.va.gov/DIRECTORY/guide/state.asp?dnum=ALL&STATE=CA

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LA sounds a lot bigger than Baltimore! If someone was at a hospital in Baltimore, it would be pretty easy to get to any of the sites around town.

 

Huge!

 

I would personally head to lovey (and close by) Newport Beach and Balboa Island.

 

Unless the VA is the one in Westwood, the commute would a fair portion of the day (but I'd suggest trying to get tickets for the Getty (Brentwood). Maybe go into Westwood Village or head down to 2nd Street in Santa Monica (which has displaced Westwood as LA's gathering spot).

 

Bill

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Sounds like the Getty and Crystal Cove beach and the Mexican restaurant are things that my mom and I would be interested in. Hope we can fit at least one thing in. We aren't there to visit the area, but to visit/take care of my uncle.

 

The Getty is very far away if the VA you are going to in Orange County or Long Beach. Tickets to the Getty are free (parking is not) but should be ordered online in advance.

 

Newport Beach is pretty, touristic, and close to Tustin.

 

Bill

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Sorry, I got kicked off the computer before I could finish my thought. :)

The Irvine Art Museum shows California art. It's tiny and not an aesthetically pleasing area, but you will see a good little collection.

 

I also believe Rogers Gardens has a tiny gallery of plein air artists.

 

ETA Rogers Garden is super close to crystal Cove and the Irvine museum is kind of on your way back to Tustin and still very close by so cal standards.

Edited by helena
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I grew up in Orange, next to Tustin. I did my Masters at UCLA. Heck, one summer I sublet an apartment that backed up to the VA cemetery - very peaceful place to walk around. Westwood is also cool (or was in the 1980s) and UCLA itself is a huge campus and worth wandering. You are in for one to two hour drive one-way depending on time of day.

Edited by JFSinIL
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We ended up going to Crystal Cove today and we will walk to a celebration downtown Tustin tomorrow. Then, I guess I need to leave at 6 am for an 11am flight on Monday.

I know you came out to take care of family stuff, but I hope you can also have a nice time checking stuff out. :)

It was a beautiful day, hope you enjoyed the beach!

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I know you came out to take care of family stuff, but I hope you can also have a nice time checking stuff out. :)

It was a beautiful day, hope you enjoyed the beach!

It was a beautiful day here! Crystal blue sky, perfect weather. We walked on the beach for a couple of minutes and got our toes wet. Very weird to be at a beach without kids! My mom didn't want to leave her brother alone for long, so we didn't have time to go anywhere else.

 

I am looking forward to the town's celebration tomorrow.

 

I am surprised that gas isn't much more here than at home, and food prices are pretty similar, I think things are a bit cheaper here, actually.

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I talked to youngest dd tonight and she sounds sick! Apparently at a sleepover party this weekend, one of the girls had to be picked up because she had a 103 fever. My mil will be with her in the morning before the bus comes. I hope she can keep her, if she is sick. She'll still be asleep when dh leaves for work. I don't know if he'll know if she is sick or not anyway.

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