Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-06-2010, 05:45 PM
 
Location: Richmond
631 posts, read 1,290,699 times
Reputation: 222

Advertisements

Hey guys. So I'm planning a possible trip to either L.A. or NYC this winter, and I am just wondering: what is there to do in LA?? I've never been to southern california and am VERY curious about it.

I've been to NYC several times and am very familiar with things to do (mostly party). I have heard that L.A. is NOT a walkable city, which poses a problem since I do not have a car. So I have a few questions:

-How's the public transportation?
-can i get to all different parts of LA including beaches relatively quickly and easily?
-is it worth going to if i don't have a car or am not old enough to rent one?

-What exactly is there to do in L.A. for somebody who has never been and wants to really explore everything that the city has to offer, I will probably stay for about a week

Now some information about myself, I'm a 21 year old college student, won't have a TON of money to spend, am gay, enjoy the beach but cannot surf or anything

thanks in advance guys!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-06-2010, 06:05 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,197,011 times
Reputation: 3626
the beach will be too cold to really enjoy during the winter and you should really have a car to get around the city. it's doable with public transit, but it LA is large geographically that it takes well over an hour to get across town via bus (since the rail network is somewhat limited). having said that, there are plenty of walkable neighborhoods in LA, you just need a car to get between these neighborhoods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2010, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Richmond
631 posts, read 1,290,699 times
Reputation: 222
haha ok thanks i think that narrows down my choice then
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2010, 07:37 PM
 
32,516 posts, read 37,177,253 times
Reputation: 32581
The weather in L.A. is totally unpredictable. Winter can be stormy and cold or sunny and 75 degrees. I've spent many happy days at the beach in February.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2010, 09:17 PM
 
10,624 posts, read 26,736,582 times
Reputation: 6776
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVA-Jsn20 View Post
Hey guys. So I'm planning a possible trip to either L.A. or NYC this winter, and I am just wondering: what is there to do in LA?? I've never been to southern california and am VERY curious about it.

I've been to NYC several times and am very familiar with things to do (mostly party). I have heard that L.A. is NOT a walkable city, which poses a problem since I do not have a car. So I have a few questions:

-How's the public transportation?
-can i get to all different parts of LA including beaches relatively quickly and easily?
-is it worth going to if i don't have a car or am not old enough to rent one?

-What exactly is there to do in L.A. for somebody who has never been and wants to really explore everything that the city has to offer, I will probably stay for about a week

Now some information about myself, I'm a 21 year old college student, won't have a TON of money to spend, am gay, enjoy the beach but cannot surf or anything

thanks in advance guys!
Yes, you can have a great time in LA without a car. Many visitors don't drive while in the city. I actually think that getting around without a car also gives you a better sense of the city as a whole, and will give you a chance to get off the beaten tourist track and to really get a better understanding of LA, not to mention decrease the stress that comes from trying to drive in a new city and the time spent looking for parking! Stay somewhere centrally located like Hollywood (or even split your time in two: three days in Santa Monica, three days in Hollywood) that has easy access to both a lot of buses as well as the subway system and you'll be set. Taking public transportation means you can hop on and off as you go, and will get to see a lot of the city. Don't expect a beachy-vacation, though; if you want warm swimming beaches you should go elsewhere.

My favorite places to visit (and the places I brought many family and friends who came to visit while we lived in LA) included Hollywood, downtown, Venice and Santa Monica, Griffith Park, and Pasadena. Downtown was a particular favorite, as it has so many different things to see and do; it's really easy to spend a lot of time wandering around there.

Don't worry about spending all your time getting from one point to another, unless all your chosen destinations are spread out all over the place. It's about 15 minutes from Hollywood to downtown by train, for example, maybe less. Hollywood to Santa Monica can run longer, but at least on the bus you can look out the window and stop off at neighborhoods along the way (it would take you a long time to drive, too). If your tourist stuff included things like Malibu, Disneyland, and a bunch of other far-flung stuff then yeah, it would be a lot easier to have a car, but you just want to have fun while checking out different neighborhoods and getting an overall feeling for the place then you'll be just fine without driving. (I don't drive, and got along just fine in LA)

All that said, I think for the casual tourist NYC is a far easier city to understand or to initially appreciate than LA. NYC, or at least Manhattan, is compact, has the grid, and its overall just an easy place to fall in love with even after just a morning spent wandering around. I find LA to be an equally fascinating and exciting place, but it's more complex and you have to work a little harder to really appreciate the place. Things are more jumbled up, and I think it also feels a lot more gritty than does modern Manhattan; it's just a weird mix of the beautiful and the ugly, extreme wealth and extreme poverty, and pretty much everything in-between. In any case, you can't go wrong with a week in NYC or a week in LA, even if you don't drive.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2010, 09:26 PM
 
1,465 posts, read 5,147,223 times
Reputation: 861
I would suggest looking into Santa Monica, Hollywood, or Downtown Los Angeles. If you happen to be here around New Years, Pasadena could be a great place to hang out too.

There is plenty to do in each of those areas to keep you busy. Santa Monica has the ocean as well so would be my first choice. Hollywood has lots of clubs. If you are into music, lots going on in Hollywood. Downtown Los Angeles is at the beginning stages of a revitalization and a lot of people like the newer clubs there. Also has the Staples Center to catch a basketball game if you care for that.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2010, 03:14 AM
 
3,393 posts, read 5,279,234 times
Reputation: 3031
No car? You're going to be limited without one. If I were you, I would stay in Century City, West Hollywood or Westwood/Wilshire. From there you can catch the bus to the local hot spots. You can walk the Sunset Strip/Hollywood Blvd., take a guided tour of movie stars houses, and see some of the movie studios. No car huh?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2010, 03:46 AM
 
Location: Winnetka, IL & Rolling Hills, CA
1,273 posts, read 4,419,634 times
Reputation: 605
It is hard to have fun and see many of the sights without a car. I encourage you to take a look at CaliforniaTravelExpert.com as well as DiscoverLosAngeles.com for basic tourism information. If you don't have a lot of money it would be better to stay Downtown and put the rest toward getting a rental car, attractions, and dining than spending a bunch of money on a Westside hotel.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2010, 05:40 AM
 
43,663 posts, read 44,393,687 times
Reputation: 20567
If you are interested in museums I suggest that you stay in the area of the Miracle Mile (Miracle Mile, Los Angeles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and visit the La Brea Tar Pits & Page Museum (Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits) and the L.A. County Museum (LACMA Home).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2010, 07:18 AM
 
10,624 posts, read 26,736,582 times
Reputation: 6776
I stand with what I said before: unless the "spots" you want to see include such far-flung things like Disneyland or Malibu, there aren't going to be many limitations if you don't drive. There was some study done in the last five years or so (can't remember when) relating to the satisfaction of tourists who relied on public transportation to get around: the overwhelming majority were happy with their experience. The public transportation options have grown since then, too, so it's better than ever.

I have a feeling that many of the nay-sayers haven't spent much time getting around LA without a car, or are envisioning a stereotypical vacation where you drive from one end of Orange County up to the other end of Los Angeles County and back. I admit that if you're planning an extensive beach vacation up and down the coast then you are better off with a car, but if you're actually planning a Los Angeles trip then the lack of car won't hold you back. It's extremely easy to get around to most potential tourist spots in LA by public transportation: anything along Wilshire has buses coming and going constantly, Hollywood, downtown, Los Feliz, Universal City, etc. are all on subway and have tons of buses, Santa Monica has lots of buses, Beverly Hills has buses, etc. I really can't think of anywhere (other than the top of Griffith Park and the outlying places as mentioned before) that you WON'T be able to easily access quickly and easily by bus or train. There's nothing wrong with renting a car if you are able to and have the money (although again, personally I think you get to see the city a lot better if you get out of the car sometimes), but your options will hardly be limited if you choose not to do so. Traffic in LA moves slowly most of the time, anyway, so if you are going long distances -- Santa Monica to Silverlake or something -- might as well be in a bus where you can look out the window, hop off if you see something you like, and generally be able to actually enjoy the sights.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:48 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top