You've never been to LA, have one night, what do you do?

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by eastontracks

sounds like your only free day is monday with work on tuesday. joshua state park sounds cool but seems a tad far & could drain you. since it sounds like you fly into lax monday, id head to the beach cities from the airport. take a jog down the boardwalk/beach, bike or swim near santa monica/venice/manhattan/hermosa. have dinner and drinks also somewhere off the coast closeby in the evening. at night, head to Griffith to scope out the observatory and a panoramic view of the city.

if you got time in the morning, maybe take a hike or run near griffith park ( i enjoyed working out there when i lived in burbank, feels secluded), or runyon canyon before whatever you gotta do.

^ THIS, especially if you don't live on the eastern or western coasts...don't drive too far or you'll spend too much time in traffic (rush hour is 6-9am and 3:00-7:30pm on weekdays).

If you have a strong stomach, have a Pink's hot dog or Tommy's double chili-cheese burger. Lots of good restaurants on the West side...

[StreetLegal]

Originally Posted by tigerc

Hey folks,

I've never been to LA, have to go to a small event on Tuesday next week. I arrive at noon on Monday, fly back Tuesday night.

Now say you're in a similar situation, don't want to sleep, and want to explore instead, where do you go/what do you do?

Being a nature person I really wanted to drive to Joshua State Park and see the milky way (monday night happens to be the perfect conditions) but looks like they don't have overnight parking. Can someone shed some light on this? Or any other suggestions?

Cheers

Joshua Tree National Monument is a two hour drive (assuming no traffic) from Los Angeles International (assuming that is where you are flying into). A logistic headache given your time constraints.

[drunk on kool aid]

Originally Posted by tigerc

Hey folks,

I've never been to LA, have to go to a small event on Tuesday next week. I arrive at noon on Monday, fly back Tuesday night.

Now say you're in a similar situation, don't want to sleep, and want to explore instead, where do you go/what do you do?

Being a nature person I really wanted to drive to Joshua State Park and see the milky way (monday night happens to be the perfect conditions) but looks like they don't have overnight parking. Can someone shed some light on this? Or any other suggestions?

Cheers

Do you live where you can't access dark skies within a 2 hour drive or is Joshua Tree the only thing you want to see?

Where is your event and where are you staying? Traffic can eat up lots of time so it's best to do stuff close-by.

You might be able to drive up Angeles Crest Hwy (off the 210 Fwy) into the San Gabriel Mountains (Angeles Forest Hwy is a fun branch). I don't know if it'll get dark enough to really see the Milky Way since light pollution is rampant in the metro but you can easily find areas that are void of ambient man-made lighting. It's a popular place to go watch meteor showers or the rare comet. Plus, there are a bunch of turn-offs that'll give you killer views of the LA nightscape. If you decide to do this, don't drive too far into the wilderness and get lost and eaten by critters. I'm only suggesting this as a convenient but clearly inferior astronomical alternative to driving out into the desert.

If you've never been to LA, why not check out some of the touristy stuff? Gawk at the Venice Beach boardwalk, Hollywood Blvd, etc. Go to the Getty Museum which is just up from LAX. It's free aside from parking and you'll get amazing views, even if you skip the art.

How about surfing lessons?

Explore the rocky shores of the Palos Verdes Peninsula?

Hike out to Santa Ynez Falls in Topanga State Park?

Rent a bike or roller blades and go down the Strand, a 20-mile long bike path that runs from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades to Torrance in the South Bay.

If you go to the Griffith Observatory, also check out the mammoth Griffith Park. If you're lucky, you'll run into our resident celebrity mountain lion/cougar, P22.

Have fun.

PS: just saw StreetLegal's post - didn't mean to be redundant.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Just drive up PCH, starting in Santa Monica, thru Malibu, up to Zuma Beach. It would be an excellent night drive. When you get to Zuma & beyond, sit on the beach. Find a place to eat along the way. Turn around & come back down the coast.

BTW, you really do not need to worry about overnight parking at Joshua Tree...it's vast, open desert with several roads; but it's too far away to accomplish with your time constraints.