Visiting LA Next Year for graduation (need tips). (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: appointed, fit in)

[OJ4]

Hey all. I'm planning on taking a trip to LA/SD as part of a graduation gift. I for one have never been out west(i'm from VA beach, VA). I've traveled to all the big cities in the east and Midwest. My questions to you natives is:

Food: Since i'll be in LA i know i at least want to try In and Out(none here out east) and some actual Mexican food. What are some gems in LA as food spots(particularly local spots).

Downtown LA: is your downtown like have anything going on like downtown's in other major cities?

Beverly Hills: is it tourist friendly? cause i'm not trying to get harassed if locals dont want people there.

Shopping spots: what are some good shopping spots? hows fairfax? or do you guys have shopping malls? Also do you guys have vintage shops and vintage video game shops?

Do the movie studios do tours?

Hows the museums like there? I love art, specially graffiti art but i'm always interested in learning about LA history etc.

Are there any spots where i can find a low-rider? like on display or something? i know it sounds funny but i've never seen one before in person.

Dress code: Im not sure how crazy gangs are still out there, but i'm a big raiders fan and i dont want to get G checked for wearing my hat. is the color thing still huge there?


sorry to ask a ton of questions but i really like to know what i'm looking for before i travel. Being this will be my first time out west, why not start off with LA!

If anyone have any suggestions please add on. i'm trying to see as much as possible.

[jessemh431]

Food: You can basically stumble into any Mexican restaurant you see. I'm not kidding. There is no other city in the US I've been to where you can literally just walk to the nearest Mexican restaurant and leave satisfied. I'm sure there a few subpar ones that do exist, but as a general rule, nearly all of them are good and will at least be good for someone coming from VA. Tito's Tacos isn't exactly the best, but it's a well known and well regarded staple in West LA and very cheap. Pink's hot dogs if you have time to wait in line lol. Honestly, though, it depends on your price range, location you'll be staying in, and what type of foods you eat. Don't forget we also have very large Asian populations so the Asian food is most likely much better than in VA too. Koreatown here has the largest population of Koreans outside the Korean peninsula. Amazing Korean BBQ there. While we have a Chinatown for tourists, we also have the largest Chinese population in the country living in the San Gabriel Valley where all the best Chinese restaurants are. Little Tokyo actually has some good Japanese food. Little Osaka/Sawtelle in West LA is competing for the Japanese food now. While we have a Thai Town, there is great Thai food all over the city. Since I live in West LA, I can say that Ekkamai in Culver City is the best Thai food near me. And Pho Show has the best pho and Vietnamese food, but also good options of other Asian cuisines. Diddy Riese has the best ice cream sandwiches and fresh cookies for cheap. Gladstone's is a nice place for dinner. Right on the water in Malibu so you can watch the sunsets with dinner.

Downtown LA isn't like what you'd expect from an older east coast downtown, but it's definitely getting better. There are a few quality museums there. Olvera Street is the original establishment of the city of LA. A little touristy, but interesting and historic. It's across the street from Union Station which is actually beautiful inside. Chinatown and Little Tokyo are basically parts of DTLA. Aside from that, it's a lot of office buildings and hipsters and bars. If you're graduating college and not high school, then you can drink. In that case, Perch is probably the coolest rooftop bar in LA (IMO) with a beautiful view of downtown at night. Not that expensive for the type of bar and very chill crowd. Exchange LA is my favorite club in LA if you like to see DJs live. It's the old LA stock exchange building and beautiful inside. Always a good crowd, great DJs go through.

Beverly Hills is full of tourists. Rodeo Drive is really underwhelming, but maybe just because I'm from here. I literally had never been there until I turned 20 when a friend from college came to visit me. I mean unless you're rich, you can't afford anything and will just be discourage seeing foreigners walking out with thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars worth of clothes and accessories. But it's an ok downtown to walk around and explore. Mainly just expensive stores, office buildings, and restaurants, but the Beverly Hills sign is there and you can say you've been.

For shopping, the best expensive stuff will be in Beverly Hills. But there is good shopping to be found all over the city really. Melrose Ave has a lot of unique stores (and my favorite restaurant--Lala's Argentine Grill). West Hollywood (WeHo) is our gayborhood and has great shopping. 3rd Street Santa Monica is kinda touristy, but there are a lot of shopping options there. The Grove is the same.

Honestly I've never even bothered seeing if the studios do tours, but I'm pretty sure they do. If nothing else, Universal Studios themepark has a ride that takes you to the backlot.

Art museums are something LA does best. Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) in downtown. The Getty up in the Santa Monica mountains. LACMA is on Museum Row which is in the Mid-Wilshire/Fairfax district on Wilshire Blvd. Lots of other museums right nearby. Annenberg something something is a photography exhibit space in Century City with some pretty cool exhibits often. If you like graffiti, the city will basically be one big museum for you. You'll find colorful graffiti all over the city. Griffith Observatory is a big space museum with telescopes and stuff way up in the mountains with a great view of the city.

Low-riders are not something you need to see. Find a car show for the time you're visiting and there will probably be one there. But the low-riders rarely venture out into the neighborhoods safe enough for tourists to visit.

If you wear anything Raiders, just avoid the more dangerous neighborhoods. Wearing red or blue doesn't matter unless you have plans on venturing into the ghetto. I won't stop you from doing it, but I would advise against it. Your choice though.

Obviously you have to see Santa Monica and the pier and Venice Beach and the boardwalk. But the better beach cities are further south. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach are more real LA. Almost all locals and more laid back.

[OJ4]

Thank you!

Yes i'm a college grad. so the nightlife will not be a problem haha. I know i will have to rent a car but is everything super spaced out or are they pretty easy to get to?

[jessemh431]

Renting a car will make it easier for longer trips, but depending on where you stay, you can cluster a few things together in one neighborhood to do on public transit. The metro system works great depending on where your origin and destination are. And if you're curious, I can give you plenty of nightlife recommendations as I'm a 23 year old and have lived my whole life here haha

[OJ4]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Renting a car will make it easier for longer trips, but depending on where you stay, you can cluster a few things together in one neighborhood to do on public transit. The metro system works great depending on where your origin and destination are. And if you're curious, I can give you plenty of nightlife recommendations as I'm a 23 year old and have lived my whole life here haha

ok cool. cause i was told it was highly recommend to rent a car.
Im usually a bar/lounge type of guy however, I'm not opposed to nightclubs being that i'll be on vacay. out in the northeast their is a barcade(bar/arcade). Does LA have anything like that?

[jessemh431]

It all depends on where you end up staying and the destinations you choose to see. A car will definitely be helpful for many destinations depending on where you stay, but not required if you're on a budget. It will simply save time allowing you to see more, but it will be more expensive.

Well the main nightlife hotspots are going to be DTLA for more of that hipster/speakeasy/lounge feel, but there also are some great nightclubs like Exchange that I mentioned. Hollywood will be the headlining DJ area. Lots of famous clubs, but overpriced and can get ghetto. But the DJs always go through there. WeHo is mostly gay clubs, but if you're into that, they're really fun and not only all gays. Santa Monica's Main Street is really fun for smaller, local bars. Some have small dancefloors. Some are more divey. Some are more loungey. All great options there. Hermosa Beach is a lot of bro-y yuppies. Kinda like a tamer, politer, less pretentious version of the Jersey Shore. Definitely some meatheads, but generally just a lot of really attractive men and women. Bars on the beach or only a block away. Lots of dancing and not too expensive. But almost entirely locals which I love since I'm from here. Culver City is good for casual bar hopping. Nothing too crazy. I like going there for more chill nights, but you might not enjoy it if being around a lot of black people isn't your thing. Not sure how to say it nicely, but the wealthy people from Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills (the neighborhoods making up the black Beverly Hills) often party in downtown Culver City. Just throwing that out there in case it's not your thing. I hope that isn't a deterrent, though, because if it is, you'll be very disappointed in LA and will not fit in here lol.

I know the type of bar you mean, but I've never been to one like that here. I know we do have them though. I'm guessing maybe something in Westwood might have that since that's the college town of UCLA.

[OJ4]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I like going there for more chill nights, but you might not enjoy it if being around a lot of black people isn't your thing. Not sure how to say it nicely, but the wealthy people from Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills (the neighborhoods making up the black Beverly Hills) often party in downtown Culver City. Just throwing that out there in case it's not your thing. I hope that isn't a deterrent, though, because if it is, you'll be very disappointed in LA and will not fit in here lol.

i'm black so i'm good As long as the atmosphere is good.

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by OJ4

i'm black so i'm good As long as the atmosphere is good.

Good haha. Then you would probably like going out in downtown Culver City. I'm white but have fun with all people. Going out there is always a trip. White gay guy + drunk black girls=always a good time haha. But in general it's a good vibe there. Never had a bad night out. It might be changing now with the construction all over CC bringing in hipsters and techies and stuff. But Rush Street is a bar/restaurant and at night turns more clubby and attracts a lot of the wealthy black residents from Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights.

[ajams22]

I've only been to LA once (more when I was younger, but just to Disneyland), so I can't vouch for food and nightlife, but maybe I can provide a little perspective on transportation as a visitor.

I went down there this summer for 10 days on a whim because I've never been to LA, and I was really curious to see the city and what it had to offer. I'm not yet old enough to rent a car, so I definitely had to figure out other options. I chose to stay in a hostel on Hollywood Blvd, because it was close to the metro and pretty central to most of what I wanted to do (I was traveling on a budget).

First, I found out through this forum that if you're flying into LAX, there's a bus (LAX FlyAway) that will take you to Westwood, Union Station, and Hollywood for $8 for a ride that only lasts 60-90 minutes (depending on traffic). I'm not sure what part of LA you plan on staying in, but I found Hollywood to be convenient (albeit a little noisy at night, but you can't have it all ).

As mentioned, I was only a few blocks from the Hollywood/Vine metro station, which proved to be quick and convenient for when I wanted to walk around downtown, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, and the Garment District. One way fare is only $1.75, so depending on how much you use the metro (I ended up using it quite a bit), it's pretty affordable to keep costs down. Unfortunately, the Expo Blue Line extending to Santa Monica was still under construction, otherwise I probably would have used that!

I also used a company called Hostel Hopper, who provides shuttles for visitors staying at hostels and will drive them to locations that they serve (Six Flags, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, Hollywood Hills for hiking, etc). Costs vary depending on the location (I only went to the Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica/Venice), but generally it's between $25-$40; a tad on the spendy side, but quicker than taking a bus all the way from Hollywood to the beach. There was also a sale going on for the 24 hour tickets for the StarLine Hop-On Hop-Off city tours (normal price is $39) so I used that as a quicker alternative to spend the day in Beverly Hills and see a little of WeHo.

I also did a TON of walking in between places once I got there, so much that I had sore feet and blisters on my feet when I got home

Overall, transportation-wise, I spent about $140 for a week's worth of getting around -- the bulk of it being used for the Hostel Hopper service. But it's definitely possible (and surprisingly easy!) to get around Los Angeles for a visit without a car!

[jessemh431]

Yeah honestly LA's public transit is underrated. If you do some research, everything is pretty accessible. It's not as efficient as NYC where everything is owned and operated by MTA, but LADOT provides a lot of resources.