Hollywood question (Los Angeles, Fresno, Santa Monica: appointed, rental, home)

[SouperStar34]

I coach a college volleyball team from Michigan. We are flying out on a Thursday and arrive at 11am. We will have two rental vans with 21 people total. Our first tournament is Friday in Fresno, CA.

At first, we were just going to drive to Fresno from LAX, but now I am thinking about stopping for lunch in Hollywood.

I have three questions to ask:

1) Where would be a cheap, quick, healthy, and fun place to eat in Hollywood?

2) Would it take long to drive down some of the tourist streets?

3) Should we skip Hollywood because the traffic will be too bad?

[BRinSM]

as long as you get back in the vans and start driving before 2 you should be fine traffic wise. A good place to eat would probably be in the hollywood/highland mall. there are a bunch of restaurants in there including a CPK. hollywood might be out of your way though, you may be better off doing lunch in santa monica and seeing the pier. the 3rd street promenade has ample dining selecitons and will be less out of your way compared to hollywood, which is not easy to get to from LAX.

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

as long as you get back in the vans and start driving before 2 you should be fine traffic wise. A good place to eat would probably be in the hollywood/highland mall. there are a bunch of restaurants in there including a CPK. hollywood might be out of your way though, you may be better off doing lunch in santa monica and seeing the pier. the 3rd street promenade has ample dining selecitons and will be less out of your way compared to hollywood, which is not easy to get to from LAX.

Santa Monica is the best idea.

[jc76]

Healthy, cheap, and in Hollywood? Hmmm....Subway!

I'm just gonna put this out there, if you don't like it just send it on back... Michigan does not have In-&-Out Burger and many of your players will probably never visit the wonderful sunshine state again, so do them (and yourself) a big favor and hit up the In & Out Burger! Us midwest folk don't know a good fast food burger so show them how it's done! I never miss an In & Out opportunity when I'm out west, and I'm somewhat of a health nut myself.

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree that In and Out Burger is a good idea. There's one in Hollywood on Sunset. Solar de Cahuenga in Hollywood is a fairly healthy option; it's a coffee place/cafe offering crepes of various sorts, and probably has a wider healthy selection. Look it up on google if you want to go there; it's about a block off of Hollywood Blvd, and very near the capitol records building. You might have a celebrity sighting there, too. It's more expensive than In & Out but still within the realm of affordable.

I LOVE Hollywood, and think it's usually always worth a visit, but I agree that in your case Santa Monica is probably a better idea, as it will probably be easier from a traffic standpoint and because to really appreciate Hollywood you have to spend time walking around on the streets. Given your time limitations SM would be easier, and your players will have a chance to see the ocean and some palm trees. It's a nice "welcome to CA" location.

[pbergen]

i agree with the others who have recommended santa monica instead of hollywood. given your time constraints, i think it would be much easier to stay along the coast (as is the case with both LAX and santa monica, which are 9 miles apart) than to go inland to hollywood and deal with traffic and parking issues.

plus, santa monica is perfect for tourists in so many ways:
it's clean, safe, fun, and has a tourist-friendly shopping/restaurant strip (3rd street promenade) that attracts both visitors and locals. the promenade is filled with pedestrians and street performers and is only 3 blocks from ocean ave, which overlooks the beach, the water, and the santa monica pier. really, santa monica is the perfect spot to get a quick overview of everything that's quintessentially LA: palm trees, scenic coastal vistas, a laid-back vibe, and ample photo opportunities.

by contrast, you might find that hollywood is grittier than you'd expected, as it's an older urban area. although it's in much better shape than it used to be, it still has a somewhat seedy feel on certain streets.

a lot of tourists visit hollywood thinking that it's all glitz and glamor but end up disappointed due to misconceptions about the neighborhood. this isn't to suggest that hollywood lacks interesting things to see and do; it's just that it might not be what you're looking for.

and i third the recommendation of in-n-out as a place to eat, although i should mention that the restaurant does have locations in fresno as well. if you're interested in checking it out during your brief time in LA, the most convenient locations for your group - assuming you visit santa monica instead of hollywood - would be in the westchester neighborhood of LA (9149 s. sepulveda blvd, literally just north of LAX) or in culver city (13425 washington blvd, right on the border with marina del rey and about 4 miles south of santa monica). and if you were to visit either of these locations on the way up to santa monica, you'd be avoiding the freeway, which is another bonus.

here is in-n-out's website:
IN-N-OUT Burger

click on california/southern california/los angeles county and then the specific branch you're interested in.

for fresno, click on california/central california/fresno for locations in that area.

and if you're not interested in in-n-out, there are plenty of places to eat in and around the 3rd street promenade.

[JohnG72]

Eh, here is the problem.....you land at LAX at 11am. If everything goes right I suppose you can be in Hollywood at 12:30(time to get luggage, load the vans, hit the road, 45 min drive to the center of Hollywood), then eat and load back up and hit the road by 2pm. That is ok IF everything goes as planned. You would get to Fresno sometime around 5-6 pm and not hit traffic.

But IMO, thinks like this rarely go as planned.

I agree with others that Santa Monica is a better choice....still get that CA vibe, get to see the Pacific Ocean, and its much less out of your way. Just make sure your drivers know where they are going. Do up a map before you go and pay attention to freeway on ramps and off ramp on the map. It's important. Make sure you are on the freeway by 2pm. There are multiple pressure points in the freeway system from there heading out of Los Angeles and its important you are out before they kick in at an early rush hour.

[jc76]

I think the others are right. I would say maybe park at Venice Beach there are lots of food vendors there and tons of shops/swag to see. It would be easier than going inland to Hollywood.

[Los Angel]

If you do go to Santa Monica, I recommend "Back On The Beach Cafe." It's located right on the sand on Pacific Coast Highway. A nice scenic drive (probably on the way to Fresno), newly renovated as of this week, relaxing easy to get to and validated parking. The food is good, nice portions and a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean.

I would call them first and let them know when you are coming and home many is in your group. The webiste is being changed so the info on it right now is outdated

Back On The Beach Cafe
415 Pacific Coast Highway
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310-393-8282
Home - Back on the Beach Cafe (http://www.backonthebeachcafe.com/index.html - broken link)

[BayAreaHillbilly]

If you want something exotic in Hollywood go to Palm. It's a Thai place on Hollywood Blvd. Of course given your number you'll want to call ahead.

5900 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 462-5073