travelling to LA in feb any ideas?? (Los Angeles, Riverside: amusement park, homes)

[marley484]

Hi im a 28 y.o. male travelling to LA in feb from australia, my only knowledge of LA is from the time i went there for a stopover before heading on to vegas.
i spent some time in claremont though and loved it ill be there for two weeks originally i was going to go to new york as well, but due to serious money constraints lol i won't be.
anyway was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for fun( fairly cheap as I'm on a budget), or places to see.

i really wanna see the lakers play-is that expensive
i like bars and lounges and great food
i have heard yosemite and wine country is beautiful-is that readily accessible from LA
any other cool hangouts? anything off the normal "tourist" trail
im not really interested in universal but wouldn't mind the california theme parks.
def not interested in the "star homes" etc

any help would be appreciated

cheers

[marley484]

any help??

[jaypee]

"i really wanna see the lakers play-is that expensive"

Yes. You can get them here: Tickets Central | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
They'll be at home Feb 10,12,14,20, 22,and 28


"i like bars and lounges and great food"

Ok, do you know where you'll be staying?
Consult Los Angeles News, Events, Restaurants, Music for entertainment and events.

"i have heard yosemite and wine country is beautiful-is that readily accessible from LA"

It'll mostly be covered by snow in Feb but the good thing is that it's not as crowded.
You can take a bus-train-bus route but it'll be a lonnnng trip.
I'm not sure if any tour buses run to Yosemite in winter.

"any other cool hangouts? anything off the normal "tourist" trail
im not really interested in universal but wouldn't mind the california theme parks.
def not interested in the "star homes" etc"

As usual, the more specific your questions, the better the answers.

[greggd1]

Originally Posted by marley484

Hi im a 28 y.o. male travelling to LA in feb from australia, my only knowledge of LA is from the time i went there for a stopover before heading on to vegas.
i spent some time in claremont though and loved it ill be there for two weeks originally i was going to go to new york as well, but due to serious money constraints lol i won't be.
anyway was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for fun( fairly cheap as I'm on a budget), or places to see.

i really wanna see the lakers play-is that expensive
i like bars and lounges and great food
i have heard yosemite and wine country is beautiful-is that readily accessible from LA
any other cool hangouts? anything off the normal "tourist" trail
im not really interested in universal but wouldn't mind the california theme parks.
def not interested in the "star homes" etc

any help would be appreciated

cheers

Exit LAX and go to Santa Monica. Plenty of bars, lounges etc. Variety of food as well.
Yosemite & Wine country: No way, Thats a seperate trip.
The rest of your questions are tourist type stuff and thats up to you.
Your amusement park should be those who you meet during the above.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by marley484

Hi im a 28 y.o. male travelling to LA in feb from australia, my only knowledge of LA is from the time i went there for a stopover before heading on to vegas.
i spent some time in claremont though and loved it ill be there for two weeks originally i was going to go to new york as well, but due to serious money constraints lol i won't be.
anyway was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for fun( fairly cheap as I'm on a budget), or places to see.

i really wanna see the lakers play-is that expensive
i like bars and lounges and great food
i have heard yosemite and wine country is beautiful-is that readily accessible from LA
any other cool hangouts? anything off the normal "tourist" trail
im not really interested in universal but wouldn't mind the california theme parks.
def not interested in the "star homes" etc

any help would be appreciated

cheers

Depends what wine country.

If you mean Napa, you would need a car since it's a seven hour drive.
If you mean Central Coast, having a car would still be a good idea because it's a four hour drive.
If you mean Temecula (which just has wineries but is not really wine country) which is in Riverside County, a two hour drive, a car would be nice. Buses would be hard for any of this. Temecula and MAYBE the central coast would be doable (train/bus or even just two trains for central coast). Wouldn't do Napa this way.

Get the theme? A car is good if you want to see the maximum possible. I realize the "down under" is WAY down under and you figure you'll take in as much as you can since you don't know when you'll be back again if ever in this life.

But don't kill yourself. LA has a LOT on its own. More than enough for two weeks.

No offense meant, but the way our country has been presented, travel agencies and tourist bureaus somehow manage to give foreigners the idea that they can see everything in two weeks, and that it's all RIGHT THERE, just like at Disneyland or at Disney World.

"What do you mean, I can't see the Grand Canyon and Washington D.C. in the same day? It doesn't look that big on the map!"

On the flip side, you know to ask. I'm sure a number of us from this country would just assume things and would find out much later (and broker) that no, ski season in New Zealand is not in December, that yes, they speak Spanish in Colombia, not English (I found out in playing Trivial Pursuit that a friend of mine British Columbia in Canada and Colombia were one and the same place and therefore that they spoke English as the main language in Colombia), or whatever.

[marley484]

thanks for all the help everyone! sorry about my lack of detail and specificity. yes i think i will hire a car and travel, i just hope i get used to driving on the other side of the road lol. i think ill be looking for accommodation downtown cos thats where its cheapest, but will definitely be heading to santa monica to socialise. i Love LA, but your right don't know much else than the media thats thrown at us, so i intend to do a lot of exploring
last time i was in LA i ran into Ben Harper(amazing man) and he was mentioning that i should head to the central coast but alas time and money were an issue, so i guess ill try that this time

thanks everyone for your help, if anyone needs any australia advice ill always help!

[marley484]

also LA to vegas- drive or fly?

[jaypee]

Originally Posted by marley484

also LA to vegas- drive or fly?

You'll save a bit of time flying and perhaps a bit of money too with gas prices the way they are.
If you like that 4-6 hour drive through the desert then go for it. I've always find a car in Vegas is a liability
if you are not planning to venture outside of Vegas.

[genjy]

I always drive to Vegas.

I think the drive itself is pretty fun, especially with family/friends.

Flying saves a lot of time, though.

[HarryKerryJr]

Claremont is quite a way from LAX. How did you get there. There is regular Metrolink train service there, but I still gotta know how you got there and why you spent time there.

Yes, Claremont is quite beautiful, if not a bit racist. But the trees are old (they have killed during the rains) and the Claremont colleges area and little village is very nice. However, the summers there can be uncomfortable.