Going to LA for 10 days, staying in TORRANCE first.. (Long Beach: hotel, theatre)

[Legacy Bear]

Hello,

I'm going to LA for 10 days and this will be my first time. We'll be staying w/ a friend in Torrance and then we plan to book a hotel in LA. The biggest concern I have is, which hotel in LA do I book which will allow me to do the things I want to do.

We'll have a car in Torrance, so that's where we plan to do most of the driving.

I'm interested in bars, clubs that are tasteful, not some wild hip hop rave party. LOL I enjoy micro-breweries, chill spots, and good food spots.

WHAT IS there to do in TORRANCE, and what is there to do in LA? What's worth going to?
From TORRANCE, where can we go that's of our convenience? I guess I have to do some research. I wanna go to the O.C. and asian communities. keke.

How are the asian woman towards tourists?

Please advise!
Thanks.

[jaypee]

Your questions "What is there to do in LA?" is too general since noone knows what your interests are. Why are you going to LA for 10 days in the first place? You might want to crack open a travel guide or two or, better yet, ask your LA friend, and then come back with specific questions.

"How are the asian woman towards tourists?"

Oh her? She doesn't even know you are one.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by jaypee

Your questions "What is there to do in LA?" is too general since noone knows what your interests are.

Exactly. Nobody's going to take the time to type out a list of stuff to do here. The OP comes off as helpless.

[Dane_in_LA]

Originally Posted by Froglet

Hello,

I'm going to LA for 10 days and this will be my first time. We'll be staying w/ a friend in Torrance and then we plan to book a hotel in LA. The biggest concern I have is, which hotel in LA do I book which will allow me to do the things I want to do.

We'll have a car in Torrance, so that's where we plan to do most of the driving.

I'm interested in bars, clubs that are tasteful, not some wild hip hop rave party. LOL I enjoy micro-breweries, chill spots, and good food spots.

WHAT IS there to do in TORRANCE, and what is there to do in LA? What's worth going to?
From TORRANCE, where can we go that's of our convenience? I guess I have to do some research. I wanna go to the O.C. and asian communities. keke.

How are the asian woman towards tourists?

Please advise!
Thanks.

Well, everything in LA is an hour's drive away, that's just a fact of life. That being said, I sense a desire for good beer, and I can certainly relate. If micro-breweries are your thing, the Red Car brewery in Torrance is fairly good:Red Car Brewery & Restaurant

As for trying out more of the local varieties, I'd suggest Naja's Place:

Naja?s Place

- technically not in Torrance, but Redondo Beach. Nothing brewed on the spot, but tons of interesting small-batch beer on tap. Weird place, but the beer is good.

Parts of Torrance is turning into a mini-Japan thanks to the Honda & Toyota presence, but I don't know the club scene - too old for that stuff now.

As for what's worth going to in LA - well, this is my (fairly bland) standard list of where I take visitors:

• The Getty - classical art in a stunning piece of modern architecture. Even if art isn't your thing, the buildings and grounds are downright soothing.
• Hollywood Boulevard, Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre. It's run-down and kitschy like hell, but that weirdly enough is kinda charming. The Kodak Theatre has an atrium where you can climb a few stairs and get the 2nd-best vantage point of the Hollywood Sign.
• In downtown, check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the Gehry architecture, then the Grand Central Market for street food from a dozen countries.
• Mulholland Drive links the 110 (Hollywood Freeway) with the 405. It's a nice drive with vistas left and right, and neatly links Hollywood Blvd. with The Getty. The Easternmost of the mini-parks along the way gives the best - in my opinion - vantage point of the Hollywood sign.
• A beach - any beach between Redondo Beach and Santa Monica will do, with Venice Beach winning out for ambience. But it IS part of the LA thing to take in a bit of beach culture. The life guards are not as pretty as in Baywatch, but their outfits and vehicles are right out of the show. Pelicans and other seabirds are sure to make an appearance - Dolphins are more finicky. And surfers are surfers.

There's sure as all out enough to take in, but you have to focus on your interests.

[Legacy Bear]

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

Well, everything in LA is an hour's drive away, that's just a fact of life. That being said, I sense a desire for good beer, and I can certainly relate. If micro-breweries are your thing, the Red Car brewery in Torrance is fairly good:Red Car Brewery & Restaurant

As for trying out more of the local varieties, I'd suggest Naja's Place:

Naja?s Place

- technically not in Torrance, but Redondo Beach. Nothing brewed on the spot, but tons of interesting small-batch beer on tap. Weird place, but the beer is good.

Parts of Torrance is turning into a mini-Japan thanks to the Honda & Toyota presence, but I don't know the club scene - too old for that stuff now.

As for what's worth going to in LA - well, this is my (fairly bland) standard list of where I take visitors:

• The Getty - classical art in a stunning piece of modern architecture. Even if art isn't your thing, the buildings and grounds are downright soothing.
• Hollywood Boulevard, Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre. It's run-down and kitschy like hell, but that weirdly enough is kinda charming. The Kodak Theatre has an atrium where you can climb a few stairs and get the 2nd-best vantage point of the Hollywood Sign.
• In downtown, check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the Gehry architecture, then the Grand Central Market for street food from a dozen countries.
• Mulholland Drive links the 110 (Hollywood Freeway) with the 405. It's a nice drive with vistas left and right, and neatly links Hollywood Blvd. with The Getty. The Easternmost of the mini-parks along the way gives the best - in my opinion - vantage point of the Hollywood sign.
• A beach - any beach between Redondo Beach and Santa Monica will do, with Venice Beach winning out for ambience. But it IS part of the LA thing to take in a bit of beach culture. The life guards are not as pretty as in Baywatch, but their outfits and vehicles are right out of the show. Pelicans and other seabirds are sure to make an appearance - Dolphins are more finicky. And surfers are surfers.

There's sure as all out enough to take in, but you have to focus on your interests.

Hi,

Thanks for the tip. I'm a big fan of eating, and drinking and want to go to bars and or clubs with a good vibe, but nothing too crazy like a rave. I dunno how the crowd is up there, or if demographics play a role in how receptive people are. Would like to just hit up a bar, enjoy myself.

In terms of interest, I like zoos, aquariums, and parks/museums of that caliber. The Tarpits would be something I would like to see. I'm a big food person too, so I am googling spots for food!


Thanks for those micro-brewery spots. I'll definitely check it out. We'll be around downtown LA, and hollywood for some spots too.

I appreciate the suggestions.

[Legacy Bear]

Are there any zoos, parks, or nature filled type things to do there in a safe environment? Like a park w/ ducks, or butterfly garden or stuff of that nature?

Hows the seoul park?

[nslander]

Originally Posted by Froglet

Are there any zoos, parks, or nature filled type things to do there in a safe environment? Like a park w/ ducks, or butterfly garden or stuff of that nature?

Hows the seoul park?

You've really got to narrow this down. This is about the only city in America with a park run by the National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

Griffith Park has great views and the observatory, and The LA Zoo is underrated. This is also a good time to go whale watching.

Beach- since you're already there: Torrance Beach. Assuming it's not socked in with cloud cover, it's one of the prettiest in SoCal. Don't let the Redondo folks tell you its actually Redondo Beach; they are all inveterate liars. And they smell.

[Legacy Bear]

Originally Posted by nslander

You've really got to narrow this down. This is about the only city in America with a park run by the National Park Service Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

Griffith Park has great views and the observatory, and The LA Zoo is underrated. This is also a good time to go whale watching.

Beach- since you're already there: Torrance Beach. Assuming it's not socked in with cloud cover, it's one of the prettiest in SoCal. Don't let the Redondo folks tell you its actually Redondo Beach; they are all inveterate liars. And they smell.

THANKS! I totally forgot about the Zoo. I've heard about san diego zoo, but LA zoo is cool.

Any aquatic or aquarium as well? Thanks for your help!

[Visit a Library]

Originally Posted by Froglet

How are the asian woman towards tourists?

I was going to do a joke based on a scene in a Stanley Kubrick film, but that didn't go so well the last time...

[Visit a Library]

Originally Posted by Froglet

THANKS! I totally forgot about the Zoo. I've heard about san diego zoo, but LA zoo is cool.

Any aquatic or aquarium as well? Thanks for your help!

Sorry -- you missed Marineland by a few decades. However, there's a big aquatic thing in Long Beach next to Shoreline Drive in downtown.