If you only had one day in L.A., what would you recommend? (Los Angeles: rent, neighborhoods)

[Garethe]

Greetings. I will be passing through Los Angeles because of an Amtrak layover, and I want to know what the locals would recommend to somebody if they only had one day. I'm not the sort that wants to squeeze in as much as possible, I prefer quality over quantity. So what would be the one attraction that shouldn't be missed?

Thanks.

P.S. No theme parks please.

[Hawaii4evr]

Hollywood or Santa Monica

[thelopez2]

I think the Venice Boardwalk would be one of the most unique experiences.
or
Without know any of your interest , scuba dive at Catalina, walk down 3rd street in santa monica, grab a sandwich in downtown at Philippes, walk down china town, hunt down some foot trucks, pick up something in the jewelry district, rent a bike at the beach, try some mexican food, checkout the clubs , have some drinks in Hermosa Beach, watch the sunset, are some ideas.

[Cheektowaga_Chester]

Originally Posted by Garethe

Greetings. I will be passing through Los Angeles because of an Amtrak layover, and I want to know what the locals would recommend to somebody if they only had one day. I'm not the sort that wants to squeeze in as much as possible, I prefer quality over quantity. So what would be the one attraction that shouldn't be missed?

Thanks.

P.S. No theme parks please.

What does "one day" mean? A whole 24 hours? 12 hours? 8 hours? Where and for how long are you laying over? Downtown? How many hours? Also, are you willing to pay say $100 for taxis?

[ccm123]

I'd get up early and grab breakfast somewhere, at a cafe. Head to Universal City then Hollywood. Grab a pastrami sandwich at Langer's in MacArthur Park. Head to the beach (Malibu), enjoy the sights, then grab dinner at Moonshadows on PCH.
LA is huge and takes several days to see many of the attractions. My schedule may be aggressive because the traffic congestion may limit your mobility.

[yby1]

If you'll be at union station, you have a few options.

You can see Downtown LA. Start off at Placita Olvera, head south and have lunch at Grand Central Market, check out MOCA.

You can also take the red line to Hollywood and check out the Hollywood and Highland area. You can see Grauman's Chinese theater, walk of fame, dine at Musso & Frank's, etc...

Take the red line to Universal City, check out Citywalk.

[munchitup]

Just stay in Downtown LA, since your arrival point will be Union Station. Don't try to make it out to Malibu unless you want to spend the entire day in the car. I wouldn't even attempt to go to Santa Monica and Hollywood is a little iffy too. I would check out Chinatown, El Pueblo, Grand Park, Little Tokyo, Bunker Hill, the Historic Core and South Park. There is plenty to see and fill a day with in this area alone.

I do like the suggestion to hop on the Red / Purple Line and have a sandwich at Langers - which is located in one of the most unique neighborhoods in the United States (basically a 'Little Central America').

[Mr. In-Between]

I'll throw a shout out for Griffith Park. If you rent a car, you can drive up to Santa Monica and walk the beach down to Venice, and take in the boardwalk. Then drive up Santa Monica Boulevard to Rodeo, cut north to Sunset Boulevard, and take that through Beverly Hills into Hollywood. Take Hollywood Boulevard to Mel's Diner, grab a burger, and take Western north to Griffith Park. See the sunset over Hollywood and Beverly Hills, maybe catch a show at the planetarium, then drive back downtown.

I know that sounds like a lot, but you can do it in a day (albeit a long day), and you won't feel like you packed too much in. And you'll come away having seen an awful lot of LA, and feeling as though you have a pretty good sense of a lot of what makes LA special. But if you only want to do one thing, Venice Beach and Santa Monica. If I had only one day to ever spend in LA again, it would be there.

[nslander]

Considering your limited time, I'd also caution against venturing too far from downtown. As munchitup already noted, there is a lot there, including many new restaurants and bars. You might want to avoid skid row. The Red-line does take you Hollywood. Musso & Frank is a cool experience, as is Yamashiro.

If you rent a car, you might want to consider Griffith Park. The Observatory is beautiful and the views spectacular. You can check the Greek Theater to see if anything appealing matches your calendar. The Dresden Room is also a couple blocks from the entrance to Griffith Park. I still get a kick outta that place.

[genjy]

Maybe it's just me, but going to the beach is really exhausting.

I think once you've hit up Santa Monica or Venice, you are probably done for the day.

With that said, I would suggest spending the morning/afternoon at one of the more touristy beaches and head for Beverly Hills or Hollywood for dinner.