Depends on where you plan on staying. Until you have an idea of where, it'll be kind of hard to answer your question. You may not get mugged unless you're absolutely asking for it. But as always, I've always suggested against staying directly in places like Inglewood, Compton, South Central and certain parts of Long Beach.

Make sure you get a rental. You can't really get around LA without a vehicle.

I'm doing a cali trip as well from nov 7 -11 for the canucks games.


Anyone know any must see places/places to eat at? staying in downtown LA for the days

If you're staying in DTLA and you want some dessert, check out The Pie Hole in the Arts District. Try their maple custard pie. There's also Wurstkuche across from them. Some interesting hot dogs I'd have to say and a great selection of beers.

Not a "must eat" but I really like the gin & tonic at the Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar in Bunker Hill. Parking can be tricky. Enter the garage on Olive Street (California Plaza.) Ask them for a parking voucher. Free for the first two hours. Food and service have been consistently great of the times I've been.

First Trip to LA

Doing a Disney Land trip + LA Beach with my girlfriend (6days 5 nights)

I was thinking going to Disney Land (3days) first day after landing in LAX (staying at a hotel in Anaheim, closer Disney Land) then last 3 days staying at a beach hotel somewhat closer to LAX

Anyone have suggestion on Hotels in Anaheim and somewhat closer to LAX?

I also heard DT LA is pretty bad, which area should I avoid going?

Thanks

Somewhere closer to LAX - Check out the hotels in Venice and El Segundo. Choices are somewhat limited but they are very close to LAX without taking the 405. If you're willing to travel a little further and spend a bit more, check out the hotels in Santa Monica. You could stay at the hotels at LAX but uhh...the area is kind of dull and boring.

Areas to avoid: Bits and pieces of Long Beach, Compton, Inglewood, South central, East LA. DT LA is ok but don't walk around at night beyond the Arts District and the Bunker HIll area. The rule of thumb in DTLA (and only DTLA) is - if it looks and feels sketchy, it probably is. The Arts District and Japantown is fine at night. Lots of life in the neigbourhoods full of restaurants, bars, and pubs etc.

Sorry, no real suggestion for hotels in Anaheim. Good luck. Most of them are fine from what I understand.

By the way, planning to rent a car there. Any neighbourhood to stay away from? My dam GPS always takes me through these small streets and don't want to end up in the wrong hood.

First post on the top of this page summarizes where NOT to go to.

I like this map, gives you a general idea what areas are "bad".

L.A. Crime Maps - Mapping L.A. - Los Angeles Times

Someone asked how dangerous would it be going in to compton and taking a picture of the compton Bl sign?

If anyone is in LA march 23 - 5pm, i might have one extra ticket to the ducks vs panthers game (yes LUONGO, and yes free)

Visiting my family for a few weeks.

Any questions or stuff you'd like to me check out on your behalf - let me know! :D

anyone recommend night clubs on a saturday night?
will be going to LA later this month and then mid week heading over to san diego

suggestion on places to eat around LA is good too!

Check out Kogi and say hi to Roy Choi

We only clubbed at ExchangeLA. Pretty big multilevel club. We did bottle service so we had a sweet view of the entire dance floor below us
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Fundamental LA
1303 Westwood Blvd (very small sign, if at all so keep an eye out for it.)

Lunch - get the $1 add on for salad or chips. Think of this place as Meat and Bread, but personally, I think it's better.
Dinner - Make a reservation and let them know you're from out of town, visiting the restaurant upon recommendation. The menu changes weekly but you will be getting a fresh meal. I believe they have a $35 price-fixe menu but your mileage may vary.

Parking: Street parking. Bring change or park on the residential streets if you don't mind a 1 - 2 block walk.
Service: Wasn't bad but a little casual. Staff and owner are very friendly. Feel free to chat it up with them to learn more about the food and influences.
Price: Nothing baller not cheap. A good lunch would cost $10 - $14 depending on what you get. Dinner is more, of course. Accepts cash and credit.
Clientele: More affluent folks given that it's in Westwood and a lot of researchers since UCLA is literally down the street. You don't need your $3000 D&G suit to eat here. It's very casual.

For some reason, I can't edit my post above.

Check out Bäco Mercat - Josef Centeno
I just had dinner earlier with family and friends. The food here is amazing and is meant to be shared.

We sat at the bar and it was a full house as we couldn't make reservations in time (highly recommended btw.) Service here is top notch - everyone has their A-game on. The drinks prepared by the bar staff were VERY generous with their portions. Highly skilled and they have their technique down. Feel free to chat them up, asking them about their prep methods and even the food - they are very confident in their recommendations and know their stuff inside and out.

Parking can be a bitch so it's street only or surrounding parking lots in the area so make sure you have change or credit card ready. Be careful after dark because downtown LA turns all hood and the freaks come out. All in all, amazing place. Highly recommended. There is NOTHING on that menu I wouldn't recommend!

BCR Dukes!

give me the ultimate guide to 626
what to do, what to eat.

Spending 3-4 days
will have a car.

I want to go to the DTLA nightmarket

There's not a whole lot to do in the 626 besides eat and drink bubble tea. It's like Richmond, but bigger except the food is nowhere close to HK/Richmond.

Look for the Fung Brothers on YouTube. They've done a lot of 626 restaurant reviews.

Edit: Here -
Their recommendations are actually pretty good. Try Savoy, Factory Tea Bar and Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa.

Dukes, Is there free parking at the DTLA nightmarket?
or is like pay parking like Richmond Nightmarket?
or is there no parking at all?

It's pretty much pay parking everywhere.

so i booked my trip. staying close the airport because i cant be bothered to stay in the "hip" area's of LA. doesn't matter anyways, ill just be coming back to the hotel to sleep. majority of the time ill be driving around. i rented with silvercar because renting anything from the other rental companies is pointless. its $85/day for a full load audi a4 with nav that uses google maps and the cars got its own wifi hotspot. i've never actually had a chance to cruise around LA before so this going to be awesome. i've been to san diego, san fran, san jose, sacramento and other parts of northern cali before. so im no stranger to cali. i also plan on driving around through compton and inglewood :). no fucking way im going anywhere near watts though...

Just wanted to follow up on this thread.

Quite a handful of people have PM'd me asking for clubbing recommendations. I haven't been clubbing in LA and my cousins haven't been in ages, so we're "behind" on the scene if you will. I would recommend Google searching for suggestions.

In any case, I'm here in LA right now and have noticed there are a lot of new and regional/local "night markets" that have been popping up as of late. Check out sites like the LA Times and whatnot for the latest and greatest, as well as The OC Register for details (food/events/stuff to do etc.)

scored a return flight for $290 :)

Bumping thread, but if any people are looking to get a "sample" of what Los Angeles has to offer in terms of food and culture, a great place to stop at is the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA. Similar to Granville island, but excellent food options. You can try a bit of everything from Mexican, a Jewish deli, California meats/delis, an oyster bar, West Coast LA inspired cuisine and a hipster coffee bar and much more.

If you do hit this place up, try to avoid it during weekends - it gets crazy and out of control. During the weekday, avoid the lunch rush. It gets hectic as well, but nowhere near as bad as the weekend.

Pro-tip - Do not park in the parking lot at the market. It gets VERY expensive. Try parking a block or two away at the off-site parking lots where it costs $5 or so for a flat-rate. :)

Edit: I'll be back in LA during Chinese New Year 2015 if anybody plans on coming down. I'll be a the Walt Disney Concert Hall in DTLA on the 20th. Would be cool to grab a drink nearby with some RS'ers! :)

I'm going to LA February 6th til 12 with the GF. Thanks for the tip bcrdukes, we were actually already planning to go to that market.