Another LA thread
 

I unsuccessfully tried to jack one of the many LA threads, so I'll post a new thread. Hopefully this can become a useful resource for others as well :thumbsup:

Since a lot of people travel to LA often here, and seem quite knowledgeable, I am looking for some advice.

You know I'll return the favour with whatever HK advice I can :D

Looking for:

-best clubs
-best beaches that aren't already famous (such as zuma, venice, etc)
-beach hotels!
-beach camping?
-shit like that. anything but Disney shit :thumbsup: Anything 4 guys would want to do on a road trip

Thanks all, so stoked. I have a LOT of time to plan :)

K I guess not

The only hotel I've stayed at in LA is the Westin Bonaventure. (I believe bcrdukes recommended it to me) It was an alright hotel (apparently it's been a shooting location for many movies). The location is so-so (being in the financial district) so there isn't much around there that's open after business hours. Unfortunately, I haven't really stayed at any other hotels out there. Maybe bcrdukes might be able to chime in.

The only other thing I might suggest as things to see - I really enjoyed the Warner Bros studio tour. It was pricey (at $45pp) but it was really neat to see a real working studio. If you're a big TV fan, you can see the set of a few of your favourite TV shows. When I was there, they took us on the set of The Mentalist, Big Bang Theory and the relocated Friends set. If you're a big LOTR fan, they have a whole museum of that stuff. Since it's a working set, there's often actors walking around the set on occasion.

I believe there's also a Sony Studio tour but I didn't get to go to that one. You can also try to get tickets for Leno too if that's your kinda thing. (I think they shoot in Burbank)

Go to six flags amusement park its killer. If you guys are driving all da way to LA mind as well make a trip to vegas as well its a 4-5 hour drive from la.
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I can't comment on too much of the above primarily, Los Angeles is a second residence and barely do I ever go clubbing.

1. I found the beaches in the OC are better than the ones in LA. For instance, accessibility of parking is better at OC beaches as compared to LA (in my experience anyway.) There aren't as many flocks of people at OC beaches compared to LA beaches. My favourite OC beach is Newport and Huntington. For LA, Venice, Manhatten and Santa Monica beaches are my pick. In Santa Monica, you have the option of hanging out at the Promenade to do some shopping if you like then head down to the pier and beach afterwards, all within walking distance. YMMV depending on what you prefer.

2. I can't comment too much on hotels because I have family there but in my limited experience, I'm a Starwood Hotels kinda guy (Sheraton/Westin/aLoft etc.) I've only ever stayed at the aLoft in Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario (far) the Sheraton in Cerritos (not bad IMO) and the Westin Bonaventure (same experience as syee.) Can't comment on beach hotels as I've never stayed at one. There are several scattered in and around the beach districts. If you want, you can try to rent somebody's apartment or beach house from Airbnb.com

3. I don't think you can camp at the beach, at least not to my knowledge anyway. Don't think I can help you there.

bcrdukes: can you recommend websites offering the cheapest flight to LA?

A lot of people on RS like Kayak.com while personally I like using the ITA Software Matrix to do comparisons and ultimately booking with the airline directly. I never book using third-party websites. You can try a travel agent to see if you can save a few bucks but I would much rather have control over my own destiny. :p

Everybody's definition of "cheap" and "cheapest" is subjective so I would suggest you start with those two sites and go from there. You may also want to consider flying out of Bellingham via Allegient Airlines as some people have found really good deals through them however, I have never flown with them nor plan on to in the near future. Alaska Airlines also flies direct to LAX from YVR on a regular basis and their flights are pretty cheap however, I decided not to fly with Alaska Airlines for other reasons.

For myself, I prefer flying direct from Vancouver to Los Angeles on Air Canada where flights are typically $350-$400 taxes in. Continental Airlines is now a Star Alliance partner so you can also look on their website for prices and they co-share flights with Air Canada.

Just keep in mind the days you choose to fly can make all the difference to your end cost. I used to fly out of Seattle on Virgin America but after factoring my time cost, gas/mileage, parking expenses etc, it was cheaper to fly from Vancouver although I have to admit, some good deals can be had through them. YMMV. I'll be heading back down at the end of the month. Hopefully some deal/bargain hunters can chime in. Good luck!

Not sure when you're heading down there, jmvdesign, but I scored a return-trip through a quick search on the ITA Software Matrix, booked through Continental Airlines for a flight, co-shared and direct on Air Canada's E90 (my favourite short-haul plane!) for $307.50 (CDN) with all taxes said and done. My date range is September 28 to October 2. :)

SkinnyPupp: If there's something you're looking for in particular, please let me know so when I head down there, I can ask my cousins where they like to go clubbing etc.

Planning to go to LA for the Rememberance day weekend, any tips for buying Lakers tickets?

I am still on planning stages.. going from Thurs-Mon (5 days)

My only suggestion - buy them now and buy the best seats you can afford and buy them legit. There are FAR too many scammers out there, especially in a city like Los Angeles.

I was just in Los Angeles and spent 5 days there. Post here if you're looking for anything in particular.

Dukes I'd just be looking for a club with a good mixed crowd, and good dance music. Basically the opposite of Vancouver ;)
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Honestly, just try any club because the experience there will for sure be opposite of what you'd find in Vancouver. Your best bet is to try the clubs along Sunset Boulevard (the clubbing district) to start and go from there. Most clubs have a mixed crowd and good dance music anyway. Their DJs are light years ahead of any DJ in Vancouver in terms of music selection and skill. They can and will rock any DJ in Vancouver hands down. I wouldn't recommend any clubs in OC simply because a majority of them are packed with skinny white kids wearing tight size 24 jeans listening to their emo rock music. But if that's your kinda thing........then :p

If you're into the indie music scene, there are a handful of clubs scattered throughout the city as well. Let me know and I can dig up some more details for you.

I just searched google and looked at the prices. Hockey game tickets there's a joke! Parking fees > Game admission?

I am looking to buy the LAL vs. PHX on Nov14, willing to spend up to $200 per seat (need a pair).

Yeah, hockey isn't that great down there. It's disgusting to see how the cost of a parking ticket exceeds game admission. :\

My cousin's friend who works for the LA Kings was practically giving away front row centre ice seats with a VIP package for free when I was last down there. :p

I just got back from a wirlwind tour of SoCal.

Bang for your buck, we had very good luck with the Red Lion hotels (I stayed at the Red Lion airport in Seattle too which had good park and fly rates to mind the car while we were gone, cheaper then using the airport park and fly). They're a chain much as Best West and so on but the ones we stayed in were all very nice, highly recommended and we had good experiences in them.

I liked the San Diego and Newport Beaches south of LA better than the ones closer. Probably cause we were their during their hottest temps ever and it was a fair bit cooler down in San Diego then the insane 47C in LA while I was there. In general I actually really did like San Diego better than LA though. It's an easier to navigate city in general... kinda reminds me of Vancouver with better beaches and palm trees.

I will give you this advice though: If you leave LA proper at all CARRY YOUR PASSPORT (typically I leave mine locked in the hotel safe once I'm in a country but I had prior warning her that came in handy). They have these customs checks randomly smattered along the highways that they activate at random. If you're in a car with multiple people and you hit one of these you will be asked to provide proof of your Canadian Citizenship or could be detained by customs. Because of the problems in Mexico that have been spilling up into Southern California these stops are being activated much more frequently than I remember on previous visits.

Which brings me to point # 2. Don't go to Mexico. Currently the northern boarder is not safe for land crossing, there's a Canadian Travel Advisory against it. Last time I went down there we went down to Mexico and had fun but on this visit my friend in LA suggested we heed the travel advisory and not. It's not a pretty thing atm.

Airfare wise we flew out of Seattle to Orange County via Alaska Airlines... 4 people for $720 Canadian Return. Would have been cheaper to fly into LAX but... well LAX is a massive pain in the ass where as Orange County is a nice little airport that's a breeze to travel through. The other nice perk flying out of Seattle or Bellingham is you can pick up your duty free and such in Washington so it won't be hampered by luggage restrictions. There's a billion little domestic only Airports in the Greater LA area that you can land in if you fly domestic that will save you time and hassle.

Question: Planning my trip to LA and need a car rental. I am 24.5 years old... any pointers to avoid getting dinged with underage fees?

Any particular rental places?

With Enterprise, use corporate code 4CA5793. PIN Code ROG. This corporate account will help avoid the underage fee. You have to book through their online website so no Hotwire or Priceline'ing.

I punched in some random date for November and the rate seems pretty good hovering at $16/$17 per day for an economy class rental.

I selected 21 to 24... still get dinged. :(

^
Thanks for reminding me.

It shouldn't ding you for the underage fee. Their website is designed to do that for some reason but when you show up to the check-in counter, you shouldn't be charged. My friends and I (when we were < 25) all used it without any problems. I believe another RS member recently used it and he had success with the corporate code. My understanding is that the corporate code was designed specifically to waive the underage fee. Maybe give their customer service a call to confirm?

Alright. To my knowledge, I don't need to pay upfront when booking a car online. The payment is processed when I return the car... hmmm

I have a few corporate discount codes from HSBC as well, let me see if those perks are similar to your Rogers one.

Thanks for the info though!

Next step is to find myself decent airfares... GRRR so much to research for :)

Sorry, I should have explained myself better. What I really meant was you should clarify whether or not you will be dinged for the underage fee when you're checking in for the car.

This is the funnest part though! :D :rofl: :p

really? I'm going down to LA in December, and really want to watch a Kings game.... how can you get free tickets?

Like I said, my cousin's friend works for Anschutz Entertainment Group who own the LA Kings and Lakers.

Just buy the tickets. They are seriously cheap.

Just google and look for tickets? any recommended site? ticketmaster?

I booked a direct flight for $450 return... pretty expensive but flying out of bellingham/seattle only saves me $80 max.

^
$450 return during mid-November is not bad considering when it gets closer to that date, fares sky rocket up to $500-$600 easily. :\

Personally, I would only ever buy from Ticketmaster. You could try Craigslist but...buyer beware.