Traveling to LA in August

[jayali]

HELP westcoast Mammas.

This year our family vacation will be out to LA and largely revolve around the Mets vs. Dodgers baseball series (later in August). This is a result of my son turning 10 and my husband and I trying to avoid getting him a dog (but more on that in a different forum!).

Both my husband and I have never been to LA so we are looking forward to the trip, but don't want to limit it to being about 3 baseball games. So, I am looking for suggestions of other fun things to do with a 10 year old boy.

In addition we are looking for hotel recommendations. We are lucky enough to not have to pay for our plane travel (due to points and vouchers) so we can splurge on hotels. So far we have been given recommendations in Beverly Hills, but since I have no idea of the logistics (stadium and other points of interests) I don't want to limit ourselves to those recommendations. I will say that my key requirement will be a nice pool where we will feel comfortable with our 10 year old. Most of the hotels that have been recommended are appealing because they have 'cabanas' that we can rent, which would be key for us, BUT the pools look a little 'adult only friendly'.

Also, any great dining recommendations would also be appreciated. We are lucky that our DS eats almost anything and can behave appropriately in any type of dining establishment, so feel free to pass along some fine dining suggestions as well. Remember this is my vacation as well!

So come on LA mommas help me plan a great, not baseball only, trip!

TIA!

[sariana]

CA Science Center

I'm no help for lodging or food, but the Science Center is perfect for that age.

[Tondi G]

If you don't want to stay in Beverly Hills another option would be to stay east of Dodgers Stadium in Pasadena. This hotel is beautiful!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...alifornia.html

There are also some lovely hotels right by the beach in Santa Monica. The traffic to Dodgers Stadium could be a royal pain in the rear from Santa Monica though.

[meljc]

Definitely spend some time in Santa Monica. August is the best time for the beach, and you can also walk along the beautiful Palisades Park and swing through the Promenade for shopping and interesting street performers. They are also nice coastal hikes in that area if it's of interest to you -- Temescal Canyon, Will Rogers, etc. The Getty Center is a great place to spend a few hours -- free admission (just pay for parking), great permanent and rotating exhibits, and beautiful gardens. The cafeteria has nice lunch fare and beautiful views of surrounding Bel Air. For evening entertainment, the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater provide classic LA experiences. The Greek is even better if you pair it with an afternoon trip to the Griffith Observatory, which you might all enjoy (observatory/museum, planetarium, and views of all of LA). There is a nearby hike that goes up close to the Hollywood sign.

Dodgers Stadium is a huge pain to get in and out of and beware freeway traffic getting to the games. I wouldn't want to stay in the immediate vicinity. And having lived in Pasadena, I probably wouldn't be keen to stay there in August. My personal recommendation would be to stay in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. I'm unfortunately not familiar with many hotels in the area.

For restaurants, I think you'll mostly want to let that be dictated by your itinerary (both activities and hotel location). Make sure you have the Yelp app on your phone and pick a place with 4-stars from lots of reviewers that won't force you to sit in traffic for an hour! Restaurants in LA are mostly hip-casual (Melisse is the only place I can think of where you regularly see suits) but of course not generally shorts and flip flops. A well-behaved, adventurous 10yo can eat just about anywhere I think, it really just depends on your family's dining preferences. If you guys really love pizza you could make a reservation at Pizzaria Mozza (Hollywood-ish). If you're looking for new and different, our favorite restaurant these days is Picca (just south of Beverly Hills in an unassuming location).

[MMMommy]

I like the location of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City. It is right across the street from Century City Shopping Center, which is a nice, big mall with lots of good stores.

http://www.centuryplaza.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

We also recently stayed at the Loews Hollywood, which was nice. But the traffic and congestion in the area was tiresome, and it took forever to get from Point A to Point B because of street traffic. Which is why I much prefer Century City to Hollywood. However, the double king suite at Loews was very comfy, clean and modern.

http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hollyw...oews_hollywood

We have also stayed at the Sofitel in Beverly Hills. It is located right across from the Beverly Center Shopping Center. Nice, modern, etc.

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-0937...ce=contemporan

My fav for location and less congestion is the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. We didn't have a chance to use any of the pools at any location, so can't render an opinion on them.

In terms of food, we love eating good Korean BBQ in Koreatown in Los Angeles. Lots of restaurants. Especially good is Soo Won Galbi. http://www.yelp.com/biz/soowon-galbi...-los-angeles-2

Good luck!