LA area this summer! Help! Q's added in first post

[kristenk]

New questions:
I know we'll be skipping the walk of fame in favor of other activities and we'll probably add some of the things you've suggested. How many days do you think it would take to comfortably tackle my list of activities? For simplicity's sake, just use the list below.

Any suggestions on which LA area airport(s) to fly into? It looks like there are a several to choose from and there are a lot of flights between them and DFW.

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DH and I decided that our main summer vacation this year will be to the Los Angeles area. I've looked through old threads for ideas and this is what I have so far to investigate further:

Warner Brothers studio tour
Universal Studios (hooray, Harry Potter!)
Santa Monica Pier
Griffith observatory
CA Science Center
La Brea Tar Pits
The Grove
Paradise Cove in Malibu
walk of fame

First, are the above things still, um, there and relevant? Oh, DD is 14yo.

I know the LA area is huge and I'm having a little difficulty figuring out how far away things are in real time. I'm also a little overwhelmed with all of the hotel options. Does it make sense to stay a few nights in one hotel and then move to another one in a different area? Any specific hotels or areas to recommend?

This is our major summer vacation. We're not looking to stay at the most expensive place we can, but we'd like to stay somewhere nice. (And if you know of a really nice, but expensive, hotel, please let me know that one, too. Just in case!)

[sariana]

I don't know LA all that well, but Griffith Observatory, CA Science Center, and La Brea Tar Pits definitely are relevant, and I think a 14 year old will love them (if she likes science at all). Allow more time for CA Science Center than the other two because there is a lot to do there. If you want to look through the telescope at Griffith, get in line early. They will stop letting people in, even if you've been in line for a long time, once they hit closing time. But there is plenty to see and do even without looking through the 'scope. Be sure to visit their website because they have a number of special events, many of which are free, such as viewing events on the plaza.

Do keep in mind that the weather is fickle. Be sure to have layers because it can get unexpectedly cool even in the summer.

[TwinFoxes]

You might want to try AirBNB or VRBO rather than a hotel. You can get one by the beach for a lot cheaper than you could get a hotel room by the beach. Your list looks fun. I personally don't like the Walk of Fame, but lots of people do. I'm just not that interested in seeing random plaques for stars, and Hollywood Blvd is nasty. If you're interested in strolling an people watching, downtown Beverly Hills is fun, or upper Robertson Blvd. You can view Cedars Sinai, birth place of my DDs. But there are also fun shops and restaurants, and you'll probably see stars.

[kristenk]

Thanks for the replies so far! It's good to know we're on the right track!

TwinFoxes, thanks for the advice on skipping the Walk of Fame. I've heard other people say it was bad but then I also heard that it was fun, so I was on the fence. I do think DD would like to see stars, if possible. Granted, she probably won't know who anyone is (and neither will I - I'll probably think someone looks familiar and I probably went to college with them...sigh) but she loves the idea. Is downtown Beverly Hills are best bet for that?

If we look into AirBNB or VRBO, what specific areas should we be looking at? When I was doing a hotel search, I saw some rates in the $500-$1k/night range. Was I looking in the wrong area or is it really that expensive? I saw a Hampton Inn for well over $400/night and that blows my mind. I just can't tell if I need to plan on spending that much to stay in a good area or if I've narrowed my search into the most expensive area without knowing it.

[PZMommy]

I think it depends what your DD is into. My kids love the Walk of Fame and going to see the footprints in front of the Chinese Theater. There are plenty of current and well know celebrities. We’ve done field trips to the la brea tar pits, and I don’t think they are worth seeing. The science center and Griffith observatory are much better.

As for spotting celebrities, you probably won’t see any at Hollywood unless there is a movie premiere going on. We’ve run into celebrities randomly at the grocery store and some of the malls by where we live (no where near Beverly Hills. lol)

[kristenk]

Anyone know anything about The Tangerine Hotel in Burbank? I'm thinking about staying there for 2-3 nights while we do Warner Brothers, Universal and Griffith Observatory. Does that make sense?

[elektra]

I was up in LA a few times this week and we did Venice beach and then Universal Studios.
The rooftop bar at the Hotel Erwin was fantastic! Great views, good cocktails. But they do card just to get on the roof so no DD (I even got carded!) We ate dinner at Gjelina- it was great. You will need reservations but we ate on Friday night at 5:45 and although it was a cool spot, it felt family-friendly at that hour too.
Definitely go to the Grove. I love the Farmer's Market. And then just walking up and down the newer Grove part is nice. I saw Dakota Fanning last time I was there. (She was with her mom in the Nordstrom on a weekend. I was shocked as there were so many tourists and I figured she would be laying low!) You can do tarpits and the grove in the same day.
A coworker of mine stayed at the Inn at Venice Beach. Great location and not expensive. Also fairly close to the airport.

[Tenasparkl]

Anyone know anything about The Tangerine Hotel in Burbank? I'm thinking about staying there for 2-3 nights while we do Warner Brothers, Universal and Griffith Observatory. Does that make sense?

I haven't been inside, but it's cute from the outside. That's a good convenient area for visiting the places you mentioned - very close to Warner Brothers and Universal. There are some good food options in walking distance too. I live in Burbank and I'd also recommend Hotel Amarano as another option.

[kristenk]

Are there any other things that make sense to group together and try to do them on the same day or one day after another?

And thank you all for answering my questions! I'm really looking forward to this trip!

[PunkyBoo]

Are there any other things that make sense to group together and try to do them on the same day or one day after another?

And thank you all for answering my questions! I'm really looking forward to this trip!

If you are adventurous, you could hike up to the Hollywood sign. It's beautiful up there and kinda cool to be there with such an icon.

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