2 Days in LA

[tcufrog]

Since our alma mater is playing in the college football championship game we're flying to LA Friday. This obviously is a spur-of-the-moment trip so I haven't planned any activities. We will probably have about 2 days worth of time to sightsee. LA isn't a place we had ever planned to go I can't think off hand of anything I want to do other than see the La Brea tar pits. We aren't into celebrities or Hollywood and my husband has no desire to go to a theme park if our kids aren't with us. We live adjacent to one of the largest cities in the US and it is considered a regional high end shopping destination. People fly in from out of state and from Mexico and Latin America to shop there. We don't go to those places when we're home so we don't plan to do that in LA. I prefer to buy stuff on vacation that's handmade by local artisans. We do like to do and see things we can't do at home. Any suggestions?

 

[DLgal]

Getty museum

Griffith Park/ Observatory

Farmers Market

Warner Brothers Studio tour if you like movies

Santa Monica Pier

 

[tvguy]

Reagan Library.

Los Angeles Zoo.

Peterson Museum.

 

[ronandannette]

Rent a car and drive the stretch of PCH between Santa Monica and Redondo, taking in the Beach Cities. If you like architecture, drive up into the Hollywood Hills and tour the Bird Streets. Pretty sure there's nothing like any of this local to you and we find these areas fascinating. If you're foodies, try to make some reservations at celebrity chef restaurants - there are a good number of them in LA.

 

[lisaviolet]

Santa Catalina Island. Gorgeous ride over on a beautiful day.

I love Olvera Street in downtown LA, a tad sanitized for tourists - and a rough surrounding area - but enjoyable to eat outside on their terraces and relax. Ate here twice last time in and then sat in the open plaza at El Pueblo and watched people.dance. And quite frankly wished I was one of them.

The Broad.

And as already mentioned, Getty museum.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Adjacent to the Tar Pits is LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Academy Museum. Both are very interesting. The Academy Museum also shows movies, so check to see if anything you like will be playing. Also close by is the Farmer's Market -- great history and fun food stalls. The Grove outdoor shopping center is right next to that -- a nice place to grab some coffee or a meal while enjoying people watching.

These threads may have helpful info for you:

DAY SIX Podcasts of Things to Do Around Disneyland

Other Things to Do in the Area When You Visit Disneyland

 

[JaxDad]

I love Olvera Street in downtown LA, a tad sanitized for tourists - and a rough surrounding area - but enjoyable to eat outside on their terraces and relax. Ate here twice last time in and then sat in the open plaza at El Pueblo and watched people.dance. And quite frankly wished I was one of them.

I stayed in downtown LA several years ago and walked to that area. It was nice. The Grand Central Market is close, which has lots of great food choices. I also went to Phillipe’s near there. It claims to be the home of the original French Dip Sandwich. They were pretty awesome.

I also took the bus to Santa Monica Pier and walked down to Venice Beach. At that time it was alternating t-shirt shops, tattoo parlors, and marijuana dispensaries, but it was still pretty cool.

 

[Kitty 34]

Just jumping on here to say Congrats to TCU's win! Go Frogs!!!

 

[lisaviolet]

The Grand Central Market is close, which has lots of great food choices.

Yes it does - did that too, last trip in.

I was both good & hungry and excited because I had just spent way too long trying to find the Angels Flight down.

 

[bcla]

I got back this week from a trip. There were a bunch of places mentioned that I went to. Definitely Santa Monica although I didn't go to the pier this time. Phillipe the Original was mentioned. They're also famous for their 46 cent coffee. It was 9 cents until a decade ago. I had lunch at Olvera Street at Cielito Lindo. Just their two taquitos with avocado sauce for $4, but it's pretty clear that a lot of other restaurants there have that on the menu but try to undercut their prices. Went to the Griffith Park Observatory at night, which is an ideal time to visit to just see all the LA city lights. Their museum is free and open in the evening. When I went I took the LADOT DASH Los Feliz/Observatory bus, which was free. There was a lot of traffic - I think due to an event at the Greek Theater.

Certain parts of downtown LA are going to be a little bit rough (homeless encampments and mentally ill wandering the streets), but certainly stuff that anyone can compartmentalize.

Maybe take in a basketball game? Lakers/Hawks is Friday at 7:30 PM. Not sure if you're coming in that night. Clippers/Hawks is Sunday night at 6 PM. I looked up prices and Clippers tickets can be really cheap - as low as $20 face value in the upper deck. Even though they play in the same arena (for now) the Lakers use Ticketmaster and the Clippers use AXS for their official ticketing and resale. And LA Live is a great pregame venue. I was at Yard House before I went to a hockey game and that had a great atmosphere.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/los-angeles-lakers-tickets/artist/805962

https://tix.axs.com/Y/RxBwAAAAC3vpgkAgAAAACU/v///wD/////CGNsaXBwZXJzAP///////////shop/search?utm_source=website&utm_medium=schedule&utm_campaign=2223Season&utm_content=tickets&_gl=1*l021xf*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE2NzI5NTk2ODMuQ2p3S0NBaUFoOXFkQmhBT0Vpd0F2eElvazR2QnpjZ1dzY3pXLUN3S0ZqSndqS2dSN0pJTThuTVlGNHp0SHQwNWwyek1vR0NkMFZhSkN4b0NiSklRQXZEX0J3RQ..*_ga*OTE2MzYxOTE3LjE2NzI5NTk2ODM.*_ga_6S2TW2PEL2*MTY3Mjk2OTkzNy4xLjEuMTY3Mjk3MDIzNC4wLjAuMA..&_ga=2.177724773.1732398356.1672959683-916361917.1672959683

I was also thinking hockey, but the Kings are out of town. But the Ducks are playing if you're willing to head to Anaheim.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/anaheim-ducks-tickets/artist/805893

Another place to consider is the Huntington.

https://huntington.org/

Sorry about the links. Ticketmaster seems to be really flaky with any kind of direct link to an event page. It kind of gets stuck in the website of the subcontent.

 

[BayouQueen]

Not sure where you’re staying, but my favorite Los Angeles activity is a day at Huntington Museum & Gardens in Pasadena. It’s good for the soul.

 

[bcla]

Not sure where you’re staying, but my favorite Los Angeles activity is a day at Huntington Museum & Gardens in Pasadena. It’s good for the soul.

San Marino, but it's close to Pasadena. There's also the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. I was planning on going there the day after Christmas, but the Southwest meltdown kind of forced a change in plans.

 

[bcla]

I stayed in downtown LA several years ago and walked to that area. It was nice. The Grand Central Market is close, which has lots of great food choices. I also went to Phillipe’s near there. It claims to be the home of the original French Dip Sandwich. They were pretty awesome.

I also took the bus to Santa Monica Pier and walked down to Venice Beach. At that time it was alternating t-shirt shops, tattoo parlors, and marijuana dispensaries, but it was still pretty cool.

You can still take the bus. Last August we took the 720 bus to Santa Monica with a stop in Westwood for ice cream. But we got to Union Station via the newer Metro Expo (yellow) light rail line, plus the Red line. I stayed in Santa Monica last week and used it several times to travel between downtown and where I was staying.

 

[BayouQueen]

San Marino, but it's close to Pasadena. There's also the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. I was planning on going there the day after Christmas, but the Southwest meltdown kind of forced a change in plans.

Yes, San Marino. I think of it as one place because we always combine the gardens with a bit of shopping, maybe eating, in Old Pasadena. It makes a really nice day.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Another vote for the Huntington. And they have a Disney related exhibit right now: Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative ...https://huntington.org › exhibition › inspiring-walt-disn...

 

[ford family]

Yes it does - did that too, last trip in.

I was both good & hungry and excited because I had just spent way too long trying to find the Angels Flight down.

Are you a Harry Bosch fan then?

ford family

 

[bcla]

I stayed in downtown LA several years ago and walked to that area. It was nice. The Grand Central Market is close, which has lots of great food choices. I also went to Phillipe’s near there. It claims to be the home of the original French Dip Sandwich. They were pretty awesome.

I also took the bus to Santa Monica Pier and walked down to Venice Beach. At that time it was alternating t-shirt shops, tattoo parlors, and marijuana dispensaries, but it was still pretty cool.

The secret at Phillipe's is if you only want coffee and something that doesn't come out of the kitchen, there's a quickie line right at the end of the counter. I had time to kill and just stood in line anyways, even though all I wanted was coffee and potato salad. I got called to the quickie line anyways and when I ordered the server said I could have just gotten into that line.

Santa Monica is certainly fun, but there are clearly mentally ill people wandering the streets. I'd be cautious of people trying to hawk stuff at the Pier - shoving things at you "for free" but then insisting that you have to pay for it. My advice there is just walk on by and don't make eye contact. Not sure about Venice Beach.

 

[cabanafrau]

The Getty, hands down.

 

[lisaviolet]

Are you a Harry Bosch fan then?

ford family

No.
I am aware of the character but educate me about the connection to the Angels Flight or the market.

---------

My brother moved out to the LA area, from Toronto, in the mid-eighties - so I have been able to do some entertain myself tours, where I literally just wander here and there and everywhere. Wherever the day takes me.

 

[lisaviolet]

But we got to Union Station via the newer Metro Expo (yellow) light rail line, plus the Red line.

Such a welcome change. Used it many a time last trip.

I find Union Station itself a vision to take in, but it is not everyone's cup of tea to stare at a building's architecture. Laughing.

OP, schedules are abysmal in LA for specific routes/forms of transportation. Huge improvements over the years but alas still not what one would expect. I am very much a wake up and be on my way type of traveller. Does not always work well in that city.
Mentioning that because there is picturesque train route down the coast you might want to look into, out of Union Station.