Universal Hollywood and Beverly Hills

[damo]

Our family has never been to California before. My son, 15, wants to do the rides and my daughter,18, wants to see the sights. We want to spend a few days in the Beverly Hills area and do Universal and then spend a day up at Magic Mountain before we head out.

Can anyone recommend a nice Beverly-Hills-ish hotel that will satisfy both my son's craving that is not too far from Universal and my daughter's craving to see the stars and shop? How about the Graciela Burbank or Loews Beverly Hills? We will stay at a different hotel to do Magic Mountain.

Will two days be enough in the Hollywood area?

I know nothing about this place

 

[Maple]

I can't help to much here but we were just in Hollywood last week. I think 2 days is more than a person can handle. We just spent the afternoon walking on the Walk of Stars and seeing Mann's Theatre. We went to the Wax Museum there but in my opinion I would say, don't waste your money. DD would have loved to go to Beverly Hills but we didn't have time. I didn't think they were done well at all. We stayed at Extended Stay in Valencia but they don't have a pool. My teenage daughter was a little disappointed but we were in that area to visit relatives. We are not to much on thrill rides which Magic Mtn tends to be for.

 

[mobetsy]

Just a heads up--which you probably already know-- that there's no guarantee of seeing stars in Beverly Hills no matter how many days you stay! As for the shopping, a day will do it. Honestly, I wouldn't plan on several days there, unless the location is perfect for some other reason. Same for Hollywood...a day is plenty. You might take a look at the thread at the beginning of this forum about other things to do in the area, just to get some idea of additional possibilities. Enjoy your trip

 

[damo]

We though we would do one day at Universal Studios and one day shopping and doing the tours. Would that be about right? If we stay in a hotel at Universal Studios, are we close to Rodeo Drive and the other famous areas?

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

well I can't help you out but I can relate
funny....my kids are the same age as yours too 15 & 18 but they're both boys. The 15 year old just wants thrill rides and the 18 year old...well I guess he'll just go along with whatever

We're planning one day at USH and one day of touring also. And we're doing one day at one of the beaches. I just can't decide on 2 things....whether to stay near USH or more toward the ocean which is where I'd rather be, but I've been warned about traffic driving toward LA on my USH day.
The other decision I can't make is whether to do a guided bus tour or to try touring on our own. The bus would be good not having to drive but then we have to go at their pace. One plus with the bus tour is that some do pick up at hotels out near the beach. The con to that is having to sit thru many hotel drop offs and pick ups.
I'll keep weighing the pros and cons of both these and hopefully I'll come to decisions
good luck to you

 

[mobetsy]

Damo, I think your idea of one day for each is probably just right unless you have a huge passion for one or the other.

Mickeyfaniam, don't worry too much about the traffic as long as you plan to go after 9:00 AM and don't drive back 4:30-7:00 PM or so. L.A. traffic is rarely great, but by avoiding rush hour you stand a decent chance of it being reasonable. As far as driving yourself or taking a bus, I will tell you that I go out of my way to avoid driving in both Hollywood and BH! It's not so much the driving as the parking, which can be a huge hassle. The bus has some definite negatives, but I'd think they might be outweighed by not having to park.

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

thank you for the info....that definitely helps!

BUT what time does USH open and if I don't head out until 9ish (which you won't find my lazy family complaining about ) from say Manhattan beach area will I still have have time to do everything there?

 

[iceskatejen]

Universal Studios opens around 9, but like others said, LA traffic is no fun, esp. the 101, which US is off of. US is open fairly late during the summer and if you follow the suggested times to see things (they'll give a touring plan to you with times to see the attractions as you enter the park) you should be able to see everything. Make sure you go on a weekday because even during the summer, the crowds are a lot lighter than the weekends.