What would you do?

[Albytaps]

If it was your first time... in California! Say you only had 5 days and were staying at the Grand Californian Hotel in DLR. You were arriving in LAX and had to figure out how to get to Disneyland. However, in the back of your mind, you really want to see Hollywood (especially the sign, the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame.)

Would you take a few hours away from your first day at Disneyland. Would you take an hour drive detour and spend some extra time and money away from Disneyland so you could park at the Hollywood Highland Center and walk around a bit?

Or would you rather use as much of the 5 days you have in DLR to soak in everything you can?

Here are some options:

1. Spend around $150 on your family of 6 for a round trip ticket on the Disneyland Express. The buses depart hourly so you might spend an hour waiting for a bus, then another hour riding it.

2. Spend around $300 for a rental car and parking at DLR, go straight to DLR and maybe save an hour or so.

3. Spend the same as option #2, but take a detour to Hollywood and see the sights but spend a couple of additions hours (maybe 3 hours total) doing so.

You would arrive on a Sunday afternoon so you expect the traffic to not be horrible and since you have worked in NYC most of your life, LA traffic shouldn't be too bad. However, you depart on a Friday afternoon, so you will want to keep Friday's traffic in mind to head back to the Airport for a 3pm flight.

 

[momjeeps]

I would rent the car, go straight to DLR and take some time in the middle of the week when we need a break and then go do some other So CA things one day or half day.

 

[HydroGuy]

I would rent a car at LAX, drive to Hollywood from there to see these sights for the 3 hours or so, then drive to DLR and drop the car off as you will not need it anymore. How much is a car for one day? $100 at most.

To get back to the airport I would look for a limo service with a van that can take 6. My guess it would cost $80-100 to get you back to LAX. Or maybe get Karmel Shuttle to take you. I got five of my family from Long Beach to DLR for like $75 a few years ago using Karmel.

Some food for thought.

 

[sleepymouse]

I don't think anyone but your family can make the decision as to whether or not to go sightseeing. I am not a big fan of driving around LA and know that this is not a once in a lifetime chance for me, so I would skip it. Your situation may be totally different.

If you decide to just do Disneyland, another transportation option is a town car service such as DK Livery. The cost roundtrip from LAX is $175 and includes tip and a 20 minute grocery stop. We are currently trying to choose between the Disneyland Express and DK Livery because we are only 4 people so the cost difference (between the two) for us is greater.

 

[Jerry Horne]

"Or would you rather use as much of the 5 days you have in DLR to soak in everything you can?"

Honestly, you will need at least 5 days in Disneyland. I was in California recently and visited Hollywood etc. and for me it was nothing special. It was as crowded as DL could be without the magic.

I would spend every moment at DL/DCA.

 

[Here4mydisneyfix]

To be completely honest, I would skip Hollywood altogether. I have been many times, and even spent an entire summer there for acting school about 12 years ago, so I know the area very well. We went there in 2012 because my MIL and BIL wanted to check out Hollywood, and I gotta say, it has gotten REALLY nasty there. Everything looks gross and very dirty. There are generic stores full of crap from china everywhere, and you get propositioned to go into strip clubs on each block...I was a little scared to be walking around there with my kids to be honest. Even my IL's were wondering where the "glamor" of Hollywood was...I think it left! lol We all wished we had not gone, and just spent the extra time at Disney or the beach instead.

 

[Albytaps]

Good stuff guys, thank you.

This quote however:

To be completely honest, I would skip Hollywood altogether. I have been many times, and even spent an entire summer there for acting school about 12 years ago, so I know the area very well. We went there in 2012 because my MIL and BIL wanted to check out Hollywood, and I gotta say, it has gotten REALLY nasty there. Everything looks gross and very dirty. There are generic stores full of crap from china everywhere, and you get propositioned to go into strip clubs on each block...I was a little scared to be walking around there with my kids to be honest. Even my IL's were wondering where the "glamor" of Hollywood was...I think it left! lol We all wished we had not gone, and just spent the extra time at Disney or the beach instead.

makes my decision a lot easier.

 

[bolty717]

To be completely honest, I would skip Hollywood altogether. I have been many times, and even spent an entire summer there for acting school about 12 years ago, so I know the area very well. We went there in 2012 because my MIL and BIL wanted to check out Hollywood, and I gotta say, it has gotten REALLY nasty there. Everything looks gross and very dirty. There are generic stores full of crap from china everywhere, and you get propositioned to go into strip clubs on each block...I was a little scared to be walking around there with my kids to be honest. Even my IL's were wondering where the "glamor" of Hollywood was...I think it left! lol We all wished we had not gone, and just spent the extra time at Disney or the beach instead.

I so agree - we took a bus trip there last April because our then 6 year old daughter was dying to go to Hollywood to "see movie stars" - we saw everything but and it was pretty awful and beyond tacky - I kept a tight grip onto her as the characters we saw there were nothing like the friendly safe characters in Disneyland. Stillshe can say she's been to Hollywood and the idea of Hollywood is still there for her

 

[Zbugz]

I drove up to the Hollywood area in 2011 with my two young teens. I was freaked out by the number and type of people in the area and chose not to get out of the car. Traffic and parking were crazy, too. Although it was neat to catch a glimpse of the sidewalk stars and Grauman's, it was pretty much a waste of time for us.

On another note, if you keep checking back on car rental rates, you should be able to get a small SUV or a minivan for no more than $30 per day including tax. A quick trip to a grocery store for breakfast items can really make renting a car worthwhile.

 

[sheetz]

Although I don't think Hollywood Blvd is all that scary I don't think it's worth a 3 hour detour, either. On the other hand I do like to bring out of town visitors to the Farmers Market on Fairfax for lunch, and then drive them up to the Griffith Observatory for the views. You can see the Hollywood Sign pretty well from up there.

 

[southlakejr]

I have to agree with previous posters- Hollywood is gross, and relatively sketchy. We went two years ago with our little motley crew (all adults) and stayed just long enough to see the soda fountain and get out. We visit regularly, and still didn't think it was worth the detour or time taken away from the park.

 

[LisaT91403]

Hollywood & Highland is a shopping center. There are a bunch of chain stores (okay, some may not be chain...but really nothing special) and restaurants. You can see the Hollywood sign from there. It looks...just like it does in pictures. Yup, white letters up on a hill. You will see lots of "colorful" people walking around on Hollywood Blvd. You can see the dirty sidewalk with famous peoples' name on it. Is that your thing? a

Don't ever count on "light" traffic in Los Angeles. In theory, Sunday should be pretty good. But if there's one accident on the freeway somewhere, it changes everything.

I don't mean to seem like a downer. I've lived in Los Angeles pretty much my whole life, and if I were going to take several hours away from a DLR trip, it would be to see something unique and spectacular. Hollywood is neither, IMO.

My two cents

 

[AbbyMarie]

I guess I will be the dissenting opinion here In your original post, you said that you really wanted to see some of the "sights" of Hollywood - and personally, I think you should, especially since this is your first visit to California. Yes, some of the people in Hollywood can be a little different, but I have never felt that it was unsafe or dangerous. If you are used to working in NYC, I don't think anything in Hollywood would be especially bothersome.

A few years ago we rented a car from LAX and took our two teenage sons to see the Hollywood sign and a few other sights, and finished up with a hot dog at Pink's (actually their favorite part of the day). Then we drove to Anaheim and started our DL adventure the next morning. They still talk about how fun it was to see those things that they had seen in movies and on tv.

Whatever you decide, you will have such a good time exploring Disneyland for the first time. Have fun!!!!

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Another dissenter here. Hollywood is so cool to see. We took our kids (6 & 9 at the time) and there were no issues whatsoever. The weirdos in costume are half the fun! You can search my old posts - as I recall we spent only about 6 hours to see Chinese theatre/Walk of Fame, walk through the Hollywood & Highland Hard Rock Cafe, shop for knockoff Dodgers tshirts, tour Griffith Observatory and get great shots of the Hollywood sign, tour Guitar Center Rock Walk, drive by the Hollywood Tower apartments and the Capitol Records building, drive Sunset Blvd and eat at Carney's on Sunset (the yellow train car hot dog spot). Everything is really close together - we drove less than 10 miles total to see all of this. Now every time the kids see an iconic Hollywood spot in the background on TV/movies they say, "We've been there!" ETA: I'd go to Hollywood on a weekend afternoon after you do EMH and spend a few hours in DL-you can take your afternoon break in Hollywood - you'll avoid the busy afternoon of a weekend at DL and get the benefit of busy Hollywood- safety in numbers! You'll be back with plenty of time to see the nighttime DL shows.

 

[HydroGuy]

I guess I will be the dissenting opinion here In your original post, you said that you really wanted to see some of the "sights" of Hollywood - and personally, I think you should, especially since this is your first visit to California. Yes, some of the people in Hollywood can be a little different, but I have never felt that it was unsafe or dangerous. If you are used to working in NYC, I don't think anything in Hollywood would be especially bothersome.

A few years ago we rented a car from LAX and took our two teenage sons to see the Hollywood sign and a few other sights, and finished up with a hot dog at Pink's (actually their favorite part of the day). Then we drove to Anaheim and started our DL adventure the next morning. They still talk about how fun it was to see those things that they had seen in movies and on tv.

Whatever you decide, you will have such a good time exploring Disneyland for the first time. Have fun!!!!

I agree with Abby down the line. I agree with previous posters that Hollywood is a grungy place that will probably disappoint in some ways. On the other hand my first time there with my kids we spontaneously decided to see a just released Harry Potter movie at Grauman's Chinese theater and they remember that as a special experience still today.

If the OP wanted to spend a whole day or more in Hollywood I would be more likely to dissent. But three hours? For someone who has never been there and has kids? I think it is a no brainer to go for three hours if you have time.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

If this is your first trip to Los Angeles, as sweet as Disneyland Resort is, I would take a day in the middle to explore Los Angeles a bit. Some DIS friends came out from the New Jersey area, and I took them through Downtown Los Angeles, the Grifftih Park Observatory, down Sunset Blvd to the ocean, and then Santa Monica Pier. We also went past the La Brea Tar Pits and stopped at the Grove/Farmers Market. Driving along Sunset Blvd we saw the original Crossroads icon that is replicated at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida, and off of the 101 freeway, close to Graumann's Chinese theater is the orginal Hollywood Tower that Tower of Terror is modeled after.

I would definitely recommend some of those places for a day outing. Not too far from the Griffith Park Observatory is the carousel that Walt Disney used to take his daughters to.

With a little bit of planning, and preparation, you can see a lot of different sights, and then go back to the parks in the late afternoon/early evening for some of the Disneyland Resort activities.

Yes, there will be traffic, but factor that in to your day, and you'll be able to do a lot.

 

[sherilaine]

I think most people like to see Hollywood. My advice is to have LOW expectations. Hollywood Blvd provided a very good "stay in school" message for my kids as it was filled with complete losers! Griffith Park is a great idea though, if you have more time.

 

[Albytaps]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

As this is our first trip to California because of Disneyland, we have decided to spend all of our time this trip in DLR. I have no doubts we'll love DLR so much that we'll make a second trip in a few years, and we'll plan for more time in California to tour at that time. I would like to take a guided tour to make it more informative and have the best experience possible, seeing all the sights mentioned on this thread.

So, we bought tickets for the Disneyland Express. Hopefully it will all go smoothly.

Thanks again!

 

[Coffee50]

Have a great trip!

On a side note, I don't think Hollywood is bad at all, but you'd just have to plan & know what you want to do. If you just show up on Hollywood blvd (Hollywood blvd is only 1 street in the Hollywood area), it's bound to be disappointing.

There are movie premieres, live concerts (Jimmy Kimmel's show is there), Disney's El Capitan, Pantages theater, etc. Many people use it as a jumping off point for one of those celeb bus tours.

That being said, Hollywood is best as a part of a larger trip:

Universal Studios is a subway stop away.
Sunset Blvd, Melrose Ave.
Farmers Market / Grove, CBS (game show / tv show tapings)

If you're from NYC the street itself like a second tier Times Square with less neon, but Hollywood as a whole, has a good amount of things to do.

 

[KCmike]

Skip the Hollywood sign and walk of fame as others have said it really is a big disappointment plus you can easily get caught up in traffic and it could possibly take up most of your day.

I would definitely stay at the Grand Californian and use up all five days at the hotel/resort. The GC has huge chaise lounge chairs around the pool and hot tub are crazy comfortable. Don't be shocked when you see how small the resort area is. After you get past the feeling of it feeling much more smaller you will walk in under the tunnels and be completely immersed in the storybook feel. It is so nice to be able to have Downtown Disney, DCA, and DL all within steps of each other. Don't miss Steakhouse 55 for a great steak dinner at Disneyland Hotel, try to catch a ride on the Lilly Belle train car, and if you have some extra cash try to take in the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour.

If you do get the bug to venture out then I would rent a car from the Alamo in Downtown Disney and head to the Pacific Ocean. Take in Newport Beach and maybe take in a sunset cruise around the harbor (Celebrity homes) and then out onto the ocean to watch the sunset over the hills.