New To LA??!!?

Hi Pedro,

Here's my top ten list for LA:

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can’t be wrong. (Sometimes it seems all at once)

Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. Check out eBay. You can find some discounted tickets there. And Universal City Walk is a fun place to hang out in the evening after your day inside the park.

Hollywood: Hollywood Boulevard is ready for its close-up, thanks to years of urban renewal and renovation. Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Mann's Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. I have also added the Hollywood & Highland complex to my top ten list… it has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards). I like the El Capitan theater, because it has been restored to its former glory, unlike the Chinese, which was essentially gutted and turned into a multiplex.

Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.

Venice Beach: Los Angeles kitsch and over-the-top culture at its best.

Here you'll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore.

Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste. And it's a short bike ride from:

Santa Monica Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. (The Sting and "Three's Company" come immediately to mind).

After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.

Santa Monica Third Street Promenade - Downtown Santa Monica's shopping promenade is often the scene of movie star-sightings. Just a short walk from the Santa Monica Pier.

Sunset Boulevard: Perhaps one of the world's most famous streets, it began as a route between the stars' posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the "Sunset Strip" on its way. It makes for a fun drive. Along the way, you see a lot of different neighborhoods. Hollywood, West Hollywood, Bel Air, and Pacific Palisades. When you get to the ocean, stop at Gladstone's for Fish.

Queen Mary: Once the largest ship afloat, she's been docked in Long Beach for longer than she sailed, and her elegance never fails to impress. Free to visit. You can actually stay on board, for a price.

Farmers Market and The Grove - A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, The Grove and Farmers Market coexist. Enjoy a movie or shopping, then take the trolley to the Farmers Market for lunch or dinner.

Farmer's Market is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping "The Price is Right". You might even get in.

Griffith Park - Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Getty Museum - The Getty's architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art or architecture better (or maybe you'll just enjoy the view), the Getty is sure to please. Free.

Attend a TV taping - You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It's very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the tonight show. Check the NBC web site for all the details there.

Places to eat:

In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.

Pink’s Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. Might see a celebrity.

Tommy’s Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. Original location at Beverly & Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.

Canter’s Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly & Melrose. Near CBS, might spot a celebrity.

Phillippe’s: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station, Olvera Street. Watch the mustard, it’s hot.

Places to Stay:

In Hollywood, I recommend the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel and the Farmer's Daughter Hotel.

In Anaheim, I recommend the HoJo Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. If you want to splurge and make this a most memorable trip, stay at Disney’s Grand Californian. You get the full Disney experience. If you don't need to stay by the park, then stay at the Doubletree on Harbor, or even the one in Orange on Chapman.

In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced.

Places to Shop:

South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

Fashion Island, Newport Beach

Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica

Citadel Outlets, Commerce

Beverly Center, Los Angeles

The Block at Orange, Orange

Ontario Mills, Ontario

Santa Monica pier and 3rd street promenade is a great place to hang at night.

Long Beach has the queen mary and the aquarium of the pacific

Orange County has Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm (Knotts has some GREAT rides and a year pass with no blockout dates can be bought for as little as 80 bucks)

Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, Universal City Walk

You can go to a lot of show tapings for free. The Jimmy Kimmel show has little mini concerts with the singer of the night. The guest will play like 4 or 5 songs even after the cameras stop rolling and its free to get tickets.

There is hiking in the hollywood hills.

The Getty is free

Their is the Griffith Observatory

A lot of broadway shows

Hollywood and Highland is a great shopping center!

Lil Wayne- La La La

A lot of people don't like the crowding of LA but I travel a lot for work and the conclusion I have come to is I appreciate LA and all of Southern California because there is always something to do...movies, the malls, outletts, gyms, tennis, raquetball, surfing, snow boarding, craft stores, clubs(depending on your age) Disney land, Magic Mountain, Knotts...basically what ever you wanna do you can probably find it here!!!! have fun and Welcome!

Ignore the lady above me.

L.A is great.

With your family, you can go to Universal Studios or Universal City Walk(its free). The Grove is also really cool. It's basically an outside mall with some interesting shops and a huge movie theater. The best part is the market attached to it. There are always celebrity faces there and/or directors, producers, screenwriters putting together scripts for movies or television.

Pedro, there are a ton of things to do. There is even a place here you can visit called San Pedro...I think it is named after Saint Peter...

Get yourself a guide book and pick out the places close to your new home and things you like to do.