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What do Los Angeles locals do for fun?
"PDawg77" wrote in message om... My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. Well, when you are staying at a hotel in BH, it's kind of tough to make like a local. Locals by and large do what locals do: buy grocery, go to the mall, stay home and watch TV We want to see the mountains and the beach, Mountains are to the north, beaches are to the west (and south). Spend a day at Malibu beach. There is a hiking trail that takes you from Arcadia up the San Gabriel mountains (2,000 ft elevation gain). maybe go for a hike and a drive along the coast. We'll be staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills, which I understand is near many nice neighbourhoods and attractions. We're just not sure where to go or what to do while we're there. By the way, does anyone have any tips for navigating our way around town by car? I hear Los Angeles is all highway... Lots of them. Are you a member of AAA? They have a map pack for LA (3 or 4 maps cover the area). They also have a freeway map. After 3 or 4 years driving the freeways you should have no problems. |
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PDawg77 wrote: My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. When I was an Angeleno, my idea of fun was to get out of town. Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang, San Diego are all good destinations. |
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PDawg77 wrote: My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. We want to see the mountains and the beach, maybe go for a hike and a drive along the coast. We'll be staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills, which I understand is near many nice neighbourhoods and attractions. We're just not sure where to go or what to do while we're there. By the way, does anyone have any tips for navigating our way around town by car? I hear Los Angeles is all highway... Avoid rush hour and the drivings not that bad. We've been there twice. From Beverley Hills the most enjoyable day and evening is Santa Monica. You can drive the Ocean Rd up to Malibu in the daytime. Walk the SM beach day or evening. Catch the sun setting behind the mountains if you time it right. Mall shopping at Santa Monica Place. Street shopping along 3rd, 4th, 5th. Walk the pier, a lively place with far more locals than tourists. |
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On Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:29:38 -0700, "PeterL"
wrote: "Todd Kunioka" wrote in message om... "PeterL" wrote in message ... "PDawg77" wrote in message om... My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. Well, when you are staying at a hotel in BH, it's kind of tough to make like a local. Locals by and large do what locals do: buy grocery, go to the mall, stay home and watch TV If you want to make your grocery shopping more interesting, buy them at a farmer's market. There are a number in the Los Angeles area. Two "permanent" farmer's market-like experiences would be 1) The Farmer's Market, at the corner of Fairfax and Third, and 2) Grand Central Market, near the corner of Third and Broadway. Strongly agree. Grand Central Market is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. It's across the street from the Bradbury Building, which is an architectual structure of some renown. You can walk into the lobby during normal business hours, and I would recommend that. The Bradbury Bldg must be the most recognizable movie building in the world. I have seen it in more movies and TV shows than I can count. But it's the inside that is so recognizable. I was just re-watching Blade Runner a week or so ago and wondering about the huge mess the filmmakers made ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#7
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"PeterL" wrote in message ...
"PDawg77" wrote in message om... My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. Well, when you are staying at a hotel in BH, it's kind of tough to make like a local. Locals by and large do what locals do: buy grocery, go to the mall, stay home and watch TV If you want to make your grocery shopping more interesting, buy them at a farmer's market. There are a number in the Los Angeles area. Two "permanent" farmer's market-like experiences would be 1) The Farmer's Market, at the corner of Fairfax and Third, and 2) Grand Central Market, near the corner of Third and Broadway. Grand Central Market is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. It's across the street from the Bradbury Building, which is an architectual structure of some renown. You can walk into the lobby during normal business hours, and I would recommend that. There are other interesting bits of architecture in downtown. If you exit Grand Central Market to the west and head up the Angel's Flight hill, you arrive in the Watercourt. [There used to be "the world's shortest railway" that ran up the hill, but it's been inoperative for I think a couple of years, now, and there does not seem to be any progress in bringing back. So, instead of a somewhat-amusing funicular ride, it's a pretty good set of stairs that will give you a view of a whole lot of homeless folks sleeping on the grass]. A bit further, and you'll be up at the top of Bunker Hill. There's a nice water course that runs down south towards the main library [also an interesting architectual sight, particularly from inside]. If you do NOT follow the watercourse down, but instead go a bit further west, then you're at the Westin Bonaventure. That's another sight to behold. For free amusement, ride up and down the elevators. They have glass walls that let you look out across downtown, which is nice because there really aren't any good observation decks to see downtown, anymore. Even the one at city hall has been closed to the public. Other things to see downtown include the Museum of Contemporary Art [spread across several different buildings], the Disney Music building, the Catheral of our Lady of the Angels [Catholic Cathedral], City Hall, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Olvera Street. You can actually walk to all of these sites, but if you try to do all of them in one day, you'll probably be pretty pooped. If you ride the downtown DASH buses, you can reduce some of your walking for twenty-five cents a pop. You can also ride the DASH F-bus south to Exposition Park. The California Science Center, the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, and the African American museum are all located there [adjacent to the Memorial Coliseum and the Sports Arena, and across the street from the University of Southern California]. Currently at the Science Center is "Body Worlds," which is an interesting [or creepy] look at the human body. Actual bodies, preserved through some sort of plastique method, produces very detailed looks at the inside of the human body. If you go instead to the Los Angeles Farmer's Market, then you're adjacent to The Grove shopping center, which is an outdoor mall. Lots of younger and wealthier locals hang out there. You're also about three blocks north of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Petersen Automotive museum. Many locals will have fond memories of their school field trips to the tar pits and to the natural history museum. Both the Farmer's Market and Grand Central Market are open seven days a week. In addition, many communities have their own farmer's market. Three I can name right off the top of my head: 1) Santa Monica has theirs on Saturday and Wednesday mornings; 2)Monrovia has theirs on Friday evenings (I'm planning to go there after work to buy some kim chee); 3) Pasadena has theirs on Saturday morning. There are a score other local farmer's markets, but I can not give their day and time off the top of my head. But if you do a google search, you'll come across a site that lists all the community farmer's markets in the area. Of these community farmer's markets, the Santa Monica one is probably the largest. And it has the advantage of being located within a pretty bustling downtown setting. The Third Street Promenade is right nearby, for example, And you're not far from the Santa Monica Pier and the amusement rides down there. Of course, the beach is also here. Venice Beach is a bit further south. If you come out to the San Gabriel Valley for one of their farmer's markets, you should probably stop in the Pasadena area. Old Town Pasadena, which is effectively the area west of Fair Oaks and north of Colorado [but probably can be considered to cover both sides of Colorado and a bit east of Fair Oaks, as well] is another "locals" destination. Lots of shopping and restaurants out here. It's not as dense as Santa Monica, but it's cleaner. The Norton Simon Museum is located a bit east of "Old Town." I'd consider it worth a visit. If you want to go to a supermarket that is [depending on where you've been to]probably quite different from any other you've seen, you should locate a 99 Ranch Market while you are in town. My favorite is near the corner of Del Mar and Valley in San Gabriel, but there are other stores scattered all over southern California [and also at least one in Las Vegas]. The nice thing about the one at Del Mar and Valley is that it is part of "The Great Chinese Mall." [That's not an official name, that's just what I call it]. When the mall opened back in the mid-1980s, it was probably the biggest suburban ethnic development in the nation. Now, it's just really crowded on weekends and nights, there's not enough parking, and the mall is starting to show its age. But it's still something worth seeing [both the shopping center in general and the 99 Ranch Market, in particular]. We want to see the mountains and the beach, Mountains are to the north, beaches are to the west (and south). Spend a day at Malibu beach. There is a hiking trail that takes you from Arcadia up the San Gabriel mountains (2,000 ft elevation gain). There were three or four books I saw last time I was at AAA, all filled with day hikes in southern California. I think John McKinley alone has written about that many. A number of them have appeared at various times in The Los Angeles Times. My favorite local hike starts at the northern terminus of Lake Ave in Alta Dena [above Pasadena, which probably makes sense to Spanish speakers]. It's about 2 miles and 800 feet to the old "White City," which are the remains of an early 20th century resort in the mountains above Pasadena. There used to be [way back when] a train that ran up there. If you're really ambitious, you can walk all the way up to either San Gabriel Peak or Mt. Wilson. But either is probably beyond the scope of a typical day hiker. But the short trip up to the "resort" is pretty easy, well-traveled, and well-defined. It's also short enough that you can hike up, watch the sunset, then get back down to the trailhead before it gets too dark. maybe go for a hike and a drive along the coast. We'll be staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills, which I understand is near many nice neighbourhoods and attractions. We're just not sure where to go or what to do while we're there. By the way, does anyone have any tips for navigating our way around town by car? I hear Los Angeles is all highway... Lots of them. Are you a member of AAA? They have a map pack for LA (3 or 4 maps cover the area). They also have a freeway map. After 3 or 4 years driving the freeways you should have no problems. In the shorter-term, you might consider writing down your route before you start, so that your navigator can tell you which freeway you're looking and which direction you want to be heading BEFORE you reach the interchange. You definitely want to use the freeways, because the alternative is a really long drag on surface streets. Try to avoid driving during peak hours. Someone else mentioned listening to KNX 1070 for traffic reports. There's also KFWB, 970. However, to some extent this is moot, because you probably won't know the alternative routes suggested by the traffic reporters, anyway. The other thing I would say is, if you find yourself in the wrong lane, DON'T PANIC. There's nothing scarier than being next to a driver that absolutely refuses to miss his/her exit. They'll weave left and right then suddenly veer across four lanes of traffic. Better to just go a mile or so the wrong way than to smash up your car. It usually isn't all that hard to exit a freeway, then get back on going the opposite direction. Todd Todd |
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"Todd Kunioka" wrote in message m... "PeterL" wrote in message ... "PDawg77" wrote in message om... My husband and I will be visiting LA in December. We don't know anyone in the area, and would rather make like a local than do all that touristy stuff. Well, when you are staying at a hotel in BH, it's kind of tough to make like a local. Locals by and large do what locals do: buy grocery, go to the mall, stay home and watch TV If you want to make your grocery shopping more interesting, buy them at a farmer's market. There are a number in the Los Angeles area. Two "permanent" farmer's market-like experiences would be 1) The Farmer's Market, at the corner of Fairfax and Third, and 2) Grand Central Market, near the corner of Third and Broadway. Strongly agree. Grand Central Market is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. It's across the street from the Bradbury Building, which is an architectual structure of some renown. You can walk into the lobby during normal business hours, and I would recommend that. The Bradbury Bldg must be the most recognizable movie building in the world. I have seen it in more movies and TV shows than I can count. There are other interesting bits of architecture in downtown. If you exit Grand Central Market to the west and head up the Angel's Flight hill, you arrive in the Watercourt. [There used to be "the world's shortest railway" that ran up the hill, but it's been inoperative for I think a couple of years, now, and there does not seem to be any progress in bringing back. So, instead of a somewhat-amusing funicular ride, it's a pretty good set of stairs that will give you a view of a whole lot of homeless folks sleeping on the grass]. A bit further, and you'll be up at the top of Bunker Hill. There's a nice water course that runs down south towards the main library [also an interesting architectual sight, particularly from inside]. If you do NOT follow the watercourse down, but instead go a bit further west, then you're at the Westin Bonaventure. That's another sight to behold. For free amusement, ride up and down the elevators. They have glass walls that let you look out across downtown, which is nice because there really aren't any good observation decks to see downtown, anymore. Even the one at city hall has been closed to the public. Other things to see downtown include the Museum of Contemporary Art [spread across several different buildings], the Disney Music building, the Catheral of our Lady of the Angels [Catholic Cathedral], City Hall, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Olvera Street. You can actually walk to all of these sites, but if you try to do all of them in one day, you'll probably be pretty pooped. If you ride the downtown DASH buses, you can reduce some of your walking for twenty-five cents a pop. You can also ride the DASH F-bus south to Exposition Park. The California Science Center, the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, and the African American museum are all located there [adjacent to the Memorial Coliseum and the Sports Arena, and across the street from the University of Southern California]. Currently at the Science Center is "Body Worlds," which is an interesting [or creepy] look at the human body. Actual bodies, preserved through some sort of plastique method, produces very detailed looks at the inside of the human body. If you go instead to the Los Angeles Farmer's Market, then you're adjacent to The Grove shopping center, which is an outdoor mall. Lots of younger and wealthier locals hang out there. You're also about three blocks north of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Petersen Automotive museum. Many locals will have fond memories of their school field trips to the tar pits and to the natural history museum. Both the Farmer's Market and Grand Central Market are open seven days a week. In addition, many communities have their own farmer's market. Three I can name right off the top of my head: 1) Santa Monica has theirs on Saturday and Wednesday mornings; 2)Monrovia has theirs on Friday evenings (I'm planning to go there after work to buy some kim chee); 3) Pasadena has theirs on Saturday morning. There are a score other local farmer's markets, but I can not give their day and time off the top of my head. But if you do a google search, you'll come across a site that lists all the community farmer's markets in the area. Of these community farmer's markets, the Santa Monica one is probably the largest. And it has the advantage of being located within a pretty bustling downtown setting. The Third Street Promenade is right nearby, for example, And you're not far from the Santa Monica Pier and the amusement rides down there. Of course, the beach is also here. Venice Beach is a bit further south. If you come out to the San Gabriel Valley for one of their farmer's markets, you should probably stop in the Pasadena area. Old Town Pasadena, which is effectively the area west of Fair Oaks and north of Colorado [but probably can be considered to cover both sides of Colorado and a bit east of Fair Oaks, as well] is another "locals" destination. Lots of shopping and restaurants out here. It's not as dense as Santa Monica, but it's cleaner. The Norton Simon Museum is located a bit east of "Old Town." I'd consider it worth a visit. If you want to go to a supermarket that is [depending on where you've been to]probably quite different from any other you've seen, you should locate a 99 Ranch Market while you are in town. My favorite is near the corner of Del Mar and Valley in San Gabriel, but there are other stores scattered all over southern California [and also at least one in Las Vegas]. The nice thing about the one at Del Mar and Valley is that it is part of "The Great Chinese Mall." [That's not an official name, that's just what I call it]. When the mall opened back in the mid-1980s, it was probably the biggest suburban ethnic development in the nation. Now, it's just really crowded on weekends and nights, there's not enough parking, and the mall is starting to show its age. But it's still something worth seeing [both the shopping center in general and the 99 Ranch Market, in particular]. We want to see the mountains and the beach, Mountains are to the north, beaches are to the west (and south). Spend a day at Malibu beach. There is a hiking trail that takes you from Arcadia up the San Gabriel mountains (2,000 ft elevation gain). There were three or four books I saw last time I was at AAA, all filled with day hikes in southern California. I think John McKinley alone has written about that many. A number of them have appeared at various times in The Los Angeles Times. My favorite local hike starts at the northern terminus of Lake Ave in Alta Dena [above Pasadena, which probably makes sense to Spanish speakers]. It's about 2 miles and 800 feet to the old "White City," which are the remains of an early 20th century resort in the mountains above Pasadena. There used to be [way back when] a train that ran up there. If you're really ambitious, you can walk all the way up to either San Gabriel Peak or Mt. Wilson. But either is probably beyond the scope of a typical day hiker. But the short trip up to the "resort" is pretty easy, well-traveled, and well-defined. It's also short enough that you can hike up, watch the sunset, then get back down to the trailhead before it gets too dark. maybe go for a hike and a drive along the coast. We'll be staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills, which I understand is near many nice neighbourhoods and attractions. We're just not sure where to go or what to do while we're there. By the way, does anyone have any tips for navigating our way around town by car? I hear Los Angeles is all highway... Lots of them. Are you a member of AAA? They have a map pack for LA (3 or 4 maps cover the area). They also have a freeway map. After 3 or 4 years driving the freeways you should have no problems. In the shorter-term, you might consider writing down your route before you start, so that your navigator can tell you which freeway you're looking and which direction you want to be heading BEFORE you reach the interchange. You definitely want to use the freeways, because the alternative is a really long drag on surface streets. Try to avoid driving during peak hours. Someone else mentioned listening to KNX 1070 for traffic reports. There's also KFWB, 970. However, to some extent this is moot, because you probably won't know the alternative routes suggested by the traffic reporters, anyway. The other thing I would say is, if you find yourself in the wrong lane, DON'T PANIC. There's nothing scarier than being next to a driver that absolutely refuses to miss his/her exit. They'll weave left and right then suddenly veer across four lanes of traffic. Better to just go a mile or so the wrong way than to smash up your car. It usually isn't all that hard to exit a freeway, then get back on going the opposite direction. Todd Todd |
#9
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listen to the radio while in a traffic jam
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#10
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"Tim923" wrote in message ... listen to the radio while in a traffic jam That'll help you relax, unless you are listening to those hate radio programs. Otherwise it's kind of useless for traffic if you are already in a traffic jam. There ain't nothing you can do but sit and wait. |
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