Going to L.A., looking to stay somewhere around hollywood, looking for advice on where to stay and what to do?

Question

Just looking for some "cant miss opportunities" during my 4 days there, and I am wondering where to stay? I've never been to cali so I am nervous that I will end up booking a hotel in a bad neighborhood (hoping for a place close to or in hollywood)...Any advice appreciated!

Answer 1

Here's my LA Top Ten. I'm not going to try to sell you a hotel room like that spammer.

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

Answer 2

hmmm:

where to stay: on Hollywood Blvd. and Highland, where the Walk of Fame is, there is a famous hotel called the "Roosevelt", supposedly Marilyn Monroe's ghost haunts it. I've never been there.

I've never stayed in a hotel here, so I don't know how safe it is, but I'm going to say, that other, perhaps, safer cities that are close to Hollywood are Burbank, (north), Glendale, (east). Most people who go to Los Angeles, prefer to stay on the West side of hollywood though. Richer areas like Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and Santa Monica .

What to do: in Hollywood, at the Hollywood Highland, there is a view of the Hollywood sign, or you can get a star map, and it will tell you how to get closer to it. There's also TV show tapings in studios, but they might not be in Hollywood, they're scattered around the city.

Answer 3

Haley, Haley, Haley. You just outlined a plan for complete failure. Moving to Los Angeles would be the worst thing to do. You would be placing yourself in a town with hundreds of wannabe and unemployed professional dancers all looking for their shot at success. You would just be one more no body among a sea of no bodys. Stay in Wisconsin. Go to college there, and major in theater or dance. Get local jobs dancing at community theaters or light operas. Learn your craft, the business, and make connections there at home where you will have the support of family and friends. Then after you have your degree, and some real professional dancing experience use the networking you've established there to get known here . That will give you a much better chance of success because you will have training, experience, and a portfolio that much of the competition doesn't have. So you think Los Angeles is the only place you can audition to be a dancer. Have you ever heard of Broadway? Hip hop, which will seriously limit you job opportunities, started on the East coast, not the west coast.

Answer 4

You can stay on Sunset in the West Hollywood area - there are tons of bars and restaurants there. Alot of the younger famous types hang out in the area.

The Standard Hotel (the one on Sunset)
http://www.standardhotel.com/

The Mondrian Hotel
http://www.mondrianhotel.com/

Or you can stay near Hollywood/Highland at The Renaissance Hotel - lots of stuff to do right around there:

http://www.renaissancehollywood.com/

Answer 5

Holiday Inn walk of fame on No. Highland and Franklin. Its near Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd and minutes from universal studios, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

Answer 6

ALL of Hollywood is a bad neighborhood!

Go stay in the beach area instead (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach or Newport or Hunnington Beach) then go to Hollywood for a day, or evening to visit a trendy bar just to say you went. Hollywood is not worth staying overnight there...not all that much to see and plenty of slimy types there. You might want to stay in West Hollywood if you're gay, then there'd be a reason to stay in that area.

Answer 7

Hollywood aint what it was.... If I were you I'd stay close to LAX (not the best but better than an "econo" hotel) Hollywood is full of strange/crazy/drugged out pickpockets etc etc, be very cautious of your surroundings, try not to look too much like a 'tourist'..... Sad to say, it's really all over, If you like you can email me the place you plan on staying and I could let you know it it's "ok" but mind you crime is everywhere.

Answer 8

5 miles away in Beverly Hills is the Avalon - very nice, not too expensive - it appears to be a chic little redo of a 1960s motel. I held a small planning conference there last year - it was very nice. Neighborhood was pretty nice too.