Category: Things to Do

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Visiting Anaheim is worthwhile, but it can be tricky

disneyworldAs someone who grew up only a few miles from Disneyland, it’s not always easy to put myself in the shoes of someone who’s coming to visit the place for the very first time. I probably visited the park about 20 times over about 10 years, so it sometimes feels like my backyard. Coming to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland is a major highlight for hundreds of thousands of people each year, but at the same time there are some pitfalls to be aware of, which I’ll cover just below.

Is Disneyland worthwhile?

Absolutely it is. After traveling around the world I can honestly say that very few things match Disneyland (or Disney World) for sheer excitement and novelty. But the deeper question is whether you should plan your entire trip around that visit, and I think the answer is no.

Getting to Anaheim

If you are coming from another country and you’ve gotten some international air tickets that get you to LAX, then you’ll only be about 40 kilometers from the park once you land.

If are coming domestically then you have several more airports to consider when looking for cheap flights to LA. Still, the best deals tend to be into LAX, so next you are probably wondering how to get from Los Angeles to Anaheim. We’ve covered that subject in the article linked here, but the bottom line is that renting a car is probably your best bet, though there are various buses and other possibilities.

Staying near Disneyland

This is where things can get tricky. There are several large and quite luxurious hotels located on the grounds of the park itself, so if you can afford it you might look into the hotels at Disneyland. But the city of Anaheim is quite large, and there are plenty of cheap places located within a few miles of the park. Generally speaking, hotels in Anaheim are fairly cheap compared to the ones that are on the grounds, but there are some run-down places mixed in so pay attention to the ratings for a place you want to book.

Should you really stay in Anaheim?

If you and your family are flying to Los Angeles and you plan on spending at least two days in the various Disney parks in Anaheim, then staying in the city isn’t a bad idea. But if you only want to spend one day in Disneyland then you really should think about staying elsewhere. There are great hotels near the beaches in Newport or Huntington, and both of those are in Orange County and close by. There are also plenty of great hotels in other parts of Los Angeles. The point is, the rest of Anaheim is a bit cheesy and parts of it are falling apart. If you want to stay near great restaurants and other attractions, choose somewhere other than Anaheim.

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Los Angeles Things to Do

San Diego is a worthwhile alternative to Los Angeles

sandiego350This site focuses on Los Angeles and one day we might start one specifically for San Diego, but for now we’ll discuss a bit about San Diego right here. That city near the Mexico border tends to be forgotten by most Angelenos, so it’s easy to forget that for many people it’s actually a more appealing destination than Los Angeles itself.

Not long ago we covered the various methods for getting between Los Angeles and San Diego, but we haven’t discussed much about people who’d prefer to skip LA completely. I know from living in the Phoenix area for 5 years that San Diego vacations are actually preferred among people from Arizona, so I’m sure the same is true for many people from other places as well.

Getting to San Diego

If you are coming from another part of the US then it should be simple enough to find cheap flights to San Diego. All the major airlines, including most of the discount carriers, fly directly to San Diego so fares are competitive. If you are coming from a city where a direct set of flights seems more expensive than you’d think, it’s not a bad idea to check flights into LAX as well.

You are going to need a car in either city and you can rent them just as cheaply in LA (and often cheaper) than San Diego, so you might save $100 on a flight in exchange for 2.5 hours driving down the coast in a rental car each way. Once you get into Orange County the drive itself is quite nice as well.

Where to stay in San Diego

You have two main choices here, but both of them are pretty broad. The hotels in San Diego are scattered throughout the area, and generally you’ll be looking at either a business-type hotel in the downtown area, or one of the many family-type hotels near a beach. The good news about these beach hotels is that there are literally many hundreds of them so prices are more reasonable than you might imagine.

Where I recommend that people stay

I prefer the area they call North County. The beaches near the city center are nice, but the area around them is so crowded that it doesn’t really feel like a resort community at all. But if you stay just 10 miles or so north of downtown San Diego, you’ll feel like you are in vacationland, in a good way.

I recommend Solana Beach if you can find a place there, or Del Mar or Encinitas are nice too. One word of warning though about Del Mar and Solana Beach. There is a popular horse racing track in Del Mar (called Del Mar) and from late July through mid September they have a popular race meeting and all hotels get more expensive and tend to be more full. If you can come before or after that you’ll find lower prices and smaller crowds.

Photo by Nick Chill on Flickr

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Combine Los Angeles with a few side trips to get the most out of your vacation

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and even though I often find the place quite frustrating, I always tell anyone who’ll listen that it’s a city that you just have to see with your own eyes at least once to be taken seriously as a “traveler.” I’ve met quite a few people who say that they “just aren’t interested in Los Angeles” and I don’t believe that for a minute, though I do see why people might not love the place. Still, it’s a great idea to combine a few side trips with your LA visit to get the most out of the whole holiday, so here are some recommendations.

The Grand Canyon

grandcanyonIf you are coming from across the country or across an ocean to get here, you should definitely consider adding this to your itinerary, at least for a couple of days. You could drive all the way there, but it’ll take you at least 8 hours on the road, and it’s actually not very scenic on the way. A better idea is to look into flights to Phoenix, which tend to be very cheap. You can rent a car there, usually for less than you’ll pay in Los Angeles, and then it’s about a 3-hour drive that is actually quite nice.

There are plenty of Grand Canyon hotels from which to choose, but especially during summer those are going to be very expensive. I recommend spending one night at one of those hotels so you have two days to experience the national park surrounding the canyon, but before and after I’d recommend checking out one of the cheap hotels in Phoenix. Prices there are usually much less than in Los Angeles or the Grand Canyon, especially during summer. I’ve lived in Phoenix for about 5 years as well and there is plenty to do, though the summer heat will get to you after a few days.

San Diego

If you’ve spent a few days in Los Angeles already then San Diego won’t feel like a shock. I’ve spent plenty of time there and it’s pretty much exactly the same place, but with fewer crowds and generally more of a laid-back atmosphere. There are plenty of nice beaches there, but really no better than some of those you’ll find in Los Angeles. It’s just generally a nice and large city by the beach, and perhaps the most interesting thing for travelers from far away is that you can drive about 20 miles south and you’ll be nearing Tijuana, Mexico. Locals will tell you that it’s better to park on the US side (to avoid insurance issues plus a few other difficulties) and then walk across the border since Tijuana is right there.

If you are coming from far away you might just look for flights to San Diego instead of Los Angeles. It’s usually a bit more expensive, but the airport is smaller and nicer, and if you are visiting anyway it’s often worth a bit more money. Don’t fly from Los Angeles though. The flights are expensive and will take longer than taking the train or driving anyway.

Santa Barbara

About 90 miles up the coast from Los Angeles you’ll come to one of the nicest cities on the West Coast. Santa Barbara has great beaches and a lovely downtown that is filled with excellent restaurants and surprisingly good nightlife considering the place is mostly filled with the idle rich. There is a big university just north of town, so the college kids need places to go, and the downtown area accommodates them nicely.

There are plenty of really nice and really expensive hotels in Santa Barbara, but there are also a handful of cheaper places on or near State Street, which is the main street that connects the lovely pier with the downtown area.

You might also just consider Santa Barbara as a day trip, since it usually takes less than two hours each way by car, as long as you don’t go on a Friday afternoon or try to come back on a Sunday evening.

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Accommodation Los Angeles Things to Do

Los Angeles Here We Come!

downtown-los-angelesCalifornia, the largest US state by population, is famous for Disneyland, Malibu, Hollywood, Golden Gate, Napa Valley and the incredible weather. With so many things to do, the first time traveler should find a focus city and plan the vacation around that place. If your vacation plans include some days spent at Disneyland, then it’s a good idea to choose Los Angeles as your base.

Arriving in Los Angeles

When flying into Los Angeles, there are several airports to choose from. The largest is Los Angeles International Airport, better known as LAX. The airport is located about 16 miles from downtown and is a major hub for United Airlines. When looking for cheap flights to LA , it’s a good idea to start with United Airlines or other airlines which have bases here, such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines.

For those planning to get to Disneyland without stopping in LA first, John Wayne Airport is the better alternative, located just 14 miles from the theme parks. It is the airport which receives Southwest Airlines flights , so make sure to check their offers especially if you fly from cities such as Phoenix, Chicago, Las Vegas or San Diego (which the airline uses as focus cities).

Finding a place to stay

Los Angeles is a large city so finding the perfect place to stay can be quite a daunting task. Cheap hotels in Los Angeles can easily be found in the areas around Glendale or Pasadena. But these are far from downtown and beaches so you need to take into account that you’ll have to travel quite a bit to get to the tourist attractions. With a bit of research you can find some affordable places to stay in the Downtown or even the Hollywood area, but most likely you’ll have to get used to the public transportation system if you want to see as much of the city as possible.

Even if your vacation plans aren’t centered on Disneyland, chances are you’d want to visit the park sooner or later. There are easy ways to get from Los Angeles to Anaheim , which is, technically, where the park is located.

If Disneyland is on your agenda, you might want to look for a place to stay right within the park. Hotels in Disneyland come in many shapes and sizes, but generally speaking, the ones within the park will be a bit more expensive than those located outside the park. Lately, however, many hotels offer packages which include not only free nights but also tickets to the theme parks and other services.

Better yet you can look for deals on hotels in Anaheim and you’ll be saving some money on accommodation, for sure.

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Los Angeles Things to Do

How to spend a vacation in Los Angeles on a low budget

los-angelesWith the glitz and glamour of the entertainment business, a large collection of high end stores, hotels and restaurants, it might seem close to impossible to plan a vacation in Los Angeles on a low budget. But never underestimate the power of planning in advance and doing your research.

Getting to Los Angeles

The fastest way to get to the famous city is by plane. You can find airline tickets to Los Angeles offered by a variety of carriers so looking for a good deal is only a matter of how much time you are willing to spend online.

The largest airport in the area is Los Angeles International Airport and the flights to LAX tend to be cheaper than the ones to the other airports. It’s a major hub for United Airlines so make sure to check their fares first when you start planning.

You should also look into renting a car, as the city is very large and you probably wouldn’t want to relay just on the public transport. Ideally, you should also book LAX parking as soon as you get your plane ticket.

If flying is not your thing, there are other ways to get to LA. However, getting from New York to LA takes 3 full days if you choose the bus or the train. San Diego is closer so you are looking at only 3 hours by bus or train.

Where to stay

The rental car I mentioned above really comes in handy if you want to stay in a cheap hotel. Those can usually be found in the Glendale or Pasadena areas but those neighborhoods are far away from both the beaches and sights.

There are plenty of hotels in Los Angeles but you’ll soon realize that many are quite cheap especially if you want to stay close to the downtown area.

There are also a bunch of hostels in Los Angeles but you need to plan in advance and carefully look for something that is located close to the sights.

What to do

If the budget is low, then the parks are really lovely places to explore. There are hiking trails you can try and of course, you can always enjoy the green space for free (although some gardens do have hefty entrance fees, so watch out for that).

A trip to LA is not complete without checking out the beaches . If you want some peace and quite, you might need to avoid the very popular places such as Venice Beach.

Make sure to visit Chinatown and keep your eyes open to spot some interesting meals or souvenirs.

And if you have some spare time, walking in the Hollywood is a good idea. Plus you can always try to find the star of your favorite actor or musician and take a photo there. When hunger strikes, try the Pink’s Hot Dogs . They are a nice choice for a low budget (but not so nice if you are watching your weight).

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Muscle (Venice) Beach

muscle-beach.jpgJoggers, runners, walkers, swimmers and dogs all go to the beach to work out, but none exercise quite like the guys and gals at Muscle Beach. With their comic book bodies, weightlifters come to Venice to perfect their ripped abs, swollen pecs, tree trunk sized legs.

Muscle Beach is part of Venice, although the original location was a few miles north in Santa Monica. The beach side weight room has been home to many famous bodybuilders including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Gold, who founded Gold’s Gym, and a long list of world bodybuilding champions.

Weightlifting at Muscle Beach used to be restricted to the feeble equipment built in 1952 and placed right on the sand by the parks and recreation district. Now that the beach has gotten some notoriety, however, it has undergone a massive renovation and now features bleachers for spectators, a massive arch displaying a barbell over the entrance, and padded weightlifting, tumbling and jump-rope areas.

The original muscle beach held tumbling and gymnastics performances and competitions and most have now been moved to the Venice location. Each year, a bodybuilding championship is held at Venice Beach with the winner appearing in Iron Man Magazine. The contest is open to anyone for the $75 entry fee and attracts some of the top bodybuilding talent in Los Angeles, which can stack up with most places around the world.

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Featured Articles Los Angeles Things to Do

Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Hollywood I Love You

Hollywood Forever MainSqueezed against the back lot of Paramount Studios, with a full view of the Hollywood sign, is the home of many Hollywood greats, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It is a quiet place to contemplate the allure of Hollywood and the ephemeral nature of celebrity.

Cecil B. De Mille and his wife lie within sight of the Paramount water tower. Tyrone Power, Benny Goodman, Marion Davis and Valentino are all present. Mel Blanc rests right near the cemetery entrance. His stone is covered with small rocks (each signifying a visit to the grave) and two tiny pictures of Bugs Bunny. Further in, an obelisk marks the grave of Griffith J. Griffith, donor of Griffith Park. He is equally well known for shooting his wife while in an alcoholic rage. An early movie director, William Tanner, is also here. He was murdered. On discovering the body, his butler called the movie studio before dialing the police. Tanner’s murder is still unsolved.

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Walt Disney Concert Hall

la-disney-hall.jpgThe most striking thing about Walt Disney Concert Hall is the architecture. The curving metal faces of the structure seem to peek around corners and stare down streets. You catch glimpses of the concert hall from odd angles through the buildings of the city and your view of the structure sticks in your mind. Light plays tricks, casts odd shadows and certain angles seem to gleam prominently while others are cast in shadows.

The concert hall is certainly a sight to behold.

It is also a fine place to catch a show or symphony concert. The Los Angeles Philharmonic plays concerts eight times a week, two concerts a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The LA Philharmonic is one of the top classical music organizations in the world and brings in some of the best guest talent to perform alongside it throughout the year.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is a relatively new addition to the downtown area. A gift from the Disney family for a new concert hall in 1987 accumulated interest and generated other donors who put up the rest of the money for the concert hall. The county of Los Angeles provided the land and funded the construction of the parking garage. The building sits alongside the other performance halls in downtown, but was only completed in 2003. This is the LA Philharmonic’s 4th year in the building.

The hall is also used for other events. Concerts, TV show tapings like American Idol and the occasional charity event are held in the Disney Concert Hall.

Friday afternoon LA Philharmonic shows are the “casual Friday” shows where orchestra members and conductor Leonard Slatkin dress in casual clothes instead of the requisite tuxedo or formal wear as is the norm at symphony concerts.

Tickets to the LA Philharmonic or other events at the Walt Disney Concert Hall are available at the hall’s website. There are available payment plans and group discounts, as well as free shows every few months for special events.

Location

The Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Public parking at the hall is available underneath the structure and is accessible on Second Street, or across from the concert hall on Grand Avenue. Valet parking is available at the front of the building on Hope Street.

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Featured Articles Sweden Things to Do

Top Ten Museums in Stockholm

There are more than 100 museums in Stockholm to choose from, but here is a selection. See websites for admission and opening hours.

1. The Vasa Museum (Djurgården) – The world’s only intact 17th century ship, the Vasa, which sank on her maiden voyage in Stockholm’s habor in 1628.

2. Moderna Museet (Skeppsholmen) – Contemporary art from 1900, and photography from the 1840s. The permanent collection includes works by artists such as Duchamp, Picasso, Dalí and Matisse.

3. The National Museum (Blasieholmshamnen, next to the Grand Hotel) – The national gallery and Sweden’s largest art museum. More than 16,000 paintings and sculptures and an extensive collection of applied art, design and industrial design dating back to the 14th century.

4. The Nordic Heritage Museum – Swedish and Scandinavian cultural history.

5. Stockholm City Museum – History and development of the Swedish capital. Free admission.

6. Skansen (Djurgården) – Open air museum with historical buildings, a zoo and an aquarium. Open year round.

7. Ethnographic Museum (Djurgården). Rotating exhibitions on various world cultures.

8. Junibacken (Djurgården). The kids will love this real-life rendition of Astrid Lindgren’s stories. Meet Pippi Longstocking and the rest of the gang.

9. Nobel Museum (Gamla Stan). Located in the old Stock Exchange building in Stortorget, the big square in the Old Town. Learn all about the great minds who have won the prestigious Nobel Prize awarded in Stockholm every December.

10. Abba Museum. It’s not opening until June 2009, but tickets have already gone on sale to see this tribute to the most famous Swedish pop stars of all time.

Photo by: AbhijeetVardhan

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Orange County’s “Great Park”

Los Angeles often comes under criticism because it doesn’t have enough parks or green space within the city. Sure, there are mountains nearby and the beach is always available. The city does have the one of the largest parks within city limits in Griffith Park, but the average person in Los Angeles does not have a park within walking distance. There’s nowhere to just take the dog for a walk or go for a quick run.

Nowhere is this problem more pronounced than in Orange County, where traffic locks up and strip mall parking lots are the closest thing to open space that the city has.

Orange County is trying to correct for that problem in one large, ambitious bout of overcompensation. The “Great Park” under development aims to provide the residents of Orange County with one massive mega park, where all their park needs will be met at one central location.

Built over the top of El Toro military base, the Great Park is going to be 1,347 acres of recreation opportunities and open space, baseball diamonds and soccer fields as well as cultural centers, interpretive experiences and nature hikes through three miles of canyon.

The park will also feature a museum presenting the history of El Toro base as well as some of the military aircraft that flew from the airfield. The Great Park will stretch from the beach to the mountains and will be larger than New York City’s Central Park and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park put together.

Unfortunately, a construction project of this size takes years to complete and the park will not be ready for general use for quite some time. For the moment, the only open attraction in the park is a balloon ride which takes visitors up and over the park to see the the progress being made on the construction. The ride also incorporates views of the mountains and the surrounding county. The ride is free, but visitors must obtain a boarding pass when entering the park.

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