3 Days in Los Angeles, Help!

I'll be in LA from Sept. 19-22 and I have no clue what I'll be doing. I'm staying in Hollywood and on a pretty tight budget, so I don't want to be all over the city- unless braving the transit system is more pleasant than my mind is telling me it'll be.

What would you do if you had 3 days in LA? I'm staying at the Omni on the first night, but looking for a bed at hostel or a couch to surf for the other two.

Beaches are beautiful and free in the LA area.

The problem with LA is that because it's so spread out, it's hard to see it all in just a couple of days. My bf and I lived in Santa Monica for a few years, so we are definitely partial to the "westside" which you can reach by bus from Hollywood (during non-rush hours, it should only take 30-45 minutes.) It's a great way to spend the day- and I believe the route also takes you through Beverly Hills which is interesting to stop off and walk around... window shop along Rodeo Drive and grab a cupcake at Sprinkles.

Once you reach Santa Monica, you can stroll Third Street Promenade (there's a great farmer's market there on certain days.) Nearby Montana Avenue is also fun to walk up and down, do some celebrity spotting. There are awesome gourmet burgers and beer at the local bar, Father's Office. Towards the beach, Palisades Park offers beautiful overlooks of the Pacific Ocean... follow it to Santa Monica Pier and then from here, you can walk the boardwalk through Venice Beach and see all the crazy sights. As you move inland, there's lots of activity on Main Street, as well as Abbot-Kinney- both are lined with fun local shops, bars, and restaurants.

Have a great time soaking up the SoCal sunshine!

Hi,

The Metro is pretty good to get around to see the sights. As someone has mentioned in this post, LA is a sprawling city, so walking isn't an option. Work out which sights you really want to see e.g. Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, as you'll need public transport to get to them.

If you're not bothered about sight seeing, I generally stay in the South Bay, Hermosa Beach area. There are some cheap hotels around there, nice beach and the nightlife around the Strand/Pier area is pretty good.

Hope that helps.

I know you're on a budget, but you can get a really cheap rental car for one day and see a lot.

I rented a Prius for just $27 for the day when we had a 12 hour layover near LAX. It hardly used any gas on the drive all over Malibu and back to the hotel near LAX.

I found Los Angeles Metro website http://www.metro.net/ quite helpful.

get out as fast as you can. take the "coaster" down to San Diego ($25 ticket) and experience a real southern california atmosphere. LA is a bunch of smog, traffic, and pretentious celebrity wannabe's. If you can't already tell, I'm from San Diego...if you need any help with things in this neck of the woods, let me know.

Orbit Hotel is great for youngish travelers on a budget. Its a hotel and a hostel, right on Melrose, cheap, and fun.

I lived in North Hollywood for a handful of years. You're staying in Hollywood so check out Griffith Park for the Observatory, take in the Chinese Theater... but get to Venice and check out the boardwalk. Rent a bike and ride up the coast. Santa Monica pier. Fresh Lemonade at Hot Dog on Stick. Those were the places I enjoyed most in Los Angeles. (Oh and eat Mexican from a truck!)

If you like museums, spend a day at the Getty. Both are great but the
new one is truly amazing. It's free and always has interesting exhibits.
Venice Beach is a trip. Check out any of the South Bay beaches. See
the Queen Mary in Long Beach.