Things to do while living in Los Angeles?

Question

I'm going to LA with my boyfriend for three months. He's working over there and I'm just finished college so I'm going to go and chill for a while before starting my job. We will be living in the Westwood area. I will have a lot of free time during weekdays while he's working so I was wondering if anyone can recommend places that I should go see and things I could do.

Answer 1

I lived in LA for awhile when I was younger and it's a great place if you meet the right people. My advice is to get to know some of the locals, cause no-one can show you around like a local. But must do - Disneyland!

Answer 2

You must deserve a break...

Plan what you want to do...

Relax on the beaches , visit the famous places...

Dine out?...

Hollywood even?

x

Answer 3

Plan your escape from LA.  Trust me on this one.

Answer 4

I am a native Los Angelean. You will absolutely LOVE your stay here! If you are staying in Westwood, there's a ton to do right there, so, if a means of traveling is an issue, don't worry, you'll have fun. Westwood is home to UCLA and they have a beautiful campus! Also, tons and tons of real movie theaters... not the cell block/assembly line kind, but, real, large, gorgeous movie theaters. If you don't have a car, check out the MTA website as many buses go through Westwood and can take you West to the beach communities like Santa Monica and Venice, East towards rival USC and the Natural History Museum, Science Museum etc, North East you'll find the newly renovated and fabulous Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, the LA Zoo, Gene Autry Museum and Travel Town. A quick ride N/E will take you into Beverly Hills, there are affordable places to eat there and even though it's pretentious, it really is a lovely city. There are some nice malls like Westfields in Century City, the Westside Pavillion (In Westwood) and The Grove.

There's the historical Alvarado street too which is a really fun day trip. You are two hours from San Diego and Mexico if so inclined, as well as 2 hours from Santa Barbara and really freakin good food!

The amusement parks are insanely expensive and have really long lines. But, Universal City Walk is very fun and it's free. Pacific Ocean Park, on the Santa Monica pier, is also free, but you pay for rides. The Ferris Wheel is new and puts on an AMAZING light show at night... very fun place for you to go with your boyfriend.

Don't listen to the jaded responders... you will have a fabulous time!!!!

Answer 5

To chill - Venice Beach,Santa Monica Beach,Seal Beach etc  Theme Parks - Magic Mountain,Disneyland,Knotts etc Camping - Yosemite National Park,Los Angeles National Forest (is dirty) Clubs - depend on your taste of music  theres a bunch of clubs ...a bunch of stuff to have fun .. have fun!

Answer 6

Go to the theme parks (Knott's Berrty, Six Flags, Disneyland, Universal Studios), see the Hollywood walk of fame, see the old abandoned Hanna-Barbera studios (3400 Cahuenga Blvd. [the people who made Top Cat, Flintstones, SWAT Kats, Yogi Bear, etc.)

There's also the beach, BUTTLOADS of malls/restaurants/gas stations.. see the possibilities are endless in LA.

Answer 7

KNOTTS!

go with your boyfriend.

:]

superfun! it's in buena park.

also, hit the beaches, make new friends, SSSHOP!

believe me, once you go, you wont ask "what should i do."

youll find plenty of stuff!

and oh go to in-n-out. try it! yummmmmmy!

Answer 8

There are literally hundreds of things to do here in LA. Here is my list of “must sees”. Visit as many as you have time for.:

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.

Even if you don’t visit Disneyland or Universal Studios Tour, Downtown Disney District and Universal City Walk are very fun places to visit for shopping and eating. And they’re free to visit.

Hollywood: Hollywood Boulevard is ready for its close-up, thanks to years of urban renewal and renovation. Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Chinese Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. The Hollywood & Highland complex is AMAZING. It looks like it was designed by Cecil B. DeMille, and has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards). I also like the El Capitan theater, right across the street, because it has been restored to its former glory.

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 Pier.

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, and then take the trolley to the Farmers Market for lunch or dinner. It 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.

TAAB: The Americana at Brand- The newly opened TAAB, developed by the same group that gave us The Grove, breathes new life into Glendale, and gives all those hip people in Eagle Rock and the eastern half of LA a great place to go.

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, tvtix.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 with Jay Leno. Check the NBC web site for all the details there.

Wicked at the Pantages Theater- Located in the heart of Hollywood, this is an excellent and long running production, the most POPULAR show in LA right now.

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. You might even see a celebrity. Maybe.

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

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

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

The Pantry: Corner of Figueroa and 9th, downtown. Huge portions, they never close, GREAT steak and eggs.

Places to Shop:

Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica

The Grove, Los Angeles

Americana @ Brand, Glendale

Beverly Center, Los Angeles

Citadel Outlets, Commerce

Brea Mall, Brea

The Block at Orange, Orange

South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

Fashion Island, Newport Beach

Santee Alley, Los Angeles

Answer 9

How old are you?/Lots of questions on here never tells the persons age so we readers can answer better.

I guess its different then being in a chat room where the first thing you get in a messg is ASL because most IM users such as Yahoo dont demand users put least something in the blanks so we can see their Profile. Hope they are reading this too and take some advice.

Answer 10

volunteer work is a good way of meeting people and keeping yourself busy. also try www.meetup.com thats a wicked site where you can hook up with people who share your same interests, they should have meetups in LA too, have fun

Answer 11

There are nicer places in the US, maybe you could consider going to other places if you have any spare time, Vegas or san francisco aren't too far away. But you could spent some time at Disneyland.