Los Angeles alone with no car?

[ilyana]

Would LA be a rubbish holiday for a single woman who doesn't drive? I've always wanted to go and do the Hollywood stuff, tacky tours of celebrity houses, and just spend some time relaxing and being somewhere new, but I've always been put off by not being able to drive and hearing that the public transport there is either non existent or dangerous. The transport issue is why I've been back to NYC many times and still never been to LA.

Has anyone been, and how did you find it?

I've briefly considered Texas (Austin, San Antonio for 'stuff to do', Corpus Christi/Padre Island for the beaches) but am very much put off by the whole guns and abortion thing and other stuff like that. I'm not sure I'd feel overly safe there, and it seems even harder to get around without a car than California.

I'm actually going to Austin & San Antonio (just finalising plans at present) and you definitely need a car there. (I've been previously on business).

Well, you likely are going to need a car, then. And a plan. I don't think the beaches are what you are anticipating.

I go to LA every year for a film festival that is centered on Hollywood Blvd, and it's a grimy area with some exceptions.

The Hollywood Heritage Museum is nice. A woman named April Clemmer gives great walking tours. The Warner and Paramount tours are interesting, esp if you can stretch to the VIP versions.

Downtown LA the old city hall, etc are worth a look.

The writers strike should have zero effect for a visitor.

Also book the tours in advance.

Are you going as a tourist? Is it impossible to get around inside the cities without a car? I can see there are a few buses to get from city to city.

I can't drive, so I will never have a car. It's something I've had to work around my whole life - I'm just trying to work out whether this restriction is going to make LA a bit annoying or bordering on impossible.

I was told the same about Miami, that it's shit without a car, and I got by absolutely fine, walked almost everywhere, even if it took me an hour or two, and used buses and trains a bit, but I'm aware Miami is nowhere near as spread out as LA is.

The writers strike (if it's still going on) will mean no late night talk shows or premieres or anything like that, which is a bit of a bummer, but it wouldn't ruin it for me.

Yes I'm going as a tourist. And hiring a car. It's not completely impossible to get around without a car but you'll miss an awful lot as much of the real Texas experience is outside the cities (such as Texas hill country). Texas is built around driving. I considered trying to do without a car but realised it limited my trip so much that it wasn't worth it. Californian without a car is much easier than Texas without a car,

We don't get a car but are prepared to spend hundreds on Uber, and thus get around fine.

There is a Best Western and a Holiday Inn Express on Highland near Hollywood; they are only a few min walk from the Chinese Theater, the Hollywood Roosevelt, Hollywood High School and other landmarks. Their rates might be affordable.

There's a Target store near there with a supermarket section selling salad stuff, cheese, etc you could probably make some picnic meals of in your room.

I should add that I've been to Miami without a car and that was fine. Same for San Francisco, Chicago, Philly, Washington DC, LA (of course) etc etc but Texas...that needs a car.

I actually found LA fine without a car. Sure it means you need to carefully plan where to stay so that what you want to see / experience is still accessible but it's perfectly doable.

I think I'll have to cross my fingers and hope for someone to take me on a Texas road trip one day!

I think LA looks doable on paper, but of course that doesn't always reflect the reality so I thought I'd try and get some personal experiences. I really enjoy seeing the 'real' parts of cities as well as tourist sites, so I generally don't mind at all spending time on buses/trains and seeing normal areas, but of course I don't really want to be doing stuff that's actually dangerous!

Are the beaches in LA not great, then? I'm not expecting Caribbean level gorgeous, but I wouldn't want dirty/gross!

I don't think they are horrible; after all it's where surf culture was popularized. But it's hardly tropical, and places like Venice can be scruffy. The beach near the Santa Monica pier looked OK. Santa Monica is about 15 miles from the stretch of Hollywood Blvd that would be of interest to you. Which can take well over an hour by public transport.

If you do go, the new Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences museum is very cool (not sure that is the proper name). The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is worth a look even if you don't stay there; it is very 1920s, the stars of the golden age used to stay there and the first Academy Awards was held there. It has an iconic pool area with a bar where you can get a drink.

You can't really wing it on the studio tours; they should be booked in advance. I've never been to the theme parks/amusement parks there. The cemetery tours are very interesting.

This woman has been a speaker at the film festival and is very interesting, in case she happens to have any events going on whilst you are there: http://www.glamamor.com/

This is the walking tour lady: https://oldhollywoodtour.com/

About five years ago we hired a woman for a private tour; she picked us up at the hotel and drove us to all the landmarks, more than 120 miles over the course of a 9-hour day, such as a lookout area on Mulholland Drive, the downtown city hall/courts complex (where the OJ Simpson trial was), Santa Monica pier, a look at the Chateau Marmont hotel, a cemetery in Westwood (?) where Marilyn Monroe and many other stars/actors are buried, Angel's Flight, Chinatown, and other places we requested.

It was VERY expensive - about 700 dollars and I gave her 100 tip -- but we felt worth it as it covered much ground and ticked a lot of boxes. She would pull up, let us out to look around, and return in 20 min or whatever made sense, so we didn't have to endure parking, and could be dropped off right up close to the things we wanted to see. Saved a ton of time. I can look up her info if you like. She was a pleasant 40-something woman and her vehicle was a very nice, clean SUV.

The farmer's market is sort of a tourist trap but amusing enough to wander through; there was a stall selling mind-blowing roast beef sandwiches and there is a sort of restaurant there, Dupar's, that is famous and in lots of shows and movies. Near there is a large open-air shopping centre with high-end stores.

We have not gone to the LaBrea tar pits but some people enjoy it. There also is a stupendous art museum called The Broad (rhymes with go, not aww) if you like contemporary.

A day trip to Catalina Island is on my bucket list; it's historic and ritzy. https://www.lovecatalina.com/island-info/plan-your-visit/catalina-island-visitor-center/

Good luck!

We had a car and we were only 20! I wouldn’t do it without a car.

Hey OP, I wasn’t alone I was with my tween DC, who found the buses a real education! I honestly don’t think you “need a car”, we got around just fine - although slowly. We only took one Uber and it was really expensive.

Re Beverley Hills and its sterility - there wasn’t much to do so at night you’d be a bit limited.

What we did: downtown LA and the fabulous art gallery The Broad, Hollywood, cycling and thrift shopping and swimming at Venice/Santa Barbara (the beach is great) and Universal Studios.

Nope.

I wouldn't be doing much at night anyway, tbh...unless I'm somewhere very, very safe, I tend to aim to be back at my accommodation by 6 or 7pm when solo travelling, get an early night and an early start the next day!

Some of these comments make me really want to go! I think I'll think about it for a few more days. It's such a shame about the lack of transport in the US...it's one of the reasons I almost always go to NYC when I travel there. I never get sick of it, I could go every month and still love it, but I feel like I've well and truly 'done' it and it would be a shame to miss out on LA.

I have to say, I really loved going to Miami in winter, with it still being warm and sunny. Such a good vibe and did wonders for my mental health. If LA is like that, I think I'll like it.

What about North County (San Diego)? You could stay in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas or Leucadia and have easy access to the Coaster to travel up and down the coastal San Diego and it connects to the trolley in San Diego. Also, San Diego County had fabulous beaches.

You can also take the Amtrak or Metrolink to go up to LA for the day.

If you are chasing winter sun I recommend January it tends to be sunnier and warmer than December. With any luck you can get temperatures in the high 20s. Of course, there's always a chance of seasonal rain so it's not for the risk averse.

January might be possible. What's the weather usually like in November?

Sunny, but generally cooler. Not as big of a chance to get the Santa Anas that being in earn weather from the desert. Don't travel around Thanksgiving though it's the busiest travel week in the US.

Trip Advisor has a chat Forum where people give details of their few days in places. It's very handy as it has recent travellers updates.

https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowForum-g32655-i61-Los_Angeles_California.html

@ilyana Washington has a great transport system. We thought it safe. Boston too. Both wonderful to visit. Not in winter. Spring or Autumn is best. Like most places, avoid tacky areas at night. We have also stayed in Santa Barbara (not LA!) and it’s great. Ditto Santa Monica. Like everywhere, you need your wits about you.

My friend and I used public transport there in our early twenties. It did not feel safe. I wouldn’t advise it on your own

I wouldn’t feel any urge to go back to LA either op and think there are some other amazing parts that are better to visit. I love Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Washington DC, Boston and New Hampshire

I've done the major east coast cities multiple times, so not really looking to go back this time.

I'm really looking for some winter sun somewhere relaxing that also has stuff to do in case the weather is bad on some of the days. Miami was perfect for this - had a couple of days of rain there and just went to the wonderful museums - and I haven't totally ruled out just going again and maybe combining it with a few days on a Caribbean island (although flight prices for those short haul Spirit/Jetblue flights have gone insane), but it seems a bit unadventurous to go back when I still haven't ever been to California!

I'm also open to suggestions that aren't in the US - I'm just going through a phase of liking it again and have had a nice time on my recent trips. I've also considered Latin America, but not sure if I can be bothered with the added safety concerns of somewhere like Colombia or Central America, Costa Rica is incredibly expensive and difficult without a car, and I've been to Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile and want to try somewhere new.

@ilyana Ah I see. Long haul is expensive. I can also see why you might want somewhere with nice weather. As we hire cars, it’s difficult to know what public transport is like when we don’t use it. Plus I’m not a single woman. If I was, I’d certainly consider small group travel in Central America or Peru and Ecuador, say. But I’m not sure what your budget is.

SoCal isn't all that warm in winter.

You might enjoy Honolulu more than you think. I was there last December for the first time. It is very walkable, excellent bus system. Historic sites like the Pearl Harbor station, the Punchbowl cemetery, etc. My companion took the public bus to the northern coast of the island just to see the sights, and really enjoyed it; it took up most of a day with a couple of breaks at roadside cafes.

We hiked up Diamond Head; that took a morning. (You need a reservation; it's part of their crowd-control strategy) The main thoroughfare is ritzier than I thought, with luxury brand stores, but also lots of small shops. I'd never had much desire to visit Hawaii but went when this friend offered to treat me and it was quite pleasant. There are other museums we didn't make it to, some historic hotels to roam through, public beaches where surfers congregate. Tall hotels with bars overlooking the scenery, etc etc.

I tend to think more about value than a specific budget. I don't consider $70 for an Uber ride in LA good value, so I probably wouldn't do it unless I had to. I'd rather spend the extra time and take the bus or the metro, if it's safe enough. Last year I paid £450 for a private all-day tour around a small Caribbean island and it was worth every single penny. I couldn't have got around without a car otherwise, and I managed to see so many different things and learned so much from the guide. So it really depends on how much the experience is worth to me and the value I get out of it. I generally don't mind spending money if it means getting to go where I couldn't go at all without a car or to see something really spectacular.

I tend to be more of a budget traveller when it comes to city breaks. I'm there more just to soak up the vibe and atmosphere and just "be" somewhere new than to spend hundreds on activities every day. I enjoy the kind of travel where you feel like you're living in the place for a little bit. In my mind, it would be really cool to be staying somewhere like Santa Monica, get up early for a run along the beach, sit down at a cafe and people watch, stuff like that. I do want to do the typical tourist stuff, but not loads of it, if that makes sense.