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?

@ilyana Yes it does make sense.

I assume you’ve been to Chicago. People watching is great in Santa Monica. Same at Venice Beach. This part of the USA is really about the car though! I see your point on value. You do feel you’ve spent your money wisely! There are other west coast cities. Eg Vancouver and Seattle are well connected. For Sun though, not sure where else meets your requirements on the west coast snd is doable without a car. We like the countryside snd wildlife so a car is vital. Or plane hops.

Yes, been to Chicago, and I think it's cold in winter too.

The thing with the car is that unless I meet someone, I'll never have one, so it's either work around it or have to miss out completely. People said the Caribbean island I went to would be rubbish without a car and it wasn't at all - I'm sure it would have been better with one, but I'd still much rather have gone than not! Trying to figure out if LA is the same.

I'm interested in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, but they don't really tick off the winter sun/beach vibes box. Interested to hear experiences if anyone has been, though!

One other reason I'm interested in California/San Diego is that a personal interest of mine is Mexican culture, and I closely followed all the stuff about the border wall and have watched a few documentaries on it. I think it would be really interesting to go down to that park/beach where the border is and see what it's like. Not sure I'd be brave enough to cross over to Mexico on foot alone though, as a tourist!

It's not that interesting the beach between the US and Mexico - it isn't as differentiated as you'd think it'd be. There is the park where people meet their loved ones and talk through the fence which might be more what you are looking for.

Walking over the border from the US to Mexico is a trip! Last time I went I just walked over - no passport checks or customs to deal with. The line on the way back is no joke though! I believe it's the busiest border crossing on the world. TJ is a great place to get cheap Mexican food, but a lot of the drug/gang violence has crossed into the tourist areas.

You can get cabs that will take you down to Rosarito from TJ. Great beaches and fish tacos there!

Yes, that's what I mean! I think it's called friendship park.

How long did you have to wait in the line? I'd be a bit worried about having trouble getting back in and being stuck in Tijuana on my own with all my stuff in San Diego!

Hot and sunny in January? I just googled and the average high is 68F.

Average isn’t the same as what you might get now.

I wasn’t sure you only wanted winter Sun @ilyana . I suggested north west as it’s well connected but you would need spring or summer really. Plus it rains!

My brother was born in January in coastal So Cal and it was 83°. 🤷🏻‍♀️ If you are chasing hot days it's the best winter month to try for them.

The weather in early February was lovely when we went, shorts or linen trousers weather, wear a short sleeve tee but take a hoodie as well kind of weather. It was a welcome change from the snow we came back to in the UK.

My sibling used to live in San Diego and we visited and managed without hiring a car (although I could have). It's a great city. He now lives in Portland Oregon which has excellent public transport. Oregon is a gorgeous state, although you might need to drive if you wanted to see some of it - coast etc - it could be doable. Oregon (and Washington state) do have 'big' weather though. We've had both glorious and very wet Octobers there.

Seattle is excellent too. Easy enough to get around. Rains a lot.

I went to LA for work not too long ago, stayed in Santa Monica. Used Ubers. However it was a very disappointing experience. Santa Monica beach is full of junkies - I have never been offered hard drugs so often as the early morning walk I had on the beach.

Hollywood is also a dump.

California is richer than most European countries - but the way they treat their poor is despicable.

Everything is really expensive. I looked forward to that trip so much and came home feeling disappointed. It felt unsafe, a rip off and so much poverty I just wasn't prepared for how sad it was. I travel a lot for work, all over the world, and it was my least favourite trip to date.

Santa Monica is a great base and easy to walk around and access to the beach. I did an early morning bike ride from Santa Monica pier to Venice Beach, There were a lot of homeless but not one tried to approach me. It didn’t feel unsafe as there were other joggers and bikers around.

I’ve often seen San Diego described meh here but we as a family loved it there. I thought it was a great city with a great vibe. Someone said it was too touristy, I think it was very untouristy! It was our favourite part of our Californian visit.