LA for 1 week kids-free!

[mamaneedsabreak135]

Hello, I am going to LA (from the UK) for 1 week, kids free!! I am going for work but will have 4 days free. It will be end of June. I don't drive. I am staying near Hollywood.
PLEASE i need all your knowledge on what to do, what to see, where to eat, what to wear!
I want to do some tourist stuff, but also go shopping (trainers? something I can't get in the UK?), maybe spend a day at the beach?

How can I get around? I heard public transport is a no-no, is that true?

This will be my first solo travel in 6 years. Yes I'll miss my kids, but this mama can't wait to be human/tourist/on my own again!!!

Thanks fellow mamas!

Lucky you!

So much to see and do in LA.

Head to Santa Monica for a beach day, visit the pier & go shopping on 3rd street. You can walk all the way down to Venice beach & stroll the canals. Watch the street performers: last time I was there a guy was offering people to punch him in the face for the bargain price of 10 dollars!!

Downtown LA is cool with the Broad museum, Disney Concert Hall, Angels Flight funicular & Grand Central Market. You can also visit the Bradbury building & Biltmore hotel, go to the Last Bookstore, and go up the observation deck of City Hall for views of the Griffith observatory (this is also a good place to go).

Walk along Hollywood Boulevard looking at all the stars. Put your hands in the handprints at the Chinese Theatre. Go on a tour of the star homes.

You could do a film studio tour or go to Universal Studios for the day. Look online to see if any movies are being filmed on the street, or any premieres to spot celebs.

For shopping I think you would like The Grove which is a shopping mall with lots of nice restaurants & a farmers market next door. Robertson Boulevard for boutiques & Rodeo Drive for window shopping.

There is unlimited food options, but maybe hit some iconic places like Musso & Franks, In & Out Burger, Pinks hotdogs? Salt & Straw for ice cream in Weho? Craig’s for celeb spotting?

If you’re a Bravo TV fan you can go to SUR, TomTom & Jaxs & Something About Her if it ever opens?

Ive always hired a car but family went last year & used public transport & had no issues, although they did use Uber quite a bit.

The LA metro is actually pretty good and safe - certainly during the day - so I'd use that for sightseeing. Distances can be quite big, so getting ubers will take time as the roads are very congested. Lots of good tips above.

Santa Monica/Pacific Palisades are good beaches. You can get to SM on the metro. I'd avoid Venice Beach as it's very seedy - lots of drug dealing and unsavoury characters down there. The Grove is in Beverly Center so easy to get to if you're staying in Hollywood. The Original LA Farmers' Market is there - it's touristy but nice. We did a minibus tour of LA taking in the stars' homes, which was kitsch and fun. There are several companies that do it - just look on TripAdvisor for reviews - the one we took went from Hollywood Blvd, so you could do that at the same time as seeing the Walk of Fame and the stars' handprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theater. The tour is a really good way to see the Hollywood Hills, Mulholland Drive, particularly if you won't have a car.

The Broad is fee (with a timed ticket) and definitely worth visiting, especially the Infinity Mirror Room. LACMA and The Getty are also highly recommended.
Runyon Canyon is a lovely place for a walk, as is Griffith Park and while you’re there pop into the observatory

We liked the Getty Centre best of all. Just stunning. No idea about public transport to it. We stayed in Santa Monica and I would recommend that. Some areas of LA are seedy! Including the stars in the pavement with chewing gum all over them. Huge shame.

If it's still open, the Max Factor building with the costume museum is interesting. The Disney concert hall is fantastic.

Not sure much is cheaper in USA. You would need to research brand you want.

Some areas of LA are seedy! Including the stars in the pavement with chewing gum all over them. Huge shame.

Yes, this is true! Hollywood is seedy and dirty. When we were there, we saw homeless and intoxicated people collapsed on the pavement on Hollywood Blvd and there are some areas (like downtown) that are basically just homeless camps. Even in the nicer areas, it's not uncommon to see tents pitched on the pavement, or on the grassy bit in the middle of a road through a residential area, or along the side of the highways. There is A LOT of homelessness and drug use, so be prepared for that.