Los Angeles holiday

[Zizi444]

We are going to LA in just under a month. We are staying a week in LA and a week in Palm Springs. 2 adults and 2 kids 16 and 11 - one who is ft wheelchair user. I've booked Kimpton Everly in Hollywood and just trying to sort itinerary out. We hope to do walk of fame hollywood boulevard as within walking distance and celeb bus tours which i will book in advance. I'm still not sure if the hotel is the right area for us?? We also want to go to Warner and/ or Universal, Getty and Griffith Observatory. Hollywood sign would be nice but I dont think its accessible do might miss. I'm wondering about Disney? And also Santa Monica? We will have a car. Although booked hotel I can cancel hotel and book another if need be.
Any advice welcome

Nb.. I always book late. wing it and plan last minute

Thanks ducks

Long time since Ive been but my thoughts are:
Hollywood Sign is best seen from driving by - you get the full effect .So dont bother trying to get there if accessibility is a consideration
Santa Monica - loved the pier and the shops in the centre. Worth a visit.
If you have a car a drive along the Pacific Coastal Highway is a must.
LA is vast so a car is a necessity - glad you have one sorted!
Palm Springs will be hot ..even at this time of year - so be prepared for that!

I love California and would like to go back

Santa Monica is lovely and well worth a night there in my opinion. You can walk the very accessible promenade to Venice Beach . The pier is fun and some nice shops too . Drive Mullholland Drive to see the Hollywood sign and views of the city . The bus tours are fun too . Behind Venice Beach is lovely with canals and much less crowded than the actual beach . Palm Springs has fabulous architecture tours of all the mid century houses and if possible do the cable car up to the top of mountain. Spectacular views from up there . A nice place to just walk too . The Joshua tree national park is close by as is the Coachella Valley .

Ooh and dont forget to get some Sees Candies. Only really available in California

No, they are available in other states here too.

I’d not get too excited about the Hollywood sign. Depending on which way you approach the airport, you’ll see it from the plane. You can’t really “drive by” as it’s tucked away in the hills and the area is accessible only on foot. And even then you can’t get up close to it. You can sometimes see it when you drive along Mulholland. But it’s not that great.

Personally, I wouldn’t go to LA or anywhere in California these days. We are Americans and we live in the US and even we wouldn’t want to go there. I’d get out of the city as much as you can.

Your hotel looks like a good location for the places you’ve listed. I love Universal & Warner Bros, both completely different experiences. Disney is much smaller than Orlando, so if you’ve been there I’d be tempted to skip it & just do Universal.

Defintely do a beach day. You can walk from Santa Monica to Venice along the flat paved boardwalk if you were in the mood. Or just chill on the beach.

Id also maybe add in The Grove with lunch or dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, Could also visit the La Brea tar pits nearby. And a visit to Rodeo Drove, just to say you’ve been!

My favourite thing to do though is just drive around Beverly Hills and the bird streets, seeing how the other half live!

I also liked downtown, very much felt like NYC with the streets in a grid but plenty to do there for a day.

Final rec is to get an in & out burger, and ice cream from salt & straw.

I love LA, hope you all have a great time!

The Hollywood sign isn't accessible at all - not a pleasant or easy walk even if you're fit and sporty - but unless someone in your group has their heart set on touching it or getting a close-up pic, there's no need. One of the best views of it is from the Griffith Observatory, which is accessible and already on your list.

Everything else you've listed sounds OK, and your hotel is luxurious and reasonably located. Just double check the prices for parking, as you'll have a car - they can be really steep in that area!

@OneGladRoseTiger Why are you saying that? California is fantastic! We have over 10% of the population of the US and are the 4th largest economy in the world. Especially in these difficult times, we are so grateful to live in CA. @Zizi444 Here's a recommendation for our favorite restaurant in Palm Springs. It's called Sherman's and is a classic Jewish deli, the likes of which are hard to find anymore. Palm Springs should be easy to move around in. There are lots of older folks and the pavements and restaurants are usually easily accessible. The weather could be warm, even in late October. Have lots of water with you. Welcome to the Golden State!

LA is a dump. I have never felt so unsafe anywhere in my life. We left after 2 days. Sorry not helpful!

Yes, it has gone downhill a bit in recent years since covid, especially Santa monica around the boardwalk and downtown, but its still a great destination. Just be prepared for scary homeless people. If you're going to universal I'd recommend doing the studio tour, its good fun and you get to see some of the sets.

You can also get a good view of the Hollywood sign at the rear of the mall
next to the Kodak theater on Hollywood and Vine.

Do book both Warner’s and universal studio tours in advance as both tend to sell
out.

https://www.wbstudiotour.com/info/special-assistance/

This may be helpful to you as well

May I suggest the California dreamers Facebook group
We did a tour of CA a couple of years ago and they had great info, including LA details

We drove along Mulholland Drive and liked the views. Also went to Paramount studios and drove around Bel Air.

We mostly stayed in Santa Monica and also visited Malibu which is pleasant. Central LA has very scruffy areas (we stayed at the Mondrian) and SM is definitely nicer. As well as the Getty Centre in LA (fantastic building) there’s the Getty Villa at Malibu and then there’s the beach. I’d actually go up to Santa Barbara for a day too.

Central LA (walk of fame) is a chewing gum strewn dump. I’d miss that out. Rodeo Drive - people and car watching! The nicer bits of LA are the beach towns but we liked the Max Factor costume museum. Not sure how accessible it is though.

Not been to Palm Springs.

we loved the observatory and the views are amazing. Don’t underestimate how long it can take to get anywhere, traffic is just ridiculous. Agree about the Hollywood sign, you’ll see it from the observatory and elsewhere. Santa Monica is nice.

Is it really that bad? I live in London and have never had any issues with the homeless people there, is LA really much different? We're also going in few months. I was planning to use the metro to get around, is that a big no no?

I've never used public transport there, we live in a neighbouring state so always just drive there. Ubers are plentiful so they are an option too.

The homeless population is different from in the UK in that many are clearly very mentally ill and a danger to themselves and others.

When I stayed in LA the homeless were literally strewn over the pavement off their faces on whatever drugs they take. This was downtown, the whole place stank of piss and cannabis.
Hollywood boulevard was dirty, tacky and crowded. The Chinese Mann theatre small and tatty.
We did do a celebrity house tour of Beverly Hills which took in the Hollywood sign and Mulholland drive. That was ok and quite fun.
After that we left as it was just so awful.
I live in one of the roughest parts of the UK and am used to the homeless and drug abuse but LA was off the scale. I only felt safe in my car and my hotel.

Envious of your trip, OP!

I also live in London and experienced the homelessness down the West Coast (Seattle to SF) and it is NUTS. It is scary. Here the homeless are usually quite sober and peaceful. There, there is pan-handling, open and frequent injecting, tent cities etc. Tbf, I also saw it in NY, but being a colder city, it wasn’t as densely “populated” with homeless and associated issues.

Eek. Due to a scheduling cock-up we actually only 1.5 days in LA, was planning universal for one of them, think I'll just find a tour for the half day. Sound like we won't miss much by not having longer.

I would definitely still go to Santa monica, even if just for a stroll along the iconic beach and pier. Muscle beach is every bit the LA stereotype and good for people watching. The fairground there is small but still fun and there are some good restaurants. Go to shutters on the beach for a drink on the balcony and possible celeb spotting

I would also reconsider the Kimpton as this is right beside the 101 freeway which is always traffic strewn.

Public transport in LA? Is there any? We just hired a car. There are some great things to see in LA but not the usual tourist tat areas. The Getty Centre is a superb building. There’s lots of traffic but you can get off the main roads. We liked eating in the Brentwood/Mintana Avenue area. Lots of other options. Never felt unsafe. Central LA isn’t for walking after dark but you have to plan what you want to do and what’s the best area to stay in to be safe. Mostly leafy areas!

A couple more recommendations for Palm Springs.

We stayed at The Twist and loved it!
Lulu's is a great restaurant. El Patio for amazing Mexican food and cocktails.

We loved the aerial tramway, although I'm not sure how accessible it is. There are amazing views from the top and it's so much cooler!

We didn't spend much time in LA itself. We loved the Griffith Observatory and saw the Hollywood sign from there. We had a day at Universal but weren't that bothered by it. We enjoyed Santa Monica pier and beach.

We did not enjoy the traffic 😬

We did see a lot of homeless people in LA. The ones we met/spoke to were pretty friendly and helpful, although clearly high on drugs!

Thanks for all the responses. Some really useful info. I know there is a big issue with homelessness there. We are possibly reconsidering the hotel and maybe look in Beverly Hills area. Thanks again