Jammin' in LA: A little planning can route you around traffic and to the cool shops and sights
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Even on a cool February afternoon, the beach in Santa Monica, California, attracts a few sun-seekers. -
The Embassy Hotel Apartments are a bit off the beaten path but close to the beach, restaurants, shops and other attractions in Santa Monica, California. -
This house perched high above Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, belongs to film director Ron Howard, says Ted Schmidt, a guide for Skyline Tours. -
Starfish cling to the side of a tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. -
Sculptures are displayed outside and inside the Getty Center's galleries in Los Angeles, California. In this courtyard, the headless Delusions of Grandeur, a 1967 bronze by Rene Magritte, stands next to Torso of Dina, a 1943 bronze by Aristide Maillol. -
The deck of The Queen Mary affords a great view of Long Beach, California. -
The Getty Center's grounds in Los Angeles, California, include terraces and balconies that afford great views.
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LOS ANGELES - If you plan well and have a little luck, you can see the world in Los Angeles. If not, all you'll see is a world of traffic. More likely, you'll experience some of both.
Tourists might think "Hollywood" when they begin to plan a vacation - and Hollywood is worth a day of sightseeing - but Los Angeles also is home to world-class museums, ethnic restaurants, interesting shops and farmers markets that make a winter-weary Midwesterner green with envy.
With so many attractions, you may be tempted to try to do too much. But traffic can jam up seemingly at any time, any place, so the best thing a tourist can do is relax and go with the flow. If you must be somewhere at a specific time, leave early; if you end up with time to kill, chances are you'll find an interesting shop or restaurant to explore.
CARS - Although Los Angeles has mass transit, you'll need a car to really see the area. Rental rates vary widely and tend to be higher close to LAX. You may save money by taking a cab or shuttle to your hotel and renting a car from a nearby location. I've gotten good rates from Midway Car Rental, 1-800-824-5260 and midwaycarrental.com.
HOTELS - Every chain imaginable is in the area, and locally owned hotels are plentiful. I booked a room at the Hilton in Glendale (in the San Fernando Valley) for $65 a night through Priceline.com. Parking was $18 a night. I also stayed at two unique hotels, the Embassy Hotel Apartments in Santa Monica and the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
LA: Hotel stays in Santa Monica, Long Beach
EMBASSY HOTEL APARTMENTS
1001 Third Street, Santa Monica
1-310-394-1279
A stay at the Embassy Hotel Apartments might remind you of noir films and old Hollywood. The hotel is on a tree-lined street in a predominantly residential area just blocks from the beach and from the shops, restaurants and bars that make up the Third Street Promenade.
The hotel dates to 1927 and has been beautifully maintained. Guests enter through a courtyard made colorful by birds of paradise and other flowers. Oranges ripen on a tree. The lobby is decorated with tiles and dark wood and has arched doorways, high ceilings and big windows, as do the guest rooms.
Some of the rooms have fully equipped kitchens. Just about the only item not in character with the period decor of our guest room was a flat-screen television mounted on the wall.
The hotel rents its 28 rooms by the day, week and month. Nine residents have lived there since the 1970s and '80s, general manager Joshua H. Bond says. Several other guests regularly stay for months at a time.
Although the hotel lacks air conditioning, Bond says the ocean breezes keep it cool throughout the summer.
Rates start at $169 in the offseason (Oct. 1-May 31). A weekend night in high season in a two-bedroom suite is $390. On-street parking is included.
THE QUEEN MARY
1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
1-877-342-0742
The Queen Mary has 314 hotel rooms, all created from the ship's first-class suites and staterooms.
First Published March 29, 2010 12:00 am
