USA trip (LA, Hawaii, ...): tips?

Rent a car: LA -> Vegas -> Tijuana is what I want to do eventually. Sorry for derailing and have fun.

levne letenky?

unfortunately I live near SF

but as for Hawaii, depends on whether you prefer the more rural version (Big Island, Maui, Kawaii) or the more developed version (Oahu)

Do not go to Mexico. It is a war zone nowadays.

dogmeat - docela jo

On November 16 2010 14:44 Maynard! wrote: Do not go to Mexico. It is a war zone nowadays.

I have been to Tijuana 3 years ago and it seemed quite safe.

On November 16 2010 13:54 Uptown wrote: unfortunately I live near SF but as for Hawaii, depends on whether you prefer the more rural version (Big Island, Maui, Kawaii) or the more developed version (Oahu)

I want to see as much as possible. As for beaches / seaside, I preffer the more quiet parts.

Hmmm I'll give this a shot. I lived in Los Angeles all of my life, but I've lived in Prague the last two years [married a Czech woman ftw].

5 days is definitely enough time to see what you need to see. I'm not sure exactly what you're interested in, but I'll try to recommend a wide variety of things for you and your group.

1. You should probably devote one day to the beach/beach area. 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is a good place to start/walk around (http://www.downtownsm.com/visitors/index.html), and from there you can either go north to Malibu Beach or south to Venice/Redondo/Manhattan Beach.

2. If you like thrill rides/adrenaline, I'd recommend visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain (http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/rides/ThrillRides.aspx) The attractions are pretty crazy - they make "Matejska pout" look like a little girl. This is about 50-60km north of the center.

3. Los Angeles has many great restaurants and different types of cuisine. What kind do you like?

4. Universal Studios is pretty interesting if you are a cinema fan. (http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/) Same goes for Hollywood Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, and Sunset Boulevard.

Where are you staying? (That's actually pretty important as LA traffic is notoriously bad).

PM me if you want to chat.

On November 16 2010 15:36 Joe wrote: Show nested quote + On November 16 2010 14:44 Maynard! wrote: Do not go to Mexico. It is a war zone nowadays. I have been to Tijuana 3 years ago and it seemed quite safe.

A lot has changed in 3 years. Listen to Maynard, stay away from Mexico for the time being

Oh and if you were looking to play a poker for a day or two, you can check out the Bicycle casino. Have never been there but I hear the name thrown around a lot, so it might be cool to check out

On November 16 2010 17:39 Carthac wrote: Show nested quote + On November 16 2010 15:36 Joe wrote:   On November 16 2010 14:44 Maynard! wrote: Do not go to Mexico. It is a war zone nowadays. I have been to Tijuana 3 years ago and it seemed quite safe. A lot has changed in 3 years. Listen to Maynard, stay away from Mexico for the time being Oh and if you were looking to play a poker for a day or two, you can check out the Bicycle casino. Have never been there but I hear the name thrown around a lot, so it might be cool to check out

Def this, Mexico is no joke.

Thanks sweetbread for the tips.

Carthag - yea thanks, I might visit the Bicycle casino too, but I definately want to visit The Commerce casino.

As for where we are staying - we dont have anything booked yet. We would like to stay somewhere not too far from the center, but we dont want / need some big expensive hotel, rather a smaller/cheaper hostel, appartement or a motel would suit us.

If you have any reccomendation regarding accomodation, it would also be welcomed.

Other than directly LA, do you have some tips for 1-day trips from LA?

Also, one particular thing we are thinking about doing is to rent quad bikes and drive through some dessert area. Does anyone have any recommendations about this activity?

for quad bikes (call them "ATV's" - all terrain vehicles in the States) I think a good idea would be Pismo Beach. It is about 300km north of Los Angeles, and there are MANY MANY places to rent a quad there. For example,

http://www.pismoatvrentals.com/

It's not the desert, but instead they have "sand dunes" by the beach...I remember doing this when I was much younger and I had a good time. If you absolutely MUST have the desert experience, try San Diego and using google to look up "San Diego desert ATV rental" and trying some of the companies.

As far as accommodation, since from reading your blog it looks like you're a successful 5/10+ player, the Commerce casino has a hotel "attached" to it, the Crowne Plaza.

http://www.commercecasino.com/hotel.aspx

It's pretty nice (I've stayed there quite a few times, and in LA there is a BIG difference between a crappy motel and a decent hotel). The rooms will be between $109-$139 per night regardless of how many people stay in the room (this is different from Europe), so with the current exchange rate you're looking at 1800-2100kc/night. It might sound expensive, but for LA standards it is a good price and you have some of the best NL live action you'll ever see 5 minutes away! The alternative, staying at a cheap motel for $49-$59/night, isn't as good because you might end up in a very bad area or the motel might be dirty/filthy/nasty.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the answers again sweetbread.

HEY!!! Joe, i know some really good sushi places in LA!!!

O OmasaO Omasa http://maps.google.com/?cid=7552352711675003633s=9278196194559575351
Place page
100 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3909, United States
(213) 623-9048


This is BEST seafood i ever had in my life, i highly recommand to go to Redondo beach!!

Pacific Fish Center & Restaurant
131 Fishermans Wharf
Redondo Beach, CA 90277-3602, United States
(310) 374-8420

Its at the Redondo Beach "The Pier shopping center" its a fish market, go up to the local fisherman and ask them for a delicious crab!

Enjoy man this is some real amazing stuff that i discovered living here.

Sweetbread's tips are really really good. I'm from the area as well, and dont' think I can really add anything to his posts

do you realize his trip is probably long over?