El Lay

[Dyno]

Chez Jay in Santa Monica.

Excellent call. So is Musso & Frank's. Bar Marmont, which someone suggested upthread, is not attached to the hotel (Chateau Marmont), although you can get drinks in the lobby of the Chateau. I thought both of them were kind of a scene (which is what I wanted, but am not sure that's what you're looking for).

 

[SoCalDude]

Chez Jay in Santa Monica.

Some in the city want to level it as part of the downtown redevelopment.
Others want to make it a historical landmark. I'm with this group.

Also, it's just a short walk to the 3rd St. Promenade.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

You have to have a chiliburger from Tommy's.

This, in spades. Preferably at the original shack on Rampart and Beverly. Best burger on earth. Hen I was in high school I used to drive 30+ miles each way just to eat a double cheese from Tommy's.

Hit Amoeba Records on Sunset. Enormous, fantastic record store.

Haven't been there in years, but the Westwood area next to UCLA was always a fun place to see a movie and spend an evening.

 

[buckweaver]

The Getty is one of the most beautiful art museums in the country. Go sip an Italian soda and stare out at Catalina Island if the skies are clear that day. (And if you like art museums, that's top-notch, too. But the grounds are worth a visit by itself.)

"Free" museum admission, but it costs like $10 to take the tram up the hill and that's the only way up. But totally worth it.

 

[Bubbler]

Hit Amoeba Records on Sunset. Enormous, fantastic record store.

Holy shirt. I took a look at their inventory. That's a must-hit.

 

[Football_Bat]

Drive over Kanan.

 

[TigerVols]

Hit Amoeba Records on Sunset. Enormous, fantastic record store.

Holy shirt. I took a look at their inventory. That's a must-hit.

If an Alien showed up and said he had one hour to spend in California, I would tell him to go to Amoeba. It's as close as you can get to everything that is right about the state.

 

[TigerVols]

You have to have a chiliburger from Tommy's.

Haven't been there in years, but the Westwood area next to UCLA was always a fun place to see a movie and spend an evening.

Alas, Westwood has died, for a number of reasons...namely, chains came in and replaced all the mom-and-pops, then rents went up, then the chains went bankrupt or left, and now it's a sea of empty storefronts. A friend who still lives there also blames the fact that UCLA is now America's foremost foreign student school, so the thousands of overseas kids aren't interested in hanging out in bars and shopping in boutiques. That's a local's perspective, at least.

Another suggestion, especially on a clear weekday: Either the Griffith Park Observatory or The Getty. Both are free, and both are fantastic in and of themselves, but both also offer amazing views of SoCal.

 

[Vombatus]

There used to be a nude bowling alley near the airport.

 

[21]

The thing about LA is there's no "there." A zillion areas to explore, but no central place to be. Which is why LA people are insecure and neurotic; they always feel like they're missing something.

Strictly from a sightseeing aspect, make sure you go through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica (the pier is actually quite gross but worth the walk to the end so when you see it in movies you can say 'heh, I was there.'), 3rd Street Promenade (in Santa Monica). Drive a little south to Venice Beach, you just have to. Drive a little north to Malibu. Not much to see where you're located in Sherman Oaks but once you're away from the Valley, you really can't go wrong. Just be patient on the freeways, you'll get somewhere eventually.

 

[Norrin Radd]

LA people are insecure and neurotic; they always feel like they're missing something.

I guess the "LA people" to whom Hollywood, Santa Monica, and all the touristy areas mentioned in this thread are representative might feel this way.

Anyway, Sherman Oaks is a bit off the beaten path as I understand it. If you do take the suggestion of driving north through Malibu, there is a fish place called the Reel Inn on your right that has bad parking but amazing food at a reasonable price.

Rent a car. Leave LAX. Turn south. Hit the first In-N-Out you see. Cruise down Sepulveda Blvd. with the ocean on your right until it becomes Pacific Coast Highway. Then find a parking spot and go to the beach. Enjoy the vibe. At nightfall, hit one of the bars on Hermosa Beach's Pier Ave., preferably the one at the end of the street that has an upper deck overlooking the beach and ocean.

Wish you lived there. Wonder to yourself why everyone was recommending touristy things. Realize those touristy things are why so many visitors come away from LA reassuring themselves that, "Oh, it wasn't THAT great!"

If you end up in Redondo beach, there is a great little diner called Eat at Joe's on a street corner on PCH. If you stay in the Santa Monica area, if you jaunt down Sepulveda to Westchester you'll see a massive diner called Dinah's where the nihilists from Big Lebowski ate on their way out of town. Great friend chicken and apple pancakes (not on the same order).

This is just the "what normal people/natives from my area do" suggestion list, of course. Can take it or leave it.

Or, you can just go do the wannabe high-roller stuff like hit the bars that featured in the movie Swingers and any number of old-style flicks.

Have fun.

At nightfall, hit one of the bars on Hermosa Beach's Pier Ave., preferably the one at the end of the street that has an upper deck overlooking the beach and ocean.

One billion times, THIS.

Had a friend from DC visit a few years ago. Asked to see "Your LA. Not the touristy crap I see in the movies."

We never approached Hollywood or the other typical places. Three days in the Redondo-Hermosa area later, he wanted to move there.

 

[TigerVols]

The thing about LA is there's no "there." A zillion areas to explore, but no central place to be. Which is why LA people are insecure and neurotic; they always feel like they're missing something.

Wow.

The NYP would beg to differ about Los Angeles' incoherence.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/travel/los_angeles_is_the_future_SoM9tHDbfS2KUuNx7Xq71J/0