WeHo area on the cheap?
June 4, 2017 8:35 PM Subscribe
Made a last minute decision to go down to the West Hollywood area for Pride/Resist next weekend. I'll have some unscheduled time there. Any suggestions for sights to see and things to do that are 1. accessible without my own private vehicle and 2. appropriate on a bus/hostel-sized budget? Would prefer to stay within around an hour's walk (totally fine with using transit to get to something awesome, though; will grudgingly take a taxi if necessary). Explicitly queer/gay stuff welcomed but not mandatory. NB, I have never been to LA.
here's website for L.A. 's lgbtqi center. There's a George takei exhibit at the Japanese American museum downtown right now.
The max factor makeup factory in Hollywood is now a museum.
posted by brujita at 9:35 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
The max factor makeup factory in Hollywood is now a museum.
posted by brujita at 9:35 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
The DASH buses are 50 cents a ride. There's a Fairfax route that stops at the Grove and then goes down by the museums on Wilshire. LACMA admission is $15, and the Tar Pits are $12.
The Hollywood DASH line stops at the Barnsdall Art Park, and there's a Frank Lloyd Wright house that is open for tours that are $7.
The Metro (bus and trains) sells a day pass for $5 and that will get you most anywhere you'd like to go.
The LA Conservancy has a page of self-guided walking tours and also an app that lets you know when you're near a point of interest.
posted by mogget at 7:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Hollywood DASH line stops at the Barnsdall Art Park, and there's a Frank Lloyd Wright house that is open for tours that are $7.
The Metro (bus and trains) sells a day pass for $5 and that will get you most anywhere you'd like to go.
The LA Conservancy has a page of self-guided walking tours and also an app that lets you know when you're near a point of interest.
posted by mogget at 7:18 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think going to sketch comedy shows is one of the cheapest and most underrated things to do in LA. Check out the schedules at Upright Citizens Bridgade and Groundlings and see if anything strikes your fancy. (Also take a gander at Nerdmelt.) Tickets are generally cheap, the lineups can vary wildly but sometimes you can catch some really great rising star comics/celebrity oddities/earnest students of comedy in a small venue. You usually have to wait in line beforehand. Not every show is great, but there are a lot of great shows.
I also love the tar pits and recommend them to everyone. If you just want to go to LACMA (which is next door), it's still worth it to take a look at the huge tar pit out in front and whatever they're excavating at the moment. It's amazing that there is all this ... tar! and it's just in the middle of LA. (Mastodons and giant sloths and saber-tooth cats were just hanging around in LA till like 11,000 years ago! If you walk around the large grassy area behind the museums, you might get tar on your shoes! It's bananas!)
posted by purpleclover at 1:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
I also love the tar pits and recommend them to everyone. If you just want to go to LACMA (which is next door), it's still worth it to take a look at the huge tar pit out in front and whatever they're excavating at the moment. It's amazing that there is all this ... tar! and it's just in the middle of LA. (Mastodons and giant sloths and saber-tooth cats were just hanging around in LA till like 11,000 years ago! If you walk around the large grassy area behind the museums, you might get tar on your shoes! It's bananas!)
posted by purpleclover at 1:17 PM on June 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
You can get out to Huntington Library and the Botanical Garden via train and bus. Also, the Getty is accessible by bus and admission is free of charge.
I loved Nerdmelt, btw. Buy something at Meltdown Comics and get 10% with your NerdMelt ticket, plus you'll get priority seating.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2017
I loved Nerdmelt, btw. Buy something at Meltdown Comics and get 10% with your NerdMelt ticket, plus you'll get priority seating.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:56 PM on June 5, 2017
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Runyon Canyon is a great way to get some exercise and take in a view of Los Angeles. You'll need to take a bus or a cab there. Bring water, wear sunscreen.
If you want to kill some time at an upscale shopping center, The Grove is walkable from WeHo. The old Farmer's Market there has a lot of character and delicious places to eat; the newer mall portion is a reliable place to see lesser celebrities. The stores are nothing special.
Depending on how much time you have to explore, consider catching a ride to the Metro station at Hollywood and Highland and then taking the Red Line towards downtown. You can check out a variety of gay bars (Akbar and Eagle are near the Vermont/Santa Monica stop; Mattachine, Precinct, and the bar Redline are near the Pershing Square station). These places are home to the artsier/more indie Los Angeles queers. All of them should be hosting mini Pride celebrations.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:33 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]