Two days In LA
June 13, 2015 11:52 AM   Subscribe

will be in LA for a week in late July but only 2 days are mine. Alone, staying near the Getty. As I have not been in this city for more than a day in 40 years and aside from seeing the Getty, would love any recommendations of food, entertainment, neighborhoods to walk (if such a thing even exists here).
posted by dougiedd to Travel & Transportation around Los Angeles, CA (14 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Which Getty?
posted by rhizome at 11:58 AM on June 13, 2015


it's a big city, what do you like?
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 12:14 PM on June 13, 2015


Barrington and Sunset is going to be the closest little 'walkable' shopping/dining area to you if you're staying near the Getty Museum (as opposed to the Getty Villa, as hinted by rhizome). Also nearby is Beverly Hills, Robertson Shopping District, and West 3rd St. On the other side of the hill, Ventura Blvd is nice if you want to walk a ways to the East from Woodman or so. There's a fantastic brat joint and a great little used record store and a bunch of other fun little shops.

Sullivan Canyon trail is a very nice hike up into the Santa Monicas, and if you're up for something 10mi+ you can make a loop of it in various directions. At the top of the canyon you can walk along Dirt Mulholland until you get to the Nike Missile Control Site which offers pretty awesome 360° views of Los Angeles, the Valley, Santa Monica, and the SM Mountains.
posted by carsonb at 12:50 PM on June 13, 2015


There are several really convenient buses that run close to the Getty Center, depending on where you're staying, which can connect you to Westwood/UCLA, a very nice area for wandering around through the campus and lush residential streets, Culver City, and even Santa Monica, though you'd want to transfer to another bus to go further down or up Wilshire. The 720/20 buses on Wilshire can connect you to Beverly Hills, and the Grove/Farmer's Market/West 3rd. Wilshire has nice sidewalks for almost the whole way, though on the south side only through the country club if you head east from Westwood. (Sunset's sidewalks are a little more broken up, if I remember correctly.) These are all easy cab or Uber rides if the buses aren't a good option. Walking from the area around the Getty Center is more difficult as Sepulveda is not pedestrian-friendly for much of that stretch, but you will be close to some very nice, very walkable places. If you head down Sawtelle, you'll be surrounded by loads of interesting ramen, or you can head to Westwood for great Persian, for example. Is there anything cuisine or type of entertainment in particular that you're interested in?
posted by jetlagaddict at 1:38 PM on June 13, 2015


If you are near Getty Villa, the Secret Stairs walk is excellent. I did it a couple of weeks ago while on a 2 day stay in LA. Great 2 hour walk.
posted by Xurando at 2:50 PM on June 13, 2015 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Getty museum, sorry.
posted by dougiedd at 2:57 PM on June 13, 2015


Seconding Persian food in Westwood, a few blocks south of Wilshire. Here, for instance. And Persian ice cream afterwards, across the street.

Santa Monica is easy to connect to from Westwood by the Blue Bus and the downtown and beach area are great for walking about, though you'll be among a lot of other visitors doing the same. Have a drink at the Huntley Hotel's penthouse restaurant for the bird's eye view. You can head down Main St., too, south of the Pier, towards Venice Beach, and it's nice to observe the shifting neighborhood sensibilities along the way. Abbot Kinney is a colorful strip to walk down in Vencie. For grass roots entertainment you can go to a poetry reading at Beyond Baroque.

In other parts, Chinatown is a nice strip for walking and eating, though not as splendid as the chinatown in San Francisco, say. It's right next to El Pueblo and across from Union Station, which is a handsome building and the city's metro rail hub, whence one can ride to Hollywood, or Pasadena, or East L.A. The light rail to Pasadena is a pleasant ride and lands you in an elegant older town with its own strip for walking, eating, and admiring architecture, and a serene civic area where it's natural that one finds a peaceful theological seminary.

I personally like walking around the neighborhood near MacArthur Park, which has a metro station. At night you can hear and see the inspired storefront preachers down Alvarado Street, and there's plenty of good Central American food.
posted by bertran at 3:52 PM on June 13, 2015 [4 favorites]


If I only had 2 days in LA, I would have Korean food and go to Zankou Chicken (thanks, scody, for turning me on to that one).
posted by matildaben at 5:06 PM on June 13, 2015 [1 favorite]




Barrington and Sunset is going to be the closest little 'walkable' shopping/dining area to you if you're staying near the Getty Museum

And if you walk down to Barrington & San Vicente there are even more shops and restaurants. From there you can hop on the 3M Blue Bus for a few minutes and check out the stores on Montana Ave (starting around 17th St to Lincon) and it's only another few minutes on the same bus to Downtown Santa Monica, which has tons of stuff but is basically a big mall. More boutiques and cafes a mile further on Main Street, and then Abbot Kinney, mentioned above, is another mile or so down Main Street.

Also, I'm in DTSM so I'd be up for a Westside meetup.
posted by Room 641-A at 12:10 AM on June 14, 2015


I love the beaches. If you're staying near the Getty, you're about 10 to 15 minutes from the beach. You could take the scenic drive down Sunset, or just take the 10 west and park. If you want to see the beach but have a really nice walk-around, you can park at the Santa Monica Public Library public parking lot (thus avoiding traffic and crowds by parking at 4th Street) and walk down Santa Monica Boulevard to the 3rd Street Promenade. Lots of cool stuff and crazy people. Get a tasty latte from Real Foods Daily. Walk out on the pier. Check out the Nordstroms. Whatevs. Easy walking, sites to see, and you're only 15ish minutes from your hotel.

If you have a bit of time to go off the beaten path, you could maybe hit the San Gabriel Valley (just east of downtown). All the good Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese places are there (and seems to be where all the good places in Chinatown migrated to). It has really grown in the last decade or so to be an Asian foodie area. Traffic can be murder, but avoiding traffic can get you there in about 35 to 40 minutes. You could do the dumpling crawl. But check out Yelp; there are many, many options for good food. You say you want cheap lobster that tastes amazing? Try Boston Lobster. Wait, you say you're actually allergic to shellfish and I was just putting words in your mouth? I'm sorry; I should avoid making assumptions.

If you're doing buses, by the way, you can also take the Big Blue Bus 10 Express to downtown LA for a few bucks. You could see the MOCA and hit up Chinatown, or maybe see a show at the Disney Concert Hall.
posted by rybreadmed at 12:53 AM on June 14, 2015


Response by poster: Thank you ALL
posted by dougiedd at 11:31 PM on June 14, 2015


YES to the Persian ice cream place in Westwood! Damnit now I have to go there tomorrow and have orange blossom ice cream. There's also the Hammer Museum on Wilshire and Westwood to add to the great suggestions earlier.
posted by culfinglin at 12:33 AM on June 15, 2015


Good call on the Hammer; they have free concerts during late July, too, like this one by Soul musicians presided over by a local public radio DJ.
posted by bertran at 10:29 PM on June 15, 2015


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