Where to stay to minimize traffic hell in the City of Angels?

August 13, 2024 3:02 PM

We're planning a cruise that is going to be sailing from LA but also planning to spend a few days in LA before setting sail, and then going home right after. I understand that LA traffic is difficult to navigate even for locals, much less for a bunch of tourists driving a rental van with an impatient toddler on board, so please help us optimize for lodging location, given our itinerary!

So I feel like the obvious play would be to stay somewhere near the port so we're not late and miss our cruise the morning of, but we also want to visit koreatown and eat all the food and also visit the beach and also bring the kid to Knott's Berry Farm. Looking at the map, Koreatown, the port, and Knott's Berry Farm are sort of forming a right triangle. (We're not even sure which beach to visit, so if you have suggestions for kid-friendly beaches, that'd be great!) But should we stay in the... middle... of the triangle? Do we need to give up Knott's Berry Farm? Would appreciate any locals who could chime in to give us an idea of how we should begin thinking about this, thank you!

posted by Forty-eight to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total)

Do you have a budget you are trying to hit?
That's the bad thing about LA - the hotels in nicer locations are expensive.
Santa Monica Pier is the iconic LA beach - it's the one with stuff for a toddler kid to do, like a ferris wheel, but if you are going to Knotts Berry Farm, then maybe that doesn't matter?

If you were trying to do all that in one day (Knotts/visit a beach/Koreatown) then I think you need to optimize, but over a 2 days? You'll be fine to stay in a location you like.

LA traffic isn't that bad. It's more like double, not like 5X or whatever. The extreme distance is the biggest problem. Like for example, koreatown is 30 miles from KBF, and the cruise ship ports is 30 miles away. Santa Monica Pier is like another 30 miles away.

I think you could stay in Long Beach near the terminal and go to Seal Beach or Sunset Beach or some place like that, but it depends on your budget. KBF is more inland, so hotels may be more affordable.
posted by The_Vegetables at 3:22 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

If traffic is a concern, know that you will likely be very stressed out in Koreatown, just because it is a busy, dense, popular district where delivery trucks simply stop wherever they need to. Do you need Koreatown specifically? Or just Korean restaurants? If it’s the latter, Long Beach might be the easiest option. Lots of Korean food there, not far from Knott’s, and Mother’s Beach is a good one for families.
posted by corey flood at 3:30 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

I would also just recommend staying in Long Beach. The port is your most absolutely-cannot-miss location since your cruise leaving is non-negotiable, so you might as well pick a location close to it. You're in for a drive to Knotts Berry Farm no matter what, but it's not like it'll take hours and hours, barring some enormous traffic catastrophe.
posted by yasaman at 3:34 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

I would stay in the South Bay as well. Looks like the only thing you want to do in Los Angeles is Koreatown and so I would just budget a couple hours for driving to Koreatown and back on the day you do it, and skip rush hour. The whole area from the South Bay to that part of Orange County is its own thing, with many cuisines and landmarks and things to do.
posted by kensington314 at 3:45 PM on August 13

But yeah, avoiding K-Town for other Korean food destinations would alleviate about half of your traffic concerns.
posted by kensington314 at 3:46 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

Traffic in LA is not crazy, intimidating traffic like, say, traffic in Boston; it's just constant and there's a LOT of it. Parking is generally either a hassle or expensive (or both!). Signage can be confusing but I've never had any real trouble getting around.

LA doesn't have a real downtown and it's neighborhoods are mostly decentralized, so I agree; you don't have to go to Koreatown to get the full LA Korean experience. Long Beach is a great place to hang out! Shoreline Park is nice, there's an aquarium, when my daughter was a toddler she had a great time there toddlin' around. The beach there is pretty good too, and it all feels very LA. There's a mall.

Personally I would skip Knott's Berry, it's not fun for adults and the kid won't remember it anyway. My daughter had a great time at TravelTown up in Griffith Park, if you're going to hike up there I'd combine that with a visit to the LA Zoo. 'Shane's Inspiration' playground is also great fun. There's also the observatory.
posted by Admiral Viceroy at 5:34 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

Just a counterpoint to an above comment re: Santa Monica Pier - we went last month and I felt very uncomfortable there with my 6year old and 14 year old girls. It was incredibly skeezy and I started to panic after being unwillingly engaged in conversation with a woman who told the kids she was a vampire who’d had her teeth removed by the government. I’d skip it for sure. Obviously this could have just been a weird day but I won’t ever go back there. It felt very unsavory.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 5:35 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

Long Beach is the answer, except for the beach part. The beach is terrible there, completely enclosed, basically a parking lot for cargo ships.

The drive to Koreatown is reasonable (just head north on the 710 and a little west of Downtown LA). Outside of rush hour it’s 30-40 minutes.

The drive to Knotts is also reasonable, about 40-50 minutes. Just go north on the 605 and east a bit on the 91.

As for the beach: Seal Beach is close and nice enough. If you are willing to drive a bit further, you could visit Bolsa Chica, which is much nicer.
posted by notyou at 5:36 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I'd encourage using Google Maps live navigation or Waze for every journey. They have shaved off huge blocks of time on our trips to LA. But be aware of the dreaded left turn at intersections with no light or cross-street stop signs.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:25 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

But be aware of the dreaded left turn at intersections with no light or cross-street stop signs.

Please be kind and get out there in the intersection though, so between one and six cars can run the red light behind you. (No seriously, please be kind and do this.)
posted by kensington314 at 7:03 PM on August 13 [3 favorites]

Also while obviously there is traffic in LA and its reputation is of scary driving, I have had a much worse time driving in: New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco and the larger Bay Area. They all have comparable traffic and occasionally more aggressive drivers. Not sure if that is helpful for level setting but thought I'd put it out there.
posted by kensington314 at 7:07 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

agreed with others that LA is considerably less horrible to drive in than other major cities. Boston's way worse, Miami's way worse. I commute in Chicago every day and Chicago is at least marginally worse. LA is low-density enough for the most part, plus like, everybody's used to driving so they know what they're doing (vs. Miami, where it seems like no one has ever operated a motor vehicle before and also they do not fear death). If you are a reasonably comfortable city driver you will be fine. nthing everyone else about just staying in Long Beach -- plus the aquarium there is a delight if that would interest you or kiddo
posted by goodbyewaffles at 7:28 PM on August 13 [4 favorites]

Here's a search on Korean food in Long Beach: Korean food There's a huge community of different Asian cultures in South Los Angeles County, and you could choose something that's close to your lodging. Koreatown in Los Angeles is the largest Korean population in the US, but there's plenty in the surrounding suburbs. Here's a reddit link on HMart, Han A Chain and Zion Market. They are all right there in South Los Angeles/Orange County near your port. My preferred is Han am Chain. No need for the downtown drive.
posted by effluvia at 9:05 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

You will be a lot happier if you cut Koreatown from your agenda. It's not worth it. Too far away and too much of a hassle. Simplify! Stay in Long Beach, go to a beach near there (like Seal Beach), and, if you really want to (though I'm not quite sure why), go to Knott's Berry Farm. Use Google Maps for driving directions.
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 9:50 PM on August 13

The LA traffic is famously terrible mainly because there is so much of it and it's so dependent on timing. The roads themselves are fine. If you ask Google Maps how long it will take to get the 27 miles from Koreatown to the Long Beach cruise terminal at 3 p.m. on a Thursday, it will tell you between 50 to 110 minutes. And it doesn't get better unless you leave before 2 or after 6. "Rush hour" is really 4 hours long. So depending on timing, you could spend 3-4 hours in traffic just making a round trip to one destination.
posted by wnissen at 11:40 AM on August 14

BTW: if you are going to stay in Long Beach and not travel north to LA, here's some touristy suggestions for people with young kids:

#1 Polar Playground 16891 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 - it's not a playground, it's a desert shop that does cotton candy art. The cotton candy is moderately expensive (like $20) and it tastes just like normal cotton candy, but the shape is super heroes and princesses, and watching them made astounds small kids. Think experience rather than tasty food. Plus if there is another place in the US that makes cotton candy characters, I've not heard of it. It's a lot of cotton candy too - one is more than enough for a family to share.

2: The Pirate house on Balboa Island on the corner of 36th and Marcus Ave. Google the pictures and see if your kids would like it. It's a home decorated with plastic pirates. Balboa is a touristy island that's pretty in the night when there is less traffic, and my kids still love seeing it even though they are older now. It's a bit of a drive down Pacific Coast Highway, but it's coastal, so it's interesting, and there are plenty of beaches and places to stop at.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:07 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]

Long Beach has a fairly nice aquarium if you're looking for something to do with kids. You can also take the train from Long Beach to Koreatown to eliminate the need for driving/parking. It's still going to be like an hour both ways now with the discomfort of public transport, but it's an option. From Long Beach for the beach go south to toward the Belmont Shores portion of Long Beach, or leave Long Beach and go North into Redondo Beach/Hermosa Beach. They both have piers where you can park with restaurants and easy access to a beach.
posted by willnot at 3:47 PM on August 15