Oooohhhh, big airport....

[Mr.Shakes]

Alright,
I'm one of those pricks who hangs around for ages, never says anything , then appears when he wants something. Quite simply, I need your help and advice on fun and marvellous things to do for 2 weeks in Los Angeles. Seems a lot of you kids are in California somewhere and I figured you'd be the ones to ask.
Now is your chance to show off all your in depth local knowledge to johnny foreigner.
If posting advice, please keep the following in mind:
1) I will be travelling alone
2) I have a pretty tight budget but will be able to afford the odd splurge here and there. Basically, I have 1000 euro for 2 weeks.
3) I will probably be staying in venice beach
4) I can't drive
5) I am a pisces
6) I am extremely handsome

On reflection, points 5 and 6 are lacking in relevance but do provide interesting backstory. Point 6 also has the dual distinction of being both irrelevant and false.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated

[pisces2473]

Hello and welcome! Glad you posted...I think some people around here will be able to help you out...

[MonaLisa]

It doesn't matter where you go, what you do, how much money you spend, or your relative degree of handsomness. Your accent alone will make every female you come into contact with swoon. ;)

[Mr.Shakes]

...I forgot to mention I will be there during the last 2 weeks of May.

[kitalyn414]

2 weeks... hmmmm, well, venice isn't my normal stomping ground, but you can always cruise up and down the strand and stare at all the freaks along the beach. head north up to santa monica and check out the pier and 3rd street promenade. there are lots of bars and restaurants in venice, check out the nightlife along abbot kinney blvd.

it all depends on what your interests are... do you want to do touristy stuff? if you can get to the metro rail, there is a line that goes right to hollywood and highland. you can see the hollywood walk of fame, grauman's chinese theatre, ripley's believe it or not, and all that other tourist stuff. there are also some cool bars around the hollywood and vine area (very near by there) like daddy's, star shoes, beauty bar, etc. you could also look into seeing who is playing the hollywood bowl around that time.

you could also take the metro downtown and check that out. the museum of contemporary art (MOCA) is there and is pretty nifty. chinatown is worth seeing as well. the golden gopher is the only bar i've been to downtown... it was allright. lots of college (USC) students.

other areas to go out - manhattan beach: i like beaches and harry o's. hermosa beach: hennessey's & sharkeez. los feliz: LOVE IT - have dinner at palermo's (good pizza and 75 cent glasses of wine!) and then check out marty and elaine (from "swingers") at the dresden, the good luck bar is a cool place too. silverlake: 4100 and tiki ti are both really fun. sunset strip - i like the rainbow room (hang out of washed-up rockers, goth kids and freaks in general), cabo cantina has happy hour until 8pm EVERY DAY, red rock and barney's beanery are also fun.


let me know if you have any specific questions. i just tried to do a quick rundown of all the areas i am familiar with. i suggest spending memorial day weekend in the hermosa/manhattan beach area. i was down there last year and it was a non-stop party for 4 days. like spring break for older people. it was crazy.

[Mr.Shakes]

The first couple of days, I'll do all the touristy stuff. Those kind of things kind of take care of themselves I suppose as most guide books point you in the right direction. I dunno, I suppose I'm after some places to go or things to do that let you get a bit of a feel for the place and the city. I know 2 weeks isn't a very long time but whenever I have visited the US before (NYC, Chicago), I somehow managed to meet someone or hear about something that took me off the beaten track a little. I also seemed to develop the uncanny ability to be invited to barbeques. Hmmm... maybe I can boil this down to 2 questions:
1) Where is a good place to catch some live music in the evening namely a good rock band or a quiet acoustic place where people wear hats and look pensive?
2) Where is a good bar where its easy to talk to guys without them thinking you're gay and talk to women without them assuming you're coming on to them (although I probably would be)? Or in fact do people in LA talk to strangers in bars?

I think that that may have been 3 questions disguised as 2.

[kitalyn414]

here are the sites i use to find stuff going on in LA. check out their "best of" section for restaurants, bars, clubs, etc.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/
http://www.digitalcity.com/losangeles/


spaceland (http://www.clubspaceland.com/) is a pretty good hipster venue. it mainly has newer bands that have yet to get famous.

as far as where you can find friendly people to chat with... i'd try the silverlake, los feliz, echo park area. the guys will probably be a little bit more interested in conversation than in other areas in LA. around hollywood they are busy looking cool and down in the south bay they are mostly trying to pick up chicks. the little joy is a total dive bar in echo park, but the people are pretty cool and interesting. plus it is one of the only places in LA that lets you smoke inside.

[Starfish81]

Ditto on the accent. Very hot.

When you get here, pick up LA Weekly. You can find it in most coffee shops and grocery stores for free. Since your staying in Venice, you should visit 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. It's a great place to shop, hang out, eat, whatever.

[Mr.Shakes]

Your accent alone will make every female you come into contact with swoon.

Ditto on the accent. Very hot.



For your swooning pleasure it seems a crying shame that I can't type the way I speak!

[RockTheGlobe]

I hate to say it, but without being able to drive... it's gonna be pretty hard for you to get around, unless you suddenly are willing to part with lots of money for cab fare. The bus lines are not all that helpful.

One thing you might want to do is see if your hotel or another hotel in your area hooks up with one of those tourbus services that can show you the city in a day (or two days) for a small price. They basically just drive your ass all over creation, but you don't get too much time to spend in one location. It may give you some ideas on some places you might want to go back to on your own and spend more time in.

Personally, I wouldn't leave without doing the touristy stuff in Hollywood. Check out the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese, the Kodak Theatre, all that stuff. Plus, they're usually giving away free tickets to TV show tapings there.

I usually hit the Sunset Strip for music, but that's usually loud and people are not looking pensive. You may want to check out the Temple Bar in Santa Monica.

[RockTheGlobe]

Kitalyn -- is there ANOTHER Cabo Cantina? I go to the one on Wilshire near Barrington in West L.A., since it's within stumbling distance of my apartment.

[kitalyn414]

Kitalyn -- is there ANOTHER Cabo Cantina? I go to the one on Wilshire near Barrington in West L.A., since it's within stumbling distance of my apartment.YESSSS!!!! it's on sunset at sweetzer. that is actually the original cabo cantina... it's a lot smaller than the brentwood one.

[crackerbrat]

Hello.... from Ireland??? And handsome????? Okay, the first thing you have to do is go to a little place called Van Nuys and go to this bar there, say, May 20, 8pm? Heh heh. ;-)

But seriously, since I think LA's the best city ever, I've even been writing an article about what I would think would be the best tour. But alas, it requires a car, which is essential anyway if you're to get the true LA experience. ;-) Of course, Venice is a great little space in itself (as people have already described), but what I always thought I would do if a friend came into town is take them for a drive on Sunset Boulevard from Hollywood to the ocean, which cuts across some of my favorite places in LA--Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood....

I have a car, by the way.....

Did I ever mention my name's Irish?

-Carrick (<--Irish name)

[Starfish81]

Hello.... from Ireland??? And handsome????? Okay, the first thing you have to do is go to a little place called Van Nuys and go to this bar there, say, May 20, 8pm? Heh heh. ;-)

....

I have a car, by the way.....

Did I ever mention my name's Irish?

-Carrick (<--Irish name)

Someone's looking to hook up ;)

[Starfish81]

For your swooning pleasure it seems a crying shame that I can't type the way I speak!

We can infer your hotness from your tone :).

[RockTheGlobe]

Someone's looking to hook up ;)

I might be, but sadly, Mr. Shakes isn't my type. I tend to go for women.

[Starfish81]

I might be, but sadly, Mr. Shakes isn't my type. I tend to go for women.

Um, I meant crackerbrat :googly:. I didn't mean that you, Mr. Globe, wanted to get with Shakes.

[RockTheGlobe]

Um, I meant crackerbrat :googly:. I didn't mean that you, Mr. Globe, wanted to get with Shakes.

Yes, I got that. I was being all facetious and insinuating and stuff.

[Mr.Shakes]

Hello.... from Ireland??? And handsome????? Okay, the first thing you have to do is go to a little place called Van Nuys and go to this bar there, say, May 20, 8pm? Heh heh. ;-)

But seriously, since I think LA's the best city ever, I've even been writing an article about what I would think would be the best tour. But alas, it requires a car, which is essential anyway if you're to get the true LA experience. ;-)

I have a car, by the way.....



I am a little concerned that my inability to command a vehicle may cause me to miss out on some good stuff. However, if total strangers are not opposed to hinting at offering me rides, then I am not opposed to hinting at accepting them. :)

[Starfish81]

Yes, I got that. I was being all facetious and insinuating and stuff.

Oh. Ha ha ha, then. :)