Things to see and do in Los Angeles.

Help Los Angeles fans!

Keyes on Van Nuys!

In the summer, taking in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl is a must. Go with friends. You're allowed to bring food and drink. Sometimes the experience is better than a few of the performances.

I thought Venice Beach was covered in needles and human poop, OP?

I was literally scared when I was in venice last year

Do NOT miss the Museum of Jurassic Technology

Miley Cyrus.

You could go to a donut shop .. since there’s about five on every corner.

What R6 said. The Museum of Jurassic Technology is always quirky and interesting.

If you're in downtown, have a drink at Spire 73 -- at the top of the Intercontinental Hotel. Amazing views and great drinks.

If you want to see shirtless guys shamelessly showing off their bodies in nature, go to Runyon Canyon.

[quote]I was literally scared when I was in venice last year

You pussy.

Golden Girls house at 245 N. Saltair Ave, drive PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu, Beverly Hills, USS Iowa Museum in San Pedro, Queen Mary in Long Beach, the Broad Museum, the Getty Museum, the Valley Relics Museum, Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, Forest Lawn Cemetery Hollywood Hills, Hotel Bel Aire for brunch

Hotel Bel-Air

If you're going a bit farther afield, the Huntington Library and Gardens is well worth a visit.

Enjoy a cocktail overlooking the shore at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes.

Getty Museum.

Last time I was at Venice Beach 3 different guys tried to sell me drugs in the space of about a block. It made me feel so young again , , ,

I think I'm going to love this thread. I live in souther Cal, and I'll have some time off to explore.

The LA County Museum of Art is a great air-conditioned way to spend a day during a heat wave. It's a bunch of different museums glommed together, plus the natural history museum across the park. And you gotta love the La Brea Tar Pits!

There's also some sort of car museum across the street, for those that like that sort of thing.

Any great theatre happening?

I know they now do a lot of shows out there.

My favorite thing about being a native from LA, most of us don't give much thought to the NYC v LA debates. That seems to be more a NYC thing.

I love NYC. Lived there for years. And I love LA.

They're very different cities. Enjoy the differences that both offer.

R20 Oh dear

Have a meal and cocktails at Atrium in Los Feliz

Downtown L.A. is surprisingly leafy, green, and walkable. I would go on a business day, during the day, though. It would probably be desolate and maybe scary at night. The Disney concert building is there. Japan Town (really only two blocks) is there as well. You could eat lunch in Japan Town. IIRC, I think the L.A. public library is in DTLA as well. (Nice library.)

I live and work in DTLA. It is a shit hole. I don't recommend it.

It depends where you go in DTLA. Pershing Square and Broadway have some character, lots of little restaurants and good food, Last Bookstore, Little Damage, etc.

The Griffith Observatory is nice.

The Griffith Observatory is nice.

I lived in LA for 10 years and I always dreaded when friends or family would visit because they all only wanted to see the usual tourist traps of Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Universal Studios and Disneyland. I tried to tell them there are far more interesting places to see but they never wanted to go. The first time my brother visited he wanted to go to Hollywood to see where movies are shot. I told him that's not where movies get shot, that's where people get shot.

My favorite thing to do in LA is to rent a convertible and drive down Sunset from around Fairfax all the way down to the ocean, then up the PCH to Mulholland and back down again through Laurel Canyon.

Second favorite thing is to find some out of the way sushi and Mexican places that all the foodie types are raving about.

Third is to go to Fred Segal on Melrose and just people watch.

No one in LA says Japan Town, it's Little Tokyo.

Speaking of Little Tokyo, try Sushi Gen. The best!

If you must do Grauman's Chinese Theater with the footprints and all, go at sunrise and you'll have the place to yourself.

The LaBianca murder house is for sale, just in time for the 50th anniversary. The house is "popular" on the site (no shit), and a tour is free. Fine print: "Realtors, please research home before showing"

The new best kept secret in LA is the Japan House Library at the Hollywood & Highland mall. It's on the 5th floor and secluded away from everything else. It...is...GORGEOUS.

Yes, please talk about the Theatre scene in Los Angeles.

After that big spiel, R29, you didn’t even tell us what you prefer to those tourist traps.

If you're morbid or simply into noir, I've heard good things about the celebrity death tour.

I second R38's recommendation.

I’m not too into theater, but here is what I know. There are a few theaters to see big shows that comes through, like the Pantages, Ahmanson, and Dorothy Chandler. Much more interesting are the 99 seat theaters throughout the city, especially Hollywood and North Hollywood. There’s some law that theaters with less than 100 seats don’t have to pay scale or use union workers, so these little theater companies can stage shows for less and charge very little. It’s hit or miss, but I’ve found some real gems.

Los Angeles has a lot of Indie theater. You don't need to see big Broadway productions. Head to see the in house plays and you won't be disappointed.

Go be in an audience of a game show or tv show. Hollywood blvd, Go out to Malibu, the pier as SM, The redone Bev Center...shit there is so much to do.

Whatever you do, don't miss the Schock-ing Gaping Hole of Aaron. Rumored to be located in Beverly Hills.

Point taken R37. The multiple museums, the Roosevelt, the Marinas at sunset, the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek, The Inn of the Seventh Ray and a drive down Sunset from Hollywood to Malibu to name a few.

r43 just check Grindr and be hot and be in the Bev Hills/Weho area.

You could drive around for three hours and see the same exact thing like being in a Flinstone cartoon. Strip malls and traffic.

Eat some Thai food and then go next door for a Thai massage.

The Ivy

If you’re with your sweetie, be sure to freshen your breath at the Stinking Rose!

R49, I thought the Stinking Rose was closing?

Drag Bingo at Hamburger Mary's is always fun..as long as the bachelorette parties don't show up.

Drag Bingo is my idea of hell.

Shopping on Montana Ave near the beach in Santa Monica is fun.

[quote]There are a few theaters to see big shows that comes through, like the Pantages, Ahmanson, and Dorothy Chandler.

There are rarely any shows at the DCP. It's more for operas and ballet.

There are some large regional theaters -- Musical Theater West (Long Beach), McCoy-Rigby (La Mirada), 3D Theatricals (Cerritos) that usually do three or four big shows each season (generally musicals.) And lots of the 99-seat Equity waiver theaters and community theaters. Lots in Orange County as well.

Some of my favorites which are a bit off the beaten track - Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the LA County Arboretum, Wende Cold War Museum, Flight Path Museum by LAX (vintage planes, uniforms and history - neat!). I'm not a car fanatic, but I enjoyed the Petersen Automotive Museum. I like the Getty Villa a bit more than the main Getty Museum...just a matter of taste, I suppose. The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine near Getty Villa is very beautiful, but not the peaceful place for meditation they advertise...there is traffic noise, kids running around, etc. But well worth seeing at least once, anyway. The Original Farmers Market is great (when it's not too crowded...I would only go during the week). The ethnic neighborhoods can be fun for shopping and dining.

Overrated places for me would be the Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, and the Broad Museum...guess contemporary art is not my favorite. I just hate massive crowds of people and the hassle that goes along with it.

If you’re there in late November, check out the LA Auto Show. It’s one of the best in the country, and tons of test drives are available.

[quote] No one in LA says Japan Town, it's Little Tokyo.

R31, this is true. Although I've heard some people refer to it as J-Town, but yeah, never Japan Town. I think SF has a Japan Town.

On a separate note, I think LA is the only city with a large Koreatown, or one of very few.

Another hidden gem (it's in the northeast part of the Valley -- Sylmar) is the Nethercutt Collection and Museum. Lots of beautifully restored old cars, and cool mechanical musical instruments, including a huge Wurlitzer pipe organ. Best part -- it's free.

Go see Thai Elvis perform as you eat dinner.

LA has:

Little Tokyo

Sawtelle (aka Little Osaka)

Koreatown

Chinatown

Cambodia Town

Thai Town (only such one in the US)

Little India

Little Bangladesh

Little Ethiopia

Little Armenia

Those are most of the officially recognized ones I think. Others include Tehrangeles (Iranians concentrated in Beverly Hills and Westwood), Little Odessa (Russians in West Hollywood), and the huge Asian community of the San Gabriel Valley (Chinese and Taiwanese). Latinos of course are the majority, making up just about half of the population. There are many places to go in LA and even the OC where you don’t feel like you are in the US; the signs are foreign, and you don’t hear much English. It is the best thing about LA.

If you are interested in movies Warner Bros has the best studio tour

o honey sit at an outdoor café in west holly and watch the whores and porn gods

the ivy pillows have bed bugs???

If you are in Santa Monica, R & D Kitchen on Montana is a good place to eat. It's hidden far away from where most of the tourists go. It gets busy with locals to reservations are a good idea. The carrot cake is to die for and normally I hate carrot cake and that nasty cream cheese frosting. They use Mascarpone.

Venice is a shit hole, leave it as a last resort. If you want to see canals, head down to Long Beach and drive through Naples. If you do head down there, you might as well see tour the Queen Mary and the Aquarium. The Queen Mary actually has a working bar way up top at bow which authentic Art Deco. They let you wander all around the ship to explore. Closest thing you can get to what the Titanic might have been like.

A day trip to Catalina, get a golf cart to explore:

Hasn't Catalina been overrun by cruise ships?

R60, what am I, chopped liver?

Go to LA to get stuck in traffic the likes of which you have never seen in your bucolic home towns.

r60 But so far no Little Darfur.

Yes, R68, no one cares about Filipino town. There's nothing there except massage parlors and nail salons.

What would your restaurant in little Darfur serve R70? Dirt?

Norton-Simon museum is vastly underrated.

If you like sushi and a good time go to Tokyo Delves in the Valley.

Nice spot for brunch

[quote]Things to see and do in Los Angeles.

aaron schock's hole

Shawn Mendes pretending to be straight.

Um...R74

r78 Oh shit..I had not heard. I loved that place.

do the Getty Villa, not the other one.

No. If you like art museums, do the Getty Museum AND the Getty Villa! Maybe not on the same day, though.

[quote]What would your restaurant in little Darfur serve [R70]? Dirt?

Don't be silly. We also have flies.

The Getty Museum has spectacular views and a stunning garden. (And nicer eating options.) The Villa is great if you like Greek and Roman antiquities.

Prefer the Villa myself but they are both beautiful.

There’s only one Velveteria, and it’s in Los Angeles.

LA is the home of funky museums.

There’s even a Bunny Museum

Is the Fashion District worth a look or is it all just crap?

I've always wanted to go to the Rose Bowl flea market, but I never seem to be there when it's on.

Unless you know where to go, like the 8th floor of a nondescript office building, the fashion district is full of crap. The real design and show rooms are all hidden from the general public and there is a vibrant business going on but not to the regular person off the street. Most of what you will see at street level will look like little Tijuana.

"Is the Fashion District worth a look or is it all just crap? "

Crap. And you don't want to park your car out of the touristed area.

The Grove

Greystone Mansion hasn't been mentioned yet. When I went you couldn't see the house at all, just walk around the grounds, but occasionally they offer tours.

There are also the VIrginia Robinson gardens, which are by appointment only.

Is there Magic Castle fun? I noticed there's a hotel next to it that offers admission to the Castle as perk to its guests.

To add to R91, you get to tour some of the Robinson house in addition to the gardens if you book a tour. Built in the very early 1900s with money from the Robinson's department-store fortune, it was one of the first houses in Beverly Hills. Really worth seeing if you get the opportunity!

I love that you recommended that R93. I never even heard of that in all the years I lived there. I'm going back this fall and will be checking their website for when they post the tours available while I'm in town.

Apparently, the only thing to see in LA now are Rats.

best place to cruise and pick up hot whores? like name of café....or whatev

Robinson Gardens is a new one to me too - thanks. Just got back and went to see the Huntington Gardens and the area around it - San Marino. I had never been in my many visits. An interesting contrast to the usual west side scene of Beverly Hills and WeHo.

Though WeHo is still nicer and more fun, downtown has really come a long way. Still scary and sketchy but one or two gay bars and a lot of hotel rooftop places. Plus being able to do Metro is a huge plus.

The car thing is a huge pain in the ass in LA. While Uber has been a huge help, the expense can really add up because places are pretty far apart and peak prices restrict timing. I would stay in WeHo or Santa Monica as I think they are the most LA experiences. Don’t stay downtown - it’s improve but it’s still depressing and physically dirty and ugly.

The Hollyhock House in East Hollywood has just been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with 7 other FLW buildings.

Self-guided tours (Thurs - Sun) will set you back a whopping $7.00. https://culturela.org/cultural-centers/hollyhock-house/

Tomorrow night, I'll be attending this event in Hollywood.

Altas Obscura is a great site for odd/interesting things to check out in LA.

I think you meant ATLAS, not Altas.

So we don't fucking exist?!?!

There's nothing to see or do on Rodeo Drive, except to watch the hordes of tourists staring into windows at things they can't afford.

And checking out the plastic surgery on the actual shoppers.

Heritage Square is on my list of places to check out eventually. The Hollywood Museum in the old Max Factor building is another one. I go to LA about once a month and feel like I've hardly scratched the surface.

[quote]Things to see and do in Los Angeles.

Glaring wealth inequality.

Lol R104 . But EXACTLY what I thought when I went last month. And I live in NY!

The intensity and blatant difference between rich and poor in LA are Third World. I guess because of the space. To go from the perfectly manicured, sprawling houses and streets near the Spelling Mansion in Beverly Hills (well, Holmby) to the endless parade of homeless a few miles away in DTLA or Santa Monica is uniquely LA. It exists elsewhere but is nowhere as physically obvious and blatant as it is in LA. It struck me as a defining element of the LA experience.

Selma ave still has fun slutty hookers?

There are a lot of people I would like to do in Los Angeles.

Eat Thai food. Seriously. It's the best in the country.

R60 I don’t think you have ever been to California.

The Scientology building on Sunset is creepy. There really isn’t anything to do in Los Angeles except go to the beach.

R110, a friend and I went into the Scientology building just for laughs. We gave fake names and they showed us some L. Ron Hubbard film in a mini-theatre. Beyond bizarre!

Don't forget to go to Flex, it's a bathhouse on Melrose off the 101 with an outdoor pool. Nice to float on under the stars. Restaurants in Malibu: The Reel Inn and Duke's. In Beverly Hills: Kate Mantilini. In West Hollywood: Bossanova.

You can catch a film under the stars at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery -- bring a picnic and wine and go with friends. It's something fun to do at least once.

Kate Mantilini closed 5 years ago.

Where is the stroll for male prostitutes? Enquiring minds want to know.

El Torito in Marina Del Rey by the boats is fun.

R115, male streetwalkers? I don't think you'll find any of good quality, but you can probably find some strung-up druggie messes stumbling around Santa Monica Blvd.

Cruising? Probably Griffith and Elysian parks.

Which part of Santa Monica Blvd.?

You mean all the better looking rent boys find clients online or in bars?

R118, I would think so about online. I doubt any rent boys of a certain age 'sell their wares' any other way besides online these days. I'm sure there's a way to pick up Instahos in the WeHo bars but that scene is rather foreign to me, can't offer many tips there.

The sleazy section of East Hollywood is where the streetwalkers walk. It's very gritty and seems dangerous. If you've ever seen the movie Tangerine, it looks like that. I wouldn't recommend. Check Doublelist instead.

[quote]There really isn’t anything to do in Los Angeles except go to the beach.

Nothing to do? Sure, if you hate culture, architecture, food, sports, shopping and entertainment. Just where do you come from that offers more to do than LA?

I've lived here for over 30 years and have not been to the beach more than five times.

R121 - true of every LAer I know. Whenever I think it’s the perfect escape from NYC, I remember that living there means living in you immediate neighborhood and avoiding driving anywhere with traffic.

Thanks R119. Where do you go to see the hottest male strippers?

There's no full nudity in any place that serves alcohol in CA, so no real strippers.

Good heavens. How puritanical.

Getty and LACMA are great, of course, but my absolute FAVORITE art museum is the Norton-Simon Museum in Pasadena. It literally was a life-altering experience for me. I can't recommend it enough.

This is kinda trashy, or just tacky I guess, but my husband and I love going to Open houses in Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Hidden Hills, etc. It's also a great thing to do with out of town guests. It's actually great fun and definitely along the lines of "If I were to win the lottery" kind of fantasizing. And you can't beat the price ... free.

I used to take out-of-town friends and family on my very own "Hollywood Death Tour" - houses and sites of celebrity or notorious deaths. Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, Divine (same motel), Sharon Tate, Freddie Prinze, Bugsy Segal, The Menendez brothers' house, the suspected Black Dahlia house (on Franklin), the marina pier that Dennis Wilson drowned. And on & on ... I even had my own flyer. It was always very popular with my visitors. Everyone said I needed to sell tickets to it! Then one day I saw that Grey Line now has ... you guessed it ... a Hollywood Death Tour. Sigh.

Fuck men

[quote] It literally was a life-altering experience for me.

MARY!

You can only do one thing a day in Los Angeles because you can’t drive to more than two places. The traffic prevents movement.

R123, I had to think about that question for a little bit. I guess I would have to say that Fubar and Mickey's are mostly known for their Go Go Boys. But like R124 said -- full nudity is not allowed at any of the gay bars.

For hottest strippers who go nude and go beyond, your best bet is a private stripper party. I'm blanking on the name right now, but it's fairly well-known and has been discussed here before. A few friends have gone and seem pleased with it.

Thanks for the info, R130.

R130 Do you mean Adonis? They're in NY as well.

R132, yes! That's the one.

So, for people who like the real weird deal, like probably R92, the Magic Castle is the stuff that Tinseltown is made of: old, old entertainers, being drunk and funny in an exclusive and authentically weird castle, full of secret passages, and sad, sorry memories.

If you stay at the Magic Castle Hotel, you can go to the Castle for dinner, and a full program of mind reading, parlor tricks, slight of hand, sawing women in half!

There is more to explore like the historic Japanese castle, Yamashiro's, which was used for every single American shogun Japanese movie ever.

Los Angeles (where I grew up) has more whimsy than even San Francisco (where I live now), so approach it with expectation.

On Saturday I biked from my place in West Hollywood to Santa Monica, jumped in my friend’s pool (refreshing!) and continued on to Venice. There’s a great little brewery type place on Washington to have a beer that I sometimes go to. I basically put some Enya on and cruise down the beach path until I decide to bike back home. Can’t think of much that is more pleasant than that.

Favorite museum is the Getty Villa because I like Classical shit and let it take me to another time.

On Saturday I biked from my place in West Hollywood to Santa Monica, jumped in my friend’s pool (refreshing!) and continued on to Venice. There’s a great little brewery type place on Washington to have a beer that I sometimes go to. I basically put some Enya on and cruise down the beach path until I decide to bike back home. Can’t think of much that is more pleasant than that.

Favorite museum is the Getty Villa because I like Classical shit and let it take me to another time.

Enya? Oh, no.

This is why I avoid Southern California.

Enya is just for the weekends, save Bartok and Shostakovich for when I’m at work.

I am about to touchdown at LAX and only have the afternoon to sightsee. Should I go to the Getty or the Santa Monica Pier?

Go to the Venice pier at the end of Washington Blvd. Technically Marina del Rey, very cute and less crowded, easy to get to from LAX.

The Santa Monica pier is totally overrated, unless you have kids to entertain, maybe. Way too crowded for my liking.

Both Gettys are a pain in the ass to get to, but if you have time, I'd go for the Getty Villa.

Thanks

Santa Monica pier. It’s why you go to LA - beach and beauty. Museums - meh. Nature and ocean - yeah.

No, if someone is looking for nature and the beach, there are countless better places to go in California. Santa Monica is too fucking crowded with tourists. Drive up to Malibu if time permits. But SM is not that special considering all the hassle involved.

And anyone who would describe the Gettys as "meh" is a simpleton whose opinion should absolutely be disregarded. Even if you can't appreciate any of the art, the locations are stunning.

Go to the Getty, R139, the Santa Monica Pier is a tourist trap and all you can see is tourists. The Getty is awesome, thoroughly worth a visit if you're capable of appreciating art museums. And you can't go to the Getty Villa, unless you've made advance reservations (admission is free, but reservations are required). Or go to the excellent LA County Museum of Art, and have dinner at the Grove or the Farmer's Market down the street.

You can see a museum anywhere. You cannot see the Pacific Ocean anywhere. Guess I’m more a nature guy - but always felt the real experience of a city happens outside not in museums.

Of course. Podunk has outstanding museums.

R146, the Santa Monica pier is NOT a place for any sort of nature experience.

Well, the whole LA Basin is a pretty piss-poor place for any sort of nature experience, especially if you've only got a few hours.

You guys make this so complicated, the Santa Monica Pier is really spectacular, which is why tourists go there. So are both Getty museums, that one depends on what kind of architecture you like (Meier, of shitty men of architecture infamy, or whatever postmodern/historicist box the villa fits into)

There are many pleasant things to do, but it doesn’t always need to be something artsy for your Instagram. Go to a Japanese restaurant on Sawtelle, sleep with someone Japanese at the bathhouse on Venice, L.A. has thousands of fun possibilities.

"You guys make this so complicated, the Santa Monica Pier is really spectacular, which is why tourists go there"

No it isn't. It's an ordinary pier with a couple of amusement park rides, a shopping district and a middling beach attached, and ten thousand other tourists sharing it with you. I mean it's fine, I've been there a couple of times myself as I like oceans and I like shopping, but calling it "spectacular" is a bit silly.

Skip the Pier - the Promenade is worthwhile, uniquely LA, great views, and you can walk to the 3rd Street mall or whatever.

I ended up doing The Last Bookshop, Santa Monica Pier and the beach and a bit of the 3rd St. Promenade. Unfortunately, I couldn't swing the Getty due to scheduling conflicts. The Pier was a tourist trap but the ocean and the weather was so beautiful I didn't care.

If you're going to Malibu to see either (or both) Getty museums (they're both worth seeing) why not go to the Malibu pier instead? Or dine at Nobu Malibu which is right on the ocean (go for lunch so you can enjoy the view).

If you've seen the intro to Three's Company, you can skip the Santa Monica pier. The show's intro is more fun...

Here's something uniquely LA: quench your occult curiosities and attend the Satanic Bonfire.

I’m so happy that R139’s mini excursion was successful. Just out of curiosity, why does it always have to be expensive with you people? Why can’t someone say, “Go here, they have great food, and it’s inexpensive.”? Always corporate and ostentatious.

R155, ostentation is a virtue on Data Lounge. A core value.

R155, a lot of people might want to try the full range of what LA offers in terms of cuisine, price? The good thing about the city is that one can also eat very well, very cheaply if they're on a budget. You can get full off some of the country's best tacos (taco trucks) for all of $5.

I was thinking about this, and I’m assuming that in flyover states, inexpensive means fast food joints. So when these people visit L.A., or recommend restaurants to people, they go for something well known, more corporate and pricey.

Taco trucks are great, but everyone gets way to excited about food trucks in general. “So yummy” - vocal fry speaking millennial

^^Taco trucks have been around way before food trucks were a trendy post 2010 thing. And they're good. Why wouldn't someone try it?

^^Taco trucks have been around way before food trucks were a trendy post 2010 thing. And they're good. Why wouldn't someone try it?