Planning to go to LA in mid april

[Evil Techie]

probably gonna leave here around april 22
with my gf
for just about 6 days

my dad has a house in Diamond Bar de County with 5 bedrooms
ill be staying there

also ill be able to drive his car after dropping him off at newegg office in city of industry each weekday mornings

then ill be able to go places with my gf with his car which has GPS built in

so im not going to be so worried about getting lost
just that i want to plan out this trip better and am wondering whats good to do in LA

i went to LA last winter and been to universal studio and such
never been to disney land there though so im thinking about it

going to holywood is a must
venice beach is on the plan too

what else?

should i get tickets booked soon? or is it ok to wait a little longer?
cause i still need a definite schedule from my dad right now and he wont be able to finalize it so soon

p.s. my gf and i are 19 so cant go to clubs or pubs there even though i really want to...so please suggest something in my age range
thanx

i enjoy jazz and live music btw
and we need to make it back before 29th for U2 concert

[MTL]

Catch a Lakers game. I had to buy tickets off a scalper, but got a good deal. The tickets were in the upper levels, but I was able to convince someone in the Lakers organization to get me courtside floor seats (right behind Bruce Willis and his gf). It was sweet.

[StarStrike]

Have a peak at this thread, There's some good info there.
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=138904

Also, make sure you leave your GPS on and set it to "Shortest Route" and don't skip highways. Diamond Bar is a lil bit over a hour away from Los Angeles, so make sure you know where you're going otherwise it could turn ugly. Good Luck and hope you have an awesome vacation/trip.

[Evil Techie]

ooh thanx

ill take in some advices on that thread

i havent worked with the gps in my dad's mb S500 yet
he just got the car a few days ago so we both have to learn
also my gf likes to look at maps so she'll figure something out too as a backup im sure

anyways
my gf is a vegetarian so restaurant recommendations for us would be great
im a steak lover though

[chopstickhero]

lots of places to go. i lived there for a summer and was down there a month ago.

- check out Pasedena downtown
- 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica is nice
- oh... The Grove is really nice. lots of shops and nice restaurants.

[rad456]

check out a grunion run during the full moon

http://www.cabrilloaq.org/spevents.html#grunion

you may be able to catch some gray whales making their migration northward, off of Point Vincete

http://www.palosverdes.com/rpv/recreationparks/PointVicenteInterpretiveCenter/index.cfm

[Evil Techie]

lots of places to go. i lived there for a summer and was down there a month ago.

- check out Pasedena downtown
- 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica is nice
- oh... The Grove is really nice. lots of shops and nice restaurants.


cool
what is the grove?
is it like a mall?

[Evil Techie]

oh ive got 3 more questions

when is a good time to get tickets?

flights shouldnt be full during april eh?

also
what are the insurance policies for me driving a car with cali plate?
its leased by my dad's company and under his name

third question is
can you make a right turn on red in cali?
hehe thanx

[TrevorK]

also
what are the insurance policies for me driving a car with cali plate?
its leased by my dad's company and under his name


You most likely will not be covered by his insurance....Which means you may face problems if you are stopped by the police....

[Carnage]

when is a good time to get tickets?

flights shouldnt be full during april eh?


It mostly depends on what time the flight is. If it's an early morning, or late night flight it will be less likely to be full.

But LA is a popular enough destinatin that even April you'll probably have fairly full flights.

As for getting tickets you might want to get them now. The prices are really good now.

I bought my tickets back in December for this march, and a month after I bought them the prices dropped.

[Evil Techie]

You most likely will not be covered by his insurance....Which means you may face problems if you are stopped by the police....


uh oh...
are there any kind of paper work he and i can do before i start driving his car?
i probably wont get pulled over atleast i hope not


is it really likely to get booked up?
i better start confirming things now

[Carnage]

is it really likely to get booked up?
i better start confirming things now

You shouldn't have a problem booking a flight.

Even if you booked a week before hand you'd probably be fine.

But it is better to book a bit earlier. Or at least not trying to book like days before hand.

[Rehan]

uh oh...
are there any kind of paper work he and i can do before i start driving his car?
i probably wont get pulled over atleast i hope not
If you get into an accident and you're not listed in the insurance policy, the insurance company will probably just consider it to be your dad who had the accident (i.e., it goes against his driving record).

Other than that, you may want to get a notarized letter from your dad saying that you'll be driving the car during those dates. Without it, who knows what the police officers would think if they pull you over in that kind of car and then see you're not on the ownership or insurance papers.

[TrevorK]

uh oh...
are there any kind of paper work he and i can do before i start driving his car?
i probably wont get pulled over atleast i hope not


is it really likely to get booked up?
i better start confirming things now

I assume that the insurance is also paid for by the company who's paying the lease?

If so - they typically dictate who is allowed to drive the vehicle (At least, with my father's company vehicles he's had they do this - they would only allow a spouse, not kids).

If you get into an accident, there is the potential that the insurance company will not cover the damages, especially in a place like Cali. where insurance fraud/injury settlements are much larger than Canada...

Either way talk to the people who insure the car - they're the ones that you want to get the OK from. Especially being from out of town and sight-seeing, you have a better chance of getting into an accident as you would normally...

[Evil Techie]

yeah my dad's car is a brand new white mercedes S500 fully loaded so if i get pulled over without my name on the insurance, im sure the LAPD will be pointing a gun on my head
lol

damn my dad is so busy i can hardly reach him to see if he can finalize his schedule during that time so that he can be in cali when im over there

as for the tickets ill try to book as soon as i squeeze the dates out of my dad's fat tummy
i never liked doing things the last minute
booking things months ahead is what im used to from living with my mom

[chopstickhero]

cool
what is the grove?
is it like a mall?


http://www.thegrovela.com/

[Evil Techie]

http://www.thegrovela.com/

yes i already googled and went to that site
doesnt really say its a mall until i moused over events and saw a link for "mall events"

[chopstickhero]

not sure how old you are, but you may only appreciate it if you are probably older, as there are some upscale shops and restaurants there. not much "entertainment" there, but i like it there. check out Maggiano's italian restaurant, portions are huge. nice place to eat.

[Evil Techie]

oooh thanx

im only 19 but i do appreciate fine things in life
such as fine music and dinning
ive been to lots and lots of good restaurants world wide

ive been to the best italian restaurant in taipei 3 times
and during all 3 times, the porcini mushrooms i had there werent that great even though they were freshly imported by air

ah... only if i can go to italy for some really fresh porcini...

im sure there are lots of good italian eateries in LA
the problem is my gf is a vegetarian

i dont really want to spend too much money
been spending a lot this month on m-audio revo 7./1 sound card, 2 bottles of davidoff... few things here and there

im not a versace or armani kind of guy though
so...

thanx though :D

[Evil Techie]

woot just confirmed with my dad that he'll be in LA during that time
so i can go ahead and book the tickets now

damn flights are cheap now
300 something for round trip

are there any good live jazz or latin jazz kinda venues around LA

[TrevorK]

woot just confirmed with my dad that he'll be in LA during that time
so i can go ahead and book the tickets now

damn flights are cheap now
300 something for round trip

are there any good live jazz or latin jazz kinda venues around LA

300 must be before all the taxes right?

[canrocks]

I would really suggest buying tickets ASAP. For the dates you mentioned, Air Canada is best, but if you leave one day earlier, Westjet has the exact same price. If you're willing to leave from Bellingham, Washington, you can save $35 and fly into an airport that's closer to Diamond Bar, any probably a lot more convenient, Burbank. I found a fare for $299 from Bellingham to Burbank on Alaska, but on American airlines' website. It's surprisingly handy, with really good prices.
http://www.aa.com/apps/reservations/FlightSearchResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/apps/modules/makeReservation.jhtml.8
Be sure and check Fare, All Carriers, and Canada.

[rad456]

you may want to act on the airfare sooner than later. I belive both Air Canada and Westjet's sale is set to end on Mar 2. THe US carriers have a sale that is set to end on Mar 3. They may get extended once again though.

Another option is Harmony Airways too.

[Evil Techie]

thank you everyone

my gf and i will order the tickets today
i just dropped my mom off at the airport for her trip to taipei
going to the airport excites me when i think about ill be doing this soon too

gotta love traveling

anyways
i think ill go to disneyland on sunday
any good deals for a party of 3?
my dad, me and my gf

[Carnage]

anyways
i think ill go to disneyland on sunday
any good deals for a party of 3?
my dad, me and my gf

I've been looking for Disneyland deals for a bit. My Request a deal thread (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=134605&highlight=disney)

However unforunatly there's next to nothing out there. And definetly not much for a single day discounts. All the best deals are typically the longer 3+ day hopper passes.

You might luck out and be able to catch a few more rides that will be re-opening. There's quite a bunch of Disney rides down for rehab right now. They're prepping up for their 50th celebration.

And I'm not sure either if Big Thunder Mountain is back up to full capacity. Though you'd figure after like a year all the trains would have been repaired after the accidents. Though I haven't really bothered to search about that lately.

[Evil Techie]

hey carnage,

btw which is better
california park or the plain disneyland in LA?

[Carnage]

Well I haven't actually been yet.

However I can tel you for sure in a couple weeks. I'll be down there a week from this thursday.

Now you can get hopper tickets that will get you into both parks. But if you're there for 1 day you proably wouldn't have time to see everythign in both parks.

[Evil Techie]

i only intend to visit disneyland for 1 day only

[Carnage]

Well it's kind of a toss up between Disneyland and DCA.

From what I understand Disney has more rides/attractions, but some of them are older(or classics in some cases). There's 2 adult coasters at Disney, Big Thunder(mine train roller coaster), and the Materhorn wich is a classic.

DCA was built in the last few years, and has more up to date stuff. They have 2 coasters. One is a launched steel coaster made to look like a wooden coaster, the other is a wild mouse type. DCA also has the Tower of Terror drop ride.

So from what I can see it's a choice of quality or quantity. But I'll be able to give more advice on the matter in a couple weeks.

[StarStrike]

hey carnage,

btw which is better
california park or the plain disneyland in LA?

Since you are 19, you'll enjoy California Adventure Theme park the most. I went to Disneyland this summer with my family and it wasn't as fun as Universal Studios, but my little sister loved it! So unless you're going with your younger brothers and sisters, you'll enjoy California Adventure theme park more. I heard they have some pretty wicked roller coasters :D

[Carnage]

I heard they have some pretty wicked roller coasters :D

They have 2 coasters. One(Califorina Screamin) could be considered wicked.

If you're going simply for roller coasters then Disney(either park) is not where you should be going. There's Knotts Berry Farm just down the street, or Six Flags Magic Mountain(north of LA) if you want that.

Disney tends to be more for the shows and the experience of being in the park.

[Evil Techie]

i dont like coasters all that much so...

my gf wants to go to the space mountain ride
which one is that?

[Carnage]

my gf wants to go to the space mountain ride
which one is that?

Techically Space Mountain is at Disneyland.

However unforunatly it will not be open for when you'll be at the park. The ride is currently undergoing a full redesign. They're pretty much re-building, and upating the ride. It's scheduled opening date is sometime in May, though I've heard the date could be later then that, even into the fall.

Edit: Here's a website with the refurb schedules for Disneyland and DCA. Space Mountain isn't actually due to open before November. Link (http://www.riderefurbs.com/)

[Evil Techie]

my gf is pretty devastated hearing this news
shes been wanting to do that ride again since she went there as a child

oh well

what is worth going to for 20 year olds in disneyland now?

[sptembergurl]

The Indiana Jones ride is amazing! What an impressive adventure.
Other than that, Disney Land is disappointing if you're an adult.

Just my 2 cents!

-Sptembergurl

[adwoodw]

I think you should go to the local library or <a href=../autolink/redirectpage.php?linkid=32 target=_blank>Chapters</a> and do some reading so that you have some more info. They always seem to have many books on California.

Also you may try the forums over at www.tripadvisor.com

[Carnage]

Yeah, it's too bad you'll have to miss Space Mountain. However if you ever plan on making a return trip to LA in future years it'll be back open and updated to be even better then before.

As to what to do in Disney it really depends on what you're there for. If you're looking for rides you're probably going to want to go to DCA. Disneyland has more of the movie and simulator type rides. Plus Disney has the more "Disney" atmoshphere to it.

Now this is all hearsay. But I'll let you know exactly what to expect after I come back from there.

As far as Disney parks go the florida parks are the best attractions. California is one a different level. Not bad, but not nearly as good.

[Evil Techie]

well i guess disneyland is out of the picture...

thanks for all of the information
ill go to the library to check out some books next weekend when i get some free time
gotta plan ahead

i need more restaurant recommendations!!
vegatarian eateries too please
and price range is $5~30
thank you all in advance

[Carnage]

There's also another option other then Disneyland that might work for you.

Universal Studios Hollywood. They've got one new inside roller coaster themed to the mummy, and then a whole lot of other movie type rides that you might like.

It's another option to consider at least.

[2000fordfocus]

Excuse me for not really all the reply...

Just watch out for those US custom bastxxd, as they will give you hell... I was travelling there alone two years ago, and i was a poor student... They almost rejected my entry simply b/c i didn't take a lot of cash with me, crazy!! btw, i am a Canadian citizen! I ain't going to work as alien there~

but vegas was fun! must go there if you head to LA

[samo147]

but hes not 21 vegas i dont think will be that fun for a minor down there
but the strip is still cool to go to belagio water fountain and some other cool shows

ugh yeah the indiana jones ride at disneyland was very good but like mentioned above thats probably the best thing for 20year olds at disneyland but still nice to visit if you havent been

[Evil Techie]

i guess to make the most out of those 6 days ill be there, i think ill be going to disneyland with my gf
and perhaps get hopper passes so we can go to california theme park too

is that worth 2 days of time?

we also plan to visit venice beach
hollywood
perhaps Downtown Santa Monica as suggested

then i dont know what else to do there...

any recommendations for live jazz or live latin music in LA that is clean and friendly and allows 20 year olds to go in?

[Carnage]

Why not 3 days? ;)

I just bought my passes for Disneyland.

Turns out if you buy them from the disney website a 3 day hopper is only $4 more then a 2 day.

3 day pass is $109, and a 2 day is $105. (Yeah Disney is really expensive compared to other amuesment parks).

Link (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/reserve/ticketListing?name=TicketListingPage)

[Evil Techie]

oooh thanx a lot
looks like disney land isnt far from diamond bar de county either

cool
ill look into it
good thing the deal is good until 28th
thats when we plan to come back to vancouver

[Carnage]

I just got back from LA a few hours ago.

Here's what I found with Disney.

If you need to choose only 1 park go to Disneyland. Simply because there is more to do. Disneyland has alot more attractions then DCA. Plus Disneyland has much more of the "Disney" type feel to it(though DCA still has it as well). kind of hard to explain, but Disney just does things differently. They have figured out just about everything down to the tiniest detail to make stuff work.

Anyways here's the attractions that I rode:

Disneyland

Indiana Jones - Very cool ride. It's a jeep ride inside through a whole bunch of themed areas.

Pirates of the Carebean - Kind of interesting dark ride. But not sure if it would be worth a long wait as the scenes are kind of lame

Haunted Mansion - A dark ride inside a haunted mansion. This ride was very good. probably one of my favs. I won't ruin the effects, but trust me it's cool.

Big Thunder Mountain - Nice family mine train roller coaster.

Matterhorn Bobsleds - Pretty cool, coaster that takes place inside a scale replica of the real mountain. This is also a true classic as it was the first steel roller coaster ever made.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - This ride actually just opened up last week. It's a dark ride/shooting galery. You ride along in cars and try and shoot targets that pop out at you. And a really cool feature is that after you get off you can look at your photo and have it e-mailed to yourself for free

Small World - A dark ride with a whole bunch of those creepy robots singing the "it's a small word afterall" song. You might go slightly mad after hearing the song repeated for about 5 minutes straight. Still worth a ride though.

Disneys California Adventure

California Screamin - This is a launched steel roller coaster that is made to resemble a wooden coaster. Very fun ride, and not overly intense(this is Disney after all).

Mulholand Madness - Wild mouse coaster.

Tower of Terror - Very cool drop ride, and is a must ride. Not as intense as I thought it would be, so don't worry about that.

Muppets 3D - Pretty cool muppets 3D show

Grizzly River - One of those big raft rides. Has a big drop which is rare on raft rides. I didn't get to ride it due to it breaking down, but I do hear it's a fun ride.

Soarin over California - Extremely cool simulator ride. They use one of those round imax screens, and you're actually lifted up and placed off the ground inside it. So basically you're suspended in mid air in open air seats, with your entire sight line filled with the screen. So it really does feel like you're there.

That's all I can really think of for now(still kind of tired from the trip). I'm sure there's other rides that I rode but just forgot about. Plus some rides were under refurb that should be back up and running for your trip (like splash mountain).

I've got a whole bunch of pictures and video from the trip. I'll let you know when I get around to posting them.

[Evil Techie]

Woot!!
thank you soooooo much carnage

that was an awesome review of disneyland and DCA
probably what i needed
a low down on which rides to go to since ive decided just to spend one day in disneyland
cant wait

how was the rest of your trip?
where else did you go and do?

[Carnage]

Rest of the trip was great, though tiring. 4 parks in 4 days will tire you out pretty good. ;)

I did Disneyland on thursday, then went back to Disney for friday morning to finish up what we didn't get to. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent at DCA. Then friday evening I attended a private dinner and ERT session at Knotts Berry Farm. Saturday was a full day at Knotts. Then a full day at Six Flags Magic Mountain on Sunday. Didn't really have any time to do any other site seeing.

I've got pictures posted here (http://carnage-alley.com/Pictures/pictures.php?album_id=33) .

Now to go get some sleep. Going to be a fun day at work tomorow. :o

[Evil Techie]

thats a lot of park visiting
you must be soooo tired

are you a park fanatic?

what else is there to do in LA other than parks?

[Carnage]

are you a park fanatic?


That's an understatement. ;) I travel all over simply to ride coasters. I've been on 143 different rides so far. In June I'll be going on a week long trip stretching from Memphis to Chicago, and who knows how many other trips. And there's planning going on now for a trip next year to Europe. I think I'm probably the only person I know that would go to Europe for roller coasters.

Other then the parks you're pretty much left with the touristy types of stuff. Like going through hollywood and seeing the sign, taking start tours,etc. I haven't done any of that so I can't really give much advice there.

Though if you want some other entertainment there's a medieval times you could go to(it's not too far away from Disneyland). I haven't gone to that one, but I've seen the show in Toronto and it's pretty cool. Though I hear it's kind of pricey.

[samo147]

the weather sure looked beautiful from your pictures
haha when we went during Janurary i think only 1/10 days we spent there was nice and sunny hahah

glad you had fun
dave

[Carnage]

Yeah, the weather was pretty nice for the most part.

Thursday and friday were great, saturday morning was a bit groggy, though sunday was pretty cold, overcast, and drizzly all day.

LA actually has more moderate temperatures then most people think. At this time of year on a clear sunny day the temp can get up to low-mid 20s. But as soon as the sun goes down at like 5 or 6, the temps drop pretty quickly. So before you know it the temp could drop to like 10 degrees. Sure, I'd take 10 degrees being cold any day, but if you're still wearing shorts and a t-shirt you'll probably want a change of clothes.

[Evil Techie]

Yeah, the weather was pretty nice for the most part.

Thursday and friday were great, saturday morning was a bit groggy, though sunday was pretty cold, overcast, and drizzly all day.

LA actually has more moderate temperatures then most people think. At this time of year on a clear sunny day the temp can get up to low-mid 20s. But as soon as the sun goes down at like 5 or 6, the temps drop pretty quickly. So before you know it the temp could drop to like 10 degrees. Sure, I'd take 10 degrees being cold any day, but if you're still wearing shorts and a t-shirt you'll probably want a change of clothes.


ill keep that in mind
thanx
tripadvisor.com seems like a good website listing a lot of the main tourist attractions
ill keep my eyes on those
and still go to disneyland
thanx guys
anymore recommendations are very welcomed

[StarStrike]

ill keep that in mind
thanx
tripadvisor.com seems like a good website listing a lot of the main tourist attractions
ill keep my eyes on those
and still go to disneyland
thanx guys
anymore recommendations are very welcomed

Hey Evil Techie, did you check out the suggestions/advice I gave to a previous poster? if not, here is the link
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=138904

[Evil Techie]

ooh thank you
your advices about the eateries should come in useful although my gf tends to want to be a bit more spontaneous than i am

ill keep in mind the regions to stay out at night too
any more areas i should avoid? i really dont want any troubles on this trip

[Evil Techie]

well im leaving this friday
wish me a good trip :D

i think the insurance for my dad's company lease car will be taken care of

my gf is a vegetarian so ill be having a hard time finding places to eat for us

[Evil Techie]

we decided to go to universal studio instead of disneyland

since we can get free tickets from a friend of my dad
hehe