Non DL activities. What to avoid on a weekend?

[larworth]

Will be in LA for a week at the end of July. We're saving all our amusement park days for during the week. This means doing some touristy things on the weekend. Have read the other links, but not sure what to do on a weekday versus a weekend. Especially worried about weekend CROWDS. Some things we are considering. Any and all comments welcome.

The Coastline

Day A. Head north from Santa Monica along Hwy 1. There is the Sunday arts and craft festival in Santa Barbara. Not to be missed or should it be avoided? Any experience with visiting the flower fields around Lompoc? Is it worth the drive (another 2 hours) to go all the way to Morro Bay? We’ve been to Hearst Castle and don’t need to go there again.

Day B. Head south along Hwy 1 from Newport Beach to La Jolla (seals, snorkeling). Check out San Diego (Balboa or Pt Lomas).

Around Town

Day C. Hollywood walk of fame & Mann’s than explore Rodeo Drive and cruise star’s homes. Tar pits and several museums (Peterson auto, entertainment, TV & Radio) are in the area but not sure which one would be the most interesting?

Day D. Getty museum, farmer’s market and maybe a studio tour (which one?). Some rate Paramount as just fair. WB rated the best, but not cheap ($32). Any downside to taking a tour on a weekend?

I figured it would be best to avoid the weekend beach crowds. However, we’re also thinking about attending a TV show during the week (Leno, Dennis Miller) and thought about matching them up with our around town days? Oh the decisions.

 

[Amusement Park Junkie]

It may change during the summer, but check the weekend availability of those studio tours. We were going to take an out of town visitor on one of the studio tours earlier this month and found that (other than universal studios) they only had tours on week days.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

La Brea Tar Pits, Farmers Market, and Rodeo Drive are in the same area - do those on the same day... Also in the same general area: Mann's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. & the stars are there, too.... El Capitan Theater, Pantages (where they have The Lion King right now), Hollywood & Vine corner (not exciting), Griffith Park Observatory (closed until 2005, I think). I think Rodeo Drive is two blocks west of La Brea Tar Pits, and if you go north you'll run into the pink Beverly Hills Hotel. Capital Records (the tall circular building) is also in that area, along with Hollywood High, where a lot of famous people went to high school.

You can do that, then drive west on Sunset Blvd., past the rich neighborhoods, and end up at a famous restaurant called Gladstones, where Sunset Blvd meets the ocean @ Malibu. If you time it right, you can have dinner there and watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

 

[larworth]

Thanks for the info.

Still appreciate any advice about what to AVOID doing on a weekend.

Doing some coastal touring on the weekend has some schedule advantages, but I'm worried about traffic on HWY 1, full parking lots, overcrowded beaches. Is it a zoo on the weekends?

I would assume Getty might draw some decent weekend crowds, but many of the other tourist spots are probably not all that frequented by the locals and therefore not as day dependant.

 

[mettlerca]

FYI - On Sundays many restaurants and stores are closed, so I'd go to Beverly Hillls on another day. Also, many museums open later on Sundays, but they're usually pretty empty throughout the day. Make sure you check the website 1st. Have fun!