Francesca, I usually spend a couple of hours online when shopping for transatlantic plane tickets - ebookers, expedia and travelocity being my current favourites. But I would’ve thought a student like you would perhaps be eligible for a discount of sorts?
As for the LA area, I’ve spent a grand total of 2 weeks there (for some reason a lot of time was spent indoors ;)), so I’m not really the one to ask. OTOH, I might offer the foreign perspective, so here goes:
I’d say it should be possible to get around using buses - something my “Rough guide” seems to agree on. It takes time, but so does driving a car anywhere. The individual districts in LA certainly lend themselves to exploring on foot. But - and this took me some time to fully realize: That is one HUGE city!
Anyhoo, for my 0.02 Euro’s worth, the Grand Experience wasn’t as much LA-specific but more the entire “US impression”, from the grumpy immigration guys and forward: “Cool!! The police cruisers ARE black-and-white - and that’s a friggin’ riot gun in the rack!”. “Woo, the fire engines look just like in the movies.” “Hmmm, the beer lives up to its reputation as well.” “Am I supposed to eat all of this ?” - you catch my drift.
I guess a certain Dutchman and I will be doing some of the touristy stuff while a certain beautiful redhead (Hi Sweetie!) slaves away at her job. I furthermore suppose we won’t object too strenously to you and Mr. Fran stringing along, if we can find some stuff of mutual interest.
Whether we’re going to do this using public transport, mooching rides of the LA dopers or perhaps split a cheap car rental 4-way remains to be seen. (Hey Johnny, can we borrow your jeep ? I’ll trade a ride on the Duc if you’re ever in Germany.)
But in short: If my previous Doper trips are anything to go by, there’ll be good company and helpful advice (or vice versa) every step of the way. Don’t fret, OK ?
Thanks Spiny Norman. I’m coming accross as a worrier aren’t I? I’m just a little nervous as I haven’t done anything like this before.
We’re sadly nolonger students, so no discounts for us. I’ve checked most of the reliable online places - ebookers is looking vaguely promising.
Don’t worry, I do realise we don’t know each other from Adam really and that you three will be wanting to spend your time together, so we’ll see how that one goes and I hereby promise not to impose.
San Jose is about an 8 hour (give or take, depending on which route you take and traffic) drive North of Los Angeles. But – it is close to San Francisco (close enough anyway, if you rent a car) and I do recommed seeing the City. I loveSan Francisco.
I wish I still lived in Venice, I could have offered you guys a couch at the very least.
Francesca, I know you’re nervous about travelling here for the first time, and I’ll do whatever I can to be of help to you.
As far as transportaion, if you’re going to be staying in the South Bay area (Redondo Beach or Torrance), there are 2 bus systems you can use. The Torrance Transit bus system, or the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Navigating these websites to figure out the best routes is a PITA, so I’d recommend that after you’ve decided what points of interest you want to see, once you get here, phone the bus company and they’ll tell you exactly which bus number to take and where to get on and off. I’ve found them to be extremely helpful when I’ve called in the past.
For travel outside of L.A., you can always use Amtrak. The 2 closest stations to the South Bay are San Pedro (SPD) and Long Beach (LBC) and there are tons of destinations you can see. A train ride to San Diego would take about 2 hours or so, and if you go there, I’d highly recommend seeing The Wild Animal Park and/or SeaWorld.
There is a TON of stuff to do in and around the Los Angeles area, depending on what your interests are. For instance, there is The Getty Museum (which I know Spiny Norman would really love to see again, so that’s something perhaps we can all do together one day), The Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary in Long Beach, The La Brea Tar Pits, which is also right next to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Of course there’s always Hollywood, where you can visit Mann’s Chinese Theater and see all the hand and foot prints of the old Hollywood movie stars and the nearby cheesy Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum and the worst wax museum you’ve ever seen. And of course there’s Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios where you can tour the “back lots” and see how movies are made.
And I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the things there are to do around here. Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of things to do in and around L.A..
Once you’ve decided what you want to do, just let me know and I’ll help you get around, ok?
It is a very short cab ride from the airport - about 7 miles (11 kilometers) and will cost you about $25US.
You will certainly not be imposing. Spiny (Hi Honey!) and Coldy may have lots of time during the week without me if I have to work my full schedule (and at this point I have no idea how much time off (if any) the bossman may give me). And if you guys do do stuff together when I have to work, you’re more than welcome to drop me off and use my car (if Coldy doesn’t mind doing the driving).
Shayna You’re a STAR! Thank you so much for that information. I was having a minor panic attack earlier, but I’ve calmed down now We’re booking the tickets on Tuesday and I’m rushing out to get a job, ANY job, tomorrow.
We’re thinking that we’ll book accommodation for the weekend only and then see how we go from there. Sound like a plan?
Shayna, you ROCK. Nope, I wouldn’t mind doing the driving at all - as a matter of fact, I tend to think of driving in a foreign country as part of the “tourist” experience, you know? But hang on: Spiny has a car license too, right? Don’t you trust him on four wheels?
Anyway, thanks for offering us your car! That is SO cool.
Francesca, don’t worry dear, I’m sure you’ll fit right in with the crowd. And especially don’t worry about the trip itself: these things tend to guide themselves, really. Oh, and don’t worry about burning a few Pounds either.
Gosh… I dunno. After the last Dopefest I attended, what with that embarassing incident with the creamed corn, the balloon animals, and the Congressman, I may be forbidden by the terms of my probation to… oh, waitaminit, that didn’t happen on this timeline. Yet.
I’ll give a tentative “youbetcha!” to attending. My hubby indicates he may attend, as well.
I’m not a regular in this section (usually GQ’s and the Flame-o-rama) but I’m interested, pending specifics. Shayna, please email me when there are specifics worked out.
Just so everyone knows, I sent an email to those posters I know of, who are L.A. Dopers but who hadn’t yet replied to this thread. Here’s a list of people I emailed:
Anamorphic
Arnold Winkelried
bashere
Cowboy Greg (see above) deepbluesea
domina
exchicagoan
Heloise
Icarus
JavaMaven1
Jeeves
Johnny L.A. (replied via email with a definite yes - Woo!) KKBattousai
LifeWillFall
Math Geek
phouka (replied via email with a yes, barring unforseen circumstances - Woo again!) Rilchiam
Ruffian
sethdallob (see above) spooje
Stoid
Suo Na
Tretiak
VenusGirlTrap
vivalostwages
If anyone can think of people I’ve missed, please let me know and I’ll forward the email to them as well.
beatle, I thought you were just kidding on the first page of this thread. That would be so cool if you could make it! I’m trying my darndest to talk Grace into coming, too.
Francesca, you are very welcome. Glad I could help.
Coldy, of course I trust my honey on 4 wheels. It’s him that doesn’t feel comfortable driving in a strange city/country, so you get the honors. Better check and make sure my insurance is paid up.
I cannot call myself a Doper and miss this Dopefest. Of course, my at-best-spotty appearances at the SDMB isn’t helping, either. (This is where y’all say how much you miss me, even if you never noticed/have no idea who I am/am glad I’ve faded away )
But…it’s on my calendar. I have every intention of coming, and think I’d miss a helluva party if I did. DeathLlama will hopefully be accompanying me.
The Getty is a great idea, but I understand you really have to plan ahead if you want to park there. I’m not sure what they’re policy is if you want to just walk in from a mile away or whatever. I’ve never done it. But don’t try to just show up. It would be very disappointing to get turned away.
OK, I found their site, and if you take the bus, you don’t need a reservation, but if you plan to park ($5), you do. But they still have to close it to prevent overcrowding.
I’m just a little nervous as I haven’t done anything like this before.
And of course there’s 