Oh, yeah, I forgot he was coming from Sacramento, not the Bay Area. I’m like three blocks from the ocean, so I usually get on the I5 and just stay there.
When you’re our age and your Mom is worried about you driving in one day, that usually means aged Mom is thinking that 40mph is highway cruise speed, and nobody could stand to drive more than 2, or maybe 3 hours per day.
That is my planned route. Having driven at least part of I-5 before, that route is boring. 99 at least passes through more cities. And the slight additional distance is basically negligible.
My friend owns Junaita’s Cafe on Olivera Street. The best taquitos.
That’s the place!
(Olvera)
So it turns out the Museum of Jurassic Technology is only open in the afternoon. I’m thinking if I try to do the Getty in the morning I’ll feel rushed, so I think if I do the Getty it’ll be Friday (day 6). Which means I now have free time Thursday morning. Is there anything else interesting to do in the Culver City area before my MJT visit?
There’s some really nice parks and views of the city in the Baldwin Hills.
Other than that, the only other thing in the area I can recommend is the omakase at Sushi Zo…bring about $300. Worth every penny. Alas, not open in the morning.
The Wende Museum maybe. " The Wende is an art museum, cultural center, and archive of the Cold War that preserves history and brings it to life through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and community engagement. "
I’ve never been but I interviewed there a decade ago.
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Okay, I hate to be the bringer of sucky news, but here goes:
L.A. is disappointing. 
Let me explain. I first visited L.A. in May 2022, stayed for 2 weeks. Downtown L.A. is tiny and sucky and no sight to behold, either up-close or from a “scenic viewpoint.” Yes, I know, L.A. is a city that grew outward, not upward, per its history; that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks. There’s nothing to see there.
Hollywood: the Hollywood sign is underwhelming, disappointing, and sucky, like all of L.A. Hollywood Boulevard is boring, uneventful (unless you happen to be on it during the .00001% of the time when some notable celebrity is there giving a speech at their Star’s unveiling, and even then it probably sucks), smells of dry urine at every corner, and is full of dangerous homeless people. Don’t expect the awe-inspiring magic of Times Square, or you’re in for a huge disappointment. As for it and Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevard…
Well, you know how in the opening credits of Entourage (a sucky show, I know, but still better than real Los Angeles), a young up-and-coming star is cruising around Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard and going to clubs and bars and buying drinks for everybody? Never happened in the history of Hollywood. You’ve got more chance of seeing a celebrity in Manhattan, NYC than in Hollywood or L.A. Not to mention that, to quote other internet users, “L.A. nightlife scene is non-existent.”
Speaking of other internet users: I’ve spent hours reading thousands of posts on various boards and sites (Reddit, Quora, and many more) dedicated to the topic of “L.A. is disappointing.” Here’s some of the best quotes, recited or paraphrased to the best of my memory ability:
“I live in L.A., and I don’t know a single person who’s visited who hasn’t expressed disappointment.”
“L.A. is great… if you make six figures a year. Otherwise, the average person can’t afford to do anything remotely worthwhile there.”
“If L.A. wasn’t in California it would be fly-over territory.”
“With big cities like New York City and Chicago, you can just show up and feel like you’ve arrived in an amazing place. L.A. is… not like that. L.A. is a vast sprawl of unremarkable suburbs; expect to travel vast distances to get from even one remotely-interesting place to another. And, it takes years to even find any locale that you actually like.”
“New York City is a fun hell; L.A. is a boring paradise.”
“Hollywood movies and popular culture have exaggerated L.A. so much that any first-time visitor is in for crushing disappointment.”
Now, I’ll tell you the only things in L.A. county I liked:
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Mulholland Drive, but only in the canyon part around the Hollywood sign, and even then, only if you’re the one driving, if you know what I mean.
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Torrance High School: located in the suburb of Torrance, it’s where countless teen T.V. shows and movies have been filmed, from 90210 (original and remake) to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (T.V. show) to She’s All That… Visit the famous courtyard there, it’s worth it.
That’s about it.
Sorry to have to be the one to tell you.
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Also, a few more things I should have mentioned:
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You know how in T.V. shows and movies all the L.A. characters are movie-obsessed and have stars in their eyes and a script they’re dying to show to you? No way. Half of L.A. is Hispanic people, some of whom barely speak English, trying to sell their wares, and the other half is homeless white people who do drugs all day. Almost 0% of the residents there know or care at all about movies or T.V. or celebrities, nor are they ready for their close-up, Mr. Demille. Forget it, the Hollywood state of mind is non-existent.
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I used to think Scientology was an exclusive club for the rich and famous, but no… You’ll find countless average working-class people standing on street corners handing out pamphlets or extolling the virtues of Scientology. I was shocked, but then I realized that if you can get 1,000 ordinary citizens to give you $1,000 each, it’s the same as getting one rich person to give you $1 million.
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Speaking of religion: you’re much more likely to encounter a fundamentalist Christian than a mover-and-shaker. The same fundie religious crap that exists everywhere else in America is there, too; it’s like nobody got the memo that they’re in L.A. and aren’t supposed to be that way, or something.
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One last thing: I just typed in “Los Angeles is disappointing” into the 6 different Chatgpts that I use, and one of them linked to an article about an L.A. mountain called- this is too perfect- Mount Disappointment:
Mount Disappointment (California) - Wikipedia
That’s great! 
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Well, that certainly makes you an expert. The OP can just ignore those posts by people with a mere lifetime of experience with that city.
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I knew someone was going to say that! That’s why I should’ve followed up: I went back to L.A. in May 2023 and stayed for 3 months this time.
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I’ve never been anywhere, practically.
I’ve never been on all that reddit, chatpts(whatever the heck that is) crap.
Maybe you shouldn’t travel at all. Get your info online.
Save a bundle.
It doesn’t seem to please you.
What a downer for the OP.
heh most of my adventures in LA have been on the dodgy side …
Moderating:
This is a thread shit
This continues the thread shit, and adds offensive bigotry.
You are banned from this thread.
I went to the Observatory last summer, and getting there was a bit of effort. The traffic moves slowly going up Observatory Drive. We ended up parallel parking on the Drive and hiking up the last half mile or so.
The little museum is open until 10 pm, iirc and is pretty cool. There wasn’t any telescope viewing the day I was there for some reason.
The views from the top overlooking the city are absolutely spectacular and you definitely should visit.
If you go to their website, they offer a room rate of $199 a night, if you deal directly with them. I looked at a midweek one night stay.
ETA: I see I was ninja’ed by quicker keyboard fingers. That’s what I get for not reading all the way to the end before responding. Sigh…
I agree, the Museum of Jurassic Technology does look interesting. An Amtrak coastal train ride along the Pacific is on my bucket list. If you reserve tickets today Amtrak is offering 30% off tickets that can be used during the next few months. The 30% discount is for the coach ticket price, not on sleeper fares.
I used to love getting the Cuban Roast Pork from Versailles Cuban Restaurant on Venice, between Motor and Jasmine, and taking it home (Clarington at Palms) to eat it. Usually got three meals out of it, and it was only like eight or nine bucks at the time (20+ years ago).
It’s still good. And the roast pork is what I always get too…with a mango milk shake. But I remember when it was the Welcome House cafe/diner. The owner was Tilly Gordon, so we kids always called the restaurant Tilly’s. She was a Marjorie Main lookalike, but nice and friendly. Gad, it’s been forever. We went to St. Augies a Go Go, so it was close by. The only restaurant we went to then other than The Patio on Wilshire near Jack LaLanne’s.
I don’t know if our visitor will have time, but the drive down Sunset all the way to the beach is a nice one. Plus, the SRF (Self-Realization Fellowship) is about a block from the beach and a really nice de-stressing place to visit.