You guys are making me hungry. I believe a short road trip is in my immediate future.
Second Versailles. Have the ropa vieja.
Oh hell yes Versailles.
Are you guys sure about recommending the Westside? I mean, it’s nice enough, and there are some interesting places to go (Yay tar pits!), but IMO it’s way too crowded, the traffic and parking are horrible even for L.A., and it’s just…meh. Rich-white-people bland. (As opposed to middle-class-people bland, which is the Valley.)
As far as amusement parks go - if they don’t want Disneyland, I’d send 'em to Knotts Berry Farm rather than Magic Mountain. Closer, less crowded, and more of a local treasure than the corporate conglomerate that is Six Flags. Also, boysenberry funnel cakes.
If you like the beach I suggest a day trip up the coast. Head up to Pt. Mugu and then turn around and drive back. Tons of great views, lots of places to eat, easy hiking access to the Santa Monica Mountains…and the road just oozes the SoCal vibe. The traffic can be heavy in Santa Monica, but it thins out the further north you go. On a sunny day the drive along PCH, especially out past Malibu is one of the best things to do in LA.
I’m in Anaheim, and I insist that I’m not in L.A.
And ESPECIALLY the California Angels aren’t in Los Angeles.
As far as wine country is concerned, yes, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo is a moderately good alternative to Napa. But even closer is Temecula, about which I’ve heard some good things.
Also in the booze arena, the South Bay (Torrance, Beach cities, etc.) is home to a burgeoning renaissance of craft breweries.
If you do decide to go to a single Disney park, make it Disney’s California Adventure. Best roller coaster in the resort. Also, they’ll sell you a drink, and you don’t even have to wait twenty-five years to get on a waiting list for a chance to pay a $50K initiation fee.
We live in San Diego, but get up to LA on a semi-regular basis. We just spent two nights there last week.
We’ve used AirBnB, and stayed at a friend’s place, and in the past couple of years we’ve stayed in places as varied as Downtown (9th and Hope), Echo Park/Silver Lake, Venice Beach, and Culver City.
All of those places have their charms and their drawbacks, and for me, a big question is what you actually want to do while you’re in town. Whenever we go to LA, we try to do as many interesting things as possible relatively close to where we’re staying, because the less distance you have to cover, the less time you spend sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
I really quite like the Silver Lake/Echo Park area. Lots of stuff to do, plenty of food options that aren’t too pricey, and just a generally interesting part of the city. You’re also close to downtown, and to Dodger Stadium if catching a ballgame is on your list. A trip out to Pasadena can also be worthwhile; some great architecture, and the gardens at the Huntington Library are great, although a bit expensive.
Our most recent trip, last weekend, we stayed in a lovely little cottage in Culver City. We chose the area partly because my wife had a conference at UCLA, so it was easier to be on the west side. I really quite like Culver City; plenty of restaurants and shops, and the surrounding residential streets are quiet and leafy. The cottage we stayed in was originally built for the movie studios that were such a big part of the area’s development.
There’s also plenty to do within a relatively easy drive. On Friday, I dropped my wife off at UCLA for her conference, then drove up to Mulholland Drive and went for a walk in one of the parks overlooking the city. I then went down to Wilshire and spent a few hours in the Petersen Automotive Museum (highly recommended if you like classic cars). The LA Farmers’ Market isn’t far away, and is worth a visit, although it’s a nightmare on weekends. That part of town also isn’t too far from Griffith Park.
The next day, Saturday, we had breakfast a little diner in Culver City, then spent much of the afternoon at LACMA (they have great collections), before spending some time walking and people-watching on Melrose Avenue and then having dinner at a really nice vegan restaurant (yes, such a thing does exist!) on Melrose. Culver City is also quite handy for the Getty (awesome!), and is much closer to the beaches than if you stay downtown.
I must say, though, that i really don’t quite get the attraction of the La Brea tar pits.
I like Koreatown, and whenever we stay anywhere near the area, we always head there for some great dolsot bibimbap and a whole bunch of kimchee and other side dishes. I’m not sure that i’d want to actually stay in Koreatown, but in my experience it’s perfectly easy to navigate, and we’ve never had much of a problem getting parking there.
Definitely rent a car, especially if you want to see different parts of the city. Car rental is ridiculously cheap in Southern California, especially if you get a weekly rental, and while Uber can be great for a night out, using it for a full week would probably cost more and be more inconvenient than renting.
To be honest, although we try to minimize how much time we spend in the car, i don’t even mind the driving too much in LA. When we’re there, we’re usually not in too much of a rush to do anything, so if we have to get from one part of town to another, we usually just pick a route that we haven’t taken before. The city is so big and varied that there’s always something new and interesting to see. I will say, though, that driving in LA is about the only time i regret having a car with a manual transmission.
One of my favorite things to do is spend Monday nights at The Virgil for live comedy. $5 cover is all it costs, and the last time I was there Louis CK stopped by and did a set.
You should ask a Mod to change your thread title to LA in May. More mellifluous.
But you are in LA, so it’s just like I said. 
As someone who lives in the SF Bay area, it’s so funny that you think just because you live in a different county, that you’re not “in LA”. I live 3 counties south of SF, and I can understand why people call my area SF. It’s the metropolitan area. People regularly commute between north and south Bay.
The tar pits are cool for those who like sabre tooth cats & dire wolves & mastodons. I’ve always been a dino fan but might like the big mammals even more.
My last LA visit was too long ago but I’ve got a coupe of suggestions (beyond the good ones already mentioned). Do rent a car–or stay with someone who will drive you. I’m a fan of mass transit–even here in Houston. But it takes a while to figure out a new city, especially one that’s sprawling & built in the Age of the Auto.
When I visited, all the Getty collection was in the current Getty Villa. Now the place is devoted to antiquities–but the beauty of the building & its location are the main draws.
The Autry Museum of the American West has a surprisingly wide-ranging collection. More than just cowboys!
Also–poke around in areas with interesting shops. No shortage in LA! Wacko/Soap Plant & La Luz de Jesus were just up my alley.
I imagine that these days there are smartphone apps that make navigating the mass transit system easier.
When I lived in San Diego and didn’t drive, I never left home without several dozen bus schedules tucked into my backpack. 
Three counties south of SF? Are you in Monterey County? No-one i know would ever call that San Francisco. They might say “the Bay area,” but not SF.
To be honest, almost no-one i know, including people who live in San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara Counties, would say the area outside of San Francisco city and county limits is actually San Francisco. Again, they would agree that it’s the Bay area, but that’s not the same thing. I understand that people unfamiliar with the region might say SF when they really mean Marin, or Alameda, or San Mateo, but they’re wrong, and they only say that because they don’t know better.
If we’re going to get technical, it would be just as accurate to say that people who live in San Francisco actually live in San Jose. After all, San Jose is the larger city, so it should get the honor of being the designated city for the region. If you live three counties south of SF, i’d definitely say it would be more accurate to describe your location as San Jose than San Francisco.
And the same distinctions apply down here. Basically everyone who lives in Southern California distinguishes LA from Orange County, for reasons of geography and culture and a whole bunch of other (admittedly imprecise and sometimes flexible) criteria.
I don’t really buy your commuting argument either. People regularly commute from Ossining or New Haven or Newark to Manhattan, but none of those people say they live in New York City.
Santa Clara County. I was counting SF County as one county, but if not, then two. The SF Bay Area or the SF Metro Area is typically 9 counties. The LA Metro Area is going to be similar. I just think all this “I’m in Orange County, I’m not in LA” is humorous. As if LA’s influence ends at the county line.
Definitely Versailles.
I used to live round the corner and up the street from it. I’d call in my order and hop on the bike. When I’d get there, there was always a long line. I bypassed it, put the take-out box on my rack, and enjoyed my meal at home. 
I’d always get the Cuban roast pork with white rice, black beans, and fried bananas. I’d make two or three meals out of it, and it only cost eight bucks. (This was 2003 and earlier.)
Missed the edit window. BTW… If I were to be asked which county is south of Santa Clara, I’d say Santa Cruz, not Monterey. And one could make the case that Santa Cruz County (or at least part of it) is in the SF area. Maybe not Watsonville, but Santa Cruz and north.
Monterey County is south of SCC, but they do not touch.
Well, it does.
All the time I lived in L.A. (City of), L.A. and the surrounding cities in the county were the hip, liberal areas. Behind the Orange Curtain was Reagan Country. To be sure, OC had some great bands and venues; but the overall ‘feel’ of the county was rather conservative. Especially in Irvine and Laguna Niguel. I was at a party in Newport Beach and asked a friend about a girl who was there. He said, ‘Well, Johnny, let me put it this way… It’s a good thing you have a Porsche.’
Sure. Houston’s Metro site & Google Maps help me get around Houston–so I’m pretty sure I could learn LA. But some people avoid mass transit–they probably shouldn’t lose their transit virginity on a brief vacation.
(Besides, I’ve got relatives in LA. Relatives with a car! Time for a visit!)
Is Metro Rail safe and reliable?