# My Older Daughter Is Going To Los Angeles Next Month - What Should She Know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [May 12, 2025, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283 "2025-05-12T09:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/81 "2025-05-15T16:27:42Z")
“Wherever you go, there you are.” – Buckaroo Banzai ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/82 "2025-05-15T16:48:25Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You try to take the 101 to Santa Monica and you’ll be thirty miles in the wrong direction. The 101 doesn’t go anywhere near Santa Monica. [US Hwy 101 and Santa Monica Blvd](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//34.0908079,-118.3060507/@34.0906167,-118.3081118,18z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUxMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/83 "2025-05-15T17:14:15Z")
That’s… not Santa Monica. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/84 "2025-05-15T17:24:30Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Kosher Burrito is gone but you can give this a try: > > [Mexikosher (LA) – I Keep Kosher](https://ikeepkosher.com/listing/mexikosher-los-angeles/) > > Stranger Sadly, not the same thing, but I remember Katsuji! Kosher Burrito was like a hamburger stand – just a counter on the street with stools, and the kitchen immediately behind the counter. The KB was pastrami, mustard, and pickles in a flour tortilla. I once walked some of my fellow jurors over to where it was, and it was gone! We were all bummed. Ended up walking all the way back to Olvera Street for taquitos. Oh, and the Kosher Burrito was owned by a Korean family. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’ve picked up dozens of people from LAX and it’s not that big a deal. Me, too. But I’m close enough that once I walked home from LAX. With luggage. > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > That’s… not Santa Monica. Seriously. Just drop the the end ‘1’ from the 101 and say the 10. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/85 "2025-05-15T17:54:33Z")
I moved to LA from Montreal when I was 15 years old. In Montreal I was used to going anywhere I wanted via public transportation. In LA I was too young to drive, but I was determined to get around without relying on my parents. So I figured out how to get to the places I wanted to go in LA by the public buses. (There were no trains then, this was in the late 70s.) It was a pain, and slow, but definitely possible. It’s certainly easier now, with the trains. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/86 "2025-05-15T18:03:17Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > That’s… not Santa Monica. Since so many major street names are also named after municipalities or neighborhoods they pass through or terminate in it is common to just refer to them without identifying them as such with the expectation that people understand by context, i.e. obviously US Hwy101 does not run through the city of Santa Monica, but Santa Monica Blvd is a major surface street with a prominent exit from “the 101” which passes through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and terminates in Santa Monica. It is just another source of confusion non-natives have about [the endless discussions Angelenos have regarding traffic and the optimal ways to get around it](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFv4y-PVQCXAzzp181XIut2hCBb5wGwIC&si=YOmvZwMBJhYw-Gl6). Stranger ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2025, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/87 "2025-05-15T23:45:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Biltmore Hotel is gorgeous. It was showing some age on the carpets and the basic rooms are small. Couldn’t afford a suite. I’ve heard it’s been renovated. I stayed at the Biltmore for Oracle World many years ago. I remember wandering just a few blocks away and finding myself in front of the LA Mission. It’s a wonderful old hotel in a not great part of LA. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/88 "2025-05-16T07:00:38Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I would hope that her host family isn’t in San Bernardino! Hmmm, why not? Is this an area that should be avoided ? By the way what _are_ the places that she should stay clear away from? > [@carrps](#): > > I’d recommend going to the Bradbury Building. It’s been in a ton of movies and TV shows and is very, very cool. It’s also across the street from Grand Central Market, which is a lot of fun to walk around in. Lots of great food, too! Thanks, I’ll see whether she’s interested in that. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Just don’t go walking too far to the southeast of downtown; if you walk past the Los Angles Mission or the police headquarters, you’ve gone too far. Good to know, thanks. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Dodger Stadium or anywhere in Hollywood would be the hard nos for me. Well, I think she’s planning to go see a Dodgers game… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/89 "2025-05-16T07:16:23Z")
I can’t describe it. I’ll have to take you. Put it on The List. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/90 "2025-05-16T09:01:19Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > Well, I think she’s planning to go see a Dodgers game… The secret is getting there a couple hours before the game and taking your time leaving, despite the plethora of Seventh inning deserters. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/91 "2025-05-16T09:06:28Z")
As I recall, Dodgers Stadium has its own exit off the Interstate. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/92 "2025-05-16T12:16:45Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > > I would hope that her host family isn’t in San Bernardino! > > Hmmm, why not? Is this an area that should be avoided ? By the way what _are_ the places that she should stay clear away from? There’s nothing terribly wrong with it, except the location. San Bernardino is a mostly working class suburb a full 75 miles = 120km inland from the ocean and most of the touristy stuff. And it’s still in Greater LA for rather generous, but still fully realistic, definitions of “LA”. Yep; 120km of continuous houses and industry and houses and industry. And somebody way out there _still_ isn’t to the edge of Greater LA. But they’re getting close(r). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/93 "2025-05-16T17:59:38Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > …the Interstate… That’s a mighty charitable way to describe The Pasadena Freeway. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/94 "2025-05-16T18:03:57Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > That’s a mighty charitable way to describe The Pasadena Freeway. Yeah, Interstate-110 ends at the 10. North of that it’s State-Route-110. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/95 "2025-05-16T20:16:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There’s nothing terribly wrong with it, except the location. As I drive through downtown San Bernardino on a regular basis, I beg to differ. While there are livable neighborhoods in the northeast and even upscale municipalities like Loma Linda and Highland abutting it, there are significant parts of San Bernardino that are indistinguishable from a third world country, and the degree of corruption in the city government is nothing short of breathtaking. But don’t take my word for it: [https://ktla.com/news/san-bernardino-among-most-dangerous-cities-in-u-s-study-finds/](https://ktla.com/news/san-bernardino-among-most-dangerous-cities-in-u-s-study-finds/) [San Bernardino and Ward 3 must be cleansed of the poison of corruption – San Bernardino Sun](https://www.sbsun.com/2024/02/05/san-bernardino-and-ward-3-must-be-cleansed-of-the-poison-of-corruption/#:~:text=San%20Bernardino%20is,scourge%20of%20corruption). [San Bernardino is California’s most dangerous city, by this math – San Bernardino Sun](https://www.sbsun.com/2020/12/22/san-bernardino-is-californias-most-dangerous-city-by-this-math/#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20crime%20in,fourth%2Dhighest%20property%20crime%20rate). Fortunately, there is no reason for the daughter of the o.p. would go out to San Bernardino unless she really wants to see exburban sprawl and urban blight. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/96 "2025-05-17T08:50:02Z")
Well, I’m pretty sure it’s not on her to-see list anyway, no matter which description fits best. But then, what are the areas that she really must avoid for safety reasons, apart from southeast of downtown, which @Stranger_On_A_Train has mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/97 "2025-05-17T12:01:21Z")
> [@](#): > > If it makes you feel better, out-of-towners often seem to be able to navigate LA without a car better than most of us who have lived there all/most of our lives. Most of us never learned how to use public transportation either here or anywhere else. Yeah, as someone who has been one of those out-of-towners, I second this. I haven’t been to LA that often, but I haven’t had any problem getting around by public transit when I do. You look up how to get there on the [trip planner](https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/) and you go, same as everywhere else. (That said, she does need to know where her host family lives, like everyone else has said, and to be prepared for the possibility that the nearest bus stop might be quite a hike from their house, and I would definitely ask if airport pickup is still an option for when she first arrives!) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/98 "2025-05-17T13:39:28Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > But then, what are the areas that she really must avoid for safety reasons, apart from southeast of downtown,… She should avoid downtown after dark, and I wouldn’t advise going to Compton or Hawthorne, or generally touring the neighborhoods immediately south and west of downtown LA but then there is really no reason she would be going there, anyway. It is difficult to provide a comprehensive list because as others have noted “Los Angeles” is a vast sprawl but most of the areas she’s likely to want to explore are probably okay, especially in the daytime, and it isn’t as if an 18 year old is going to go out clubbing to 2 am. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/99 "2025-05-17T14:44:49Z")
Just avoid residential areas. That’s where the gangs are and there is nothing worth seeing. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/100 "2025-05-19T11:09:26Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > and it isn’t as if an 18 year old is going to go out clubbing to 2 am. I grew up in a country where the legal limit is 18, unlike the States, but I was clubbing all night well before that age. Teenagers have stamina. Amusingly, the very first time I got “carded”, or asked for ID was my actual eighteenth birthday. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283.md?page=6)