# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/121 "2025-05-21T22:02:08Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > So, what would be the best option to get from LAX to Westwood? Shuttle service. They run from LAX to the UCLA/Westwood area. She won’t be eligible for the student discount, and it will probably be more expensive than the one she turned down, but it’s still the intermediate cost between Bus and Uber. She could also take the bus to Westwood, and walk to wherever she is staying, if that’s what she wants (it’s what I would have done at her age), but you’d have to look at the bus route and where exactly she’s staying? How close to UCLA? Maybe she turned down the shuttle because she wants to take a taxi? ---
**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 22, 2025, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/122 "2025-05-22T08:39:11Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > And also close to Santa Monica, which has plenty of surf-lesson places. Usually best to inquire about it a day or two in advance, to check for availability and best surf times. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Westwood certainly has some upscale areas but it also has some less savory ones especially down by the Veterans Administration (not really dangerous but a significant amount of property crimes). I’d recommend that the o.p.’s daughter get some local guidance before just wandering around. I’m seeing her on Saturday, so I’ll tell her that. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Westwood is certainly a nice area of town. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I can’t think of a better place for a young solo traveler to LA to stay than Westwood. That’s the impression I had, but it’s good to see it confirmed. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > She should know that the weather in LA near the shore in June is likely to be cloudy and 15C overnight with the clouds slowly clearing over the morning hours until it’s sunny and 20C-22C for a couple hours in the mid afternoon before it clouds up and cools off again. > > The Pacific ocean is _cold_; any surfing will need to include a wetsuit. Which the surf lesson places should be glad to rent her as part of the total package. Worth asking though. Again, I’ll tell her about the weather. I suspect she expects it to be super hot, but it looks like it may very well not be the case. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Westwood is a big area, so it would depend on where she is staying if the bus has a stop near there. She will have her host family’s contact information in about 3 weeks. They are supposed to chat online to get to know each other before she arrives. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > There is no real reason to carry that amount of cash That may be my influence on her. I tend to have as many payement options as possible available when I travel. Actually, it came in handy when my both my Visa credit card _and_ my Mastercard international debit card were randomly declined a couple of times in New York last month. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Because of the student population, Westwood may will have the highest percentage of non-drivers in LA. Which means there are probably a whole lot of other options for getting around town. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Here is a guide for navigating to points of interest from Westwood without a car. > > [U-See-LA Without a Car | Transportation](https://transportation.ucla.edu/getting-around-campus/u-see-la-without-a-car) Oh, that’s really great, thanks! > [@Melbourne](#): > > Maybe she turned down the shuttle because she wants to take a taxi? As I understand it, she turned it down because she had to reapply several times and fill in the form again, and skipped it. ---
**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 22, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/123 "2025-05-22T14:14:26Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > I suspect she expects it to be super hot, but it looks like it may very well not be the case. It can be hot, especially if she heads inland or up and over into the valley, but generally this period is known along the coast as _June Gloom_. ---
**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 23, 2025, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/124 "2025-05-23T06:41:05Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Westwood is certainly a nice area of town. Well, except for that one Disreputable Institution. Am I right? Fight On! ---
**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 23, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/125 "2025-05-23T12:29:21Z")
I believe you meant “Unmentionable Disreputable Institution”. But yeah, Fight On! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/126 "2025-05-23T14:27:03Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Well, except for that one Disreputable Institution. The FBI? They’re not _that_ bad! ---
**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 23, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/127 "2025-05-23T16:36:43Z")
Heh, the “other” place, though. You do _not_ want to be housed there. Armpit of Los Angeles! ---
**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 23, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/128 "2025-05-23T18:13:42Z")
Considering the mascot is a condom, I would target it south of the armpit. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/129 "2025-05-24T06:22:32Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > . Actually, it came in handy when my both my Visa credit card _and_ my Mastercard international debit card were randomly declined a couple of times in New York last month This is critical ! Carry Cash! I once had my international credit card rejected in the US (at a major chain restaurant, for a $12 breakfast). Their computer could not process the card for some unknown reason. Ten minutes later I get a text from my bank that my card is now cancelled and useless, and for my own protection, my account has been blocked due to “suspicious activity”.. Result: I am in a foreign country with zero money available to me. I cleared it up, after a tense hour of telephone trees and finally a human operator. “Cash—don’t leave home without it.” (If anybody on this board is young, and doesn’t get the reference, …this is a paraphrase of an old slogan in commercials for Am. Express Travelers Checks) ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/130 "2025-05-24T07:10:33Z")
but if she’s DT, as teenager, there’s the garment district, eating your way down broadway, and “jewelry” district ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/131 "2025-05-24T07:12:21Z")
and Olvera street ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/132 "2025-05-24T07:20:34Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Result: I am in a foreign country with zero money available to me. > I cleared it up, after a tense hour of telephone trees and finally a human operator. Did you go with only one credit card? I always have a couple, just in case. We have an exchange student from Germany staying with us and she’s got the opposite problem. There’s no problem getting cash from the ATM, but in our little town and the small nearby city , there aren’t any banks that exchange Euro into yen. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/133 "2025-05-24T07:50:38Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Did you go with only one credit card? I always have a couple, just in case. Unfortunately, in my country credit cards work differently than the rest of the world, and are linked to your checking account. They work more like debit cards, except that payment is deferred for a month or more. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/134 "2025-05-24T07:57:44Z")
That’s unfortunate. It’s really surprising because most countries let you create credit cards by the dozens. When my teenage daughter went to Germany for an exchange program, we got her a debit card just for the trip. She had a back up credit card from my wife as well. How difficult is it to have a couple of different bank accounts and debit cards from each one? I used to have to call my credit card company before I would go overseas to let them know that I was going to be using them in a foreign country. Do people do that in your country? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/135 "2025-05-24T08:04:46Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I used to have to call my credit card company before I would go overseas to let them know that I was going to be using them in a foreign country. Do people do that in your country? Yeah, it used to be required to notify them that you would be using the card from overseas. Now, they are less concerned, and the last time I notified them, they said “thanks, but not necessary.” I’m guessing that some combination of Big Data, AI algoritms and Big Brother are watching… ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/136 "2025-05-24T08:09:03Z")
That sucks. Back when I was younger, I’ve gone overseas with only one credit card, but I’d never do that anymore. Too much risk of something like what happened to you. What do most people do? ---
**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 24, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/137 "2025-05-24T14:49:30Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > “Cash—don’t leave home without it.” Carrying a modest amount of cash is a wise precautions but the $800 of cash the o.p. suggested his daughter would be carrying is excessive to say the least. If there is concern about being able to rely upon a credit or debit card issued by a foreign (to the US) bank, a pre-paid debit card is a reliable option. > [@TokyoBayer](#): > > We have an exchange student from Germany staying with us and she’s got the opposite problem. > > There’s no problem getting cash from the ATM, but in our little town and the small nearby city , there aren’t any banks that exchange Euro into yen. When I was in Japan I was able to get money from the Post Office ATM directly in yen with an exchange rate that was favorable to the in-person exchange at the airport. Since so many transactions in Japan are dine on a cash basis it was really convenient versus finding an exchange (mostly at airports or major banks) and carrying around a million yen for a month. Stranger ---
**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 24, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/138 "2025-05-24T17:02:29Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > [@chappachula](#): > > > > “Cash—don’t leave home without it.” > > Carrying a modest amount of cash is a wise precautions but the $800 of cash the o.p. suggested his daughter would be carrying Sorta depends on what we mean by “carrying”. Having $800 whether EUR or USD on your person all day every day for the whole two weeks would be both silly and risky. OTOH, having that much in your suitcase stored in a private home and carrying enough cash for a meal or two and an incidental purchase every day is much more reasonable. My own habit as a routine traveler was to have enough USD in my suitcase to pay for a couple nights of hotel rooms, meals, and local transport; just in case my credit cards _all_ died. And upon arriving at country X, get $100 or $200 in local currency from an airport ATM. Then replenish that as necessary during the trip. In my case I revisited the same list of a dozen-ish countries regularly so after awhile I had a ziploc of each set of local currency and coin and only needed to top up occasionally, not on every arrival. For the OP: if you haven’t already noticed from your NYC travels, here in THE USA _nowhere_ except an international airport can take your weird furrin money. Most bank ATMs can dispense USD using your foreign card, but glitches are possible and fees are certain. For sure having redundancy in credit and debit cards is pretty much must-do. ---
**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 24, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/139 "2025-05-24T18:48:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For the OP: if you haven’t already noticed from your NYC travels, here in THE USA _nowhere_ except an international airport can take your weird furrin money. Most bank ATMs can dispense USD using your foreign card, but glitches are possible and fees are certain. Most major banks will exchange many standard foreign currencies for dollars, albeit at an even higher exchange rate than you’d pay at the airport. But an ATM is much easier. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283/140 "2025-05-24T20:31:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > For the OP: if you haven’t already noticed from your NYC travels, here in THE USA _nowhere_ except an international airport can take your weird furrin money. I don’t know about stores and restaurants accepting foreign currency \* but there absolutely are currency exchanges in NYC and my guess is there are also some in Los Angeles. \* I wouldn’t expect them to, and in fact, I’m always surprised when restaurants/stores in other countries take US dollars. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-older-daughter-is-going-to-los-angeles-next-month-what-should-she-know/1018283.md?page=8)