We are planning a trip that involves visiting both LA and San Francisco but we’re kind of clueless when it comes to hotels. What better idea than to ask the teeming millions for their views?
We’re looking at hotels with easy access from the airport, good public transportation and within easy striking distance of the local sights. Not that we’ve got much of an idea of what to see and do either…although I’ve been reading through Antigen’s thread about SF.
What think you?
Took the kids to San Fran a couple of years ago. Wanted central & easy & found the Tuscan Inn. Good balance of $$ vs. on the Wharf. Everything you need is within 4-5 blocks. Fisherman’s Wharf, restaurants, Pier 39, streetcars - you name it.
You’ll have to be a bit more specific about LA. It’s so spread out that there are many different areas of interest. It can be hellish to navigate to different areas, especially during rush hour. The subway system is quite nice if you happen to be hitting up destinations near subway stations.
Give us a list of your prioritized attractions, and maybe we can go from there. Will you have a car?
I think this may turn out to be one of those cases where you “pick any 2”…
LA is so spread out that I don’t think it’s possible to be near both the airport and the ‘local sights’, and the SF airport is a fair bit south of the City itself. I guess it depends on your definition of “easy access”. Will you have a car, or are you prepared to pay for a cab ride from the airport to your hotel?
I’m hoping to not have a car in LA, you guys do it all on the wrong side of the road and I’m easily confused!
We are only planning to be in LA for 2-3 days, just long enough to catch the new Cirque du Soleil show, so we’re now thinking maybe a hotel near one of the beaches.
Ducati - your link didn’t work but I found the site, looks ideal!
I assume that the Cirque du Soleil show is at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. I am assuming you are flying into LAX. People drive like a bat out of hell in LA, and expect everyone else to also. That said, there is a remarkably high level of driving competence despite the speed and congestion. I grew up there, and also know how to get around, but it’s still pretty nerve-wracking. So, you’d probably be wise not to drive.
Unfortunately, the subway does not yet extend to the westside (Santa Monica), which is where the beaches are. The subway goes just short of LAX (WTF?), but it’s 3 subway lines to get to Hollywood. There are beaches near LAX, but I think that it’s a less interesting part of town. Of course, there are also hotel shuttles and shared ride services.
There’s bus service, but you need a lot of time to navigate it. The 4 line runs from Santa Monica to withing striking distance of the Kodak Theater. Cabs are expensive, but maybe it’s worth your while. If you’re in Santa Monica, the Getty Museum is pretty close and is really spectacular.
You might want to consider staying downtown. That way it’s two (or 3 depending) subways from LAX, and the Red line to Hollywood.
The Fairmont in Santa Monica is very nice.
The Palace in SF is nice.
Agreed. L.A. drivers are the best of any place I’ve ever lived. They’re very good about following the rules (except for the speed limits), not blocking intersections, allowing orderly merges, etc. If you limit yourself to surface streets and avoid the insane congestion of rush hour, driving here isn’t that bad. However, I can understand why someone who’s not used to driving on the right might not want to risk it.
If you do stay in downtown and want to hit the beach, consider Santa Monica’s separate bus system. It’s much smaller and easier to navigate that the full L.A. system and they have an express line that runs from downtown L.A. to downtown Santa Monica. Santa Monica itself is a nice destination for an afternoon. There’s the beach, the pier with a small amusement park, the 3rd street pedestrian mall with interesting shops and restaurants.
If the Cirque show is in Hollywood, and you want to stay near the beach, that’s going to be rather difficult without renting a car, unless you want to take a taxi ride or two. That’s actually something you might want to consider, because if you do end up using the rail system, for journeys involving more than one train, you pretty much have to buy a $5 day pass for each person.