# Things to do in Compton, California **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589 "2011-07-19T15:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![\_len](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/c0e974/32.png) [@\_len](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_len)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/1 "2011-07-19T15:46:42Z")
Heading out to California soon. My daughter wants to visit Compton while we’re there. Now, if Google could actually return “We got nothin’” as a result, that would pretty much be what would happen if you searched for “Compton tourism.” An inquiry to the Compton Chamber of Commerce went unanswered. Wikipedia adds, not helpfully, that Compton is the 8th-most violent city in the US. But c’mon, it’s not like we’re visiting Yemen in US flags. Can anyone recommend something to do - a Waffle House to visit, perhaps? - in Compton on a random weekday morning? Thanks, Len ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/2 "2011-07-19T16:29:02Z")
It might help if you give your daughter’s reason for wanting to go to Compton. Why did she pick it? ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/3 "2011-07-19T16:34:38Z")
> [@\_len](#): > > Heading out to California soon. My daughter wants to visit Compton while we’re there. > Can anyone recommend something to do - a Waffle House to visit, perhaps? - in Compton on a random weekday morning? It appears that committing crimes seems to be the most popular activity in Compton . _In 2010, the CQ Press, using data from the FBI’s annual report of crime statistics “Crime in the United States 2010,” ranked Compton as the 8th most dangerous city in the country._ > **[Compton, California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton,_California#cite_note-15)** > > Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 95,740. It is known as the "Hub City" due to its geographic centrality in Los Angeles County, though it is actually near the southern end of the coun The To... ---
**Author:** ![\_len](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/c0e974/32.png) [@\_len](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_len)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/4 "2011-07-19T16:36:34Z")
She’s a fan of Snoop Dogg. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/5 "2011-07-19T16:37:04Z")
I would suggest a visit to Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles, but their Compton location is apparently closed. There are the others around town still. That’s all I’ve got, aside from “Go somewhere else.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/6 "2011-07-19T17:04:51Z")
> [@\_len](#): > > She’s a fan of Snoop Dogg. Well then she needs to go to Long Beach. Dr. Dre’s from Compton. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/7 "2011-07-19T17:09:13Z")
Compton isn’t exactly a war zone, but there’s not much to see there. It’s just a small suburb of Los Angeles. (I was also going to suggest Roscoe’s; I didn’t know it was closed.) ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/8 "2011-07-19T17:55:49Z")
Fuck tha police. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/9 "2011-07-19T18:02:46Z")
The [Watts Towers](http://www.wattstowers.us/) are pretty bitchin’. You should call up in advance and try to get on a guided tour. There’s a light rail stop right nearby and it’s not too terribly dangerous during the day. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/10 "2011-07-19T18:13:08Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Well then she needs to go to Long Beach. > > Dr. Dre’s from Compton. This. ---
**Author:** ![\_len](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/c0e974/32.png) [@\_len](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_len)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/11 "2011-07-19T18:15:57Z")
I stand corrected. Anything to do in Long Beach? ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/12 "2011-07-19T18:16:25Z")
> [@\_len](#): > > Can anyone recommend something to do - a Waffle House to visit, perhaps? - in Compton on a random weekday morning? Put your hands up? Duck and cover? Return fire? Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off\*? I got nuthin’ useful… ☹ \*So very, very [NSFW](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZqZschnrxM#t=0m28s) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/13 "2011-07-19T18:26:02Z")
> [@\_len](#): > > I stand corrected. Anything to do in Long Beach? :smack: Winner for best thread of the year! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/14 "2011-07-19T18:36:37Z")
> [@\_len](#): > > I stand corrected. Anything to do in Long Beach? Yeah- go to Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/15 "2011-07-19T18:45:00Z")
Sad about the change. Way back in '48 I lived in Hawthorne and took flying lessons at the Comptom airport. I rode my bike both ways. A very quiet suburb then, not much different than Hawthorn, Inglewood, etc. Now if I took that trip, I’d prefer an armored HumVee. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/16 "2011-07-19T18:49:47Z")
Mostly what I do in Long Beach is drive through it. However, there’s the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, and the Spruce Goose. There’s also a beach … a long one. I’d suggest skipping it and heading down to Newport though. Even Dr. Dre probably prefers Newport to Long Beach. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/17 "2011-07-19T18:54:20Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Mostly what I do in Long Beach is drive through it. However, there’s the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, and the Spruce Goose. There’s also a beach … a long one. I’d suggest skipping it and heading down to Newport though. Even Dr. Dre probably prefers Newport to Long Beach. The Spruce Goose has moved to [Oregon,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_Aviation_Museum) like many other Californians. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/18 "2011-07-19T19:13:17Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > The Spruce Goose has moved to [Oregon,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_Aviation_Museum) like many other Californians. Oh, no. I missed my chance to see it. For all sad words of tongue or pen (or message board), the saddest is this: “Meh.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/19 "2011-07-19T19:15:27Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Oh, no. I missed my chance to see it. The museum seems to keep regular hours, and Oregon doesn’t seem all that hard to get to. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589/20 "2011-07-19T19:38:04Z")
Long Beach has more to see, though it too is a boring suburb of LA. Most of LA is like that. The Watts Towers are really amazing, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-do-in-compton-california/589589.md?page=2)