Frommer's EasyGuide to Los Angeles and San Diego

545 Pages·2015·11.14 MB·English

by  Christine Delsol

Published by
FROMMER MEDIA LLC
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Manufactured in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1

AN IMPORTANT NOTE
The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants
hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and
trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several
months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about,
these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services.
Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh
and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods
before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear
with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed.
Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any
inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage,
or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.
C O N T E N T S

1
THE BEST OF LOS ANGELES & SAN DIEGO
The Best of Los Angeles
The Best of San Diego
San Diego’s Best Outdoor Experiences
2
SUGGESTED ITINERARIES
Iconic Los Angeles in 1 Day
Iconic Los Angeles in 2 Days
Iconic Los Angeles in 3 Days
Los Angeles for Families in 3 Days
Los Angeles & San Diego in 5 Days
Iconic San Diego in 1 Day
Iconic San Diego in 2 Days
Iconic San Diego in 3 Days
San Diego for Families in 3 Days
3
LOS ANGELES ESSENTIALS
Getting There
Arriving
Visitor Information
Getting Around
Where to Stay
Where to Dine
4
EXPLORING LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles Attractions
Shopping
Entertainment & Nightlife
5
SIDE TRIPS FROM LOS ANGELES
The Disneyland Resort
Long Beach & the Queen Mary
The South Coast
Santa Catalina Island
Santa Barbara
6
SAN DIEGO ESSENTIALS
Getting There
Getting Around
Where to Stay
Where to Dine
7
EXPLORING SAN DIEGO
San Diego Attractions
More Attractions
Especially for Kids
Organized Tours
Outdoor Activities
Shopping
Shopping A to Z
Entertainment & Nightlife
8
SIDE TRIPS FROM SAN DIEGO
North County Beach Towns
Eastern San Diego County
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
9
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
When to Go
Getting Around
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Christine Delsol became immersed in Southern California culture at a
tender age during summers with her Los Angeles cousins and has
spent an inordinate portion of her adult life traveling I-5 between her
Northern California home and L.A. She has spent most of her career
in newspapers, including 8 years as a travel editor at the San
Francisco Chronicle. She has won an Associated Press writing award,
two Lowell Thomas awards from the American Society of Travel
Writers, and Mazatlán’s Golden Deer Award. She is the author of
Pauline Frommer’s Guide to Cancún & the Yucatán and co-author of
Frommer’s Mexico and Frommer’s Cancún & the Yucatán. She still
writes frequently for the Chronicle’s travel section and contributes
monthly travel columns on California and Mexico to its website,
SFGate.com. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her
husband and has an absurdly well-traveled 27-year-old daughter.
Maribeth Mellin is an award-winning journalist and photographer
based in San Diego, CA. She has been awarded the prestigious
Pluma de Plata, Mexico’s highest award for travel writing. In addition,
her articles on medical, social, and legal issues have garnered
numerous awards. Mellin has authored several travel books and her
articles and photos have appeared in the U-T San Diego, Los Angeles
Times, Dallas Morning News, Endless Vacation Magazine, the San
Francisco Chronicle, and other publications. She also has contributed
to multiple websites including Concierge.com and TravelCNN.com.
When not traveling the globe, she enjoys time at home with her
husband near the beach in San Diego.
ABOUT THE FROMMER TRAVEL
GUIDES
For most of the past 50 years, Frommer’s has been the leading series
of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of
all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.
Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal
with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on
such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important
human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part
of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of
the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people
and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.
We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the
beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental,
critical—both pro and con—in their comments, and wholly
independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered
the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we
called “practically worthless” (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many
rip-offs we’ve condemned.
And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone
regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at
every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our
recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every
lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to
assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily
website, the award-winning Frommers.com.
I have high hopes for the future of Frommer’s. May these
guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel
and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a
cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the
rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the
persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all
human beings live in harmony and peace.
Arthur Frommer
1
THE BEST OF LOS ANGELES &
SAN DIEGO
A
ngelenos know L.A. will never have the sophistication of Paris or the
historical riches of Rome, but they lay claim to one of the most
entertaining cities in the United States, if not the world. It really is warm
and sunny most days of the year, movie stars actually do live and dine
among regular folk, and you can’t swing a smartphone without hitting an
in-line skater at the beach.
San Diegans boast about their climate as well, but turn their backs on big-city
woes. Blue skies are the norm and although traffic has increased, it’s still
possible to drive several miles without coming to a car-clogging halt. Laid back,
mellow, and chill to the max, San Diegans surf before work, swim toward
sunsets, and enjoy Shakespeare and Santana under moonlit skies.
The choices for adventure, amusement, and illumination are endless. We’ve
highlighted our favorites here to help guide you to the ultimate L.A. and San
Diego experiences.
best
THE OF LOS ANGELES THE BEST
ONLY-IN-L.A. EXPERIENCES
Cruising the Coast: Driving along the sunny coastline with your hair
blowing in the warm wind is the quintessential Southern California experience
—one that never loses its appeal, even for locals. See chapter 4 for ideas.
Basking at the Beach: While you’re tanning, you can watch a volleyball
tournament at Hermosa Beach, take surf lessons at Manhattan Beach, or gawk
at the world’s vainest weightlifters pumping iron at Venice’s Muscle Beach.
See chapter 4.
Cruising Sunset Boulevard: Yes, cruising is inevitably a major part of
your stay, and this one provides a cross-section of everything L.A.: legendary
clubs, studios, and hotels recognizable from movies and TV. You end up at
Malibu’s fabled beaches, where those classy “Baywatch” episodes were
filmed. See p. 90.
Taking a Gourmet Picnic to the Hollywood Bowl: A picnic laid out
under the stars, a bottle of wine, and music from the Los Angeles
Philharmonic or a national touring act, all played out in front of the majestic
white Frank Lloyd Wright–designed band shell. Ah! . . . See p. 129.
Embarrassing Yourself on Ocean Front Walk: Yes, you can station
yourself at an outdoor cafe to observe the human carnival that defines Venice
Beach from a safe distance, but you can’t say you’ve “been there, done that”
until you rent skates and see if you can hold your own with the tan and trim
locals.
Dinner and a Movie at the Cemetery: Take a picnic basket to the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery (p. 132) for a summer Saturday evening of
classic cinema projected onto the mausoleum wall. The actors you’re watching
just might be lying at rest not far from where you’re sitting. See p. 88.
Touring the Walt Disney Concert Hall: This stunning feat of art and
architecture is the crown jewel of a continually revitalizing Downtown.
Architect Frank Gehry’s curvaceous stainless-steel exterior, rivaling his
Guggenheim masterpiece in Spain, houses one of the world’s most
acoustically perfect concert halls. See p. 101.
Auditioning to be a Game Show Contestant: Bring your bubbliest
personality, and you, too, might win fame and fortune on “Jeopardy,” “The
Price Is Right,” or “Wheel of Fortune.” (Set up the audition before you arrive
in L.A.) See p. 112.