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Los Angeles |OT| GAF's Guide to the Greatest City in the Universe

B

Beach

Member
Finally braved through the line at Howlin' Ray's in Downtown and with no attempt at exaggeration it's one of the top 5 foods of the city. Master class.
 
J

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
broz0rs said:
Every time I've been there or pass by the plaza, I always see the owner manning the line. It's not surprising the chicken is always so consistent and quality is high.
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I mean, they are open 5 days a week and the pass there is serving food about 7 hours a day, no surprise really. I honestly think their biggest challenge with location 2 is having someone trained to replace him on the pass.

It's chef driven hot fried chicken. Even then the spice level is inconsistent. I've had mediums that were hot as fuck, and more recently they've been pretty tame and I'm going hot now.

During their pop-up days they were way less consistent (understandably), and WAY WAY hotter. I had a hot back then that pretty much destroyed me for 2 days.
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
I'm from NYC and planning my first time (shooting for May) trip to LA (mad hyped!). I'm renting a car and trying to live it up in a five day stay. Can I get some tips on spots to visit and worst times and areas to drive?
 
C

CosmicQueso

Member
Bluemongoose said:
I'm from NYC and planning my first time (shooting for May) trip to LA (mad hyped!). I'm renting a car and trying to live it up in a five day stay. Can I get some tips on spots to visit and worst times and areas to drive?
Click to expand...

Always remember: The 405 and the 101 hate you and want you to die. And yes, put a "the" in front of highway numbers.

Golden Road's brewery and pub is my favorite place in LA. If you like beer check it out.

Go to Disneyland, but take the Amtrak from union station to Anaheim to get there. It's faster and you get to check out the architectural marvel that is union station.
 
wondermega

wondermega

Member
Here's some alternatively touristy suggestions.

1. Don't rule out Universal City as it's convenient to Hollywood, the backlot tour is a must see if you go there. A couple of other decent attractions as well I suppose, but mostly it's a tourist spot.

2. Can't hate on Hollywood, yes it may be gross but it's also fun as hell, there's tons of nightlife here and lots of great bars to grab drinks at. All different styles, I prefer divey places. Things will always be busy Friday and Saturday night but any night after 10 is a good time to be out. My favorites are Birds, burgundy room, frolic room, the well, just to name a few. Must-see, and I insist, is Jumbos Clown Room in Thai Town, even if you don't like stripper bars (actually it's bikini bar in this case) you must go, it's really a blast. We've got a couple arcade bars spread around town as well.. Button Mash near Chinatown, Bar 82 in DTLA, Blipsy Barcade (no sign) in Koreatown. Tons of other nightlife I could go on and on.

3. Interesting spots in general - Venice and Santa Monica, Pasadena is rad, drive up the PCH a few hours for some particularly interesting adventure and beautiful sights, cool little towns to crash/drink in...

4. Stay away from Orange County it's pretty dull.

5. Tons of great venues to see live comedy and music, there's literally lots of things going on every night. UCBT, Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, the Improv. Viper Room, Troubadour, the Roxy, the Whiskey. Check out their websites and see who will be playing when you are here.

Feel free to PM me if looking for more details
 
P

polyh3dron

Banned
Lunch at Q Sushi? That'll cost a small fortune. Sushi Gen is in Little Tokyo and is best bang for your buck in the whole city for sushi.

Also, two must-try restaurants aside from the also amazing Broken Spanish that you should try and make reservations for ahead of time: Bestia DTLA and Alimento.

Cole's is cool for the history, but is quite meh. Best spot in town for a sandwich by far is Langer's. Not exactly cheap but oh so worth it.
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
Stumpokapow said:
There is a lot to do in LA; and how you make use of a 5 day stay really depends on what you like to do. If you like clubbing and partying, that's going to be a very different choice versus if you're a typical Big Landmarks tourist, which is going to be very different than if you're an outdoor nut, which is going to be very different than if you like fancy food. What kind of person are you?

Disneyland is great, but also requires a full day at least (at least two days to do Disneyland + DCA), and is about an hour outside of town with moderate traffic. So if you're going to do Disneyland, make sure you feel comfortable giving up that much of your vacation. Universal is IMHO a dump and not at all worth your time or money. Again, IMHO. Queso is right; the 405 and 101 are the absolute worst traffic hotspots in LA, and the worst times are about 8AM-Noon and about 4PM-7PM.

Personally, if I had 5 days to spend in LA, an unlimited budget, a car, and had never been here before I would:
Day 1: Venice Beach for the most authentic LA experience you'll get, Abbot Kinney Blvd for artsy-fartsy shopping, Santa Monica Pier and beach at night. Lunch: Kogi pop-up truck at venice. Alternate lunch: Bay Cities Italian Deli. Dinner: Santa Monica Yacht Club, or maybe the Library Ale House. Dessert: Salt and Straw in Venice.

Day 2: Get up early, do the Hollywood sign hike -- anyone can handle it, it's gorgeous, and you get to go behind the Hollywood sign. Spend the afternoon in Silver Lake for some browsing, check out the Elliott Smith mural and the Silver Lake Stairs, walk the Silver Lake Reservoir. Alternatively, do Descanso Gardens in Glendale/Pasadena. Go to Griffith Park Observatory at night. Lunch: Fred 62 in Los Feliz Dinner: Night + Market Song. Post-Dinner Snack: Corn from Corn Man. Dessert: Diddy Riese Ice Cream Sandwiches or Stan's Donuts in Westwood

Day 3: Getty Museum (this will require your entire day). Get lunch there. If you are looking for something early afternoon, check out Rodeo Drive. You won't be able to afford anything there. Dinner: 71above in the US Bank Tower. Evening entertainment: Do the 70th floor exterior glass slide. Then go to the Library Bar, and afterwards check out the Last Bookstore.

Day 4: Get breakfast at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, head to Watts Towers of Simon Rodea, drive south to the Sunken City and the Korean friendship bell. Spend time there. In the evening, grab at burger at Father's Office in Culver City and grab drinks at the Wellesbourne. Catch a movie at Quentin Tarantino's theatre, the New Beverly, or maybe Disney's El Capitan theatre (this will also let you experience the hell on earth that is Hollywood Blvd)

Day 5A: Head Downtown and check out the flower and garment districts, and the Grand Central Market -- pick up a cheap suit at Al Weiss. Lunch at Q Sushi LA. Catch a Dodgers game. Or if you aren't a big sports fan, do the LACMA or the Broad in the afternoon, both great museums. Dinner? Cole's Deli for the "original" French Dip sandwich, or maybe Broken Spanish.

Day 5B: If you don't want to go downtown, catch a taping of James Corden or Jimmy Kimmel or At Midnight or Conan or the Price is Right and then go to the Grove for shopping. Dinner at Republique.

Morning, Day 6: Breakfast at The Griddle Cafe before you fly out. Leftovers will last you days.

All of this is planned out so that you don't spend too much time driving across the city, get a mix of party, culture, tourist attractions, shopping, outdoors, and good food. If you're willing to drive outside the city, then wine tasting in Temecula, camping in Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead, Long Beach, Malibu, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia National Park, the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, the Long Beach Aquarium... Really, 5 days is the tip of the iceberg.
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Thank you!! I'm not a clubber/partier or a big hiker but the Hollywood sign hike is a must. I read that I should be there REALLY early. As far as my budget, it's not unlimited so I will steer clear of anything too fancy. Rodeo Drive is like Madison Avenue to me so I couldn't care less for places like that. I would like a cheap suit at Al Weiss, though! I like to find quirky, fun places to look (or eat) at, they don't have to be super touristy. I would love to go to Jimmy Kimmel or James Corden. Hell yeah.

I friend of mine suggested I drive to San Francisco and spend a day there. I don't think I wanna do that.

I'm about to print this whole post out! This is very detailed and you hit a lot of my target spots. Much obliged.
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
polyh3dron said:
Lunch at Q Sushi? That'll cost a small fortune. Sushi Gen is in Little Tokyo and is best bang for your buck in the whole city for sushi.

Also, two must-try restaurants aside from the also amazing Broken Spanish that you should try and make reservations for ahead of time: Bestia DTLA and Alimento.

Cole's is cool for the history, but is quite meh. Best spot in town for a sandwich by far is Langer's. Not exactly cheap but oh so worth it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Polyh3dron.
 
N

NintendoGal

Member
Hey LA GAF! Just wanted to drop this in the thread for someone to use. <3 LA!

Below are your promotional code(s) to redeem your Round-Trip Ticket(s) for Metrolink. Enter the promotional code(s) at a Metrolink ticket machine located at any Metrolink station. Please note, this email is not a valid ticket and you must redeem a promotional code for valid travel.


2320291100
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Your promotional code(s) will expire on 3/31/2017
Click to expand...
 
J

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
Stumpokapow said:
Of the restaurants I mentioned, Santa Monica Yacht Club, Q Sushi, and 71above are expensive -- just about everything else should be fairly doable. One other general recommendation: Yelp is very popular in LA and if you are looking for food wherever you end up, I recommend just Yelping a good reviewed restaurant nearby.
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I can't recommend 71Above for dinner. I think it's a killer drink spot, or a place to go to the bar without having to do the full 3 courses.

I think you can eat much better in LA for less money than 71Above. Trois Mec (ok this is slightly more expensive but still), Osteria Mozza (the bar special here is INSANE), Chi Spacca, Bestia, Gwen, Lukshon, Spring, Cassia, Animal, J&V's, Son of a Gon, Otium. etc


Also, Felipe's is the inventor of the French Dip. Cole's can go to hell.


Anyways - other unmentioned cheapish eats:
Baroo (even with the original chef gone, still check it out)
Petit Trois
Sqirl
Trois Familia
Howlin Rays (only late afternoon on Wed-Fri to avoid insane line)
Guerilla Tacos truck
Grand Central Market (Belcampo, Sticky Rice, Berlin Currywurst are all great)
aforementioned Philippe's
Attari Sandiwch Shop
Sapp Coffee Shop (noodles)
Porto's

Ice creams of choice:
Salt and Straw, McConnell's, Jeni's.

You like Comedy? Check out shows at UCB.
 
wondermega

wondermega

Member
CosmicQueso said:
But Langer's isn't Bay Cities? Godmother at Bay Cities >>> Langers.
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After hearing hype for I dunno how long I finally tried that sandwich and man... the bread was too rich and ruined everything. I'll give it a second chance at some point but I dunno, I've heard other people complain likewise..
 
D

daffy

Banned
What would you guys say is the best soul food restaurant ? I usually go to Roscoe's but just recently went to Dulan's and it was bomb af
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Kat is cool, but Nicole is solidly better.

Speaking of KROQ, Dolph Lundgren was on Kevin and Bean this morning. Dude seems legit awesome
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
Okay, I'm gonna throw this out there. I am not really used to driving having lived in NYC all my life and the last time I drove (took a long solo trip to Pennsylvania) I was drowning in anxiety. Someone told me LA is far worse than NYC in terms of driving and that I should skip driving all together and do organized tours. If I do that I'm going to have to scratch a whole bunch of places off my to do list and be at the mercy of Uber or (gulp) LA public transportation. Should I go for it and lock in that car rental or take his advice? My trip is for the last week of June.
 
broz0rs

broz0rs

Member
I live in Silicon Valley and travel to LA often, and whenever I drive there I feel I'm in survival mode because of the small lanes, no left turn signals, and that godforsaken traffic. If you had that much anxiety driving in Pennsylvania, I do not recommend driving there.
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
broz0rs said:
I live in Silicon Valley and travel to LA often, and whenever I drive there I feel I'm in survival mode because of the small lanes, no left turn signals, and that godforsaken traffic. If you had that much anxiety driving in Pennsylvania, I do not recommend driving there.
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Duly noted. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Z

Zyzyxxz

Member
Bluemongoose said:
Okay, I'm gonna throw this out there. I am not really used to driving having lived in NYC all my life and the last time I drove (took a long solo trip to Pennsylvania) I was drowning in anxiety. Someone told me LA is far worse than NYC in terms of driving and that I should skip driving all together and do organized tours. If I do that I'm going to have to scratch a whole bunch of places off my to do list and be at the mercy of Uber or (gulp) LA public transportation. Should I go for it and lock in that car rental or take his advice? My trip is for the last week of June.
Click to expand...

Just uber, the cost of parking + renting a car can be more than uber/lyft but I recommend a car for a few reasons also if you drive like a little bitch people like me will force you off the road.

1. freedom to go where you want as LA is not convenient on public
2. car life, LA is meant to be experienced in a car sometimes
3. carrying stuff you buy all day may suck

But honestly those aren't even a big deal I would just combine uber/lyft and metro trains and I think you will come out better. Why would you have to cancel certain plans because you won't have a car? What kind of crazy nonsense were you thinking with a car? Unless you were planning to leave LA county (like go to San Diego?)
 
B

Bluemongoose

Neo Member
Zyzyxxz said:
Just uber, the cost of parking + renting a car can be more than uber/lyft but I recommend a car for a few reasons also if you drive like a little bitch people like me will force you off the road.

1. freedom to go where you want as LA is not convenient on public
2. car life, LA is meant to be experienced in a car sometimes
3. carrying stuff you buy all day may suck


But honestly those aren't even a big deal I would just combine uber/lyft and metro trains and I think you will come out better. Why would you have to cancel certain plans because you won't have a car? What kind of crazy nonsense were you thinking with a car? Unless you were planning to leave LA county (like go to San Diego?)
Click to expand...

Idont think i would do san Diego since the amount of time I'm going to be there is so short. 5 days. Just stuff like Venice beach and maybe Disney land.
 
C

CosmicQueso

Member
5 days isn't much time in LA. The metro trains combined with uber/lyft is actually becoming a pretty feasible way to get around LA, and in a lot of cases faster than driving at certain times.
 
R

rockinreelin

Member
Indeed, metro rail can now even get you to santa monica albeit slowly but stress free. The buses are good for getting around to different locations if you want to be super thrifty. Also LA roads are in pretty bad shape right now due to all the rain we have had as of late. This hasn't been the case for years due to the drought so its even worse then normal.
 
R

rockinreelin

Member
So what's everyones take on measure S? It seems to be such a polemical topic these days. I don't live the LA city proper so won't be voting. I'm a bit torn. I understand that we need additional housing built but it's only luxury units these days. I don't know anyone well off or middle class who lives in one these new buildings. Everyone would rather buy a house then an apartment.
 
S

StopMakingSense

Member
rockinreelin said:
So what's everyones take on measure S? It seems to be such a polemical topic these days. I don't live the LA city proper so won't be voting. I'm a bit torn. I understand that we need additional housing built but it's only luxury units these days. I don't know anyone rich or middle class who lives in one. Everyone would rather buy a house then an apartment.
Click to expand...

Artificially limiting density in such a ham handed manner is stupid.

And Yes on S is skeezy as hell. Primarily funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation because the CEO was pissed off developments he felt were too big were being built next to his building on Sunset. They spent 4.6 million dollars on it.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
rockinreelin said:
So what's everyones take on measure S? It seems to be such a polemical topic these days. I don't live the LA city proper so won't be voting. I'm a bit torn. I understand that we need additional housing built but it's only luxury units these days. I don't know anyone well off or middle class who lives in one these new buildings. Everyone would rather buy a house then an apartment.
Click to expand...
I'm not really sure about S. I feel like these oversight committees don't get things done.

My Nextdoor community has been arguing about local Measure A recently, though, which is about increasing our parcel tax for school funding. Most of the people against are&#8212;surprise, surprise&#8212;older boomers who got theirs and don't want to pay more in taxes, despite their property values being so high because of our local schools.
 
L

lawnchair

Banned
my understanding is that this whole "S" thing only exists because there's some AIDS-related thing in hollywood that didn't want another business building a big building next to theirs.
 
G

Gully State

Member
LA GAF, need your help... planning a memorial day weekend with my close friends in Downtown LA/West side. I would much appreciate suggestions on where to eat and what to do. I could use some bar recommendations or something unique in downtown area. Basically we're going to be boozing it up...
 
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