List
of LA Links
This page provides additional information about Los Angeles and the places you saw while on tour. Organization is by topic.....sorta....
Places to Go and Things to Do|
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| San Pedro | This is a really well organized and very informative home page with lots of pics. Includes surrounding areas |
| Marina del Rey | The Chamber of Commerce's page with lots of good info |
| LA Music Center | 135 North Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Home of the LA Philharmonic, opera, ballet and musical comedy. Check the LA Times Calendar section for the when's where's and how's. |
| Hollywood Bowl | 2301 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood, California 90028 Telephone
213 972-7200
Summer home of the LA Phil and a great place for concerts of all types. Bring your own picnic and go as gourmet as you please.......there are some very nice tables outside the Bowl where you can set up, but you'll need to allow plenty of time before the show starts. Box seats in the Bowl are usually hard to get but allow the group to continue to wine and dine as the performance starts.......so if you can get them, go for it!!!! |
| Orange County Performing Arts Center | Use Bristol Street exit north from the 405 freeway and follow the signs. Telephone (714) 556-2787. There is no bad seat in this house which has many of the same productions as up in LA. |
| Name/Link |
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| Sea Empress | 1636 West Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena. Excellent dim sum in
the South Bay area. Saturday tends to be less crowded than Sunday.
If you haven't "done" dim sum, give it a try. Served only during
the day, carts of interesting (but often mysterious) goodies are rolled
by your table. Point and nod at the selections you want. There
are usually 4 tidbits to a plate and you are charged by the plate.
Each person in the group gets a bite or two off each plate. Don't worry
if you can't understand what the servers say......most everything is delicious.
This is an eating adventure.
Many of the restaurants in Los Angeles which have dim sum are as good as the ones I experienced in Hong Kong. My son enjoys having his friends along for our outing so he can introduce them to this wonderful and fun cuisine. Afterwards, it's also fun to do a bit of shopping at the Japanese market in the same mall. It has excellent fresh fish for sushi which they make or for do-it-yourselfers. |
| Gelson's Market | 13455 Maxella, Marina del Rey. Get your picnic fixings at Gelson's then head for Burton Chase Park to watch the boats in the main channel. I prefer the deli at Gelson's to the one in Bristol Farm in the South Bay. The bakery, Benes, in Gelson's is outstanding!!!! They have another location on 3rd Street on the West Side. |
| Ritz Carlton Hotel | 4375 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Tel: 310-823-1700 -- Fax: 310-823-2403 Fabulous but very expensive brunch (about $100 for 2). However, since caviar, sushi and other delicacies are on the menu, it is worth the tab (unlike places such as Campanile, which is a total rip off). Also, the view from the terrace is fantastic and the service is the best I've ever had.....comparable to Commander's Palace in New Orleans. |
| Wolfgang Puck's | 2121 Rosecrans, Los Angeles and many other locations. Wolfy invented the gourmet California pizza and his restaurants are wonderfully laid out, thanks to his designer wife. For a trendy and very "California" restaurant, the tab is surprisingly low, especially at lunch. |
| Campanile | Don't even THINK of eating here!!! On LaBrea and it's just too too chic (barf). I spent $116 for dinner there 5 years ago (2 people). There was a fly in my wine, the food was indifferent (except for dessert), the waiters and maitre de were rude (they did nothing about the damn fly, not even replace my wine) and we left HUNGRY because the portions were so small!!!!! I took my son to this rip off for his 16th birthday.........big mistake. |
| Tommy's Chili Burgers | Burp!!!! On Roscoe Blvd. just west of the 405 Freeway in The Valley. Often imitated, never duplicated, this is a "real" Tommy's, famous for a giant, incredibly goopey chili cheese burger. If your digestion and cholesterol count can stand it, a Tommy burger is an LA "must." The another (original) location is in town, but I forgot where. |
| Ocean Star Seafood | 112 Chandler Blvd., Monterey Park. Monterey Park has a large and affluent Chinese community and there are many outstanding restaurants there. Those featuring dim sum are my favorites and I think Ocean Star is about the best of the best. |
| Ocean Seafood | 750 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Tel: 213-687-3088
Fax: 213-687-8549
A popular and excellent restaurant in Chinatown......with dim sum, of course. |
| Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel | 1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica. Good for brunch but overpriced for a stay when you consider that you have to dodge derelicts if you try to go for a walk. If you can afford those prices, stay at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey instead. |
| LAX Luggage | Fabulous selection of luggage at excellent prices. The store owner is very knowledgeable and helpful if you need advice. I got my "cruise" luggage (by Travelpro) at LAX and it's stood up much better than the American Tourister I had previously. I really recommend the Travelpro line. It's soft sided and very light but has a very strong frame so it will not collapse even under the tons of baggage piled up when getting off a cruise ship. Also, it rolls like a dream and has lots and lots of nice pockets and features. I was so pleased with my big Travelpro suitcase (plenty of room for a month's trip and yet easy to manuver) that I got the carry on size even though I already had Samsonite's hard shell airline carry-on. The Travelpro is much lighter and better laid out. While Travelpro is not cheap, it is also not the most expensive line either. I've wrapped red cloth tape to the handles of my annoymous black cases which has helped immensely in distinguishing my luggage from the ubiquitous black bags appearing at airport pick up areas. |
| Nordstrom's | Located in South Bay Galleria, Glendale Galleria and other malls in town. Bargains at Nordstrom's? Yes.......check out the small leather goods such as wallets, notebooks, etc. and you will find quality comparable to that of top end names like Mark Cross or Gucci for about half the price. |
| Beverage Warehouse | 4935 McConnell Ave. #21, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Tel: 310-306-2822 -- Fax: 310-821-4555 Bargains on everything from sodas to very very premium wines and liquors. |
| South Coast Plaza | Take the Bristol Street exit north off the 405 Freeway. South Coast Plaza is Rodeo Drive under a roof and without tourists. All the ritzy BH stores are there, including my favorite Nordstroms. It's gorgeous at Christmas and a really good shopping experience any time. The Orange County Performing Arts Center and many nice hotels are also in the area. |
| Doubletree Inn | .3 miles west of 22nd St. at 2800 Via Cabrillo Marina. Tel 310-514-3344 or 1-800-222-TREE. Excellent rates for a very nice hotel right on the marina. The location is deceptively good if you have a car, since the 110 freeway is very nearby and is fairly uncrowded except at the absolute height of rush hours. Compare it to the Lowe's in Santa Monica where my friend stays for $250-450 per night (derelicts included nearby). |
| Jewelry District | On Grand between 6th and 7th Streets downtown. This is such a fantastic place for bargains that I've devoted a page to getting there, hints, recommendations and so forth. |
| Name/Link | Location/Comments |
| LA Times Calendar | The Calendar is the Los Angeles Times (Sunday edition) magazine of entertainment, restaurants, etc. It is probably the best source of information about what's happening both in LA proper and nearby. The on-line version is excellent too. |
| Metrolink Home page | Metrolink's home page has information about commuter light and heavy rail in and around Lost Angeles. Be sure to click on the "M"s at the bottom of the page if you want information about the MTA's light rail system. The MTA's home page is hopeless except for bus schedule information. I'm planning on sending the MTA's president a letter about the lack of info (other than political) on the MTA page. |
| Mapquest | Get a map on line for wherever you want to go |
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