Los Angeles Guide, map and photos. boo.com members recommend hotels, restaurants and attractions in Los Angeles

Los Angeles will soon be my new home. It is such an amazing city with great character. It is best to know someone who lives here or knows the city who can drive you around because the place is SO spread out. I will be on couchsurfing.com as soon as I get a place out there so look me up....more Los Angeles will soon be my new home. It is such an amazing city with great character. It is best to know someone who lives here or knows the city who can drive you around because the place is SO spread out. I will be on couchsurfing.com as soon as I get a place out there so look me up. Overall, there is so much to see and do. Staying west of downtown (santa monica, hollywood, etc) is pretty essential as this is where most of the sites and nightlife is. close

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by abbeyineurope – posted on Dec 15, 2007

14

Was totally cool, though the desk chick that first greeted me was kind of snobbish and didnt want to honor my reservation made through hostel world at the pric I reserved it for. We had to call the owner toget approval. It was the first and only time I have ever ad trouble with a hostel honoring...more Was totally cool, though the desk chick that first greeted me was kind of snobbish and didnt want to honor my reservation made through hostel world at the pric I reserved it for. We had to call the owner toget approval. It was the first and only time I have ever ad trouble with a hostel honoring hostelworld reservations. She had not even heard of the site so I hope they inform their staff better in the future.close

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by MissKara – posted on Oct 25, 2007

4

The private room had our own little TV. Great bus service to Venice, SantaMonica, Culver City and, yes, even the rest of LA... just remember distances are huge so it takes longer than it does in other cities to use Mass Transit. Wireless worked well when it worked, which was about 70% of the...more The private room had our own little TV. Great bus service to Venice, SantaMonica, Culver City and, yes, even the rest of LA... just remember distances are huge so it takes longer than it does in other cities to use Mass Transit. Wireless worked well when it worked, which was about 70% of the time. close

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by robert4578 – posted on Sep 10, 2007

5

First things first - RENT A CAR!!! If you don't have a driving license and cannot rent a car then I would not recommend LA. It's sooo spread out that a car is a must. After that - I wasn't that impressed at all. Venice Beach was the highlight for me. We played a bit of 'ball vs a couple of...more First things first - RENT A CAR!!! If you don't have a driving license and cannot rent a car then I would not recommend LA. It's sooo spread out that a car is a must. After that - I wasn't that impressed at all. Venice Beach was the highlight for me. We played a bit of 'ball vs a couple of local lads that were very friendly (like most people we met there), and it has a nice relaxed vibe. The walk of fame - downtown Hollywood - is a bit of a dump to be honest. Lots of strange people walking around trying to get discovered. It a funny mix of there ... lots of "beautiful people" who are presumably already working as models etc and then the others trying to get noticed. I didn't like the vibe there and it's a similar story on nights out. Most girls we started chatting to were just looking for $$$, so once they realised we were tourists we got the heave ho! Disney World was a good laugh ... and it's worth doing one of the tours of LA just to see all that there is to see. I really didn't think much of the nightlife, bars close at 2, but people just start leaving at 1.30. Downtown LA stays open until 4 or 5, but you'll obviously pay a lot more to stay downtown. We were in Anaheim which was a good 40 mins drive from downtown.close

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by bionic – posted on Aug 7, 2007

9

I love LA but this place was so bad! Ok, where do i begin! This hostel is the worst ever! The room was jam packed with bunk beds, no room do move, so storage lockers in the room. the window where i was sleeping was patched up with ply wood (not that secure) and the A/C was so ancient and loud!...more I love LA but this place was so bad! Ok, where do i begin! This hostel is the worst ever! The room was jam packed with bunk beds, no room do move, so storage lockers in the room. the window where i was sleeping was patched up with ply wood (not that secure) and the A/C was so ancient and loud! The bathroom had no locks on it. There was only one toilet and shower for around 20 people. The staff were so rude and not helpfull at all. Oh also they offer a free pick up service from LAX. You get picked up in a old run down piece of shit, the sliding doors dont close so they have to use straps to hold it together. From the word go this hostel was shit! do not waste your money!close

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by carter-lj6407 – posted on Jun 14, 2007

5

Los Angeles was a bit disappointing to be honest!! Everything is so spread out and it is very hard to get around. We were lucky that we knew people there who had a car and took us around the city. Public transport is very poor so you will definitely need a car to get around. The highlights of my...more Los Angeles was a bit disappointing to be honest!! Everything is so spread out and it is very hard to get around. We were lucky that we knew people there who had a car and took us around the city. Public transport is very poor so you will definitely need a car to get around. The highlights of my holiday were walking down Hollywood blvd, Rodeo Drive, seeing the stars homes, Universal Studios and Santa Monica. There is a lot to do and see in LA but I expected more, it isn’t quite the tinseltown it is made out to be in the movies!close

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by aislinnmurphy – posted on May 14, 2007

33

I've been to LA twice, once in 2005 and again earlier this year. I agree with the other reviewers, you really do need a car, or better still a Jeep. We hired one for the week we were there and it was brilliant, being bigger than the cars and really high up meant you could get around really easy...more I've been to LA twice, once in 2005 and again earlier this year. I agree with the other reviewers, you really do need a car, or better still a Jeep. We hired one for the week we were there and it was brilliant, being bigger than the cars and really high up meant you could get around really easy and we weren't as intimidated as we could have been, given we were driving on the other side of the car and the other side of the road! I liked LA. True its impossible to walk anywhere, its absoutely huge with no real centre, but some great places to visit. We drove down to Venice and Santa Monica Beach, and then on to Beverly Hills and down Rodeo drive...great for those 'Pretty Woman' flashbacks!! Then we drove the length of Sunset Boulevard, stopping off for a drink at the Voodoo Lounge... There is Disneyland (great for all ages), UNiversal Studios (really good) and KNotts Berry Farm (terrifying but brilliant)..You can also drive up to Newport and Laguna Beaches which are amazing..! Our hotel was on Hollywood Boulvard, just behind the Chinese Theater and we managed to get in a fair amount of star spotting as there were a couple of film premieres on when we were there. If you dont mind driving and plan your days in advance i think LA is well worth visiting, everything about it is big, dramatic and a little bizarre, but its definately exciting.close

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by caren – posted on May 11, 2007

72

I have visited LA 3 times now - 2003, 2004 and then also in 2006. I went twice on Holidays and then once to visit friends. I stayed in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach on my visits there. It is vast, and difficult to get around unless you have a car. Public transport in my opinion is...more I have visited LA 3 times now - 2003, 2004 and then also in 2006. I went twice on Holidays and then once to visit friends. I stayed in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach on my visits there. It is vast, and difficult to get around unless you have a car. Public transport in my opinion is almost non existent. We were lucky enough to know people there who could drive us around. Highlights of my trips there were walking down Hollywood Blvd, seeing the stars homes, going to a show in the Chinese Theatre, Universal City,Muscle beach ( Venice) and the beautiful beaches in Santa Monica. Downside was that I was expecting something really magical about Hollywood Blvd. Instead it is mostly just really tacky. It is really worth a visit as there is a lot to see and do. You do need a car though!close

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by Elaine – posted on May 1, 2007

35

L.A. is a surreal place indeed, and one that isnt easy to get around, i think the reason for this is because fundmentally its built on a desert and is an urban sprawl,a car is a must here! its worth checking out its famous attractions such as rodeo drive for shopping, and of course hollywood...more L.A. is a surreal place indeed, and one that isnt easy to get around, i think the reason for this is because fundmentally its built on a desert and is an urban sprawl,a car is a must here! its worth checking out its famous attractions such as rodeo drive for shopping, and of course hollywood itself to see if you can spot any of the stars, the boardwalk on Venice beach is a real eyeopener with plenty of crazy characters around!!!close

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by dave – posted on May 1, 2007

9

In our trip right acroos the US, L.A was the only place I didn't like- it seems like a whole other country to the rest of the States. Most people we saw were trying to rip us off, and the ones that didn't want to rip us off didn't want to be helpful either. I could see how those...more In our trip right acroos the US, L.A was the only place I didn't like- it seems like a whole other country to the rest of the States. Most people we saw were trying to rip us off, and the ones that didn't want to rip us off didn't want to be helpful either. I could see how those obsessed with celebs would like it- we saw a few, but other than that and a nice coast- there is nothing to this place.close

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by bronwyn6473 – posted on Apr 9, 2007

2