Do you have a travel credit card? (RBC Avion, AMEX, TD infinite) etc. It automatically gives you car insurance. Could have saved you some money.

For such a short stay, don't go to San Diego unless you like animals. Besides Sea World, the Zoo, Aircraft Carrier and the Mexican border, theres not much to do.
For restaraunts, +1 to what prelude_prince but the caliber of the restaurants he recommended (Spago, Madeo, Mastro's) is easily $200 for 2 people.

Which Hilton you staying at? The Beverly Hilton and the Anaheim one are very nice when I stayed. Next time however, I suggest the SLS hotel and the W. Amazing lounges and bars

Came back from LA, here's what I have to say... *sorry for the spelling and non-structure, but I think it will be useful for those who are/will be planning*

My trip with the gf is set out for shopping, eating, sightseeing, city touristy. No Disneyland, Universal Studios, 6 flags, etc.

The places that I went to are: (ranked from most enjoyable --> least attractive)
- Lakers game - awesome experience, must go
- Kings game - another awesome experience, super affordable, even for a non-hockey fan.
- Rodeo Drive - must go
- Melrose Avenue - gay part of town, it's like a west 4th with all the cool brands (Supreme is on Fairfax)
- Robertson Avenue - behind Beverly Center Mall, another good one with brands like RR, Kitson, 7, etc.
- Starline tour - $44 per person 2 hour tour that drives around Hollywood/Beverly Hills and the tour guide tells you where famous ppl live (this also includes a free ticket to the wax museum)
- Madamme something Museum - $25 but free with the Starline tour, pretty wax models
- Kodak Theatre - Oscar stuff, red carpet, very educational
- Getty Museum - Artsy stuff, mostly European art, parking is $15 per car, no admission fees
- Some new mall in Culver City - huge mall, I think it's new
- The Grove - some random outside mall, mediocre shops though
- Venice Beach - too many hobos, but pretty good walk in a warm sunny day
- Desert Hill Outlet - only 1 hour away from Monterary Park (Richmond of LA), store names like Gucci, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, etc. looks promising, but they sell garbage. The drive is pretty cool though.

Places I ate at (most enjoyable to least):
- In N' Out Burger - must try, super cheap, good food.
- Santuko? - Ramen place inside Mitsuwa food courts... popular chain in Japan.
- Chinese food on Valley Road near Monterary Park - the culture is different, we wanted greens and late night. There's this place with $5.99 for 2 lobsters, it was great. The catch is that I needed to order 3 entrees... so I got Clams with Black Bean sauce (VERY BIG AND JUICY CLAMS), some beef dish, and snow peas. The bill came to $60 with tips, but it was worth it... LOL
- Johnny Rocket - old school setting, very good food as well.
- Food at Staples centre - standard concession stands crap, but the BBQ chicken pizza is not bad for $10. Don't order their hot dogs tough.

Tips:
- Rent a car, Bcruke's code works but they needed the manager to say yes for the underage fee.
- Parking is very cheap, other than at the hotels. Staples Center parking ranges from $5-$15, 5-10 min walk. The whole area is HUGE, so there's a lot to see.
- Parking at Rodeo drive is free for the first 2 hours in almost every lot
- Valet parking is very common, I just tip them $1 each time I pick up my car.
- You will need a GPS, but on the 3rd day, I kind of know how the streets work without a GPS
- Live at a hotel that has cheap valet parking, walking is really not an option in LA. Everything is far apart, but parking/valet is cheap, just not the hotels.
- the W hotel is far away from the actually Hollywood attractions/malls/etc. It's a nice hotel, but you are surrounded by the ghetto.
- i am not a party person, so living near hollywood/sunset/beverly hills is overrated for me. i rather save that money and spend it on food/shopping.

Things that I would like to do but missed:
- Paramount Studio tour - only M-F, pre-book required
- Izakaya places, although sushi is overpriced relative to Vancouver. $6 for a cucumber roll?
- Steakhouses
- High tea - need to be pre-booked
- Little Tokyo
- Probably the ghetto side of town, OC, Southern beaches

NBA All-Star game is hosted in LA this season! It would be an excellent opportunity to see all the stars... too bad the ticket prices are at least $1000 for lower sectons, too baller for my blood. :P

Sounds like you had a good time (sort of.)

One tip for LA especially if you are renting from Hertz - check your credit card statements 2 to 3 months after. I just received my online statement and saw a charge from Hertz - they billed me a fuel service charge of $78 CDN when I voluntarily opt out of their fuel-up services. I received the car with a full tank of gas and returned it with a full tank of gas. Now I have to deal with Hertz to sort this out.

Heading down to LA this evening. :D

:D

Booked 2 Lakers game, 1 Kings game

When you heading back?

Jan 1 to Jan 5

There's nothing else better for 4-5 day trip. San Fransico's flight already cost $600-700, much rather spend the difference on entertainment.

You are rich. :D

Which airline are you flying with?

That's the most economical option for 5 days :P

Westjet... I choose whatever that's the cheapest, except for flights to HK. Then I swear by Cathay Pacific despite people's rage against their seats.

I could not justify paying $500+ for a flight down to LA during this season. :p

You sir, are rich. :D

Damnnnn. . Lakers vs Memphis and Detroit games ha.... how much were the tix if you don't mind?

NBA fans will always say they had a great time once they experience a game live at the Staples center.

Just get there early and walk around..... great atmosphere


Damn you guys are making me want to go lol....

Grizzlies = section 117, row 15, (corner of Laker's bench, right above Laker's tunnel) about $200 each
Pistons = section 301, row 8, (upper center court) about $80 each

I bought them off ticket exchange... where season ticket holders resell their tickets on TM, so I know the tickets are real since I pick them up at the Staples Center box office.

I also looked on CL and other sites that "sells" Lakers tickets, but the mark up is actually much higher than TM. They usually mail the tickets to you so that's another turn off.

The areas is quite nice to walk around too. There's a hotel called the Ritz? and it's pretty ballinnnn' Nokia center, convention center and all the restaurants there. Other than that, there are no shops or malls.. and the financial district is dead at night.

From what I see on tv for the LBJ game on Christmas day, it seems like they built a ice skating rink... kind of interesting to check out if the rain didn't wash it off yet. :D

^ That sounds great man.. I'm sure you'll have fun.. I still remember the first time I walked in. I was like a little kid again oozing with excitement... then I walked in and saw the court...haha...

That's a good thing to buy off "ticket exchange" as you know it's real..

I bought my tix from CL but the seller from LA brought and left the tickets in my hotel concierge few days before then met him to pay when I got to the entrance.... I guess it's all about luck..

Again.. Have FUN

When I was in LA a few weeks ago, the Lakers were on a road trip. I was able to catch the Clippers vs Magic though. Paid $15 for lowerbowl tickets. Apparently no one likes watching them. But hey, $15, you can't go wrong.

$15 is dirt cheap for a magic game. Lower bowl as in 2xx or 1xx level?
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ok..well not the lowest...200 level then...in relation to Rogers Arena it would probably be near top of the lower bowl. Still cheap.

Me and my girl are spending 2 days in Anaheim. We're arriving on Day 1 at lunch time and staying within a hotel near Disneyland. Day 2 will be reserved for Disneyland all day and hanging out in Disney Downtown all night. Looking for suggestions on what attractions worth checking out outside of Disneyland to fulfill our Day 1.

You can hit up the malls in the surrounding cities such as Garden Grove or Costa Mesa. That or hit up a Vietnamese cafe. :D

Just came back from LA

saw David Beckham, Tom Hanks, Vince Vaughn at Staples Center :D

Bullet-proof windows at Jack in the Box LAX?
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/IMG_0673.jpg

I see this sign everywhere... wtf?
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/IMG_0665.jpg

Coolest parking lot I have seen, and there's a machine that searches your car too!
http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/IMG_0652.jpg

How long would one recommend for a vacation to LA?
Would 8~9 days be enough for LA + Las Vegas (driving to and from LA to Las Vegas)?

^ depends on what you want to do man? I think 9 days is enough for both 3-4 days vegas then rest LA. It all depends what you plan on doing in LA. It's about 2-3 hr drive so it's not bad

Plan to visit all the tourist attractions like Hollywood, Warner Bros and Disney Land. Which area and hotel would be the best to stay at to avoid spending too much time on the road?

MDR and LAX area seems to be the central (1 hour within everywhere)

Also, for car rental, are you required to purchase insurance?

Please share some of your experiences. TIA

How does renting a car with insurance work in the states for Canadians over 25 yrs old?

Hmmm...I don't quite understand your question. Could you elaborate on your question, please? :)