[TRDood]

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