Aussie travelling to California

Discussion in 'Chatty Pad' started by kirstiegai, Feb 21, 2017.

  1. kirstiegai

    kirstiegai Trick or Treat, RUB by feet!

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    It's been 10 years since I was in the USA so I'm sure things have changed.

    I will be in Los Angeles/Anaheim for a week and obviously want to do Disneyland and Universal Studios. What are the other MUST SEE's while I'm there (it will be me, my 14yr old daughter and my BFF).

    Any accommodation recommendation in Anaheim? Should we just base ourselves there for the week and take tours from there?

    Appreciate any feedback
     
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  2. StefanieS

    StefanieS Think it over, think it under

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    I am no help, just a touch envious and would say Universal for older children and pay extra for the fast pass - it's totally worth it.
     
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  3. carrie1977

    carrie1977 Tequila and Taco Tuesday

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    Are you bringing the whole family? Will you have a rental car? You'd need to drive wherever you decide to go. You really don't want to hang out in Anaheim. :p

    You could check out Hollywood. See the stars on Hollywood Blvd.

    If you are here during baseball season you can check to see if there is an Angels game while you are here.

    There are lots of beach options, too. Huntington, Newport, Laguna, Venice...I believe they are all within driving distance (less than an hour).
     
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  4. tkradtke

    tkradtke Professional Brainstormer

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    My daughter (15) and I have gone to Anaheim together for the past two years. We stay at the Anaheim Sheraton (mainly because we could use my husband's hotel points). We liked it though because it's still within walking distance of Disneyland, but out of the fray a bit.

    For a change of pace for food.... the Anaheim Packing District is a quick drive (we took an Uber). Lots of choices and lots of treats (I did a layout for MOC about my popsicle from PopBar). We spent several days in the parks at Disneyland and got tired of park food, so we would uber over there for lunch and then uber back. I think even factoring in our transportation costs, I think we still came out ahead of what we would have spent on lunch at Disneyland!

    We didn't have a car, but wanted to do something non-Disney one day, so we went on the Warner Brothers/Hollywood combo tour with Anaheim Tour Company. I have a little bit of mixed emotions about the tour. The tour company is really great. The group was small... only 8 in the van and the van was incredibly comfortable (cushy seats). The guide was great with both information and his driving. They were on time and organized. If I was to do another tour I would definitely call them first. We were just underwhelmed a bit with the sites that we saw. Warner Brothers was really cool, so I'm glad we went there. I guess I'm glad we went to all of the sites... it's just that some weren't as impressive as I thought they would be.... does that make sense? However, after a hard day of all day walking at Disneyland... it was nice to have a day where we just sat back and enjoyed the ride. :-)

    I love following Casey from Disneyland Prep School (DLR Prep School on Facebook). In addition to great Disneyland information, she has lots of great information about things to do in the area outside of Disneyland. My daughter and I are planning on going back in a year or so and following some of her suggestions of neat towns to visit along the train/Amtrack route. Looks like several fun day trip options without needing to rent a car.
     
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  5. enjoyyourpix

    enjoyyourpix My mama don't like you

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    Where are you staying? A 3 star hotel with free breakfast might be nice since you'll be there for a week. Think Courtyard, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, ones like that ... Or switch hotels. 1/2 the time down near Disney and 1/2 the time closer to Universal which gives you less driving to do the things in the LA area.

    A couple ideas ...

    -Universal.
    -Orange County beaches are great but if you are up by LA, here are some that may be worth a look. Malibu area, Santa Monica Pier, crazy Venice Beach. There's a strip of beach right under the LAX runway. It's loud but pretty dang cool to basically have jets take off above you. The water isn't always the cleanest down there so it's not so much a play in the water stretch.

    Westwood/UCLA. Santa Monica. Beverly Hills. Fun LA experience.

    Museums. California Science Center has one of the old Space Shuttles on display. Google museums and see if anything suits your fancy.
     
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  6. umyesh

    umyesh President of the Hangry Ladies Supper Club

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    If you want to walk across the street to Disneyland we've stayed at the Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites. It's nothing spectacular but we've never had any problems there. I hope you have a fun trip!
     
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  7. Chippi

    Chippi Those chicken nuggets are just waiting to attack

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    Oh lucky you!! I can't wait to go back to the US, though we would be going back to the other side. So I can't really make any suggestions from a touristy point of view, apart from, the airport people were extremely friendly to us when we stopped in LA, lol!!
     
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  8. jesskab

    jesskab Watch me sizzle & twizzle

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    Like Kimberly, I go with a lower star hotel that has free breakfast/wifi/a pool. If you have a car, make the drive to San Diego. Balboa Park is so cool. The zoo & wild animal park are good too, but maybe not exciting for a 14yr old. We've been able to get same day theater tickets & had so much fun.
     
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  9. QuiltyMom

    QuiltyMom I'll never run out of things to do!

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    There are plenty of nice hotels across the street from Disneyland. Don't stay on property because it is terribly expensive! If you haven't joined the DISBoards forum (disboards.com), you should. There is lots of information there on Disneyland and the surrounding areas where you can find help and advice. I just recently stayed at the Camelot Inn & Suites and I was quite pleased with it. It is next door to a McDonalds for a quick breakfast and you can view the fireworks from the pool area. It doesn't have breakfast provided, but I've stayed at many of the hotels that provide breakfast, and for the cost savings I got a better meal at McD's, anyway.

    Another fun area is Griffith Park. Have you seen La La Land? Well, a lot of it was filmed there. The Observatory is wonderful. The planetarium is one of the only live-narrated shows around. It's free admission (planetarium has a fee), but parking is horrible. If you go, make sure it's when they open. Weekends are packed! There's also a carousel, train rides, Travel Town (an outdoor train museum - if you're into that sort of thing), the Los Angeles Zoo, and one of my favorite museums - the Gene Autry Museum of the American West (they have the BEST cafe!). On Sundays the Los Angeles Live Steamers is open for rides (donations accepted). You may otherwise know this as Walt Disney's personal train - Carolwood - he donated it to the city of Los Angeles. And if you're there the 3rd Sunday of the month, Walt's Barn is open to visit. Right outside the park grounds is Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills where a lot of celebrities are buried. It's a beautiful spot just to visit and sit a while, too.

    I agree with going to Hollywood Blvd to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater. You can see a movie there, if you want. Across the street is the El Capitan Theater that is owned by Disney, which shows Disney movies. Each movie has a pre-show which is included in the price of admission. It's pretty cool! Don't forget to see the Dolby Theater (next to the Chinese Theater) where the Academy Awards are held. If you do go there, park at the Hollywood and Highland Center (enter on Johnny Grant Ave off of North Highland Avenue). And try your best to ignore the many people trying to get your money, either by posing with them or selling you something you don't want, like getting your photo taken with someone who dresses like some character. Stay far away from them! You'll understand when you see it!
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2017
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