What is the best online booking site for traveling

Doug Jones

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Indiana
Looking to do a two day trip to LA Calif. Wondering if the online travel sites are the better way to go. If so what is your personal favorite.

Is there a preferred hotel in LA that will allow one to see the better sites within walking distance or should I rent a car while there?

Is the "Guided Tours" a good thing or are they a rip off?

Never been to Calif., never been west of St. Louis so any help is appreciated.
 
I've had luck with Travelocity and Priceline. For airline tickets, also check the websites for the carriers that fly to LA. (Look into flying into Burbank, too. It's a much smaller and easier to navigate airport. I hang out a bit at a small travel forum, and a lot of the folks there use Priceline for hotels. Priceline is good if you're not set on staying at a particular hotel. The people I know who use Priceline also use a lot of Frequent Flyer miles and take a lot of trips to nowhere in particular (buying cheap tickets) just to rack up air miles. Then they redeem all the miles for things like First Class upgrades to Europe.

LA is spread out over a very large area, so most of the attractions are not within walking distance of each other. (And not all of the attractions are in LA itself.) I think you'll be wanting to rent a car. Public transportation here is not easy for the uninitiated. What are some of the things you'd like to see or do? Some of us locals could likely steer you the right way.

I've not taken any of the guided tours around here. I think the main ones are the tours of Hollywood. I suspect they'd be fairly interesting and entertaining, but I'd look for a reputable-looking company. (Maybe ask at your hotel.) Hollywood has some cool landmark buildings and things like the Walk of Fame, but for the most part, it's now a pretty seedy part of town. The main streets (Sunset and Hollywood) have some pretty touristy sections, a few upscale sections and some pretty dodgy sections that you probably don't want to walk at night.

You may want to check out one of many beaches. They range from upscale (Huntington) to strange but fun circus sideshow (Venice) to somewhere in between (Santa Monica). Lots of people-watching to do, shopping for everything from high-end stuff to $5.00 t-shirts, and of course there's the ocean. (The water will be chilly. It'll be foggy or cloudy for much of June.) Here again, let us know your tastes and we can likely give you some suggestions.

There are the amusement parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, and Knott's Berry Farm. All of them are different, but expect to spend $55 to $65 plus $8 or so parking to get in the gate. Other places like Universal Citywalk, Old Town Pasadena, Third Street Promenade, and The Grove have a wide range of shopping and dining places, geared towards pedestrian traffic. They are free, but expect to pay $8 or so for parking for these places.

There's the La Brea Tar Pits (and the museum there), the Peterson Automotive Museum (tons of cool cars), Getty Center (high-end art), and a bunch of other good museums. (I've not been to any of them, and I've lived here for almost 17 years.) :eek: More kinds of restaurants than you can shake a pancreas at. Nightclubs of all stripes. Churches of all denominations. Strip malls. Strip clubs. Movies out the kazoo. The Zoo. Descanso Gardens or the LA Arboretum. Whale watching. Deep-sea fishing. Sea World (a couple hours south in San Diego). Vasquez Rocks...you can go hiking where they filmed a ton of westerns, and most of the "alien planet" scenes in the original Star Trek TV show. Concerts from A to Z. Or, just sitting on the beach doing nothing.

Like I said, let us know what you're interested in doing or seeing, and maybe we can give you some ideas.
 
My wife will spends days looking for deals. She has said she always gets the best prices direct with the airline or motel rather than one of the services. I don't know as she loves to bargain shop, so I just stay out it.
 
I used to travel a lot. I used Orbitz to see when flights were available, then went to the airline's site and booked from there. Always cheaper.

As for hotels. They were always arranged for me, so I can't help you there.

Things to see and do. Tons, as Vaughn said. :thumb:

Rent a car for sure. Arrange your travel times around commute times. Driving in Southern California is not for the faint of heart! Get a Thomas Map of LA, and use a GPS. Try to stay off the freeways. There is more time to enjoy the area you are driving through. On the freeways your eyes have time only for what is on the freeways! No time to even notice where you are driving through. :eek:

What is your purpose for coming to LA? How much time will you have? Woodworking interests would take me to Pasadena for a tour of the Gamble House. What are you most interested in? It's around LA somewhere! :D

A few thoughts from a 25 year veteran of Southern California. :wave:
 
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Other places like .... Old Town Pasadena

I would be very disappointed with myself if I were to visit Pasadena and not visit the Gamble House. Been there twice and would not pass up the chance to go again. They have the regular tours, and then there are tours aimed at the more than casual observer. One is called the Behind the Velvet Ropes 2 ½ hour tour. The other - the one I want to take - is called “Details and Joinery: A Craftsman’s Tour of The Gamble House”. It focuses on the construction, details, and joinery of all those wonderful Greene & Greene pieces.
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Check out their website for tours and times. http://www.gamblehouse.org/
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You cannot do without a car in Cali. Easterners always think they can, the first time. Remember the old song: "LA is a great big freeway/ put a hundred down and buy a car"

There are no centralized sights. Europeans always say LA is a city without a center, and they're right. It's a whole different world.

Get a car. Drive to Malibu. As you go north, just past Pepperdine, there's a little road off to the left. At the end of a road there's a little restaurant. Get a sandwich, sit on the terrace, walk along the little enclosed beach there. It's heaven.

Then get the heck out of LA, and drive down to San Diego. Drive all the way to point loma. Just before you get to the end, turn right. You'll go down a big hill, and end up at a little parking lot, where the tide pools are. There, you can appreciate the Pacific. I promise you, it will change your view of the world... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Ive been to LA about 3 time and what I learned on the first trip out there is do not believe anyone and everyone is grumpy except the guy trying to sell you hot speaker in the parking lot he was the only one the told the truth and was as friendly as could be. :rofl: :D
 
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