Dumb Mistakes Tourists Make in Los Angeles
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2024
- Visiting Los Angeles is a must for many travelers to the US, but there are some common mistakes that first time visitors to LA make. Here we give you the best travel advice on avoiding problems as a tourist when you are in Los Angeles.
Mistakes first time visitors to LA make
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A few points to add on you somewhat covered:
-Do NOT jaywalk here, cops heavily enforce it. Even if there's literally no traffic and your signal is taking forever, avoid the temptation if you can. Some fines can be as high as $200.
-Don't text and drive. Everyone does it these days but again it's heavily enforced by police and you'll get one hell of a fine.
-Regarding the buskers/street performers, don't ask, take, or agree to be in a picture with them if you don't have any cash on you. I've seen fights breakout over just a few dollars because a tourist didn't want to pay.
To add to this, don't accept "gifts" from bystanders either. You'll have people try to "give" you a necklace or something but it's really not free. You're 100% expected to pay them or else they'll start something with you.
Same here in lv
It's no longer illegal to jaywalk in California.
@fredm.7145 Thanks! Most important thing is safety but *I did not know this* and I found this online: "The change comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed "The Freedom To Walk Act" on Friday, assembly member Phil Ting, who sponsored the bill, announced. The new law, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, says *police can only ticket someone jaywalking when there is an immediate danger of a collision*
LA local here. Great video. I'd like to add that the metro system here is slowly but surely growing. I would recommend waiting until 2023 or 2024 for a trip bc at that time there will be an LAX rail link, some new museums open, and more rail accessible museums/attractions.
Will visit in 2024 at that year i can enter the U.S.A. again, can’t wait!
If ucla accepts me I like to migrate there from Dallas tx
We should've built a heavy rail system long ago and we actually have the density for it, urban part of LA is as dense as Philly!
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@@AlexCab_49 We had trams in the 40's but they got paved over for the car!
LA is the kind of place where you probably really want to have a good itinerary and healthy budget to have a good time. It's too spread out, too much traffic and the sites are too far away from each other and expensive to just stumble onto serendipitously. If you plan it well and locate sites near each other with enough time (and money) to enjoy everything LA can be quite special, unlike almost anywhere else on Earth. But you have to plan it. Fail to plan is planning to fail here.
First visit to LA in 2012 we made the mistake of talking to 2 guys and a girl who approached us on Venice boardwalk with headphones. Listen to our music they said, then they asked us our kids names and wrote them on a CD. They gave us the CD and then said ‘we usually sell them for $30, but whatever you can afford’. Because they wrote our kids names on the CD we felt obligated to buy them. Beware of this scam !
My first time to LA alone with friends (i was about 19) drove down to LA from Sacramento in 2015 (very little money) and looked for the cheapest hotel. Ended up staying in El Monte. To find out it was way too far for anything we would end up doing in LA. Very important tip, look at the map and look at distance.
A 6 mile long drive can last an hour or more with traffic .
El Monte is a dump
One thing I learned from my first trip to L.A.- if you're gonna be spending any time in or near downtown, make sure you use the restroom BEFORE you get there, or otherwise you may have some issues. In our case we spent an evening in Little Tokyo, which bumps right up against Skid Row. Literally every place that had a restroom, had it closed off to everyone due to vandalism and the nefarious activities of the homeless. We covered several blocks, and my wife was in agony trying not to have an accident on herself before we finally found a public restroom that required a code for the door to get in. And those restrooms were in pretty bad shape, so you will only want to use them when you absolutely HAVE to.
I'm sorry to tell you. They all have restrooms available to their customers and non-customers who ask in a way that gets them a pass to the restroom. I know Little Tokyo. If you were denied the restroom it wasn't because they were closed do to vandalism or anything else.
Just Poop on the sidewalk . That's what they do there. It's ok, just do it.
@@sidebite2533 omg! 🤣😂
Thanks for the advice Man. You are very informative and the inflection on your voice makes it so that we don't get bored throughout the video. Great Video!! ✌️💯🤙
Best wishes for the season, professor. Hope u and the family have a great New Year! Thx for all the wonderful videos. :)
Hey, i am flying into lax in June and staying in La Quinta with my daughter for our first ever trip from Scotland, we are planning on lots of traveling etc and i just wanted to say i found you're video very helpful and inspiring. thanks very much
Wow Volter you’re right about traffic. And not just traffic it self but the intense puls on the freeways. I’m starting week 2 now and I’m just ready to go from the most right lanes to the middle. And yeah bring the warm clothing. One day of sun. LA can be rainy for a week. But still a fantastic city. Now moving on to Las Vegas. Best regards from the Swedish Thornander Family
As a former Los Angeles and OC Uber driver I am going to point out that scheduling a pickup does not schedule a driver to be at a place at a time. It pings a driver to show up when they would arrive at that time. Drivers will only ever wait 5 minutes for you then cancel for a fee. Better tactic is to check the app as you head to the gate, order the Uber so it will arrive when you do. Move the pin to an area the driver can actually get to and stop at. And check the plate to be sure it's the correct one. This is easy in CA since we have to have front and back plates.
Great tips other than this.
Awesome video and great tips! Took a trip to LA back in March and currently interviewing for some jobs in the area. Wish I would have seen this vid beforehand! Luckily my partner and I had a great time but definitely learned a lot of these things the hard way, especially when it came to the traffic. We decided not to rent a car and I was sooooo happy that we didn't. A rental for the 10 days we were there was around $1000, so $20 Ubers twice a day ended up being way more economical. Not to mention the rentable scooters and e-bikes which are another great travel alternative within the different neighborhoods. Tried to avoid the tourist traps and spend some time enjoying the nature and it was very much worth it.
I love the fact that you brought up the nature because one of my favorite parts about living in the area is the proximity to nature and beautiful hikes! Everyone treats LA like its just a bunch of fake influencers when in reality its made up of so much more than that! Also I have to say that as a local Downtown LA is seriously underappreciated. Yes, there are sketchy parks to avoid but everything from south park and LA Live and up on grand to the Broad and concert halls is a beautiful city walk. If anyone ever visits I definitely recommend scoping out that area if you want to appreciate the lights and high rises at night.
@Patrick Dolan what's haha funny?
As someone that lives in LA I actually have to disagree with your stance on renting cars. The trains are still really limited and Uber and Lyft are waaaaaaay overpriced right now. You could probably end up spending more on Uber and Lyft to places than you would just renting the car, even with the exorbitant rental car prices these days. Not to mention it's really hard to get lyft and uber these days anyways
I got everywhere I wanted with light rail and bus though…
3 weeks and only used Lyft about 5-6 times
I would not want to drive in LA even if I had a license, it’s horrible
I'm local too and have taken the Red Line from DTLA to NoHo and saw some scary cats on that train.
@@bostonphotographer20 I used to take the orange and redline to get to downtown from the valley. Definitely not recommended for tourists. Hell I don't even recommend it for locals
@@danielmorton9003 I avoid the Blue Line for similar reasons.
@@bostonphotographer20 Pffffft, they got nothing on the Bay Area homeless who will scream at passangers while waiting for BART.
Ps. This is in response to OP but it depends where in LA you are, in Central LA you can get around without a car more easily since buses run more frequently and have better coverage almost on par with SFMTA.
One thing I learned not just from visiting LA but all of the states, is to carry some “real” money on you for tipping. This may be hard to get used to for countries where tipping is not a thing- like my home country of Australia- but you WILL need to carry cash.
I love that you mentioned the travel time since that was something I had to get better at once I was there. GPS says it'll take 25-30 minutes? Better plan for 45-60 just to be safe. Also your note about the cooler weather, especially at night, is so true. Once the sun goes down, the temps fall quickly, especially nearer to the coast.
Great video and you make some excellent points. I've lived in the greater LA area my whole life and the thing I tell tourists a lot is learn the transportation systems. Learn how you can take Amtrak to Santa Barbra or San Diego for a day vs how you can take a cheaper Metrolink train to Anaheim to get to Disneyland. I also would advise you look where the Metro subway and light rail goes. The system doesn't go everywhere but it does go to a few well known places like the Santa Monica pier and the Chinese theater.
Some mistakes I made were: trusting Google maps regarding the Subway and Metro Bus, going to Venice Beach instead of Santa Monica, thinking the clubs opened till morning (2AM is a very lame closing time), going very late to take my departure flight (thankfully my friend is an amazing driver so I made it right on time), not going to West Hollywood. Thankfully my friends were kind enough to take me to Griffith Observatory, which was a great adventure.
That thing about the weather fluctuation is SO TRUE. You can have as much as a 15 degree difference from the beaches to the valleys
One thing worth mentioning in LA are public restrooms. Don’t think you can just walk in off the street to a business or restaurant, expect to use a public restroom without purchasing something, and then walk out. Some businesses don’t offer public restrooms at all. Some restrooms even require you to pay like a vending machine before the stall door will open. I’m not from LA but I have come across this numerous times while traveling there for work.
As someone who always needs to know where restrooms are, thank you for this!
Really agree on the nature part. Catalina is great. Also try Malibu Creek State Park, Nicholas Canyon, Hermit Falls, even Palos Verdes and beaches in OC. Venice and SM are a headache with lots of homeless though, so Manhattan (as I saw in ur video) or Hermosa/Redondo are good alternatives. The water gets warmer in the summer and early fall but you could rent/buy a wetsuit to keep warm in the winter
Hermit Falls and Chantry Flats is closed to the public, it was destroyed by the Bobcat Fire.
I have lived in L.A. for 30 years. The first time I came here, I stayed at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and fell in love with the city. Very nice central location for everywhere in L.A. you would want to go. Yes, traffic is terrible, but you will waste a lot more time trying to use public transportation. L.A is too big and attractions too spread out to make this feasible. Note: Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm are not in Los Angeles city, or even Los Angeles county. Good advice to stay in Orange County for that part of your trip. Generally unsafe to walk around Downtown L.A. at night.
The LA busses are slow, the trains lead to nowhere, and the cars are stuck in traffic. The size of LA is why a great metro system would be fantastic.
Disneyland is not in LA County, but it's a part of the larger LA metro so it's a doable one day trip
@@sm3675 The trains lead to a lot of places, but LA is huge. Fun fact the combined LA metro light rail lines, subway lines, and commuter Metrolink rail lines now form the 3rd most extensive public rail system in the U.S. The closer you live to downtown LA the more options you have. The San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys are served by both light rail lines and Metrolink. You can even get to Santa Monica by light rail. You can get to Hollywood/West Hollywood via subway from downtown. The least well served area in terms of public rail is the Westside and that's historical--they also don't have a lot of highways. Land there is also expensive aside from NIMBYism--so not a lot of public rail to say Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, etc.
Downtown at night is actually pretty nice sadly to walk around from a restaurant to a bar and such. But this is only for the main tourist areas and on the main streets. Do not go east of Los Angeles st on foot at night. I’ve lived here all my life and they are really dangerous but more unstable. But I would not recommend people that are not from the area to be there at night. Broadway, the “Staples” center, la live, and 7&fig are great for people wanting to experience a bit of the night life and go to bars restaurants or entertainment venues.
My family’s biggest mistake in San Diego/ Santa Monica was not spending enough time in and on the trails. I never had an idea there are so many wonderful trails in SoCal. Next time we will spend half of our time on the trails.
It's our culture to go hiking on the weekends. We love being outdoors
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There's some nice trails in Palos Verdes, that most transplants don't know about.
When you come back hike Temescal Canyon. I go there all the time. Easy free parking on Sunset blvd . Views of Catalina Islands, the whole santa monica bay. Just dont come in may june or early July. Fog every day. Santa Monica resident here!
If you like trails with actual views, you should visit national parks. I would not waste time on any trail in SoCal unless you just like to walk.
Great video! Thumbs up!!
What you said about traffic I think a lot of that could apply to any major city. If you visit any city expect traffic. I live in Atlanta and this afternoon after work I had to drive across town to pick up a bicycle I was buying from someone and it took me 90 minutes to drive from one end of North ATL to the other side of north ATL. I usually try to avoid driving anywhere around this city on weekday afternoons.
Very nice to see The Kettle in the Manhattan Beach shots -- thanks! I really miss that place.
Great to know all these things, I'm planning a family trip in March. First timers.
Great video. I think same of you about many things.
I just came back from LA yesterday and had a great time as a first time visitor. It was a solo trip and I lodged in downtown Santa Monica. I didn’t rent a car and I got around just fine. Renting a car would have been pretty expensive and that expense doesn’t include the $20+ a day parking fee I would have had to pay while lodging in downtown Santa Monica. I used Uber/Lyft only twice (to get to and from LAX). I mostly walked around while in Santa Monica. I took a tour of the city that lasted the whole day with a company that picked the tour guests up in Santa Monica (and various hotels around the city) and dropped us off back in Santa Monica when the tour was over. I utilized the Metro express train. I also spent a day with some cousins that live in Pasadena/Altadena (they picked me up). It was a fun trip. I agree that renting a car is unnecessary. I also agree about paying attention to parking signs. I saw meter-maids handing out tickets left and right in Beverly Hills. Great video!
Who's Greta?
Hi how long did you stay in LA?
@@steve884 Hello. I was there for 4 days.
Thx for this i was just in Miami and I am thinking of going to LA one day. Idk when tho. How much u pay for lodging?
@@EzeAsuoha I lodged at a hostel in Santa Monica. It was $118 total for 3 nights.
Very Helpful!
Thank you so much for your advice!!! I'm literally taking notes as my brother and I are going in about a week. I don't wana be uneducated and want to prepare myself, also everyone in the comments, thank you!!
Glad he made this video. In his other video, he made our public transit sound atrocious (maybe in comparison to Europe).
But I have used public transit from all over SoCal to get around with no car.
Went from the high desert area of Socal to San Diego to LA, all on public transit.
With zero major incidents of violence or crime.
if you come to SoCal please skip Del Taco. So much worthier spots to eat. Definitely cheap though if you get some coupons. Recommend it if you're on EXTREME budget lol. We have all been there.
Hes talking to a certain demographic. You can take transit and trains and have a fabulous time.
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The public transit is garbage in LA, and that's coming from an Albanian 🤣😭😭
@@sm3675 Pretty decent by American standards lol. Trust me I know, are countries infrastructure is atrocious.
I really liked your video. Thank you
I'm based in London and I specify Burbank airport even though it means a transfer somewhere like Phoenix or Dallas, simply because I usually stay in the valley and I don't want to sit in an uber for an hour to get down to LAX. Burbank is a tiny airport, but it's so fast to get through. Ideal.
I've lived here in California all my life and you definitely have to rent a car to get a round. Ride-sharing companies will definitely be too expensive.
Pre-Covid I took public transportation everywhere...
Depends where in CA you are. If you're in SF, Oaktown, and Central LA you don't need one but outside you do although in some places like Santa Barbara you can rent a bike instead.
Yes! I live in O.C. and my car died and I spent $300 on Uber/Lyft for 1 month.
gotta disagree. with rental rates + gas + parking + driving stress, I'd recommend a tourist just rideshare. In my opinion, it'd even likely be cheaper, unless you're trip is really far afield (in which case, you can consider the rental car for just that region transfer, or consider train if feasible). And even if it's not cheaper, any small premium you'd pay is worth it for someone not used to driving and parking in LA.
@@erika8214 only $300 for a month? that's way cheaper than what you'd pay to rent a car for a month. that's even cheaper than most people pay for car payment + insurance + gas for their own car for a month.
If you want the real thing when it comes to asian food, LA and cali in general is the place to BE!! Some of the best ramen in my life i have had in LA
“Cali”?....🤣 LMAO!
NO!
Not Asia?
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Here are my takes on the Los Angeles train system
1. As I write this in December 2021, I can't wait until the train to LAX and the Regional Connector is completed. If by the time you read this, both are done, the train system will be much more usable
2. Having said that, 80% of the things you might want to visit are still hard to get to by train. One would have to plan around the system. All kinds of things will be missing
3. There are strange people on the train. If you can handle NYC, you can handle LA
4. 460 bus to Disneyland is not worth it. Rent a car
5. Metrolink is NOT Metro. They have separate tickets. But if you start on Metrolink and you get a day pass, it does have a Metro ticket. But the think is, Metrolink has very little reverse peak, mid-day, or weekend service.
Good info, very friendly presentation. But when talking about the size of L.A. you showed a graphic that highlighted the entire STATE of California, not L.A.
If you're staying close to Disney then it's best to fly in and out of Santa Ana Airport. I love the cold water in the oceans. The drive 2 hours down the coast to San Diego is a must do!
Great advice for sure!! We stayed here before a cruise one night and again when we returned which we caught a Cirque play at the Kodak!!
that's cool
@@woltersworld Corrosion of conformity…
Politics is used to hide authentic attitudes and ideas within the mind when people socialize.
Never focus on what people say. Always focus on what people think and do. Never focus on politics seriously. Politics is what image conscious people share with others socially in order to appear agreeable.
Always focus on the way people think and socialize. This is what determines who a person really is: liberal or conservative.
Conservatives hate friendly people. They do this in order to socialize. This is classism.
Conservatism is intense focus on popularity in order to impress others socially. It is not an idea that honors self love, self respect, or self honesty, which requires giving love to others without involving material development.
Anyone with alpha psychology will always be a conservative. Authoritarianism is social dominance based on what people look like (vibe). In order to focus on social dominance, people must be willing to lie socially and avoid character development within completely.
Liberals are exactly the opposite of conservatives. Liberals are friendly. They are not supportive of classism in any way.
When a person is friendly socially, it means they are non-threatening. This means they are willing to be honest and forthright as much as possible in the right circumstances.
The vibe of a liberal will match what is shown to others socially on the surface as much as possible. The vibe of a conservative will always be threatening. What the person shares on the surface may not match.
Excessive and unprovoked judgments and criticisms always indicate jealousy. The basis of conservatism is unrelenting judgment to maintain social status (fear).
If a human being identifies as alpha, focuses on classism, violence, and criticisms, supports alpha psychology, or remains passive and indirectly supportive of alpha psychology, they are conservative only in focus.
When human beings are willing to be friends with everyone socially, refuse to judge other people for being friendly, and question authoritarians openly or indirectly, they are liberal.
Authoritarians focus on half truths and unfair criticisms. They must be questioned in order to end violence.
Liberals are emotionally sensitive, which means they are spiritual in focus and refuse to treat other people as social inferiors based on what they look like (vibe).
Authoritarians are conservative, no matter how they vote or what they say they believe in socially. Authoritarians will always judge friendly people in order to socialize. They cannot be trusted.
Liberals never will judge friendliness in order to be agreeable socially. It is cowardice and conformist to judge humility and honesty, not strength of mind and character.
Friendly people are honest socially, and judging honesty in the human mind is foolish, unevolved, and stupid. Authoritarians always will judge honesty socially, and then share an artificial persona in order to appear agreeable for survival purposes.
Anyone that supports war, military superiority, alpha psychology, classism, materialistic thinking, and disrespect for honest, humble, and friendly human beings never will be a liberal. It doesn’t matter how they vote or what they say they are.
Human beings that judge people excessively for what they look like (vibe) will always be a conservative. A threatening, authoritarian, and angry emotional field will always belong to a conservative persona: a personality in direct conflict with honesty.
When people focus on telepathy, mental equality, emotional sensitivity, humility, friendship, and honesty, they are sharing a real personality with others.
The ideas of popularity, power, status, self importance, and authority are always in conflict with anything that is real. Human beings must be shallow in order to focus on ideas which reduce other people socially unfairly.
Human beings that focus on conservatism must always act friendly socially and focus on ideas which appear to look friendly on the surface. Unfortunately, to be fake with others is cowardice. This is why conservatives will never be as strong mentally as liberals.
Liberals are open to sharing love and friendship with everyone right now. Conservatives either reject the idea outright and share antagonism and childish behavior, or lie about who they are to other people in order to look agreeable.
The easiest way to tell the difference between a liberal and a conservative is to acknowledge telepathy and speak openly about it. Only liberals will connect on a wavelength of authenticity for extended periods of time. They are not offended by the subject of telepathy.
Politics will always be shallow and serious, and political people will always promote conformity. Authoritarians are conformist. Conformists are shallow, jealous, violent, immature, ruthless, and cowardly.
Never care how people vote or what they say they are. Always look at the mind and how they treat other people socially.
Focus away from political ideology, and focus on friendship (honesty) and telepathy as much as possible. That is the only way to get to what is real socially in people.
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There are guys that hang out in tourist areas (eg the beach or Hollywood Blvd) and hand you their CDs. Do not let them hand you the CD under any circumstances, because then they'll say that you bought their CD and owe them money. Watch out for these crooks!
They are everywhere..
The ones on Times Square in NYC are especially annoying..
They drop them in font of you and then demand compensation..
For a CD they themselves dropped.. and I always suspect that the cds are actually empty
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I took public transportation everywhere and met many friendly people including some Swedish punk rockers...
Former Valley Guy here. 100% agreed with all the points made. Especially "You don't HAVE to have a car" and "Check all SoCal Airports". For those unawares,
LAX=Biggest airport, all Int'l airlines, west side
BUR=Burbank, north side, San Fernando valley, Magic Mountain, Pasadena
ONT=Ontario, east side, San Bernardino Riverside, desert
LGB=Long Beach, south side, Palos Verdes, Port of L.A.
SNA=Orange County, Disneyland, Knott's, halfway to San Diego.
I will be coming to LA for my TH-cam channel with my travel companion for New Year's Eve without much of a plan but with knowledge of options to choose from and what to avoid.
Great tips!!!😎
From a Orange County resident. In the winter, the nights do get cold here. Enjoy your stay!
The beaches in LA like Zuma & Huntington were beautiful
I’ve lived here all my life. Terrific advice! Forget renting a car & moving hotels would make it much easier 😃
....I think I'll just stick to GTA 5 and pretend I been to LA. At least there, I can cut through traffic or use a helicopter lol
Hi Wolters, I have a question regarding the park in LA, hoping that you can answer. I've read some guidance regarding personal safety in the park that - it's recommended to avoid hiking alone as mountain inhabits in those areas, would you recommend to hire a tour guide/park ranger when hiking these parks?
Awesome video
I stayed in Inglewood and I loved it!
I was born and grew up (until my teens) in Santa Monica, moved to Oklahoma, and returned to Southern California as an adult and lived in Long Beach. I’m back in Oklahoma but although I’m Mexican American, I really miss the variety of Asian food! I also miss being surrounded by Latin American and Asian-Latino Fusion food and culture. From Kimchi street tacos to Kosher Mexican restaurants, it’s all there. Your advice on not driving and staying in hubs is spot on!
Diversity is a good thing.
BRO THANKS!!! I would’ve tried to go from Venice beach to the Griffith observatory
The jaywalking was such good advice as where I am cars move so slowly or are so infrequent you just sort of ignore it half the time
Thank you for this…learned something new today. Didn’t know they had subways in LA. AS a New Yorker totally makes me happy cuz I don’t drive lol.
I normally drive to LA but in October I was taking a Cruise out of LA and flew into LAX and had forgotten what a cluster mess LAX is. The construction right now is horrible and getting in and out of the airport is insane.
They have been doing "improvement" construction since they opened the thing.
When cruising out of Long Beach, I always fly into Orange County Airport. When I go with my husband, we take the bus to the cruise terminal. I’m going with my daughter in the spring and we will probably use an Uber or get a shuttle from the cruise company.
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People need to plan at least 3 hours to get to and through LAX. Most people don't know--LAX is the second busiest airport in the U.S. after Atlanta (and Atlanta is only busier because it's a hub for connecting layovers whereas LAX is the top final destination airport). LAX was in 2019 the 4th busiest airport globally.
The airport is also undergoing renovations as well as constructing it's people mover to connect to public rail transit--to open in 2023.
Almost any other airport in the area is faster to get through. Long Beach, Burbank, Ontario, Santa Ana/OC John Wayne.
Having lived in L.A. before, one thing I adamantly disagree with you on is your claim that the buses "aren't helpful". L.A. has one of the best, most reliable bus networks anywhere in the country. It's not the most comfortable way to travel, but you can get just about anywhere in the city if you know what line to take (especially if you can mix the buses and trains). Your overall point though, you don't need to rent a car, is valid. You just really have to plan it out beforehand and make sure you know how long your trips are going to be.
As someone that lives in LA, I highly recommend tourist to explore other areas as well. I personally don’t care to be downtown.
There’s beautiful hiking trails along the coast of Palos Verdes (this is closer to where I live). The area is a lot more nicer and far less congested. Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach are also great to visit.
Long Beach has some great areas for restaurants especially along 2nd street.
I also highly recommend renting a car if that’s an option for you.
Thank You
I would agree with most but a couple of points I’d like to address. Please DO rent a car. I know there is traffic but there are so many places to go and Uber and Lyft are extremely expensive right now. You will definitely spend more on Uber than just renting a car.
Also please don’t go to Del Taco as recommended. In N Out, yes! King Taco, yes. There are so many places to eat. Any type of food you want they have it here. We have some of the best restaurants and food trucks in the world.
One more thing, if you love nature I recommend going hiking in Altadena or Monrovia.
Los Feliz Heights Staircase. That's my new place when in town.
First time in went to California drove from Houston to L.A.... driving in L.A took forever! The second time i took the the train and bus which were convenient. I went to Malibu, Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara. The bus back took us through ventura, Camarillo, thousand Oaks etc. I left early in the morning to beat traffic. Some buses were free. I visited 14 cities and 6 beaches. Had 3 airbnb to explore different areas every other day. Oh and I was out there for 6 days.
Yea LA gets so cold at night 😩 luckily I had packed a jacket when I went
CLEAN, SOBER, SAFE, HONEST, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS CALIFORNIA
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I'm watching for my own trip coming soon... but just wanted to say that you are hilarious
As a local, I don't usually swim in the ocean until late August to early October. That's when the water finally warms up a bit and the weather is still plenty hot to enjoy the swim. Maybe worth mentioning our summers sometimes don't heat up until mid July. We have a period of "May Gray" and "June Gloom" where we get cool cloudy days most of those months. So if you're coming for the sunshine, maybe skip May and June
I love Venice Beach ⛱️ such a fun spot
i think i want to start hitting chinatowns of places i go. i'm from nj, born in nyc so i've been to all three in nyc. i'll hit philly hopefully next year. i plan on london and paris in late winter 2024 so i hope to hit those there. i've been seeing all the good eats in l.a. so now i want to hit that up as well as vegas. thanks for these tips! always enjoy watching your videos!
Been to LA in 2018 and again in 2019. 2018 was the weekend when it was over 110 degrees lol. 2019 was the earthquake.
Great video! I went in November 1995 and did not make one single mistake!! I did use all my points to bring a local friend to stay at the hotel for 14 days. That gave her an opportunity to be a tourist in her own city. We used the subway and busses and did see some parts of LA that you "normally" don´t go to. We did some hiking and it was treat to be out there!
And the food.......oh man! Shit, shit and holy shit again! Taste like heaven and it´s huge!
I think you can live a whole life there and try new food everyday, so try it, taste it! Embrace life! Opa!
For cities like LA, I like to book a car service or else get an airport hotel. It actually improves your entire holiday, your not spending your last night worrying about what time the taxi needs to be called etc. Having that confirmation just takes stress away
Just use Uber, no worries, always quick, not expensive like airport shuttles
Airport shuttles are a scam
Hi Mark wow super 👌🏻👍
I drove from my house to Northridge, which was 33 miles and it took almost 3 hours!
I went there 1 time I don't think I'll ever go back I'm a simple life man but had to see the hype I think there are some really neat fun places but also think alot of ppl on the streets kill it for visitors thanks for the vid
Funny thing is that I was thinking about traveling around someday whenever I get the cash - mostly because of your videos. Whenever visiting USA, to get acclimated and ease the culture shock I'd start with LA because is so similar to where I am from, Brasilia, Brazil. It's a melting pot with people from all around the coutry and other countries, it's a culture center with lots of art, diverse neighborhoods with different "survival strategies" for each, many academic spots, nice tourist traps, many monuments... Even the traffic is just as horrible ^_^
Even the houses and blocks are adressed with number and letter codes while street names are just names - very different from other cities, even from other brazilian cities, where a common "code" for adresses is basically "house (unique characteristic), in the (weird plant name) street, crossing with (politician name) street in the (another politician name) neighborhood" in the (weird activity) city; while here in the capital the houses have sequential numbers, blocks have sequential letters, streets have their own sequential codes. Everyone from outside find it so weird that to find a house you can just count numbers and know the alphabet, and I find so weird how they do not get lost in their cities without logical codes ^_^
You should try to find addresses in the cities in utah. It is so easy. An address is sequential like 100 West 300 South. People think it’s weird, but so easy. When you get out to the newer areas where they are subdividing all the farm land, then you get the streets that wind around and have weird names. I love the grid systems with straight, wide streets that were originally set up when the pioneers first moved in.
Your comparing Brazil to L.A? Lol...no. be prepared for a culture shock!
Mark tends to focus on the positives of every city. There are many, MANY negatives that he has never touched on.
Local Angeleno here. You'd love it here. There is food from all over the world here
Thanks for the tips, peeps ^_^
Forgot to mention that even LA's climate is the same as Brasilia's. That thing about almost having a heatstroke at midday and the sun hitting brightly almost all day while being chilly at night, and there having a dry season and a rainy season instead of the classic winter, fall, summer and spring. Also, having to get off the house with both sunglasses, sunscreen and light clothes but at the same time jackets, umbrella and thick clothes is so true ^_^. The climate is a mess at the transition from dry to wet seasons, we never know when it's gonna rain, you can wake up to a clean and sunny sky and go to sleep on a tropical storm, then wake up the next day on antarctica but without snow, then have lunch at the Sahara desert, not necessarily in that sequence :P The thing that never changes is that humidity is always critical, between 12% and 20%, even when it's raining. We even have some internal jokes that we experience all seasons, all day, every day and everyone has a cold everyday, yet nobody has asthma. Semi-deserts, ammmaright?
I never got to see the Venice pits before it was covered with sand. It's such a bizarre city feature. I don't think the city expected homeless people to stay.
I remember when they filled the Venice Skatepark during COVID. Absolute insanity. An outdoor skatepark at the beach.
I haven't rented a car in L.A. in over 15 years. I use the transit system--successfully. It's so much less stressful (and less expensive) than renting a car, paying for parking at the hotel, finding parking where you're going, paying again, avoiding accidents, etc. And the buses are just fine. There are a bunch of express buses, that combined with the trains can get you many places very efficiently.
I went from Dallas in January. My mistakes were bringing too heavy of jacket, that I never wore. Not packing sun block, or sandles, and renting a car. I didn't want to rent a car, but, um it was included with my air-fare. I still would have saved money leaving it parked and taking lyft and uber everywhere.
I walk from lax to beverly hills takes a while but it's a good walk lots to see I walk through Culver city , it gets cold in California at night
Interesting topic. We are traveling from Houston Texas to the international airport at LA to fly to Melbourne Australia around spring break 2022. Trying to get a plan together. We may stay in a air b n b for 3-5 days…. When we return we will not leave the airport and get to Houston somehow around the end of May. I don’t want to miss my flight from LA to Australia.
Hi, Just make sure your Airbnb is somewhat close to LAX and for trips to Melbourne (international) check in very early. Thank God the lockdown are finally letting up. My cousin lives in Melbourne and we haven't seen her new son yet, he's almost 2! Funny, I'm visiting Sealy TX for first time for spring break. Maybe we can exchange local spots to check out. Definitely want check out USS Texas, I work next to the Iowa. I always recommend both Getty Museums, Wayfarers Chapel, Portuguese Bend and Korean Friendship Bell to name a few in Palo Verdes.
LA has traffic jams at 3 in the morning, it is truly that crazy how bad the traffic congestion is. It never ends
We enjoyed Knott’s Berry Farm more than Disneyland. Less crowded, shorter lines, more relaxed and more fun.
Knotts is more of a classic theme park and I love it. Also the prices are way cheaper compared to Disneyland
Knott's is only for for Scary Farm imo. It's nice and cool in the evening and lines are shorter
Gotta hit 6 flags 😈
I enjoy the LA County Fair or the OC County Fair in the summer.
I'm traveling over solo from the UK to attend the breeders' cup at Santa Anita. Nervey stuff, I don't travel often, especially not alone. Staying in Rosemead and planning to Uber my way over to the race track on both Friday and Saturday. Hopefully, run into no issues. I was also planning on just booking an Uber when I get out of LAX to take me over to Rosemead, do you think I will likely run into any issues there? Should I be looking for shuttle bus options?
Mistake I avoided was to stay off the 405! Re: Catalina Island 🏝️: i drove down to Long Beach ⛱️🏖️ and stayed in an Economy Motel near the Pier the night 🌉 before When I got back the 710 was not too crowded going back to LAX at night 🌉! Also found the 105/Glen Anderson Freeway was a good way to OC if I hooked up the 605 S to the 91East!
Went to LA just for the PTD BTS concert. I hitch a ride with a friend who rented a car and sometimes I use lyft and shuttle bus to go to airport and hotel. It was the best 5 days. Wanna go back next time but with a clear, well planned itinerary.
Me and my wife used to target a specific area and then used to take a lyft to the center of that place. Then we walked and explored the entire area and went back to our airbnb in WeHo in another lyft. It was the best solution for us during our year long stay.
A lot of valid complaints. Parking and bus routes could be simplified. Very confusing.
5:56 The subway is simpler, look at this map, omg. It looks so good.
Agreed.. we never realized how big LA was.. we thought that we could do Santa Monica and Warner brothers studio in the same day😢.. a mistake of note.. everything is really spread out and quite far apart especially if you’re using public transport or ubering..would love to go back and have a more concise plan.. otherwise,,a great city with loads to see
Small correction :) Disneyland is in Orange County in Anaheim, not in Los Angeles County or the city of LA 😁
True, but it is generally considered part of the LA area, especially for tourism.
The whole Greater LA megapolis includes all of LA, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties.
I agree with you. When I go to LA on a vacation, I go to LA. When I go to So Cal, I go to Disneyland, Orange County beaches etc. For me, there’s a world of difference between LA and the surrounding counties.
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Getting an uber or lyft late at night from LAX is a nightmare experience after a long day of traveling. Combine that with the construction and congestion outside the airport, senses up.
Heading to LA for a couple of days in a few months. Have decided to stay in Sherman Oaks as a base for Universal Studios and sightseeing the Griffith Observatory and surrounds. Is that a mistake? Is Sherman Oaks too far? And as for Sherman Oaks itself, nice area? FYI we've been to LA before so this time aren't doing Santa Monica, Venice Beach etc.
My last trip to LA a few months ago I made the sun screen mistake. I don't know how since I'm an experienced warm weather traveler. I walked from Venice Beach to Santa Monica and then along the beach to Pacific Palisades. Wow I regretted that.
That was quite a walk my friend and i hope you had low tide or you walk the pedestrian path.
@@frenchustube venice beach along the pedestrian path. Santa Monica pier to Pacific Palisades on the beach itself. The return was mostly on one of the ride share bikes.
The stars are aligning --- yes, I can park here. Smile.
Do you have a video that suggests hotels /places to stay ranging from budget to four star???Looking at Anaheim and then Hollywood area.
Bring a jacket or sweatshirt if you're going to the beach at night! I used to live in Huntington Beach. One August, the warmest time of the year, I met some friends during the day and we all wore shorts and t-shirts and changed into swimming attire. We decided to meet back at the beach later that night. I came in shorts and a t-shirt. Bad idea! I froze my ass off...in August!
CLEAN, SOBER, SAFE, HONEST, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS CALIFORNIA
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LOVE ONE ANOTHER
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+1 avoiding LAX. I strongly encourage the use of Orange County/John Wayne airport. Especially for Disney or Knotts berry farm trips. Smaller airport, easier to get in and out of, closer to those attractions, less congested. Yes, you still have to take I5 to get where you’re going, but a much nicer experience all around. And don’t forget Long Beach as well!
That only applies to domestic tourists though..
Burbank is the best one IMO.
I couldn’t agree more! Orange County is one of my all time favorite airports. I especially like it for when we take a cruise out of Long Beach. It’s cheaper to fly into than the Long Beach airport generally. It’s small and not at all confusing.
local here:
a common mistake is not walking
you can discover some amazing food joints and stores as well as cool events just by walking around; you dont need a car to get from A to B to C to D when you can enjoy everything around A
Tip: You won’t see any celebrities hanging around Hollywood Blvd. Make reservations ahead of time to restaurant “hot spots” like Nobu or the Ivy where you are more likely to encounter one.
As a lifelong LA resident the places of seen celebrities are the market, the mall, the gym or residential streets. Although I did see David Lee Roth in a convertible on Sunset Blvd, and I saw Warren Beatty walking down Rodeo Dr.
Hollywood is not the same as it was in 2019. I was there two weeks ago. Hollywood is now a shell of itself. Covid hit the area hard.
I saw Keanu Reeves on Melrose couple years ago and my cousin went to school Cameron Diaz at Hughes JH , met her back in the day pre The Mask. Check out Los Cerritos in LBC you might be surprised.
I've seen a few at the Grove, a shopping center and Disneyland makes it easy to spot since they have guides wearing plaid outfits. Over the years I've seen dozens from Adam Sandler to Gina Davis.
Thanks for the video! Just a question, have you, or anyone in the comments, got advice on making a trip to LA as cheap as possible from the U.K.? EG: Cheapest areas with easy access to tourist attractions?
By the time the Olympics rolls around I think a lot of the subway infrastructure will have connected a lot more places then it previously had.