Trip to LA, but friends in Torrance. Should I book in LA? Please advise.

[runningfishy]

Planning to go LA to watch the Lakers and hang out.  We have a friend that lives out in Torrance, but was told it was pretty much dead there.

Please suggest what would be advisable.  Should we just book a hotel in LA?   Or we planned to stay in Torrance, and then check out LA as we leave.

Thanks.

 

[frink85]

Torrance/south bay is a nice area, but pretty quiet in terms of nightlife/tourism. Ill assume your friend has a car. In that case, youre better off staying on the Westside/Santa Monica area, or around Hollywood for the touristy stuff (plus the proximity to Staples).

I guess it depends what youre gonna be here for...if youve never been to LA you might want to be closer to the action, but if youre here to chill/visit your friend and catch a game, maybe you can save the money and just drive out to places. Plus you'd be in equal proximity to downtown, the OC/disneyland and if you wanna drink downtown Long Beach is nice in the area. Have fun.

 

[waitwut]

Originally Posted by frink85

Torrance/south bay is a nice area, but pretty quiet in terms of nightlife/tourism. Ill assume your friend has a car. In that case, youre better off staying on the Westside/Santa Monica area, or around Hollywood for the touristy stuff (plus the proximity to Staples).

I guess it depends what youre gonna be here for...if youve never been to LA you might want to be closer to the action, but if youre here to chill/visit your friend and catch a game, maybe you can save the money and just drive out to places. Plus you'd be in equal proximity to downtown, the OC/disneyland and if you wanna drink downtown Long Beach is nice in the area. Have fun.

came in to say something like this but way less detailed

but yeah take this advice OP and your set

torrence isnt far from LA either like 15 mins away so it doesnt really make a difference
and if you got yellow fever you will love CA

 

[frink85]

Originally Posted by WaitWut

Originally Posted by frink85

Torrance/south bay is a nice area, but pretty quiet in terms of nightlife/tourism. Ill assume your friend has a car. In that case, youre better off staying on the Westside/Santa Monica area, or around Hollywood for the touristy stuff (plus the proximity to Staples).

I guess it depends what youre gonna be here for...if youve never been to LA you might want to be closer to the action, but if youre here to chill/visit your friend and catch a game, maybe you can save the money and just drive out to places. Plus you'd be in equal proximity to downtown, the OC/disneyland and if you wanna drink downtown Long Beach is nice in the area. Have fun.

came in to say something like this but way less detailed

but yeah take this advice OP and your set

torrence isnt far from LA either like 15 mins away so it doesnt really make a difference
and if you got yellow fever you will love CA

haha if thats the case, he should stay around here...japanese chicks around torrance, filipinas in carson, SE asians in long beach

 

[runningfishy]

Originally Posted by frink85

Torrance/south bay is a nice area, but pretty quiet in terms of nightlife/tourism. Ill assume your friend has a car. In that case, youre better off staying on the Westside/Santa Monica area, or around Hollywood for the touristy stuff (plus the proximity to Staples).

I guess it depends what youre gonna be here for...if youve never been to LA you might want to be closer to the action, but if youre here to chill/visit your friend and catch a game, maybe you can save the money and just drive out to places. Plus you'd be in equal proximity to downtown, the OC/disneyland and if you wanna drink downtown Long Beach is nice in the area. Have fun.

Kind of 1/2 and 1/2.  I wanna see the micro-breweries, chill, particularity around K-TOWN.  In terms of the night life thing, maybe a bar/pub.  I'm too old for the club thing already.  Is bar hopping common?

I'm guessing, I should book in LA then?

 

[runningfishy]

Originally Posted by frink85

Originally Posted by WaitWut

Originally Posted by frink85

Torrance/south bay is a nice area, but pretty quiet in terms of nightlife/tourism. Ill assume your friend has a car. In that case, youre better off staying on the Westside/Santa Monica area, or around Hollywood for the touristy stuff (plus the proximity to Staples).

I guess it depends what youre gonna be here for...if youve never been to LA you might want to be closer to the action, but if youre here to chill/visit your friend and catch a game, maybe you can save the money and just drive out to places. Plus you'd be in equal proximity to downtown, the OC/disneyland and if you wanna drink downtown Long Beach is nice in the area. Have fun.

came in to say something like this but way less detailed

but yeah take this advice OP and your set

torrence isnt far from LA either like 15 mins away so it doesnt really make a difference
and if you got yellow fever you will love CA

haha if thats the case, he should stay around here...japanese chicks around torrance, filipinas in carson, SE asians in long beach

LOL.  koreans, and japanese are good for me.  But seriously, my friend said torrance is dead, but I guess that's what all the locals say.  Really, what is there to do?  How are the people?  I'm mixed asian, so not sure if race is a big thing, like they say in COMPTON. lol.

 

[Shanegerous]

What's a hotel in the heart of la run a night?

 

[mitchellicious]

LA is a massive b word to get around without a car. I wish they'd build the subway out to Santa Monica now that they have the new shopping district and stuff out there.

 

[runningfishy]

Bump?! Seriously, cats here aren't from there?

 

[menacei2is0ciety]

I actually live in Torrance, It's a nice chill place, close to the beach, 10-15 minute drive to hermosa pier, which is a great location to bar hop.
If you want a scenic view locally, check out Palos Verdes, or if you want to hike, definitely go to the Hollywood Sign, which is about 30-45 mins from Torrance.
Other than that, Torrance is a great area, we have the 405, 110, 91 freeways surrounding and any other 'tourist' spots are no more than an hour away

 

[xbraveheartx]

Originally Posted by MenaceI2IS0ciety

I actually live in Torrance, It's a nice chill place, close to the beach, 10-15 minute drive to hermosa pier, which is a great location to bar hop.
If you want a scenic view locally, check out Palos Verdes, or if you want to hike, definitely go to the Hollywood Sign, which is about 30-45 mins from Torrance.
Other than that, Torrance is a great area, we have the 405, 110, 91 freeways surrounding and any other 'tourist' spots are no more than an hour away

Listen to this man! Torrance is a great area, I stay around in Carson but Torrance is like the middle man.. The actual LA area never really struck me as entertaining unless you're shopping.

 

[moonman818]

Honestly unless you're in Manhattan Beach or Hermosa, the southbay/torrance area sucks.


Just stay in the Hollywood or the Santa Monica area, you will thank us brah.

 

[tonelow]

If you wanna spend money on a room in Hollywood or Downtown you can but it probably isn't necessary. Traffic sucks, but you're really no more than 40 min away from everything if you stay Torrance. Besides, Manhattan/Hermosa beach can be just as fun as Hollywood at times. 

 

[runningfishy]

Mostly want to go to bars and what not, especially micro-brewery, and get into the yellow fever thing. NOthing wild, as I'm way too old alerady.

Not in the beach thing.

I'd hate to say it, but what is there to do besides shopping? lolz

 

[supremep21]

I wouldn't book in Downtown LA, it's definitely not the same as other major cities' downtowns.

 

[runningfishy]

^^ Could you elaborate? I don't get it.

 

[mitchellicious]

Warned for profanity. 

 

[justforsneaks]

there's a socal forum

 

[runningfishy]

Originally Posted by Mitchellicious

Originally Posted by SupremeP21

I wouldn't book in Downtown LA, it's definitely not the same as other major cities' downtowns.

THIS.

Downtown LA is as boring as bat****. There are no bars, no nightclubs, no shopping centers / malls, anything of that sort. It's mainly a massive business district and on the weekend, because all of the businesses are closed, it's like a ghost town around there. Not a human being in sight.

I don't know how much this has changed now that there is all that junk at Staples with the LA Live stuff, but Downtown LA is definitely one of the most boring places I've ever been. I stayed at the Grand on Wilshire Blvd on my first trip to the US, definitely was not what I was expecting

I guess I am a bit confused, could you narrow down a location that makes most sense? Thanks.

 

[mitchellicious]

Originally Posted by RunningFishy

Originally Posted by Mitchellicious

Originally Posted by SupremeP21

I wouldn't book in Downtown LA, it's definitely not the same as other major cities' downtowns.

THIS.

Downtown LA is as boring as bat****. There are no bars, no nightclubs, no shopping centers / malls, anything of that sort. It's mainly a massive business district and on the weekend, because all of the businesses are closed, it's like a ghost town around there. Not a human being in sight.

I don't know how much this has changed now that there is all that junk at Staples with the LA Live stuff, but Downtown LA is definitely one of the most boring places I've ever been. I stayed at the Grand on Wilshire Blvd on my first trip to the US, definitely was not what I was expecting

I guess I am a bit confused, could you narrow down a location that makes most sense? Thanks.

I'm not from there, so I'm honestly not too sure.

If you want nightclubs, bars, shopping stuff like that, you'd be best to stay around the Sunset/Hollywood/Beverly Hills areas. Try posting in the regional forums as well. You usually get a better response in them.

 

[supremep21]

Originally Posted by RunningFishy

^^ Could you elaborate? I don't get it.

I always tell everyone that I feel sorry for tourists that don't know any better and book a hotel room in Downtown.  It's not like Union Square in SF or anywhere really in Manhattan, where there are shops and restaurant/bars galore.  There isn't much to do besides Staples and LA Live, there are a few bars and restaurants but that's about it and if you go into the wrong part of downtown, you'll hit skid row with all of the homeless.  If you have access to a car, you can pretty much go anywhere whenever you want, so I don't really think it matters too much where you stay.  How long are you in town for?  And what are you planning to do here?

 

[runningfishy]

Originally Posted by SupremeP21

Originally Posted by RunningFishy

^^ Could you elaborate? I don't get it.

I always tell everyone that I feel sorry for tourists that don't know any better and book a hotel room in Downtown.  It's not like Union Square in SF or anywhere really in Manhattan, where there are shops and restaurant/bars galore.  There isn't much to do besides Staples and LA Live, there are a few bars and restaurants but that's about it and if you go into the wrong part of downtown, you'll hit skid row with all of the homeless.  If you have access to a car, you can pretty much go anywhere whenever you want, so I don't really think it matters too much where you stay.  How long are you in town for?  And what are you planning to do here?

Will be in town for about 7-10 days.  Just wanted to visit the city and try somethign diff't.  Aside from the shopping and catching a Lakers game, I was interested in micro-breweries and was curious about what I could actually do there.
My friend has a car, but I'm not sure of the roads to be comfortable enough to drive to LA from torrance.

Thanks for your help.

 

[supremep21]

7-10 days is plenty of time in LA.  The Omni is a nice hotel if you want to stay in downtown because downtown is pretty centralized, but like I said, there isn't much to do walking distance from the hotel.  I know there are some microbreweries in the Silverlake area, which is 10 minutes or so northwest of Downtown, but I've personally have never stopped in one.  There are a lot of bars/restaurants/shops in the Pasadena area.  There's always Hollywood with the clubs and all that, haven't been clubbing for years here so I"m not too sure what the popular ones are.  But there's a strip of bars in that area, it's kind of an artsy area and has an Undefeated store in the area as well.  As for what to do, depends on what you like to do really.  There's pretty much everything here.  Where are you coming from?  What kind of food do you like?  Are you willing to spend $$$?  Driving is no problem here as long as you have patience for traffic and as long as you have a good sense of direction.  I can give you some ideas on what to do...PM me if you want more info. 

 

[runningfishy]

Thanks SupremeP21,

One more bump.

 

[runningfishy]

WHere can I buy rare 40 oz malt liquore?