Modern Buddy

On our way today going to L.A. To visit my aunt. She has leukemia and is rapidly fading away. The secondary purpose is to see some of California. We also intend to visit my wife's half sister whom we've never met, she lives in big pine. We want to also see "the big trees", some of the coastal highway, the Pacific Ocean, visit my nephew in tehachapi.

1). Hotel in flagstaff suggestion? looking for safe and prefer a decent breakfast. Lowest price is good but not afraid to spend more coin if its ideal. We normally stay in cheap motels as long as there clean.

2). Camping suggestions?

3). Favorite beach? Prefer quite without crowds. Something remote is okay, within 2 hours of LA would be best. Near a campground would be nice too.

4). Suggestions of things to see would be nice as well.


We're going back through Colorado.

Shopping is good on Melrose Ave. but you really gotta know how to haggle. Don't take the prices at face value. Northern Cal. is where the red wood trees are in the Yosemite national park. It is a lovely place to visit but it's WAY out of the way of L.A. The beaches are all pretty crowded about this time cos the heat. Might be good to try the beach on a weekday. I'd suggest Hermosa beach, Laguna, or the pier in Santa Monica or Venice. Everything in California is pricy though. Especially L.A. and up north in SF Hollywood walk of fame is cool and 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica is good for shopping. Try the website Visit L.A. that might help better than I can. Just allow for a LOT of traffic because L.A. is spread out so driving is a must. although the MTA is getting better and the tickets are transferable between the subway and the busses...

Unfortunately both the redwood trees and the less crowded beaches are in Northern California - a heck of a long way from LA. San Diego parks and beaches are worth a visit in my opinion, but you will find plenty of people .

Santa Barbara is a gorgeous area - about 2 hours outside of LA. Refugio State Beach looks to be a very pleasant beach.

Ventura also has a beach, isn't very crowded, and has a quaint downtown with a Mission.

One thing: just remember the Pacific Ocean is cold. Not nearly as warm as the Atlantic.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is worth a visit - and a couple of blocks from the La Brea Tarpits along Wilshire.

The observatory in Griffith Park is worth a visit - cool planetarium and you can pretend to be James Dean while you're there.

Oh, also be sure to hit Bob's Big Boy in Burbank (Toluca Lake). Friday nights are a bit of a zoo because all the vintage cars show up. If you're lucky you can sit at the table the Beatles sat at. At any rate, the place is vintage to the T and Bob Hope used to go there back when he worked for NBC.

Sorry to hear about your aunt.

How long will you be in town and when are you coming? Always lots to see and do.

Big Pine is just under Yosemite and very close to Sequoia National Park. Plenty of camping and big trees around there.

If you want to camp on (or right next to) a beach near LA, you can do so at Refugio State Beach or El Capitàn State Beach near Santa Barbara, less than 90 minutes away. I haven't camped there, though. Info at http://www.parks.ca.gov .

Possibly even better is camping at the Channel Islands or Catalina Island. Both are accessible primarily by boat or ferry.

You can also camp in the Santa Monica Mountains just east of the coast, from southern Ventura County, past Malibu. I spend a lot of time in this area (riding) and it's really beautiful. Haven't camped because it's too close! http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/camping.htm

Further inland, there's camping up in the Angeles National Forest, just north of the city. Parts of it (Lake Castaic, Lake Elizabeth) may be closed due to recent fires.

In the city, Griffith Observatory and the Park are also among my favorite places. They're right by Hollywood if you feel compelled to see all that stuff. If you go to either, Trails Cafe is a hidden gem at the bottom of the park — many lifetime locals have never been — and they have some of the best pie I've ever had. Great outdoor space for having breakfast or a snack and people watching.

The rest just depends on what you're into. Lots of good exhibits at area museums right now. LACMA is across from the Petersen and has two great shows up right now.

All kinds of great food, from cheap street food to four-dollar-sign dining. Another of my favorite places is the Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax, where you can get Malaysian food, Cajun, some of the best Mexican in the city, French, amazing crepes, Brazilian and so on all under one roof. They also have a couple bars in there and my pick for best donuts in the city, Bob's.

If you're here over a weekend, there are several great places to see outdoor movies, including the lawn of the Motion Picture Academy and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Several Fridays during the summer, they have wine tasting and picnicking at the Barnsdall Art Park outside a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house.

And if you're driving around, watch out for lane splitters.

gar1013 wrote:Oh, also be sure to hit Bob's Big Boy in Burbank (Toluca Lake). Friday nights are a bit of a zoo because all the vintage cars show up. If you're lucky you can sit at the table the Beatles sat at. At any rate, the place is vintage to the T and Bob Hope used to go there back when he worked for NBC.

Also where some of our scooter group rides depart from.

We arrived in Fontana last night. Had some trouble finding a room due to the 4 kids. But we stayed at the choice in Fontana for $95. Which seems fair to me. We're not into the movies and Hollywood thing. Unfortunately we're on a slim budget as well. The kids are excited about seeing the ocean today though.

If you're in Fontana, then you're 30 minutes away from Fender in Corona, and I believe that they now offer tours.

Griffith Park & the Observatory are free (unless you hit up the planetarium).

The Petersen museum is $12 per adult, $3 per kid 5-12 (under 5 = free!)


It's a good thing you're not into the "hollywood thing", because too many people go to Hollywood thinking it has something to do with the movies -- it really doesn't.

I didn't read this thread because I read la as Louisiana, no LA. I could have made some suggestions on hotels in Flag. Where did you stay?

As gar1031 stated: Hollywood just shows new movies and is where some stars live cos it's closer to the studios in north Hollywood. I would think that most movie stars would live in Malibu or more west in Beverly Hills...

Drum Pro wrote:As gar1031 stated: Hollywood just shows new movies and is where some stars live cos it's closer to the studios in north Hollywood. I would think that most movie stars would live in Malibu or more west in Beverly Hills...

Yup. Malibu and Beverly Hills would be high on the list, but we also have a reasonable population out here in the Conejo Valley as well.

Tom Selleck and Jamie Foxx are neighbors along what has to rank as my favorite road in California.

Before we had our son, one nice perk of living down here was how many test screenings you could be a part of. Not going to divulge names of movies, but there may have been some scooter related content in one of them.

You're more likely to see someone famous hanging out in Whole Foods all day than looking around Hollywood! I work in Hollywood (the location, not "the industry") and all I can say is that you'd really have to know where to look.

My 70-year-old father who lives overseas recently asked if I see any celebrities. "Sure, Dad, all the time."
"Like Tom Cruise?"
"Uh, no, he doesn't really go out and hang out in public much."
"Oh… okay… What about Jessica Biel?"
"No, not her either."

Jessica Biel?!? Kinda creepy Dad.