<p>Hi fellow cc parents- need some advice. Our rising senior son is going to a Duke TIP field institute called REEL EXPRESSIONS:FILMMAKING end of July for 2 1/2 weeks. He will fly up alone, but my husband, 19 and 13 year old sons and I are going to fly up to take him. We are from Ga. and have never been to California. 19 year old is taking a college class so we cannot leave until Fri morning and must come back Sunday after we check in our son. Need suggestions for hot spots to visit since we only have a day and a half and best hotel in the vicinity/walking distance to tourist spots. Suggestions for tours to take and dining options welcome as well! Thanks so much in advance!</p>
<p>sorry- I meant he will fly home alone, but the family will be flying up with him to take him to the class.</p>
<p>Where in LA is your son studying?</p>
<p>For me the go to attraction is the beach. I love the people watching in Venice, as well as the canals (seriously, there are canals), and for quality of beach I adore Malibu.</p>
<p>You flying in Orange County or LAX?
The program is at Chapman which is in the OC.
You basically will be spending a majority of your prime time in a car because summer weekend traffic means beach traffic and it is a beast.
Eat at every In and Out you see.
Order your burger “animal style.”
Get fries and shakes.</p>
<p>For just a couple of days? If you want to visit a studio, book the Warner Bros. tour ahead of time. As opposed to Universal, it’s actually a real studio tour:
[About</a> The Tours | Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour](<a href=“Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood | Los Angeles, California”>Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood | Los Angeles, California)</p>
<p>Hollywood itself is rather seedy and I would not recommend staying there. The “tourist spots” on Hollywood BLVD will take you all of a miserable 30 minutes. I would assume that you are renting a car? Would you be interested in staying on the West Side or Beverly Hills?</p>
<p>Hollywood isn’t all that seedy anymore. I love hanging out and shopping there. Honestly, my only complaint about Hollywood and Highland is it is too crowded. It’s close to Paramount Studios if you want to tour a working studio though I agree that Warner Bros is the better tour.</p>
<p>IF it’s Orange County, well then scratch everything I said about Venice, hit Huntington Beach which is great, or for something unique, Laguna Beach hosts the Pageant of the Masters every year where they have live people recreate famous paintings. It’s really interesting and the beach there is incredible. It’s a bit of a drive from the Chapman area but I think worth it.</p>
<p>From someone who passes through there on a weekly basis…believe me that to many, Hollywood is still seedy. (Maybe not compared to some parts of downtown LA, but seedy nonetheless)</p>
<p>When I first moved to Los Angeles, there were still prostitutes on every corner. Now there’s a Gelsons. Hollywood has come a LONG way, as has Downtown for that matter. I personally love it there.</p>
<p>I know…now there is a Gelsons and the prostitutes are just on every THIRD corner. 
I’ve lived in LA (in and out of Hollywood) for most of my too long life and I guess I need more than a Gelsons to convince me that Hollywood is now a garden spot. I understand its attraction to the young since I lived there in my twenties and my D lived there as a grad student (just moved out of her apartment that was two block off the BLVD.) She was just too tired of the scudgey street people dressed up in dirty super hero costumes. She called me on a weekly basis with stories that made my hair stand up on end. The best one being the time she woke up to screams outside her window…two Darth Vaders were trying to kill each other. Each claimed that the spot in front of Graumans was their birth right.</p>
<p>If you’re flying into LAX, I’d probably suggest Santa Monica beach and surroundings if I only had Saturday, which is what it sounds like from your post. The kids could go to the beach, hang out at the pier and relax. Newport is much nicer and more upscale, but with the teenagers, I think they might have more fun in Santa Monica. There are a range of hotels and motels, depending on what you had in mind.
If you’re coming into O.C. airport, then you might prefer staying in Newport or Laguna Beach. You’ll have no trouble finding places to eat in SoCal. The problem will be deciding, and the food is generally very good. </p>
<p>[Santa</a> Monica Hotels and Resorts: Where to Stay in Southern California](<a href=“http://www.santamonica.com/where-to-stay/]Santa”>http://www.santamonica.com/where-to-stay/)</p>
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<p>LA isn’t like NY or DC - I wouldn’t count on walking anywhere. </p>
<p>If I only had a day and half in LA, I would probably spend an hour or so just driving around Beverly Hills / Brentwood. The atmosphere and the residential architecture are nothing like GA, and we found it very interesting to see. Then we really enjoyed going to the Warner Bros or Universal tours - they were interesting to both our 20something daughter, and her parents. Not sure you’d have much time left, but if you do, you might want to see the view from the Observatory. (Normally I’d recommend the Getty, but you won’t have time.) If you do have time to do it, I agree with Trojanchick that Venice Beach merits a trip, but it does take a while to drive out there. If you only have an hour or two left, actually I’d suggest a dinner out in Culver City. It’s where hundreds of the most famous films were done. I love the Art Decco of Culver City - it’s almost like visiting the California of the 1950’s, but with modern restaurants.</p>
<p>You’re buying four additional round-trip tickets to spend one and a half tourist days? If you’ve not already bought the tickets, consider just saving the money and doing the trip when there’s more time to spend enjoying the sights. </p>
<p>If you already have tickets, I agree with trojanchick about Pageant of the Masters (and the Sawdust Arts Festival) and the beach. Add in some good Mexican food (the view from Las Brisas in Laguna Beach is great, though foodies will say you can go elsewhere to get something more genuine) and that’s one day.</p>