<p>I’ll be in Los Angeles for a very short business trip early Dec. There may or may not be time for sight seeing on day 2. I’d definitely have time for a nice dinner out on the first night. Perhaps also the 2nd night, since return flight from LAX is late. </p>
<p>Any suggestions? The hotel is near Culver City.</p>
<p>What kind of food do like? Will you have a car? And what is your budget? Nice can mean many things. And what sort of ambiance</p>
<p>Hmmm… I live in San Diego now and haven’t lived in the LA area since the '80s. So some of my recommendations are a little dated.</p>
<p>The Getty Villa in Malibu is fabulous, especially if you love antiquities and all things ancient as I do.</p>
<p>If you can get tickets and the Philharmonic is in town, seeing a concert at the new Disney concert hall is impressive.</p>
<p>The La Brea tar pits museum is pretty good. They are still digging up plenty of mastodon and saber-toothed cat skeletons right there in the middle of LA. Do not confuse La Brea, which is in LA, with the town of Brea, which is in Orange County. (FYI, “brea” is Spanish for “tar.” So when you say “The La Brea Tar Pits” you are actually saying “The The Tar Tar Pits.”)</p>
<p>Which LA-area beach to go to depends on what you want to see. Go to Malibu if you want/hope to bump into a celebrity (but you probably won’t see any). Go to Huntington Beach if you want to watch a lot of surfers. Go to Venice Beach if you want to see a lot of uh…“colorful characters.” Go to Laguna Beach if you want a nice little artsy beach town.</p>
<p>But most of all, enjoy yourself!</p>
<p>You don’t even need to leave Culver City! [url=<a href=“In Culver City, Calif., Art and Food Turn a Nowhere Into a Somewhere - The New York Times”>In Culver City, Calif., Art and Food Turn a Nowhere Into a Somewhere - The New York Times]In</a> Culver City, Calif., Art and Food Turn a Nowhere Into a Somewhere - NYTimes.com<a href=“Note,%20the%20article%20is%20from%202007.”>/url</a></p>
<p>I enjoyed dinners in the neighborhoods of Little Tokyo and Chinatown in downtown LA. Then I’d walk and enjoy the shops, before and after the meals. You have to drive in from Culver City to downtown, though.</p>
<p>If you have some company, try the Downtown Comedy Club, [The</a> Downtown Comedy Club](<a href=“DowntownComedyClub.com is available at DomainMarket.com. Call 888-694-6735”>http://downtowncomedyclub.com/) open Fri, Sat nights and some Thursdays. Not fancy; for the adventurous only.</p>
<p>The LA County Museum of Art, closed Wednesdays, is open every other evening until 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. on a Friday. [Plan</a> Your Visit | LACMA](<a href=“http://www.lacma.org/visit/plan-your-visit]Plan”>http://www.lacma.org/visit/plan-your-visit)</p>
<p>QUIRKY…Right in Culver City is the Museum of Jurassic Technology. It’s not about dinosaurs. It is full of many strange and wonderful collections.of…Things! Indescribable! [Almost</a> Current Exhibits](<a href=“http://www.mjt.org/exhibits/exhibitsnew.html]Almost”>Almost Current Exhibits) On Thursday nights, open until 8 p.m.; otherwise until 6 p.m. Homepage [The</a> Museum of Jurassic Technology](<a href=“http://www.mjt.org/themainpage/main2.html]The”>The Museum of Jurassic Technology)</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned before that I like Talia’s and Cafe Pierre in Manhattan Beach. MB Post is also popular, but I haven’t tried it yet. The downtown area has lots of nice restaurants and it’s right on the beach, only a couple of miles from LAX.</p>
<p>In Culver City Ford’s Filling Station is very trendy. In Beverly Hills (I am granting that you truly mean nice) Spago’s (some celebs are there…definitely make reservations), The Grill on the Alley (traditional steak/seafood), Maestros (steak). Matsuhista (Japanese), Izakaya (very young, noisy…reality “stars”). Cut (steak) and Wolfgang’s…LaScala, Il Pastaio (Italian) are all good. All require reservations, except Il Pastaio which doesn’t accept them.</p>
<p>I haven’t been to the Getty in Malibu, which ellebud recommended, but I think the one in LA is spectacular. It has amazing views and gardens, in addition to the art. I think the Malibu exhibits change, so I would check online if you are considering either.</p>
<p>Laguna Beach is a good 1.5hr drive from LA.</p>
<p>More sightseeing ideas:</p>
<p>[Pacific</a> Standard Time - Exhibitions](<a href=“Homepage | PST ART: Art & Science Collide”>Homepage | PST ART: Art & Science Collide)</p>
<p>Yelp Restaurants Culver City, CA and you can pinpoint eateries how far from your hotel, if you want to repark or walk if nearby and safe.</p>
<p>Great hints and links. Thanks so much! </p>
<p>Yes, I will have a car available. Since the amount of free time is still TBD (possibly as much as a full day)… it’s great to have a variety of input. </p>
<p>" And what is your budget? Nice can mean many things." - Still thinking on that. One perk of a compressed trip is the ability to splurge a bit without too much guilt. But I may not be ready for LA sticker shock. Yelp will be helpful.</p>
<p>I may have a bit of room in the suitcase. Any recommended gift items in LA area that would be unique if I have time to shop?</p>
<p>See’s Candy, which you can get at the airport.
Homeboy Industries Tortilla Chips (most supermarkets)</p>
<p>^^See’s candy is hardly unique to SoCal. I see it being sold in malls and airports in many states these days.</p>
<p>No one mentioned traffic? Don’t plan anything involving a longer drive during the broad rush hour period. From Culver City, it is an easy hop to Beverly Hills. Or, to Westwood. Closest Beach is Santa Monica, also a neat visit. It’s what, 4 miles or so from CC to SM? Enjoy. Bring some sort of jacket as nights can be cooler than days. Jealous.</p>
<p>Also, in CC, can’t you still drive past the MGM/Sony Studio lots, peek at the sets? Don’t know what’s still visible from the road, but after years in that area, it still always gave me a little rush. Someone will need to confirm whether they still have any of the outdoor sets in place.</p>
<p>If your free day/time is on Friday or Saturday, the California Mart is open or having a Saturday Sample Sale, if that’s your style of shopping. Items are very inexpensive, but limited quanitites/sizes, etc.<br>
[CALIFORNIA</a> MARKET CENTER (THE CMC)](<a href=“http://www.californiamart.com/]CALIFORNIA”>http://www.californiamart.com/) or goggle the saturday sale</p>
<p>Thank you for call out…but I didn’t mention the Getty on this thread. However, it is wonderful…the one in Malibu (mostly antiquities) and the one on Sepulveda. But check Sepulveda/fwy closures due to construction on the 405.</p>
<p>Venice Beach is fun depending on the weather. THE Farmers Market and the Grove is interesting. Oh, and Monday through Friday Mario Lopez does his show live from the Grove. Beverly Hills has a trolley that gives tours of the city for very little. (There was a point that it passed my house…if I heard that DING DING! one more time…) The hours of operation vary widely by season so check with the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. Greystone Mansion may be open for tours when you are here. </p>
<p>In the Pasadena area (fairly far from Culver City) there is the Huntington Library/gardens/museum.</p>
<p>Paramount studios in Burbank has a private tour of the studio. You ride around in a golf cart. Very personalized and different than the Universal one. No shows or rides. But either is interesting.</p>
<p>ellebud…I think you are referring to the Warner Bros tour. They have the “private” tour that you can (and should) book ahead online. <a href=“http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com/[/url]”>http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com/</a>
Paramount is in Hollywood.
You might want to steer clear of Pasadena in the next week. Our winds have wreaked havoc and most of us are not expecting power until Monday or Tuesday.</p>
<p>OMG, you are right…Warner Bros. (S was at Paramount today. I have Paramount on the brain. 
)</p>
<p>Hope that all who are out of power will get it soon. Pasadena seems like it s a mess!</p>
<p>That paramount tour looks interesting. Plus it appears there is plenty of space available on reservation. If my time to fill is long enough, I lean toward Paramount tour. It sounds fun. Hmmm… I’d better go look at a map though.</p>