Los Angeles Master Thread

[kangarruu]

Got back yesterday from our weekend trip to LA. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, and of course for the tipoff on the Delta glitch. Most of what we did has been hashed and rehashed so we'll spare you, but here are some things we thought people would find helpful.


St Regis Monarch Beach:

- We stayed at the St. Regis for Shabbat. As everyone has mentioned, the property is really beautiful and the atmosphere is very relaxing. The service is top notch, and they were extremely accomodating to our needs (they gave us an extra fridge at no charge, disabled the electronic keys, and told us we could light candles in the room without any issues) If we had to be honest though, it was quite boring staying over Shabbat. It was chilly and overcast both days, so we didn't sit out by the pool or beach. They also had several weddings so certain areas were blocked off. Would definitely not recommend bringing teenagers there over Shabbat unless you want them climbing on the walls.

- We did manage to avoid the valet/self parking fees by parking on the street a few minute's walk from the resort. The street right past the resort (If you're driving with the St. Regis on your right) is called Stonehill and is basically a full block of unrestricted parking. The walk is 5-7 minutes at most.

-Warming up food there was a snap. We brought a griddle (purchased during one of the Kohl's appliance rebate deals) and just covered the temperature knob. As per everyone's recommendation we stopped by LA on the way and picked up food from a bunch of recommended places (Mexikosher, Got Kosher, Jeff's, Ralph's). Doesn't look so appetizing but it was all very delicious.




SLS Beverly Hills:

Again, not much to say that hasn't been said. This place is cool. Very cool. Although we were told that there were no reliable parking options nearby other than the $38 valet fee, we parked on the block directly behind the hotel without any issues. St is called Le Doux Rd and has signs indicating 2 hour parking 8 am to midnight. We parked there overnight, which gave us till 10 am to move the car. Only other restriction was 8 am - 10 Tuesday for cleaning.

- Pool is beautiful but small and crowded. Not the type of place I was comfortable donning shvimkleid...

3rd Street Promenade/Santa Monica Pier:
- (Apparently we're dispensing parking advice today) Not sure if this is common knowledge but there are a bunch of parking structures that are free for the first 1.5-2 hours and then very cheap after that. One that is closest to the pier is called Parking Structure 8 and is located on Colorado and Second St (Entrance on Colorado) which is a block from the pier. The sign outside displays how many spots are available, and inside there are lights above the parking spots indicating if they're open.

La Gondola:
Oh my. Despite having browsed their menu several times we still sat and stared at it at the restaurant while visibly salivating. Our waiter was kind enough to inform us that the Chai Steak and the Rustika Steak are actually just the same cut with different sauces/accompaniments. He recommended we get the Rustika and brought us the Chai sauce on the side. We're very glad we did that, as I am still dreaming about it. A warning to the ladies, they will try to ply you with liquor. Do not resist.

Hmm apparently I didn't spare you all the details. Well now you have our Kauai TR to look forward to in 2 weeks 

[Yehoshua]

Im going to be staying at the LeMaridian Delphina in Santa Monica. Whats the best bike rental in the area? What shul is closest and are there any restaurants close by? Anything else I should know?  Thanks!

Check the wiki map. It has answers to all your questions.

[BigDanFan]

 kangarruu: Curious if you did it all over again, would you have switched it up by going to SLS for Shabbos and St. Regis for weekdays?

[CR]

Any advice about family friendly hotels (starwood or hyatt brands) in the los angeles area. I am traveling this summer to LA with my husband and 4 children ( one is a baby) and was wondering if there are hotels that would accommodate our family size. Please let me know your experience with the different hotels when traveling with kids. Thank you.

[mercaz1]

anyone ever stay at the Hyatt place in El Segundo? how is it? is it near anything kosher, attractions.
its not in the wiki map before anyone suggests I look there.

any advice at all is greatly appreciated

[MC]

anyone ever stay at the Hyatt place in El Segundo? how is it? is it near anything kosher, attractions.
its not in the wiki map before anyone suggests I look there.

any advice at all is greatly appreciated

It's about 20 minutes (with no traffic) from anything kosher.

[mercaz1]

It's about 20 minutes (with no traffic) from anything kosher.

are the rooms decent? pool nice?
close to any attractions?

[springles]

anyone ever stay at the Hyatt place in El Segundo? how is it? is it near anything kosher, attractions.
its not in the wiki map before anyone suggests I look there.

any advice at all is greatly appreciated

You can search for it on the map and then it will show you where it is in relation to the rest of the plotted places on the map. 

I can always add it to the wiki map if its a place people have stayed in and recommend

[MC]

are the rooms decent? pool nice?
close to any attractions?

I haven't been there, so I can't say.
Look at the map on the wiki. There's a small purple icon near Manhattan Beach and right above that is El Segundo.... That should help you see how far it is from the major attractions.

[BigDanFan]

Any advice about family friendly hotels (starwood or hyatt brands) in the los angeles area. I am traveling this summer to LA with my husband and 4 children ( one is a baby) and was wondering if there are hotels that would accommodate our family size. Please let me know your experience with the different hotels when traveling with kids. Thank you.

the LA hotel issues are more to do with the high cost of these hotels in the summer (SPG is 16,000 - 20,000+ per night)
if you can afford that - you're in luck! The "W" in Westwood has 3 room suites.
Generally imo however, the ambience of bathing suits and boyfriend/girlfriend activity and blasting music is more of an issue than looking into with "hotels that would accommodate family size". The airport hotels are more affordable, but not as much fun, and still takes time to get to the Kosher restaurants as shuls (but that wasn't in your original question)
Maybe the LeMeridien in SM is a good choice if you can get 2 rooms per night or a big suite, but still pricey and takes a while to get to restaurants, etc

[kangarruu]

kangarruu: Curious if you did it all over again, would you have switched it up by going to SLS for Shabbos and St. Regis for weekdays?

Nah, I doubt it. I'm not so familiar with what there is to do in that area in general, but most of what we came to see is in the main LA area so the driving wouldn't have made any sense. I would say it makes sense for people who want to focus on whale watching/boating and other shore-type activities that are common in that area. Plus I imagine the SLS would have been more difficult to navigate on shabbat.

[PlatinumGuy]

Anything doing Shabbos in Bel Air?

[Yehoshua]

Anything doing Shabbos in Bel Air?

Chabad. That's it AFAIK.

[gavhaller]

Wondering where the best place would be to spend shabbos. Any ideas?
I read a few pages upstream about the chabad in Newport beach and that they have a kiddush. - any hyatts around there? I have a ton of points and I wouldn't mind using them before spending extra cash. THANKS!

[Yehoshua]

Wondering where the best place would be to spend shabbos. Any ideas?
I read a few pages upstream about the chabad in Newport beach and that they have a kiddush. - any hyatts around there? I have a ton of points and I wouldn't mind using them before spending extra cash. THANKS!

Did you check out the wiki and/or the wiki map? The map in particular will give you a good idea of how things are spread out in LA.

[gavhaller]

Did you check out the wiki and/or the wiki map? The map in particular will give you a good idea of how things are spread out in LA.

yeah i did already and im trying to get a feel of how anybody else experienced shabbos here. Obviously theres not much to do on shabbos  and looking for a quiet and relaxing place - that's kind of where I came up with the newport beach idea.

[Yehoshua]

yeah i did already and im trying to get a feel of how anybody else experienced shabbos here. Obviously theres not much to do on shabbos  and looking for a quiet and relaxing place - that's kind of where I came up with the newport beach idea.

There are Hyatts near there. Kangarruu stayed at the St. Regis (which I'm sure you read). Other than that, you can stay in the Jewish communities in LA in a nice hotel with lots of shuls that have good kidushim.

[mercaz1]

which hotel is the best to stay for Shabbos
Shabbos rooms? near shuls?

[Yehoshua]

which hotel is the best to stay for Shabbos
Shabbos rooms? near shuls?

This has been discussed extensively upthread. Check the wiki map for distances.

[LAXtraveler]

which hotel is the best to stay for Shabbos
Shabbos rooms? near shuls?

In the Pico/Robertson area, Crowne Plaza has shabbos keys and is down the block from pretty much any shul you may be interested in going to. There is also the Residence Inn on the opposite corner, but I am not sure if they have Shabbos keys.

As was mentioned, take a quick read of the thread, and you will see what is available.