California

[the_yellow_dart]

My girlfriend and I are going to be heading down to San Fran then LA at the end of June.

We're going to fly into SF, stay about 4/5 days, rent a car and drive to LA, stay about 3/4 days, then fly back from there.

LA I really don't know that much about. Where are the safe areas to stay? Is transit good enough to get around with down there, or should I keep the rental car for our days in LA? Also, what should we see?

San Fran I think I can handle planning on my own, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I last visited Southern California in March of 2006. I'd say visit Laguna Beach, as it is a very beautiful city & beach area (I only had time to go to one beach, but Huntington Beach was also recommended). One nice thing about Laguna Beach is that the Pacific Coast Highway goes right through the town, close to the beach, and you'll see all kinds of interesting cars & trucks drive by. If you and the gf are Disney fans, I'd definitely say take a trip to Disneyland. The Disney Corporation did a recent renovation to the place and I hear it is much nicer and cleaner - almost the way Walt had it - again. Disney California Adventure is next door and is a nice place to visit, but is currently undergoing a massive renovation/re-theming project. If you love a good fried chicken dinner, I'd recommend a visit to Knotts Berry Farm (it's also an amusement park, but I think you can go just for dinner too). A trip to Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk is nice, and you never know what movie/tv show will be filming while you're there. A tour of Los Angeles is nice (there are plenty of small bus tours available), see Grauman's Chinese Theater, there's a great Farmers Market to go to for lunch & shopping, see familiar sights from tv & movies, and of course a visit to the Peterson Automotive Museum would be nice :AH-HA_wink:

[Robert Hall]

Some highlights for me from visits to So Cal over the last 8-10 years include the Santa Monica Pier (I've stayed at hotels near there several times), 3rd st Promenade in Santa Monica, CityWalk, Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollyood and the nearby Hollywood & Highland shopping area (some good restaurants there), Roscoes Chicken and Waffles, driving on Mullholland Drive and the various canyons of Beverly Hills (Laurel Canyon, etc), driving through BH and Bel Air and along Santa Monica Blvd is great for car watching... I've enjoyed seeing various landmarks also, like the Griffith Park Observatory, LA City Hall, and the Capitol Records building. The Petersen is a must for car fans, and the NHRA Museum out in Pomona is very nice also. If you like art museums, I recommend visits to the Getty, LACMA and MOCA. There is a lot to see...

I've enjoyed the drive down the PCH through the OC beach towns, as well as up through Malibu and beyond.

The Angeles Crest Highway is a great drive also, going up in the mountains.

I always try and rent a Mustang convertible when I'm in So Cal, when the weather is nice. Had a 350Z coupe one time, that was a lot of fun.

[Justin Bimmer]

Some of the private hotels in SF are offering pretty good deals right now. I think you can get a room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill for under 200 a night right now.

KEEP THE CAR IN LA!

KEEP THE CAR IN LA!

KEEP THE CAR IN LA!

Do not rely on mass transit there.

Safe places in LA it depends greatly on the type of hotel you are staying it.

[Croc]

OK Here's the thing: YOU WANT A CAR IN LA. Some transit between some areas is good, but the overall system is lacking. LA was designed largely for the car, and that's the best way to experience it.

As far as safe places to stay are concerned, I would recommend staying either downtown or along the coast in one of the Beach cities. Downtown has alright nightlife now that LA Live opened, and there are some great bars/clubs to be had. Downtown is also a very central location allowing you to go just about everywhere in 20 minutes. If you want something more coastal, I recommend Venice or Santa Monica if you want a lot of shopping opportunities, or Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach if you want clean beaches and some of the night scene. Hermosa is club central, Redondo has a fantastic pier, and Manhattan is really quiet with a clean beach and great upscale restaurants.

As far as things to see, there are too many to even attempt to list. I suggest you get this: City Walks: Los Angeles:50 Adventures on Foot. Great resource, though IMO they could easily have done 100.

As far as places to eat...Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is fantastic, and they have 5 locations. Yelp the closest one to wherever you end up staying. Fred 62's in Los Feliz Village is another awesome place, and it's 24/7. For a good Chinese dinner, go to CBS Seafood in Chinatown. For great dim sum, go to 888 Seafood in Rosemead. If you've never had it before, go to In-N-Out--the best fast food chain--but check out their secret menu before you go, because I think anything animal-style is better. In Manhattan Beach (also in Hermosa, but I haven't been to that location), there's an incredible Italian place called Mama D's. Chosun Galbee is a good Korean place in K-Town, and Ruem Pair is an amazing place in Thai Town. La Dijonaise is a french bistro in Culver City with the best croissants I have had in the US. Just yelp all of these, and use yelp to find other things you might be interested in.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I took the Pontiac Custom-S on a Western States road trip last summer, we visited Baja California and California, my only suggestion is, don't go when they have an earthquake like we did ...

[the_yellow_dart]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Croc]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. And if you want to, get this book as a primer for driving in LA: http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Drive-Freewa...8243&sr=1-1

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

Oy LA traffic ><

LA is a big place, lots to do, lots of neat things to see, but oh boy the traffic ><

Enjoy your trip to SoCal, hopefully you will be able to see some of the Californian Gold colored mountains that non-Californians seem to enjoy so much.

[Croc]

The traffic isn't that bad...Chicago's is much, MUCH worse, and LA has like 9M+ people in the metro region. You just have to know how to time it, and whether/which surface streets may be faster (hence, the book).

[pow]

Buy a Garmin nuvi for $120 or so if you haven't already. An iPhone with Google Traffic is helpful as well.

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

The traffic isn't that bad...Chicago's is much, MUCH worse, and LA has like 9M+ people in the metro region. You just have to know how to time it, and whether/which surface streets may be faster (hence, the book).

Well its bad compared to what I'm used to, which is no gridlock ever

Although i do recall leaving LA one night after a Dodger game and there being absolutely no one on the I5, that was nice.

[pow]

The traffic isn't that bad...Chicago's is much, MUCH worse, and LA has like 9M+ people in the metro region. You just have to know how to time it, and whether/which surface streets may be faster (hence, the book).

Agreed.

If you're driving from one one end of the LA metro area to the other, you'll want to pull your hair out. But then the region is so vast and sprawling it'll take hours even with minimal traffic. It's best to stick with one or two areas per day.

[Croc]

Agreed.

If you're driving from one one end of the LA metro area to the other, you'll want to pull your hair out. But then the region is so vast and sprawling it'll take hours even with minimal traffic. It's best to stick with one or two areas per day.

Exactly--it's huge by any measure (population, geographic area, etc.). How many places exist where you fly over the entire metro region with no end in sight for the entirety of the final decent? It just goes on seemingly forever...

[the_yellow_dart]

After researching a bit more and realizing how expensive rental cars and hotels are, I think we'll just stick to San Fran and forget the Los Angeles part. Can't really afford it.

[Camino LS6]

In that case, take a day to go to Muir Wood.

Priceless experience.

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

After researching a bit more and realizing how expensive rental cars and hotels are, I think we'll just stick to San Fran and forget the Los Angeles part. Can't really afford it.

Aww, well there is an old WW2 Diesel Sub out in the bay if you like that sort of thing up in SF.

[trinacriabob]

I think we'll just stick to San Fran and forget the Los Angeles part.

:angry2:

Well, then I'll only go to Montreal and forget Toronto. Just kidding, of course. So you'll be missing out on my hometown.

LA can be done in a 3-day period and you can see a lot (if you skip the amusement parks/studio tours)

Day one: Downtown LA major things (fairly compact), tacky Hollywood must-sees and Beverly Hills

Day two: Santa Monica, Malibu and the South Bay

Day three: Orange County highlights OR coastline to Santa Barbara OR Angeles Crest/nearby mountains OR other type of day trip

About San Francisco, if you are there on a weekend, take the BART train UNDER THE BAY and check out the street vendors in Berkeley...a veritable time warp, with lots of tye-dye wearing people who make you wonder how they can afford to live in the Bay Area to begin with...just walk out of the BART station onto Shattuck Avenue and you will see some interesting people...I don't remember if it's on Saturday or Sunday. The Berkeley campus is also interesting, in general.

[Croc]

Bob, what the hell is there to see/do in Malibu? It's a 45-minute drive from downtown, and other than seeing the view driving along PCH, there is NOTHING to do there--there are a lot of gated communities and "private" beaches you can't get to. I use quotations because all beaches are technically public, but Malibu has been in litigation against this since the 1970s and the du jour situation is that you cannot access the beaches with any ease at all without the key to the gate that only private homeowners have direct access to.

[Justin Bimmer]

If you are a costco member, they offer some pretty good discounts on rental cars. Also, booking a combo with travelocity or orbitz tends to help your rates as well.

[trinacriabob]

Bob, what the hell is there to see/do in Malibu? It's a 45-minute drive from downtown, and other than seeing the view driving along PCH, there is NOTHING to do there--there are a lot of gated communities and "private" beaches you can't get to. I use quotations because all beaches are technically public, but Malibu has been in litigation against this since the 1970s and the du jour situation is that you cannot access the beaches with any ease at all without the key to the gate that only private homeowners have direct access to.

Day two could look like this:

- go to the Getty Museum

- drive along Sunset into the Palisades taking a detour here and there to check out some nice homes

- drive up to Malibu to see the ocean, the old Malibu Pier, get the view from Pepperdine, eat at Gladstone's or other place (try Leo Carrillo State Beach, it feels 200 miles away from LA, or even Zuma Beach can be ok)

- drive down to the South Bay and check out beach strand in Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo and get a quick glance at the Marina del Rey en route

- drive up to the northward outlook of Palos Verdes to see the curve of Santa Monica Bay which is worth a few photos

- return to Santa Monica and spend an evening in Iran/Armenia/Israel/Mexico/surfer land/movie star wannabe land and get a good dinner while peoplewatching

It's all good.

[Croc]

Day two could look like this:

- go to the Getty Museum

- drive along Sunset into the Palisades taking a detour here and there to check out some nice homes

- drive up to Malibu to see the ocean, the old Malibu Pier, get the view from Pepperdine, eat at Gladstone's or other place (try Leo Carrillo State Beach, it feels 200 miles away from LA, or even Zuma Beach can be ok)

- drive down to the South Bay and check out beach strand in Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo and get a quick glance at the Marina del Rey en route

- drive up to the northward outlook of Palos Verdes to see the curve of Santa Monica Bay which is worth a few photos

- return to Santa Monica and spend an evening in Iran/Armenia/Israel/Mexico/surfer land/movie star wannabe land and get a good dinner while peoplewatching

It's all good.

Ummm...#3 is the only one that actually is in Malibu, and even Gladstone's is a stretch at the base of Pacific Palisades. Getty is a must, but the Sepulveda Pass is not Malibu. Unless you're referring to the other Getty property, but I'm not sure of its status--after the fires up there I thought it was damaged?

I dunno...I think the time would be better spent in the Westwood/Santa Monica/Venice area instead of going alllllllll the way up to Malibu. That way you could work in the Ballona Wetlands and the Beach cities more easily and with less commuting.

[Robert Hall]

Ummm...#3 is the only one that actually is in Malibu, and even Gladstone's is a stretch at the base of Pacific Palisades. Getty is a must, but the Sepulveda Pass is not Malibu. Unless you're referring to the other Getty property, but I'm not sure of its status--after the fires up there I thought it was damaged?

I dunno...I think the time would be better spent in the Westwood/Santa Monica/Venice area instead of going alllllllll the way up to Malibu. That way you could work in the Ballona Wetlands and the Beach cities more easily and with less commuting.

I remember one time when I was out there, starting in Hollywood I drove out Sunset Blvd and thru Brentwood and Pacific Palisades to the Will Rogers State Park, kind of a nice park..the up thru Malibu and then took one of the canyon roads over the mountains back to the 405...

Another area further south I like to drive around is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the in-laws of a friend of mine live in Rancho Palos Verdes, was over there a couple years ago for dinner w/ them.

[trinacriabob]

I dunno...I think the time would be better spent in the Westwood/Santa Monica/Venice area instead of going alllllllll the way up to Malibu. That way you could work in the Ballona Wetlands and the Beach cities more easily and with less commuting.

One way or another, a 3-day tourist to LA needs to get some sand in between their toes.

Malibu is the most "rural," so it has a good feel. People more representative of what LA "used to be" are more likely to be found in Manhattan and Hermosa, Redondo had a decent pier and Torrance's beach south of there offers a nice view of "the sweep" of the bay, Santa Monica actually has a crappy beach and parking is expensive...and wait...for some Bohemian (as Berkeley or Santa Cruz as it gets in SoCal) vibes, Venice Beach may be ok...but not after the sun goes down.

So many (stupid) people bash LA. I showed LA to my cousin from Europe in 3 days the "right way" and she was impressed....a city that just can't be explained! A palm-lined waterfront and snow-capped mountains behind the downtown skyline. What's there to bash?

[Croc]

One way or another, a 3-day tourist to LA needs to get some sand in between their toes.

Malibu is the most "rural," so it has a good feel. People more representative of what LA "used to be" are more likely to be found in Manhattan and Hermosa, Redondo had a decent pier and Torrance's beach south of there offers a nice view of "the sweep" of the bay, Santa Monica actually has a crappy beach and parking is expensive...and wait...for some Bohemian (as Berkeley or Santa Cruz as it gets in SoCal) vibes, Venice Beach may be ok...but not after the sun goes down.

So many (stupid) people bash LA. I showed LA to my cousin from Europe in 3 days the "right way" and she was impressed....a city that just can't be explained! A palm-lined waterfront and snow-capped mountains behind the downtown skyline. What's there to bash?

Generally agree. I'm just not a fan of Malibu or the people in it at all. Plus it's way the hell up PCH. Best LA-area beach hands down is Manhattan--so clean and wide, with a lot of decent shops nearby. Plus The Strand has some beautiful homes along that stretch.

I just had a friend from Indianapolis visit me a few weeks ago--first time in LA and first time at a real ocean (apparently the Gulf of Mexico doesn't count...???)--and she had a blast. She saw it the right way, and had fun. The most common thing I hear from the out-of-state kids at USC is "How can you NOT love LA?" ...and while there definitely are some things that could be better, overall it's a blast all around.

[Robert Hall]

I've been to Hermosa, driven through Manhattan, haven't spent any time on the beach there....will have to check it out next time I'm out there..I've gone to Santa Monica and stayed at the Loews a few times...once I was there on Labor Day weekend, the beach was pretty empty and the weather great!

[Robert Hall]

I've been to Hermosa, driven through Manhattan, haven't spent any time on the beach there....will have to check it out next time I'm out there..I've gone to Santa Monica and stayed at the Loews a few times...once I was there on Labor Day weekend, the beach was pretty empty and the weather great!

For about 8 years in a row, I usually have gone on July 4th weekend or the weekend before (which is my birthday) to either San Diego (Pacific Beach, LaJolla) or Santa Monica..not sure where I'm going this year....thinking of doing something different, Seattle or Vancouver for the week between my b-day and the 4th.

Edited April 14, 2009 by moltar

[tmp]

Stuff to do in Malibu:

Go to the Getty Villa (no, technically it's not Malibu, it's Castellamare) http://www.getty.edu/visit/events/villa.html

Newly re-opened Malibu Pier http://www.malibupiersportfishing.com/

Visit the Adamson House, the home of the Ringe family, who originally owned all of Malibu. http://www.adamsonhouse.org/

Stop at the Malibu country mart, have a coffee from Coffee Bean and Tea leaf and people watch (last time I was there I saw Pierce Brosnan)

Eat at Neptunes Net and watch the "bikers" http://www.neptunesnet.com/

Have a drink at the restaurant in Paradise Cove http://www.paradisecovemalibu.com/

Have a romantic dinner at Geoffrey's http://www.geoffreysmalibu.com

Go for a hike in the hills http://www.malibucomplete.com/mc_offthebeach_hiking.php

While it's true that locals make it difficult to get to some beaches, there are several that are easy to get to by the public, from Topanga close in to Zuma out towards Ventura. A little known fact is that the beaches are easy to get to on public transportation: the Metro 434 bus passes a lot of them. No parking worries on a hot day.

[trinacriabob]

the up thru Malibu and then took one of the canyon roads over the mountains back to the 405...

Absolutely, I didn't add that in because, if traffic conditions are bad along 101/405, that can keep someone from completing the loop I described.

Taking Topanga Canyon or Malibu Canyon back up to the 101 and then down to the 405 to return to the city proper really helps explain Los Angeles's canyon/valley/coastal basin "set-up," which is quite unique.

[trinacriabob]

While it's true that locals make it difficult to get to some beaches, there are several that are easy to get to by the public, from Topanga close in to Zuma out towards Ventura. A little known fact is that the beaches are easy to get to on public transportation: the Metro 434 bus passes a lot of them. No parking worries on a hot day.

I'm laughing my ass off right now.

That is absolutely correct. I don't know where the bus starts and what major thoroughfare it follows out to the ocean (Venice Blvd. or another parallel boulevard), but for years and years, there has been Metro (prev. RTD before the subway opened) regularly scheduled bus service that followed Pacific Coast Highway way past Malibu to the places you've described.

I know, since I've gone to at least Zuma while growing up there with my friends on one of the city buses.

[Robert Hall]

Haven't tried public transportation in the LA area, but one thing I've noticed over the years is how cheap rental cars are at LAX, at least compared to Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and other cities I've rented at frequently... I usually get a Mustang convertible, a Grand Marquis, or a Town Car in LA, but on my last visit, I had a 350Z from Hertz..was pretty sweet.

[pow]

Stuff to do in Malibu:

Go to the Getty Villa (no, technically it's not Malibu, it's Castellamare) http://www.getty.edu/visit/events/villa.html

Newly re-opened Malibu Pier http://www.malibupiersportfishing.com/

Visit the Adamson House, the home of the Ringe family, who originally owned all of Malibu. http://www.adamsonhouse.org/

Stop at the Malibu country mart, have a coffee from Coffee Bean and Tea leaf and people watch (last time I was there I saw Pierce Brosnan)

Eat at Neptunes Net and watch the "bikers" http://www.neptunesnet.com/

Have a drink at the restaurant in Paradise Cove http://www.paradisecovemalibu.com/

Have a romantic dinner at Geoffrey's http://www.geoffreysmalibu.com

Go for a hike in the hills http://www.malibucomplete.com/mc_offthebeach_hiking.php

While it's true that locals make it difficult to get to some beaches, there are several that are easy to get to by the public, from Topanga close in to Zuma out towards Ventura. A little known fact is that the beaches are easy to get to on public transportation: the Metro 434 bus passes a lot of them. No parking worries on a hot day.

Or if you have a car, blasting up Latigo Canyon Rd or the many other windy roads available there.

[Croc]

Or if you have a car, blasting up Latigo Canyon Rd or the many other windy roads available there.

Taking Sunset at 60 through the Palisades is a total blast.

[trinacriabob]

Taking Sunset at 60 through the Palisades is a total blast.

If you live to tell about it, I guess...

[Robert Hall]

Taking Sunset at 60 through the Palisades is a total blast.

Been thru there, don't recall going very fast...I've been on Mulholland a few times, during the daytime the traffic was heavy and slow-going...Angeles Crest Highway was fun..

[Croc]

If you live to tell about it, I guess...

??? I certainly wasn't the only one doing it at the time!

My favorite is still taking the Pasadena Fwy @ 75+

Edited April 15, 2009 by Croc

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

??? I certainly wasn't the only one doing it at the time!

My favorite is still taking the Pasadena Fwy @ 75+

Grapevine, middle of night, as fast as all the lanes allow you

[pow]

??? I certainly wasn't the only one doing it at the time!

My favorite is still taking the Pasadena Fwy @ 75+

Just stay out of the right lanes - the onramps are shorter than some driveways, so some cars are going 40 mph, still accelerating, while others blow by at 65 mph.

[Croc]

Just stay out of the right lanes - the onramps are shorter than some driveways, so some cars are going 40 mph, still accelerating, while others blow by at 65 mph.

Oh I know...I'm not a 110 n00b. Though ironically yesterday morning the right lane was empty and a bunch of vehicles were in the left 2 going much slower than I wanted to be.

I personally prefer the middle lane--you can go fast like in the left, while the sight distances around the curves are better.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Croc

[the_yellow_dart]

:angry2:

Well, then I'll only go to Montreal and forget Toronto. Just kidding, of course. So you'll be missing out on my hometown.

If I were American and only had the money to see one city in Canada, it would be Montreal.

If I had the money to see two, it would be Montreal and Vancouver.

Toronto would come third.

Nothing against Toronto, it's just not quite as interesting as those other two.

[Oracle of Delphi]

If I were American and only had the money to see one city in Canada, it would be Montreal.

If I had the money to see two, it would be Montreal and Vancouver.

Toronto would come third.

Nothing against Toronto, it's just not quite as interesting as those other two.

When I had to be in Detroit for some reason, I always stayed in Windsor. It's just so much nicer ...

[the_yellow_dart]

When I had to be in Detroit for some reason, I always stayed in Windsor. It's just so much nicer ...

It's disintegrating now too. Not as badly as Detroit is, but it's faring much worse than most Canadian cities.

[The O.C.]

Exactly--it's huge by any measure (population, geographic area, etc.). How many places exist where you fly over the entire metro region with no end in sight for the entirety of the final decent? It just goes on seemingly forever...

Yeah....that always shocked me.....when flying into LAX from places easterly, you begin your initial descent somewhere over Palm Springs and the entire 30mins of descent is over ever-increasing urban development....it really is shocking.

Most places I fly into, even larger cities, you really don't come in over develpment until more towards the final descent.....

[trinacriabob]

Yeah....that always shocked me.....when flying into LAX from places easterly, you begin your initial descent somewhere over Palm Springs and the entire 30mins of descent is over ever-increasing urban development....it really is shocking.

Most places I fly into, even larger cities, you really don't come in over develpment until more towards the final descent.....

True...when my relatives came in from Europe and Alitalia was arriving late enough for the lights of LA to be on, they couldn't believe how the lights of the metro area went on and on and on...

By comparison, Atlanta, which is supposed to have sprawl, feels compact. You come in over a heavily treed area from the southwestern suburbs, see the skyline to the left (north of the airport) and you land fairly quickly.

[G. David Felt]

Why I love to Live in Seattle. I love to visit California for the amusement parks and beachs, but prefer to live in the Suburbs of Seattle and enjoy all that is Green.

Seattle you either come in from over the Cascade mountains or over the Puget sound water. Awesome flights into SeaTac airport.

[trinacriabob]

Why I love to Live in Seattle. I love to visit California for the amusement parks and beachs, but prefer to live in the Suburbs of Seattle and enjoy all that is Green.

Seattle you either come in from over the Cascade mountains or over the Puget sound water. Awesome flights into SeaTac airport.

dfelt, I was just up there over Easter, but only up to Tacoma.

Don't forget, though, that there is almost always cloud cover over Seattle. I was once driving to Canada with a friend who remarked that the cloud cover over Puget Sound is denser and lower than it is in Porltland. That seems to be correct. As for Seattle, I too like the suburbs (East Side) over the city...everything is newer and there are way more trees.

Don't you have relatives / roots in California? Fess up!

[G. David Felt]

dfelt, I was just up there over Easter, but only up to Tacoma.

Don't forget, though, that there is almost always cloud cover over Seattle. I was once driving to Canada with a friend who remarked that the cloud cover over Puget Sound is denser and lower than it is in Porltland. That seems to be correct. As for Seattle, I too like the suburbs (East Side) over the city...everything is newer and there are way more trees.

Don't you have relatives / roots in California? Fess up!

Yup, I have relative in Huntington Beach, Sun City, Palos Verdes & Santa Clarita.

In regards to Seattle, we only have clouds 9 out of 12 months of the year, that is why our 3 months of summer is in the mid 80's with no humidity and everything is Green. just the way I love it. Course I was born here so would you expect anything else.

[the_yellow_dart]

The LA part of the trip has been revived. How are Torrance and Carson?

[Croc]

The LA part of the trip has been revived. How are Torrance and Carson?

Torrance is good...VERY close to Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, LAX, Palos Verdes, decent access to the Westside, and decent to Long Beach.

Carson? Very industrial, air smells...I wouldn't recommend...

[bobo]

There isn't much in Carson other than an IKEA. I would not recommend staying in a hotel in that immediate area, though. Torrance is a much better bet.