Expert: Steve Summers - 12/8/2009

Question
My family of five will be coming to La right after Christmas.  We are booking travel this week.  We have never visited Cal.  Included will be my husband and I, a 20yr old film maker, 16yr and a 14 yr old.  We plan to purchase a "go card".  Not sure if we will make it to Disney, looks like there is enough to do and see near Universal. Although it will be chilly in Dec; we are outdoor people and want to visit a state park along with the sites of LA.   Question:  What area should we stay in, we were thinking near Universal, although close to the beach would be nice for the evenings.  Not sure the distances.  What do you think?  We have 5 days maybe can squeeze in 6 if needed.  Which state park is near that would be enjoyable?  Any info you have would be great.  Thank you for your assistance.  Laura from N.Louisiana!  

Answer
Hi Laura,

Since LA is so spread out, there is no single place that is close to EVERYTHING. Most people who come here tend to stay in Hollywood, Santa Monica, or Anaheim. In Hollywood, I recommend the Orchid Suites, Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, or Holiday Inn Walk of Fame, all near Hollywood and Highland. Another one is the Best Western Sunset Plaza. In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced. In Anaheim, I recommend the Howard Johnson (HoJo) Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn.  There is also a nice place in Burbank called the Best Western Media Center, very close to Warner, NBC, and Universal Studios.

As for state parks, that'a bit tricky. We have some nice state beaches in the area (Doheny, Bolsa Chica, and Leo Carillo), but there's not much to them. They're just beaches. Carpinteria State Beach is about 100 miles from downtown LA, and is a bit nicer because it has camping. If you like the mountains, Big Bear is not a state park, but is one of the nicer forested mountain areas within driving distance.

Beaches in SoCal are pretty deserted in the winter. They are generally cold and not very pleasant. These aren't gulf coast beaches. Our currents from from Alaska, so they're pretty cold in winter. However, you can have some very nice days in the 70's, which are very pleasant.

Have fun!