Expert: Steve Summers - 4/21/2006

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I am travelling with my wife and two teenagers and will be staying four (4) nights in LA in August 2006. We want to do all the touristy stuff. I was considering staying in Manhattan Beach because you get nicer hotels for the money. What are your thoughts? Are we too far from Hollywood...etc? Will the traffic kill us? How much better are we to stay in Santa Monica or Hollywood?
Answer -
Hi Mark,

Wow, I thought I answered this one. I guess my response didn't make it. Here's what I said Monday:


If you can find a hotel in Manhattan Beach that is near the beach, then definitely get it. It is a bit of a drive from MB to Hollywood, but there is really no way to avoid the traffic if you are going to see the sights. You could stay in Hollywood, but you are probably going to pay more or stay in a yucky hotel. Santa Monica is a pretty good choice, but you will be paying for your proximity to the beach and West LA. The closer to the beach, the better. It can get pretty hot in LA in August, and the beach stays cooler.

Just thought I'd ask, but are you going to Disneyland? There are some pretty good hotels in the area, and it's a good home base for excursions. My favorite hotels are the Howard Johnson, Fairfield Inn, and the Candy Cane Inn for their proximity to Disneyland and Downtown Disney. They are also close to the 5 freeway.

Just be sure to map your hotel so that you can see how close the hotel is to your destination. Don't trust the hotel description.

Have fun,

Steve

Hi Steve

I appreciate your response and opinion. I looked at the distance on www.mapquest.com and it say 26 miles and 35 minutes. I wonder how correct this is? I don't mind driving for 1/2 hour, but don't want to get stuck driving for 1 hour or so. Mapquest has me taking I-110 from MB to Hollywood which looks like it goes through downtown.

I like the idea of Manhattan Beach.

I was not planning on going to Disneyland as we have been to Disney World in Orlando and are not that big on theme parks


Answer
Hi Mark,

35 minutes? Not in this universe. Unless, of course, you are going to Hollywood/Universal at midnight. But if you are going in the morning, you should be joined by about 400,000 of your closest friends. Since I have recently made the drive up the 110, it will probably take an hour or so.

If you stayed in Santa Monica, you would get the inbound traffic on the 10 going to downtown. If you stay in the valley, you'll still get traffic on the 101.

I'm sure you get the idea. Unless you stay close to your destination (and pay more), you will hit traffic, due to the location of L.A./Hollywood in relation to traffic flow. It's just one of the trade offs we make for living in a great climate with a lot of attractions. I still think staying in MB is a good idea, though. At least you'll be cooler at night than if you stayed inland.

Have fun!

Steve