Find an In-N-Out somewhere. Excellent fast-food burgers.

For an odd-ball, change of pace experience, up in Hollywood, the Scientology anti-psychiatry "museum". It's called, "Psychiatry, an Industry of Death" or something like that. The experience of seeing a real life modern propaganda building was just funny to me. Good for sh!ts and giggles, anyway.

Eat at any taco stand anywhere. The more out of the way the better. You will never get a better $4 meal.

Watch out on the freeways, people in LA drive like maniacs.

Go to the ocean. It's everywhere. Just enjoy it.

I'm off to Los Angeles in the morning. It will be nice to have some decent weather for a few days (about 10F cooler than here in Iowa). Should be a good trip.

So I am 10 days out from the family trip that I was thinking about when I started this thread almost a year ago.

Some of the things that made the final "for sure" to do list are:
LA Live
Disney Concert Hall
Hollywood Sign
Griffith Observatory
Universal Studios
Hollywood Blvd
Beverly Hills
Mulholland Drive
Sight Seeing Tour
Star's Homes
Hollywood Bowl
Movie Premiere - Spiderman
Getty Center
Korean Friendship Bell - Lunch
Tide Pools
Disneyland
Venice Beach Canals
Randy's Donuts
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Beach/Shopping
Drive PCH to Malibu
Palisades Park, Santa Monica
Movie Shoot Locations
TV Show Taping


Being a techy and organized (albeit maybe "overkillish") guy, I put these, and some others that didn't make this list, into an excel spreadsheet with an estimated amount of time needed at each location, how much it would cost (minus food), the general area so that some things could be grouped together, and any special notes about it.

We were going to do the Rainbow Harbor Boat Tour to see the whales, but the family didn't want to drop $160+ tax, travel, food to have teh *possibility* to see whales.

The tar pits didn't make the list either. Too educational for my wife and oldest.

Chinatown or Little Tokyo were on my list, but they axed them too. And yet they are fine to drop some dough to drive around on a "star's home" tour. I told them that they won't see anything but gates and hedges, and I can't in good concience pay for that, so I told them that we would do a different tour and then I will drive them past some of the star's homes. I managed to get what is supposed to be a "real" and current list of where a couple dozen stars actually own homes, so we will do that ourselves.

Lots to do in the 8.5 days that we are there, but we'll get through it.

If it was me, I'd probably just want to sit at the Pier all day. Good thing we're not going together.

Sounds like a pretty ambitious list. I think you should add "gt intimately acquainted with the bumper of the car in front of me" between each of the sites you have listed there.

I think it's probably a little ambitious... esp considering the distances involved. My choices on your list would probably be something like this:
Disney Concert Hall
Griffith Observatory
Universal Studios
Hollywood Bowl
Getty Center
Tide Pools
Disneyland
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Beach/Shopping

add in The The Tar Tar Pits and the Peterson Automotive museum, and you're set. Maybe add in the Natural History Museum, 'cause who doesn't want to see a 30 foot long partially decayed fish preserved in alcohol?

Uh-oh. I'm having to seriously thing about changing my mind from all day at the pier.

Nick, I really think Ken is on target. I'm a maniac traveler, and your list is like a 16-hour-per-day, full-tilt push, without traffic issues, as Peter mentioned.

Ken's list, though you and your family may want to substitute some things, is much more realistic and allows you all a little time to have fun OUT OF THE CAR.

Not sure if this was mentiioned, too lazy to read back lol. but the computer history museum for me would be a must see. Its in mountainview california.

http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/

Why drive everywhere? Why not use the subway?!










HA ha!