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Looking for do a week in each next year
Any advice from anyone that’s done either
Will I need a car?
All opinions welcome!
You will need a car in LA as public transport is spotty and not great where it does run, unless you want to rely on very expensive Ubers. Do not stay in or plan anything extensive around Hollywood as it’s an absolute dump.
Lived there for 16 years and only moved a few months ago, so feel free to message me with any questions you have.
We used the metro in LA. You can get to most of the attractions - Universal Studios, Hollywood Boulevard, Santa Monica - but LA Bluebird will know more than me.
Really depends where you want to stay and what you want to see… for me there’s not enough to see in a week in LA just using the metro, for a few days maybe you could make it work. But it is an incredibly car centric city obviously, and for a week I think you will be limiting yourself if you really want to explore without a car.
You will definitely need a car. There's not much to Nashville. I can't imagine spending a week there.Originally Posted by WJ99mobile
I love country and folk music so one of my dreams is to go to Nashville. Ideally on a long trip from Boston to New Orleans.
Can't offer any advice mind..
Obviously you know far more than me but I could easily spend a week in LA and have done so.
Apart from the normal tourist things you could visit Muscle Beach, Venice Beach walkable from Santa Monica, pick up free tickets on the waterfront for rubbish TV quiz shows. Long Beach is OK. Visit the Queen Mary Museum and Hotel moored on the waterfront and on the pier normally on Sundays there is free music and a nice restaurant for lunch. With a car you could even visit San Simeon owned previously by Randolph Hirst who also owned St Donats Castle nr Llantwit Major but it's a longish 3-4 hour journey along highway 1 (the Pacific Highway) with spectacular views along the way. San Simeon is probably a bit far for a day trip but worth it nevertheless. Whatever you decide a car is essential in my view.
Stick with LA Bluebirds advice. Can’t beat local knowledge for things to do/visit/eat/drink.
Nashville: Once you’ve done Broadway for 2/3 nights you’ll probably have done what most people do. Time of year matters I’d say as it’s a big stag/hen do place now so can feel a bit much. Lots of cool places if you get outside the core though.. food, breweries, distilleries, out of town country bars… we found a great bluegrass bar about 30 mins uber away that was recommended to us by locals
Personally, I love Nashville.
I went on my own and stayed downtown, just off Broadway where all the honky tonk type bars are. It's very touristy but in my opinion gives you that 'Nashville' experience if you've never been before.
Most of the other big tourist stuff is also in the downtown area, within walking distance of each other: the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Tigers NFL stadium (I took in a game when I was there). RCA Studio B is the other place to go, and from memory I booked a tour for that which picked me up at or near to my hotel. I went twice to the Bluebird Cafe and just got a cab there, though you'll probably have to queue fyi so it's worth getting there a bit earlier than you'd plan for a gig in Cardiff.
The Grand Ole Opry is miles out of town next to a shopping mall; I just got a cab there and back. It's a bit Disney-fied now but worth it if you're a music fan.
I'd like to go back and if I'm being honest, now I know my way around I'd probably stay elsewhere but if it's your first time and you're a music fan, I'd go with the above.
Also been to LA and as everyone else says, you'll need a car, though one thing I did end up doing instead was buying a 2 day ticket on one of those 'hop-on, hop-off' red bus tours and doing all the touristy stuff that way.
Didn't say the whole LA area was a dump, just Hollywood. I worked on Hollywood Blvd for 5 years and there was a constant stream of disappointed tourists with their suitcases wondering how the hell they got scammed into staying into one of the endless dumpy motels while they were trying to fight off three dudes in a spiderman costume who clearly hadn't washed in a week.
You could easily spend a few months exploring the LA area and not get bored, never mind a week. My dad never got bored of visiting once or twice a year for 16 years.
Stuff I'd add to your list:
Night out in Koreatown with obligatory all you can eat Korean BBQ, unless you prefer Japanese cuisine in which case spend the night in J-Town and get Sushi/Yakitori instead. Or why not both.
Drive the 101 from Santa Monica up to Santa Barbara (car obviously needed)
Drive or take the Surfliner down to San Diego - you'll need to start early and it's a full day. You don't need a car for this as the train from Union Station is fine, but it doesn't run that often by European standards.
Walk the beaches in Malibu and get seafood from one of the places on the coast
Catch an NHL or NBA game at Staples Center (or whatever it's called these days). The NHL is pretty cheap by US standards.
Walk around Griffith Park and walk up to the observatory - IMO a much more scenic and interesting walk than the Hollywood Sign
If you enjoy craft beer, LA is a real hotbed as of the last few years. My personal favorite is Golden Road in Glendale.
The other thing I'd say is it is really important where you stay. If the hotel is too cheap it will likely not be in the best area. There are definitely lots of neighborhoods you want to stay away from, and unlike cities like DC or New York it's not a few large areas... you can easily go from multi-million dollar homes to somewhere you wouldn't want to stay in 5 or 10 blocks. Especially downtown... everyone has heard of Skid Row but you could get lost after a few drinks, walk a couple blocks in the wrong direction and it would get hairy pretty quickly.
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