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Cali Strut (LA County-r)

DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,916 Posts
edited March 2013 in Strut Central
So, my brother, his wife and their teenage daughter are headed to LA in a week's time. They're staying in Torrance for a week before driving north to Bel Air. I think they're staying with friends in Torrance, and hotelling it in Bel Air.

Can anyone hip me to the essentials in those parts? Areas of natural beauty, food spots, cool things to do, etc. Also anything worth checking that you mightn't find in the tourist guides - all donations gratefully received.

  Comments

  • facesdfacesd 236 Posts
    When I go up to LA I usually check out The Getty Museum. Its worth it for the views alone:

    http://www.getty.edu/index.html
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    So, my brother, his wife and their teenage daughter are headed to LA in a week's time. They're staying in Torrance for a week before driving north to Bel Air. I think they're staying with friends in Torrance, and hotelling it in Bel Air.

    Can anyone hip me to the essentials in those parts? Areas of natural beauty, food spots, cool things to do, etc. Also anything worth checking that you mightn't find in the tourist guides - all donations gratefully received.

    Torrance ehh?

    That's pretty much my hood. I'm on my way to go surfing (at Torrance Beach) but will write a long detailed answer when I get back. Where are they staying? There's a couple of big chain hotels in Torrance - Marriott, etc.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,916 Posts
    I'll ask him.

    All I know about Torrance is that it's where Louis shot Melanie twice in the car park of the Del Amo Fashion Center.
  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    A really fun outing is the Griffith Observatory.



    It's fun for the whole fam. They can go in the evening and look at some pretty epic shit on their bad ass 12" Zeiss Telescope. There are also lots of other cool exhibits there. And, the walk from the park up to the Observatory is a really nice, free event in itself.
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,896 Posts
    JectWon said:
    A really fun outing is the Griffith Observatory.



    It's fun for the whole fam. They can go in the evening and look at some pretty epic shit on their bad ass 12" Zeiss Telescope. There are also lots of other cool exhibits there. And, the walk from the park up to the Observatory is a really nice, free event in itself.

    Chubby-Rain-R?
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    I'll ask him.

    All I know about Torrance is that it's where Louis shot Melanie twice in the car park of the Del Amo Fashion Center.

    All I know about Torrance is that it's where Eddie Adams, pka Dirk Diggler, was from.
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    DJ_Enki said:
    DocMcCoy said:
    I'll ask him.

    All I know about Torrance is that it's where Louis shot Melanie twice in the car park of the Del Amo Fashion Center.

    All I know about Torrance is that it's where Eddie Adams, pka Dirk Diggler, was from.

    They also have a nice Home Depot
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,236 Posts
    the La Brea Tar Pits were pretty thrilling when I was a kid. It's a tar pit, and it has an exhibit of the bones of animals that died in said pit.

    And a dramatic recreation of animals dying in the pit:





    don't forget In-N-Out burger. You can eat in your car there.
  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts
    ppadilha said:
    the La Brea Tar Pits were pretty thrilling when I was a kid. It's a tar pit, and it has an exhibit of the bones of animals that died in said pit.

    And a dramatic recreation of animals dying in the pit:





    don't forget In-N-Out burger. You can eat in your car there.

    on the Tar Pits. They can also go to Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The two are right next to each other.
  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    J i m s t e r said:
    JectWon said:
    A really fun outing is the Griffith Observatory.



    It's fun for the whole fam. They can go in the evening and look at some pretty epic shit on their bad ass 12" Zeiss Telescope. There are also lots of other cool exhibits there. And, the walk from the park up to the Observatory is a really nice, free event in itself.

    Chubby-Rain-R?

    yes, that's the place.

    also Terminator-related.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,916 Posts
    I've had word back that they're gonna be at the Staybridge Suites on Prairie Ave near Redondo Beach (I was looking for yoo-hoo, but you were gone-gone).

    All this stuff is really useful, by the way, people. I'm sure some of it will be on their schedule already.
  • youngEINSTEINyoungEINSTEIN 2,443 Posts
    disneyland, union station/olvera street, venice beach, lacma, moca, griffith observatory, watts towers, tar pits, amoeba records, hollywood sign hike, walk of fame/sunset blvd, knott's berry farm(americas oldest amusement park), la live(staples center), garment district downtown los angeles, santa monica pier/promenade, universal city walk/studion, california science center at usc(houses the space shuttle endeavour),
    watch a live taping of tv show.
    of all of these out of town friends have all liked griffith observatory the best. i'd suggest going at sunset time.

    peace, stein. . .
  • AndreBretonAndreBreton 344 Posts
    For a view into LA Douch?? they should take a hike up Runyon canyon. Lots of generic, chiseled dudes, and females in new sports gear, full makeup, and perfume.

    It has some nice views from downtown to the west side, and they may even see me there.
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    So yes, this is quite literally my stomping grounds. They are close to the infamous Del Amo mall, what was once ??? and during the decade that it really counted 1981-1992 ??? the largest mall in the world. During the end of that tenure I worked at Down Low Hookups where we invented the ???Black Owned / Brown Pride / Black Pride??? sweatshirts you saw in things like The Regulator video as a quick stylish reaction to the LA riots.

    Anyhoo ??? you can have all that LA tourist shit, there is no shortage of that information floating around the internet and I???m sure there are a ton of preexisting itineraries which span the Cantor???s/CBS/Bev Center or Westide/Promenade or Hollywood and Landmarks, Valley Rally etc. I???m sure they can pull some of those with us. Here I???ll provide a few itin???s which they will never find online and that no implant or silverlake frothing hipster even could fathom. The true joy of LA, and this goes doubly for the Southbay, is how un-LA it truly is. It???s the difference between going to madame tousads and big ben and shit vs. going down to Hove and laying up. So for that matter they should rejoice in being in the epicenter of beach culture during LA spring and enjoy it!

    For starters, they happen to have landed right in the heart of North Torrance an area that birthed The Beach Boys. Wilsons grew up in Hawthorne and went to high school there, the Hawthorne Ave corridor was that sound in the 60???s. Their exposure to surfing came from the same place I paddle out every morning, which I happen to believe is one of the most beautiful beaches on the west coast. Also home to Chuck Norris, AYSO soccer, Michelle Kwan and where Tarantino is currently residing. I claim Pedro but Torrance is where the hustle and bustle is.

    Sample Day:
    9:00am ??? out the hotel after consuming a light snack. Dressed in light athletic clothing with jackets in tow for later. Drive out and make a R on Prairie, R on Del Amo and travel westbound for a few. R on Prospect, L on Beryl. Where the road ends you will see a marina, a parking lot and a large bicycle rental shop at the corner of Beryl and Harbor. Park and Rent Bicycles.
    10:00am ??? Leave out on Bicycles travelling N on Harbor. Take in the beautiful whale mural on the right. At the corner of Herondo, on the left hand side, there will be the official entrance to the strand. Bust through the corridor and begin pedaling up the famous Strand ??? home to beach volleyball, beah parties and the intro to Three???s Company. Travel up for approximately another 20 minutes passing the famous Hermosa Pier. On the righthand side at 14th street there is a park. Ride bikes to the back of the park, and lock up bikes on the rack. Right there there is a Mexican hole in the wall with a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the park and the water.
    11:00am ??? Brunch at HERE. Sit in patio, drink margheritas and eat Chilaquiles.
    12:00pm ??? keep on riding north, leisurely up the strand to the Manhattan Beach Pier. Walk the pier and visit the tiny roundhouse aquarium at the end of the pier. Take a rest and start riding back.
    1:30pm ??? After travelling back southbound, turn in at 11th street from the strand in Hermosa and stop and get a quick Burger at Umami Burger, for no other reason than that shit is off the chain.
    2:30 pm ??? return bikes. Get in car and travel south on Catalina, turn right on Esplanade. Check the view as you head toward the hill. Fire. Merge on to PV Drive and continue through the loop. R on Via Corta, R on Via Arroyo, L on Paseo Del Mar. Park and get out to take a flick of the view ??? can see entire Santa Monica Bay and LA on a good day. Check the surf at Hags. Keep travelling up Paseo and park at 650.
    3:30 pm ??? exit car at 650 Paseo, there is a secret trail that leads down to a beautiful secluded cove with tidepools and a beach shanty/lean to. People may be surfing, scuba diving, fishing, or all of the above. There will be seal and dolphins out.
    4:30 pm ??? back in car head up Paseo and get back on PV drive. Continue travelling southbound around the point, passing Point Vicente Lighthouse. R at Terranea way
    5:00pm ??? park at Terranea Resort in the free beach access parking lot on your left side on the way down. Follow signs down to Nelsons and proceed to sit by the bonfire and eat, drink, watch the sunset and keep an eye out for whales, they run the channel off of that cliff.
    7:30pm ??? after dinner hike in dwindling light down to the seacaves below, follow path.
    8:30pm ??? back to the heazy or ramp it up for installment 2.

    LMK the ages of all involved. I tire of typing. Will write day two and three tomorrow!
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    Incredible
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,916 Posts
    Controller_7 said:
    Incredible

    Pretty much. Thanks, Thes - that should blow my fam's minds quite nicely.

    BTW, bro and his wifey are both comfortably the wrong side of 40, but they work in The Industry and are very well-travelled, so they're down for anything that's a little off the beaten track. Daughter is a non-bratty but otherwise fairly typical 14-y-o.
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,896 Posts
    I AM DRIVING A LARGE CONVERTIBLE DOWN SUNSET RIGHT NOW.
    "BABYLON SISTERS" IS PLAYING. ON TAPE.





    IN MY MIND.







    Thanks for this, I'll deffo take in some of this action.
  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    damn torrance/redondo seems nice.

    i seldom go south of the 10 when Im in LA.

    next time I'm coming to holler at you thes.
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