6LITEREATER

My wife and I are coming for a short vacation (July 29th- August 2nd, a Thursday through Monday).

We are staying at the Hollywood Down Towner (it was cheap and we're newlyweds) on Hollywood Blvd. (how bad an area is this?).

We will be moving out to L.A. next year to pursue acting careers (we got our starts here in Orlando and have SAG cards and some connections) and are trying to get a feel for the area.

What are your recommendations for the coolest things to see? What is the best use of our short time (as tourists) and to get a feel for the area?

Anyone know what part of town we should try to live in (as cheap as possible without drive-by shootings) to pursue acting (Studio City maybe?)?

We will be renting a car so let us know what places we shouldn't miss seeing while we are there.

ANY input is MUCH appreciated!!!

morb|d

as far as the most convenient location that won't blow your piggy bank, I'd have to say Pasadena. it's some 15 miles northeast of Hollywood on the 134. but getting there in traffic might take you 45 minutes to an hour depending on how bad it is.

i don't think i have to tell you to avoid Inglewood.

as far as what to see, just drive down Sunset. if you can't find anything interesting there, then there's something worng with you.

as far as touristy stuff, there's all the them parks if that's what you mean. i've only been here 2 years myself and considering it's a epic getting out that way everytime, i've pretty much stopped. but if you're looking for nightlife, goto Dublin's off Sunset but park a few blocks down the street unless you're cool with payning $20 around the corner. it's actually free to get in. depending on the night you might see a star there. i saw DMX playing pool once.

MikeyNutt

Good Luck with your career.
I'm in the restaurant business and alot of the staff are in the acting carrer.
As for what "morb|d" wrote, Pasadena is a good area.
Also, Koreatown is not bad also and not far from Hollywood area, also very accessable to the freeways.

When you visit, they are things to do but it depends what you like to do. Clubs, Bars, etc.

Have fun and Good Luck.

6LITEREATER

Cool, thanks guys!

We aren't really the club or bar type, and we've been to all the theme parks here (in Orlando) so probably wouldn't bother with trying to go to the ones out there.

So, I guess we'll just hit Sunset Blvd. eh? Sounds good, we'll check out that Dublin's place as well.

You guys say we should look at Pasadena and Koreatown as places to move to? We'll definetly give it a look around while we are there. How is Studio City? I have heard rent was cheap there but I could be wrong.

Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming !

phrozen

I've actually just finished up hunting for apartments in the OC area. If you want to go that far Anaheim is a really nice area with lots of affordable apartments. I'm living in Fullerton in a 2 bed 1 bath for 1050/month

6LITEREATER

Fly, STAY AWAY from online castings, models searches, acting classes, or any "agent" who also is a photographer. Just submit your headshots to a SAG agent (you don't have to be SAG they can still get you non-union work) and that's it. I wish I could hook you up but I know nothing about over there yet. If you are ever in Florida though I could definetly help you out.

Phrozen, how far are you from the studio area now? 1050 a month is comparable to here. We are in a 1bd/1bath and it's $730 a month. All we are really looking for is a 1bd/1bth for now.

Any car shows coming up ?

Rottluver

Studio City is ANYTHING but cheap to live in. Rent is high & most everything for sale there (day to day goods, gas, food, etc) is mega bucks. There are some decent areas in North Hollywood, Pasadena (as has been suggested) West Hollywood is good too, depending on whether or not you can deal with gay people (I have no problem, but not everyone is like me). Best bet is to check out the L.A. Times classifieds on Saturday I think and pick up a copy of a free flyer/paper called "The Recycler" for rentals........good luck and enjoy your trip.

truedualws6

LA is a huge place and there are many nice pockets all over. The best thing
is to find something in your price range that is close to the things you need
to be close to at the time. You can then spend some time looking around and
checking different areas out. If you are renting then you can just rent near
work and move as necessary. The last thing you want to do is be a long range
commuter.

As for your upcoming stay, and since you have a rental car, you can check
a lot of stuff out. It just depends on what you want to see. Search up some
things you are interested in ahead of time and plot a driving trip around the
basin. The one good thing about LA is the when you miss your exit on the
freeway it's not 10 miles until you can turn around like Florida.

I would suggest you check out Hollywood and Highland, the Beverly Center,
and 3rd Street in Santa Monica for the shopping, eating, crowded/lots of
people stuff. A little farther away for the same type of thing is Old Town
Pasadena. You could also spend a day riding the Metro around and checking
things out. You have the Getty Museum, La Brea Tar Pits and lots of others
not too far away. Downtown LA is interesting for a couple of hours. You can
drive up the coast to Santa Barbara or down to San Diego. You could even
get in some wine tasting depending on what you like.