Staying in L.A

[Hilux05]

Hey folks ,, I will be on holidays for 4 weeks on the west coast and alittle bit of Vegas... Just want some advice on staying 3-4 nights in L.A. ,,, Coming from Australia ,, its a 13-14 hour flight.. Its seems really busy in L.A. at the moment,, is there something big going on there ,,, alot of places are booked out ,, plenty of ghetto style accommodation up for grabs.. Just looking for some good night sleep and visit some casinos in L.A. ,, to play some poker.. then hit the road in a north direction ... cruising the coast road... up to San Fran ,,, then across to the national parks.... then off to Vegas... but yeh a....any help would be appreciated...

[Goatlife]

why not try the hotel that is in the commerce casino.... i have stayed there once... the room served its purpose and was clean

[Diver]

If you're keen to play some poker, some of the casinos in CA might be worth your time. Otherwise you might consider getting a California Missions map and following the route from San Diego (check out Balboa Park) to San Francico, staying in places like Santa Barbara, Monterey(Carmel or Pacific Grove preferably) along the way. Spend a good four days walking through the districts of SF then drive north through Marin county from San Rafael using back roads rather than HWY 1 to reach the Russian River then head east toward the Napa Valley, enjoy some great food and wine then head to Tahoe and Reno for a few days. From there you can head back west and then south along the Sierra foothills toward Yosemite and Kings Canyon. You can take a CA state highway 190 through Death Valley National Park to catch NV95 and on to Vegas. But if you want to see some of the nicest parts of Northern CA, head up HWY 1 from the Russian River and toward Eureka, then over to Interstate 5 and back south before heading east to Tahoe. There are some good state highways in the foothills and mountains as alternatives to I-5 going south if you're taking your time.

[BigJer]

BTW if you do head up to N. Cali to play you have to stop into River Rock Casino in Sonoma Co.; just off 101. There are many wineries in the area too; Alexander Valley and that whole area is wine country anyways. Then if go across the state to Reno, way under a 4 hour drive, well just take your pick of casinos in the area. Also you will be crossing The Sierra's which are beautiful. Then once in Reno go to North Lake Tahoe. Then take the route west of the lake down to South Lake Tahoe. It will make your eyes stand out. There are four or so casinos in SLT. And eat at Latin Soul at the Creekside Inn, just a little bit out of town on the Nevada side. They also have a good breakfast at the Creekside Inn. I would stay at Harvey's rather Harrah's. I think their rooms are nicer and have lots better views. (Too bad there won't be any snow when you go or you could go skiing.) But just take in the sights in SLT.

[max85]

I stayed at the London in west Hollywood last time, was nice

[Hilux05]

Does anyone who lives in L.A. have a spare bed ,, or a back yard .. dont mind pitchin a tent up ,,,

[RWM]

I think Smallcap gave you good advice. Try the hotel attached to the Commerce.

[Hilux05]

Hey guys ,, thanks heaps for the advice... My thought were to spend 3-4 days in L.A. ,,,Alot of places are booked out .. so I think I will stay at a hotel close to the airport,, The Marriott seems to be a descent place with some accommodation ,, and they have a Hertz car hire in the same block as them ... Alot of reviews are so negative for hotel and car hire ,, etc,,, poor/rude service ... bed bugs ... credit fraud .... dodgy car hire places ... good god... feels like just getting a car and missing L.A all together.. but I cant do that... Have to check out the Commerce / Bicycle casinos ... I dont mind spending abit of money to rest my head for a few days in some comfort ,, even if i have to pay $150 - $300 a night .. It is a holiday after all ... lol ,,, but like Diver and BigJer mentioned ... That seems to be a good way to travel parts of the west coast...

[BigJer]

We stayed at The Radisson LAX for a night and it was just over $100. BTW though the restaurant there is a little pricey it's not bad. The funny thing is we were told that many people go back to LAX to eat; free shuttle too. One time when I was down there I rented a car; keep it near the airport and you should be fine.

[Three]

Wow. I am not sure how Tahoe and Reno made it into this thread but Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see.

[Diver]

Tthree, if he's going to be here, he might as well see how spectacularly beautiful CA is while winding his way to some classic BJ venues: Reno/Vegas. Also, it's possible to visit an array of so-so games in tribal casinos throughout that tour during overnight stops.

[BigJer]

Tthree, if he's going to be here, he might as well see how spectacularly beautiful CA is while winding his way to some classic BJ venues: Reno/Vegas. Also, it's possible to visit an array of so-so games in tribal casinos throughout that tour during overnight stops.

He also said something about going up to N. Cali.

[Hilux05]

Howdy again,,, I ended up booking 3 night stay at Aryes Hotel in Hawthorne ,, just up from Manhattan Beach , soo many places are booked out... I was not sure whether I should go to Reno /Tahoe area ,,, but by the sounds of it ,, seems like a must ,, being a nice drive to and through those Regions... and not being a too long of a drive,, Me thinks its in my itinerary now... I heard there is a old car museum in Reno too ,, I have a 51 Cadillac myself ,, just like the way they made cars back then ,, alot by hand operated machines ,, not robots,, built for humans not junk yards,, so might have to check that out too ,, really want a 67 Chevy Chevelle ,, but one can only dream ,,, alttle of the subject ,, but anywhoo .. thanks for all the posts ,, dont want to try a jam tooo much in,, dont like spending more time traveling to places ,, rather spend time at nice places ,, you dig ,, that why i thought ,, just stick to Two States in America ,, get comfortable with getting around in L.A. and Vegas, ,, and hopefully return with more wisdom n confidence... again folks ,, big thankyou from alll posters.. ...LAX -- San Fran --- Reno/Tahoe --- back thru Yosemite an Kings Canyon -- Sequoia Valley -- off to Vegas ,,, Maybe on the way back to LA ,, joshua Tree National Park ,, what you guys think,,,