it's nothing fancy (not at all) but i LOVED the beverly laurel hotel, 8018 beverly blvd, los angeles, ca 90048. little bar/diner downstairs in the corner was great. easy walk to tv city, farmer's market, and nice walks along beverly blvd itself. sounds like exactly what you're looking for, if you don't need plush.

thanks steven, that is exactly the kind of place i mean. plush not needed - i prefer a place with a bit of character rather than another identical chain hotel. the reviews on trip advisor seem mostly positive.

i haven't read the reviews but, when you're reading them, remember that americans are weird about wanting everything to look new all the time - often associating not-new with not-clean. this place doesn't look new but seemed perfectly clean. even my wife freaks out over ceramic tile in showers instead of the standard-issue fiberglass insert.

I enjoyed staying at the chinatown best western - cheap and great location for everything eastside/downtown.

dubK has a couch and a pool...tumbles has a couch and a pool...

p2an has a woman-friend and i expect would enjoy the privacy of a personal accomodation (just conjecture, maybe i'm wrong)...

...either way, if someone can show him to a good bar and a pleasant visit in my absence, i would appreciate it (as i owe him both).

and
Magic Castle

AP, i 'should' be travelling with my lady-friend (long story), so yeah a bit of privacy...but definitely meeting some of the LA ppl for a drink would be super.
thanks for the hotel suggestions so far, i am checking them out.
i guess there is no way to do LA without a car is there? kinda misses the whole LA experience if i am not stuck on the freeway half the time?

no, but no. you gotta have a car, yes. but when we went out for a l.a.-week, we managed to almost completely avoid the freeways. you see more of the connections between things and to what extent l.a. is really a massive system of neighborhoods when you stay on the surface streets. doesn't work 100%, but as much as you can do it, it makes for a richer experience.

second what SW says, the freeways are pretty easy to avoid and surface streets afford a rich experience of the collision which is L.A.

ok, funny term 'surface streets', i'd never heard that before.

and kind of a misnomer as well, p2an, since some 'surface streets' pass over other streets and most freeways are on the surface. but it's a common way to distinguish between city streets and limited-access roadways, so it's useful.

Steven, that picture looks like my apartment.

ok, a year ago it didn't work out, but i'll try again for this november.
so who are the LA archinectors? would love to have be part of a LA meet up. planning a 2 week visit in mid nov.

5th generatation Angeleno (and still a resident) here, p2an.

Give a holler once you've set your dates....

yes, do let us know when you'll be in town!

We haven't had a decent meet up in a while.

I can't promise I won't flip off the camera again-