Could anyone give me ideas for cheap accomodation in LA that doesn't entail sleeping rough/in the open/prostitution?
Are there any decent hostels or similar in LA? Or alternatively cheap rate hotels, B&Bs that are well situated with regards to downtown?
Sorry, I know it's a bit vague...Planning on going in March to visit some sites/offices/sci-arc and to do research on a project for school. Feel free to PM me if you want to get in touch...
Mrs Tk & I were happy with the days inn (?) in china town for clean, cheap and central location... if you want hookers, they are easily located near by.
there are some decent hostels in LA- check out the Santa Monica one or there is a private one on melrose...
Have you tried Priceline--the name your own price section? I've used it about ten times to stay in San Francisco, and get big four star hotels (Hilton, Hyatt, Omni, etc.) for $75-85 every time. You can choose your area of town and preferred number of stars. They tend to scalp you on the parking, though, so beware if you're driving.
Not sure what the prices are like in LA. You have nothing to lose by bidding, but do it ahead of time: if your bid is not accepted, you have to wait three days to bid again.
i'd let you stay at my place but westwood is rather far from sci-arc. you should visit the west side though to get a very different picture of the city compared to downtown / K-town.
Hi - Thanks for all your suggestions. Standard hotels are just way too expensive for me. I'd ratherspend money on some low-priced camera gear whilst/if I'm there! I have a couple more questions vis a vis LA.
1. So can you experience the city WITHOUT a car? Is that safe? Can I rent a bike somewhere? (I can't drive...)
I actually like the idea of exploring LA using only feet & public transport...
2. Are there any squats/alternative communities?...And I don't mean crack houses. Was just wondering if there are any well-known collectives or similar working in the area...Something like Ant Farm v2008?
you CAN explore the city by foot and with public transit. i don't have a car so that's what i do. i live in westwood though so i don't need a car for my day to day activities and if i do something outside of westwood (i.e. explore some neighborhood, go out on the town) i'll generally go with a friend who has a car. but LA does have an extensive public transit system that will get you within a half mile of most places. it just might take you 2 hours to get there when driving would take you 20 minutes. and it's also confusing to figure out what bus to take where and where to transfer, etc.
LA is a driving city. while it will be a lot of fun no matter what, your experience of it will be inauthentic if you don't drive. like banham wrote, he had to learn italian to "read dante in the original" and had to learn to drive to "read los angeles in the original"
Sorry. I realize my post was vague. I'm at work and doing five things at once.
I think public transport would be more efficient. As a cyclist I can say that this city is too large to see by bike. Unless you plan to focus your interests on specific sights. The house up in the hills would give anyone a heart attack by bike.
you can get a cheap car rental for 15$ a day. that would be the REAL way to see LA. I know i am going against all the green and ecologically sensitive options, but I still think LA is best seen by car. Hell its designed for it.
Imagine driving through the deserted lots downtown and the industrial areas - to me THAT is also a significant part of LA, if one is doing a photo journal/research of the place. Westwood is not LA.
Not to mention you's spend a lot of time waiting for buses and connections.
A good place for car rental is www.nationalcar.com - be sure to check www.fatwallet.com for coupons. They will normally have quite a few for the summer.
how is westwood not LA? it's different from a lot of LA but it's just as typical as the endless grid of mid-wilshire, the highrises of downtown, the mansions in the hils, or the old beach towns. the city is so varied. do you never leave the plains?
I think Los Angeles is changing. It's developing that borough thing (Thai Town, Hi Fi, The Byzantine-Latino Quarter...). And I think it would be equally pleasurable to do a Midnight Ridazz event(volume alert for youtube video) as it would be to cruise in a Lamborghini, maybe more so. Traffic's so bad on the weekends, I think the goal is to stay within the neighborhood the whole time; but now that's not a bad thing. The walk to the Saturday farmer's market is turning into a fashionista parade (and the best I could do is that babushka from the Wendy's commercial) (not that there's anything wrong with that!) (I'd love to visit Murmansk!). Visiting all of Los Angeles as it once was by car is something you'd better do now before it disappears. Also, put a scale to a map and see how far the bike/shoes will get you; you could only visit a portion at a time that way (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
nicolas, i really dont think westwood is an expression of LA as a whole. LA is as much the warehouse district, the factory districts, east LA and the rougher areas. Thats what i meant. I think i can make a judgment, because i used to live there when i was a student.
yesterday (saturday) i ended up driving the better half on LA. I started the day downtown, headed to Pasadena, the Silverlake, then West Hollywood. From there I went into the Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, and through Muhulland to the 101 (at the Cujenga Pass). I then went back to Silverlake and then back downtown.
It was an amazing expereince (even though I drive all over so often) to see how much the city (as well as the people) change from one area to the next. Not to mention the fact that the air was 100% crystal clear (which made the drive on Muhullond that much better)
i am going to be in LA/Santa Monica from the 13th-17th for an NCARB Cut Score thingy, so if any LA'ers want to meet a transplant flyover from NJ, ring-a-ding-ding me...public transportion? things to see during the day and late night? oh, and i don't drink, but love to watch....
Feb 11, 08 1:27 pm ·
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Visiting Los Angeles...
Could anyone give me ideas for cheap accomodation in LA that doesn't entail sleeping rough/in the open/prostitution?
Are there any decent hostels or similar in LA? Or alternatively cheap rate hotels, B&Bs that are well situated with regards to downtown?
Sorry, I know it's a bit vague...Planning on going in March to visit some sites/offices/sci-arc and to do research on a project for school. Feel free to PM me if you want to get in touch...
(checks with roommate about renting out futon.....)
When in March will you be here?
i have an air mattress and live downtown...also have a pool
i think that Archinect has a pad downtown that is available to anyone who uses the site...
i think that Archinect has a pad downtown that is available to anyone who uses the site...
yeah, along with a car.
WonderK & mdler - have dropped you both emails. Thanks for the heads up!
Archinect pad..???? If that's true, how many posts before I qualify for a rental slot?!
. cool. great spot.
check out the other los angeles threads.
Mrs Tk & I were happy with the days inn (?) in china town for clean, cheap and central location... if you want hookers, they are easily located near by.
there are some decent hostels in LA- check out the Santa Monica one or there is a private one on melrose...
Have you tried Priceline--the name your own price section? I've used it about ten times to stay in San Francisco, and get big four star hotels (Hilton, Hyatt, Omni, etc.) for $75-85 every time. You can choose your area of town and preferred number of stars. They tend to scalp you on the parking, though, so beware if you're driving.
Not sure what the prices are like in LA. You have nothing to lose by bidding, but do it ahead of time: if your bid is not accepted, you have to wait three days to bid again.
i'd let you stay at my place but westwood is rather far from sci-arc. you should visit the west side though to get a very different picture of the city compared to downtown / K-town.
Hi - Thanks for all your suggestions. Standard hotels are just way too expensive for me. I'd ratherspend money on some low-priced camera gear whilst/if I'm there! I have a couple more questions vis a vis LA.
1. So can you experience the city WITHOUT a car? Is that safe? Can I rent a bike somewhere? (I can't drive...)
I actually like the idea of exploring LA using only feet & public transport...
2. Are there any squats/alternative communities?...And I don't mean crack houses. Was just wondering if there are any well-known collectives or similar working in the area...Something like Ant Farm v2008?
you CAN explore the city by foot and with public transit. i don't have a car so that's what i do. i live in westwood though so i don't need a car for my day to day activities and if i do something outside of westwood (i.e. explore some neighborhood, go out on the town) i'll generally go with a friend who has a car. but LA does have an extensive public transit system that will get you within a half mile of most places. it just might take you 2 hours to get there when driving would take you 20 minutes. and it's also confusing to figure out what bus to take where and where to transfer, etc.
LA is a driving city. while it will be a lot of fun no matter what, your experience of it will be inauthentic if you don't drive. like banham wrote, he had to learn italian to "read dante in the original" and had to learn to drive to "read los angeles in the original"
I would recommend against seeing this city by bike. Unless you have a month.
Sorry. I realize my post was vague. I'm at work and doing five things at once.
I think public transport would be more efficient. As a cyclist I can say that this city is too large to see by bike. Unless you plan to focus your interests on specific sights. The house up in the hills would give anyone a heart attack by bike.
I emailed you back! Check it!
you can get a cheap car rental for 15$ a day. that would be the REAL way to see LA. I know i am going against all the green and ecologically sensitive options, but I still think LA is best seen by car. Hell its designed for it.
Imagine driving through the deserted lots downtown and the industrial areas - to me THAT is also a significant part of LA, if one is doing a photo journal/research of the place. Westwood is not LA.
Not to mention you's spend a lot of time waiting for buses and connections.
A good place for car rental is www.nationalcar.com - be sure to check www.fatwallet.com for coupons. They will normally have quite a few for the summer.
Ive got amazing deals through hotwire also.
how is westwood not LA? it's different from a lot of LA but it's just as typical as the endless grid of mid-wilshire, the highrises of downtown, the mansions in the hils, or the old beach towns. the city is so varied. do you never leave the plains?
I think Los Angeles is changing. It's developing that borough thing (Thai Town, Hi Fi, The Byzantine-Latino Quarter...). And I think it would be equally pleasurable to do a Midnight Ridazz event(volume alert for youtube video) as it would be to cruise in a Lamborghini, maybe more so. Traffic's so bad on the weekends, I think the goal is to stay within the neighborhood the whole time; but now that's not a bad thing. The walk to the Saturday farmer's market is turning into a fashionista parade (and the best I could do is that babushka from the Wendy's commercial) (not that there's anything wrong with that!) (I'd love to visit Murmansk!). Visiting all of Los Angeles as it once was by car is something you'd better do now before it disappears. Also, put a scale to a map and see how far the bike/shoes will get you; you could only visit a portion at a time that way (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
sweet. expend the subway and add some more density and LA could really become a pedestrian city. like new york except better.
nicolas, i really dont think westwood is an expression of LA as a whole. LA is as much the warehouse district, the factory districts, east LA and the rougher areas. Thats what i meant. I think i can make a judgment, because i used to live there when i was a student.
yesterday (saturday) i ended up driving the better half on LA. I started the day downtown, headed to Pasadena, the Silverlake, then West Hollywood. From there I went into the Beverly Hills, up Coldwater, and through Muhulland to the 101 (at the Cujenga Pass). I then went back to Silverlake and then back downtown.
It was an amazing expereince (even though I drive all over so often) to see how much the city (as well as the people) change from one area to the next. Not to mention the fact that the air was 100% crystal clear (which made the drive on Muhullond that much better)
yeah, mdler and sameol'dr i agree with you that westwood isn't an expression of LA as a whole, it's part of the diversity of the whole.
i am going to be in LA/Santa Monica from the 13th-17th for an NCARB Cut Score thingy, so if any LA'ers want to meet a transplant flyover from NJ, ring-a-ding-ding me...public transportion? things to see during the day and late night? oh, and i don't drink, but love to watch....
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