10 best bars in LA and no Formosa? You've gotta be kidding! Elvis once tipped a waitress here with a Buick. Great bar, great drinks, great history and great margueritas.

Santa Monica & Formosa
www.worldsbestbars.com/public/venue_listing.jsp?categoryId=29&currentVenueId=353

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Los Feliz is a great little neighborhood in north-east Los Angeles, near Griffith Park (I'm a little biased since I live there...). Anytime but mid-July through August are the best times to go - it can get pretty hot some days during those months. Check out Hillhurst north of Franklin, and Vermont north of Hollywood. Lots of great restaurants, bars and hang-outs (Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Hillhurst has a great patio with firepit). Griffith Park is also nearby, with plenty of great hiking trails, pony rides for the kids, picnic areas, etc.

East of Western, north of Franklin, West of Riverside drive, south of Griffith Park. Get there from the west side by taking the 10 east, 110 North, 5 North, get off at Los Feliz Blvd and head west. Griffith Park will be to your right as you drive down Los Feliz Blvd.

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These tours are often run from backpackers'. They tour the conventional destinations, the Hollywood sign, Venice beach etc but they take you to Watts Towers, past the Viper Room, Compton and the more notorious locations. They also drive by celebrity houses. All done in a day so for those on a tight schedule, great!

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It is a huge mall just outside LA to the north. Where all the locals go shopping and all the usual suspects can be found there, as well as great eating options. It is the sort of place you imagine when you think of an American mall - much better than the (outside) Grove though, admittedly, a drive away.

On the way back to LA you can cut left and drive back down Mulholland Drive as well.

www.westfield.com/topanga/index.html

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We recently hired a car with Alamo at LAX and plumped through prebooking for the smallest and cheapest. On arrival they wanted us to trade up to a bigger car (apparently a Focus not being a family car).

When we got outside to choose a car there were only huge cars anyway, so there's no point in paying for the upgrade. There were also lots of Prius sitting there as midsize cars but, because the European families were scared of the unknown, went unpicked. Read up on them before you go if you want a trendy midsize car.

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Scenic helicopter tours around LA to see all the best attractions by air. Great personalised service, friendly and helpful pilots, and great prices.

www.los-angeles-helicopter-tours.com

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When at IN-N-OUT - don't forget to look for the Biblical references on your cups and remember The Dude.

Fatburger is almost as cheap as the incredible IN-N-OUT Burger with more of a diner feel and no Bible verses

Charcoal - when you want upscale - new but gaining fans - 6372 W Sunset Boulevard, LA, CA 90028

The Oinkster - worth the drive to Eagle Rock - you don't really need a reason to visit ER, just do it before it gets too trendy.

And don't forget a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard while you're out.

fatburger.com/home/
www.theoinkster.com/
traveller.uncommontraveller.com/2007/08/01/hollywood-meets-dollywood.aspx

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Los Angeles is great for vintage/retro clothing, and these two stores, right across the road from each other in Venice Beach, are definitely worth a visit. Aaardvark has plenty of retro T-shirts, shirts and suits, while Gotta Have it has more dresses, vintage knitwear and accessories.

Gotta Have It
1516 Pacific Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
Aaardvark's Vintage Clothing
85 Market St.
Venice, CA 90291

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A privately-owned, car-free island 21 miles off the coast of Long Beach. A haven for sailors, you can hire bikes and kayaks, gamble in the casino, take one of the guided bus tours of the interior or just sit in one of the cute cafes or on one of the small but pretty beaches. The pace of life here is roughly 50 times slower than that of the mainland - a reviving day trip.

www.catalina.com

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It's virtually impossible to get onto the beach at Malibu if you don't own a slice of it, but Bob Morris' Beach Cafe is right on the beach at Paradise Cove. The food is also great - lots of surf and turf type dishes - and you can hang out on the beach before and after dining. To get to the beach, you have to drive through what is probably the world's most expensive trailer park.

www.paradisecovemalibu.com/beachcafe
Turn left off PCH North, about 30 mins from Santa Monica.

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The Inn at Venice Beach is a very easy-going hotel. It's set one block back from the Venice boardwalk, south of St Mark's Place,and is perfectly placed for the Venice Whaler, the canals and Marina Del Ray. Staff are helpful and pleasant, it's well-placed for MTA buses but the key to the charm is the little centre courtyard where breakfast is held.

www.innatvenicebeach.com
327 Washington Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(800) 828-0688
(310) 821-2557

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The Viceroy hotel seems to have been been transplanted from Sunset Strip - it has more in common with the Standard and the Mondrian than its neighbour motels. Contemporary, chic, super-trendy, ignore the office-like exterior and head for the garden to enjoy a drink in one of the tents next to the pool or on one of the oversized white wing-back chairs. Heavenly.

www.viceroysantamonica.com
1819 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
USA
Tel: 1 310-260-7500

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If you want to see the tallest and oldest trees in the world than you must visit Sequoia park. Driving on a scenic road, you'll enjoy the beauty of Calfornia. It is a 4 1/2 hour drive from LA. Even if the sun shines in LA bring warm clothes cause it is cold up there.

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Go and have fun at Universal Studio, but if you're a movie fan and want to see a working movie and TV studio, visit Warner Bros. A guide takes you on a 2-hour tour of soundstages, sets, backlots and prop rooms when they're not in production. We saw a temporary exhibit of "Casablanca" props lent by collectors: Dooley Wilson's piano and Humphrey Bogart's tuxedo.
When we took the tour 10 years ago, Richard Thomas, star of the 1970s TV family drama "The Waltons" waved and said "Hi" as the tour van passed his movie backlot.

Since it's a working studio, Warner's limits the number of visitors to time-entry tours every half hour to reduce disrupting productions. Unfortunately, they don't allow children under 8.

Tickets are $42. Consider buying them in advance. Sometimes, same-day tickets sell out.
T-T-That's all Folks!

3400 Riverside Dr.
Burbank
(818) 972-8687
www2.warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour

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If you are staying at a hotel in LA they can organise for one of the many bus companies running shopping trips to Mexico to come and take you for the day. It's a long day out for the return trip to Tijuana, Mexico.

Cost?
Varies but allow USD$40-$50 return

Why go?
Tijuana is a paradise for bargain shoppers! Browse for leather goods, clothing, jewellery, pottery & more.

Note - a multiple-entry visa and passport are required for non-U.S. or non-Canadian citizens.

Tijuana Mexico - south of the border

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One of the great modern American 'bazaars', LA's skid row has it all: drugs, prostitution, gangs, violence, civic impotence, etc.

Offers a chance to come face to face with the American police state - just don't get mistaken for a terr'rist. Or a tour'ist.

Safer in daylight, more colourful at night.

4th, 5th, and 6th Streets between Central Ave and Broadway, Downtown LA

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Pretty self explanatory really, runs along the beach. Best walked on the weekends when all manner of strange and fabulous people emerge, reminiscent of Glastonbury at times, but, you know, with fewer annoying middle class students. Watch out for various street entertainers including a guy who walks literally 6 inches behind you, imitating everything you do, to the amusement of everyone sitting in the cafes. Rollerblading or rollerskating along the sidewalk is best if you can manage it, or rent a cycle. Parking can be found at one of several large lots right next to the beach for around $10/day, park at Marina del Rey and walk up to Venice past Muscle Beach and the basketball courts for a longer stroll, stop at the Sidewalk cafe for a margarita before heading back or further north to Santa Monica.

Venice Beach

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Great 24 hour cafe on Manhattan Beach Blvd just 2 blocks from the ocean. One of the few places around the area to be open 24 hours. Their sandwiches are great, burgers tasty, but the best thing on the menu is their french onion soup with a chunk of baguette dunked in it and a slice of mozzarella melted over the top. Get the blackberry lemonade too. Good people watching from the (heated) terrace.

1138 Highland Ave (Cross Street: Manhattan Beach Boulevard)
Manhattan Beach 310 545-8511

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Take a drive down to Manhattan Beach. Enjoy the pier and beach, but do not miss out on this fantastic restaurant. It's clean, inexpensive, friendly, with utterly delicious food. They have many tasty dishes suitable for vegetarians (but not vegans), as well as the standard Mexican fare very well prepared. I lived in L.A. for many years and ate there regularly.

1005 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA

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If you want swank and sophistication, this is not the place. It actually does have sawdust on the floor. It does, however, do truly great home made pizzas and huge salads.

2807 Main Street Santa Monica, Ca 90405

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