







 



<rss version="2.0" xmlns:beenthere="http://ivebeenthere.co.uk/beenthere-rss">
    <channel>
        
                
        <title>Been there | Tips</title>
        
        <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/</link>
        
        <description>
            Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love,
            live in or have just visited - are what make this guide.
        </description>
        
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Stay Hotel</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20281</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Seriously cool boutique-style hostel in Los Angeles that’s got all the modern facilities but a low price. Worth staying at just for the bright colours and the weird chairs that look like giant hands…<br><br>All the main attractions, from the theatres to Chinatown are easily reached from here too!]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20281</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Bottle Rock Bar</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20280</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Cool place with lively crowds that has an impressive international list of drinks and happy hours where it's as little as $4 a drink – refreshing in a pricey town.<br>Head down weekdays between 4.30pm-6pm to take advantage of the discounts…]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20280</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>The Egyptian Theater</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20279</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Catch a documentary or an arty film in the city which is famous for the industry – and in a movie theatre with more than a bit of history itself. It hosted the first Hollywood premiere in 1922 and although they’ve moved on to bigger premises since, the newly restored interior drips with movie glam.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20279</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>The Address Boutique</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20276</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Designer discount shop that’s full of treasures that start around $10! This is LA after all – home of the glamorous and the rich – and it seems tons of ex-celeb frocks and red carpet outfits turn up here at very reduced prices…]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20276</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Taylor’s Steakhouse</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20275</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Lovely restaurant with red-leather booths and old-fashioned American charm in downtown LA.<br>The steaks are as awesome as the atmosphere, coming in at a reasonable $25 with sides in the evening but even cheaper at lunch with the specials.<br><br>Try the cocktails too if you have any cash left in the budget!]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20275</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>The Formosa</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18307</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18307</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Los Feliz</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18167</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18167</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Alternative city tours</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18004</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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!]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18004</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Westfield Topanga Mall</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17821</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.<br><br>On the way back to LA you can cut left and drive back down Mulholland Drive as well.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17821</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Only booking an economy hire car</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17818</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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). <br><br>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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17818</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Los Angeles Helicopter Tours</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17391</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Scenic helicopter tours around LA to see all the best attractions by air.  Great personalised service, friendly and helpful pilots, and great prices.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17391</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>More good hamburgers</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17197</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[When at IN-N-OUT - don't forget to look for the Biblical references on your cups and remember The Dude.<br><br>Fatburger is almost as cheap as the incredible IN-N-OUT Burger with more of a diner feel and no Bible verses<br> <br>Charcoal - when you want upscale - new but gaining fans - 6372 W Sunset Boulevard, LA, CA  90028<br><br>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.<br><br>And don't forget a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard while you're out.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17197</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Gotta Have It/Aaardvark Clothing</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10891</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10891</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Catalina Island</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10890</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10890</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Bob Morris' Paradise Cove Beach Cafe</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10889</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10889</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Inn at Venice Beach</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10888</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10888</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>The Viceroy</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10887</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10887</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Sequoia National Park</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9293</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9293</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Warner Bros studio tour</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9241</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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.<br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>Tickets are $42.  Consider buying them in advance. Sometimes, same-day tickets sell out.<br>T-T-That's all Folks!]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9241</guid>
            </item>
        
            <item>
                
                
                <title>Shopping trips to Tijuana</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9223</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[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. <br><br>Cost? <br>Varies but allow USD$40-$50 return<br><br>Why go?<br>Tijuana is a paradise for bargain shoppers! Browse for leather goods, clothing, jewellery, pottery &amp; more.<br><br>Note - a multiple-entry visa and passport are required for non-U.S. or non-Canadian citizens.]]></description>
                
                <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9223</guid>
            </item>
        
    </channel> 
</rss>
