Happy Cinco de Mayo, ladies and gents!  I am visiting the LA area for the first time next week, and would love to be given some suggestions on interesting places to see and/or eat, besides the obvious.  I'm going to take the weekend after my visit to check out some cool places, and do a little sightseeing.  Just not sure where to start.  I would appreciate any info.  Thanks in advance!  

It would be difficult to see very much in just a weekend.  You will need to rent a car, because public transportation is very slow and doesn't go very many places.  Trying to use Lyft or Uber would get costly.  You could start in Downtown and basically head west to Hollywood, Sunset Strip, shopping on Melrose in West Hollywood.  Further west is Brentwood, Santa Monica and eventually the Pacific Ocean.  From there north to Malibu for the sunset over the ocean.

L.A. is so vast with many different neighborhood pockets all with different feels.  Off the top of my head there are Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Little Ethiopia, Koreatown as well as Silverlake, Culver City and East L.A.  Then there's the obvious cities that you already know.

Thanks so much for the tips, gents!  Driving up the PCH to Malibu and sticking my toes in the Pacific has always been on my bucketlist.  I will have a car, so I think I will start with that, and see where the rest of the weekend takes me.  This won't be my only visit, so I'll try to knock out a few adventures with every visit.  Thanks again!  

Re: As far as great restaurants, damn there are so many and everyone out here has their faves.  If I suggested any, I would probably start an argument, so I will leave that for others.

Should be good for some celebrity watching. Also the Malibu Pier.

Is gorgeus drive
There is cozy restaurants around.. Surfer town  
Malibu is nice... off canyons Las Flores  or topanga  
But restaurants in Malibu On PCH  
Starts to BORED me  
lol

Posted By: DreamOfMariah

Thanks so much for the tips, gents!  Driving up the PCH to Malibu and sticking my toes in the Pacific has always been on my bucketlist.  I will have a car, so I think I will start with that, and see where the rest of the weekend takes me.  This won't be my only visit, so I'll try to knock out a few adventures with every visit.  Thanks again!    
   
 Mariah

be warned however, Manhattan Beach is what made me fall in love with and subsequently make the move years later to LA!!  

...I've already been contemplating a move to CA.  Just not sure whether I would want to live in LA or San Diego area.  This trip will help to determine where I want to be.  I'm a true free spirit, and do a fair share of moving around.  I LOVE living in and visiting different cities.  Took me until I was in my late twenties to move away from where I grew up in VA, and that gave me the "moving around" bug.  LOL!  Thanks for your suggestions!  

if you like being outdoors by the sea in a quiet scenic area and want to possibly catch a glimpse of a whale calf and mother in the wild go to point Vicente lighthouse and right next to it is the whale watch station on palos verdes peninsula then afterward if youre hungry you can go have lunch at terranea just 5 minutes or so south of the lighthouse....I live a couple miles away from there and walk my dog at pt Vicente all the time....and this year and last year the whale calves and mothers have been in abundance just past the cove....you will see quite afew dolphins at the least I would expect....enjoy your sightseeing adventure wherever you end up going..

Depending on the sky, you could also have a great opportunity for a beautiful sunset looking out toward the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  The  Friendship Bell is located at the end of Gaffey

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that's right Carla....this stretch of coastline seems to be off most tourists radar screens...lol...the traffic on weekends can get a little crowded but its mostly locals ....but abalone cove,wayfarers chapel,the bell,the coastal trail at trump golf course, all are very very nice and youre right about the sunsets too....and catalina island can look much closer than 26 miles depending on the atmospheric conditions...and the fish markets at the end of 22nd street and at ports o call have fish that's fresh off the boats that are tied up at fish harbor next to ports o call...

Frank Lloyd Wright.....

#1)  the Getty Museum is a must - can spend 2 hours there or 5 - the restaurant at the Getty is a great place to dine - and great sunset views!

With all of these suggestions, I may need to stay longer.  LOL!  I'll pick a few things and plan my weekend of sightseeing.  Can't wait for my visit!  Thanks again!