Quote: (11-24-2014 09:03 PM)lomax10 Wrote:
I've traveled to a number of cities domestically as well as internationally alone and have yielded decent results (including cities with bad reps like SF and Toronto). I've never been to LA before but I'm curious to check it out. However, as I hear from anyone who has been there is the city is very spread out. Are logistics in LA good for a visiting solo traveler (getting around, a good central location to stay in, etc.) or is it better to go there with someone/know someone there already?
Any input is appreciated.
As in any city it's always way better to have someone on the ground that knows the place.
L.A. is getting better. There are pockets now where you can bar hop.
For bar hopping I'd suggest the following areas:
-Santa Monica (though I don't anymore. Crowd is older)
-West Hollywood. Solid bet. Sunset strip can be great. You've got Churchkey, Eveleigh, State Social House, Pearl's, Viper Room, Rainbow Room all within walking distance to each other, though they are drastically different crowds and venues. Further south you've got Hudson, Churchill, and Laurel Hardware all relatively close to each other.
-La Cienega. Upscale crowd, better bring money and connections. You've got Roger Room (the most casual of the bunch), the Nice Guy, Fig and Olive, Koi Sushi, STK, Barton G, Greystone Manor. Most of these are restaurants but have solid bars for pickup.
-Hollywood. Honestly I'm out of the scene and don't bother anymore. If you don't catch a hollywood club in its first 3-6 months it just gets too ghetto after that.
-Franklin Village. It's only like 3 venues...101 Cafe, Birds, and La Poubelle, but the girls can be surprisingly hot at Birds and La Poubelle
-Los Feliz/Silverlake. I'm aware that there's some bars close to each other here but each time I go it's nothing worth mentioning. 4100 Bar, Akbar, Good Luck bar...not a very attractive crowd.
-Downtown. I'm the most optimistic about downtown. I'll take a couple months off and go down there and be surprised by the jump in quality. You've got Mignon wine bar, Cole's/The Varnish, Las Perlas, The Association all next to each other. This is probably my most favorite part of L.A. and I love these bars, but unfortunately the talent tends to suck except The Association which often gets a lot of hot asian ass that's runoff from The Exchange a few blocks away.
There's definitely bar hopping in Koreatown but I'm not the person to ask...I've got a Korean friend that leads me around, some of the places are in all Korean and have back alley entrances and shit that I wouldn't be able to find on my own. Also little Tokyo but I'm not the most experienced to say.
For an out-of-towner, I say stick with West Hollywood.
