HELLO: Los Angeles
Tips and Tidbits On Seeing LA
Downtown Los Angeles is filled with an incredibly amount of choices for food. One of our favorites to grab a bite to eat while also picking up fresh fruit, trail mix, handmade skin scare products, beautiful flowers and then indulging in a little dessert, is at one of the many Farmers Markets throughout Los Angeles.
If you are a fan of chili burgers, then your visit to Los Angeles will not be complete without a visit to Original Tommy's Hamburgers. A local Angelo favorite, Tommy's has been offering burgers, fries, hot dogs and even tamales smothered in chili since 1946. Yes, 1946! Tommy's is so popular, it's even part of some tour group stops.
City Hall Observation Deck
For one of the best and FREE views of the city, venture up to the City Hall Observation Deck located on the 27th floor, which offers an awesome 360 degree view of the city. It is free to the public and open Monday - Friday from 10:00am-5:00pm.
Los Angeles offers a great variety of free museums throughout the city. Here is a list of some of the most popular options:
Annenberg Space for Photography - Contemporary photography exhibits.
When looking for grocery store with healthy options during your stay in the Downtown Los Angeles area, guests look no further than the newly opened Whole Foods in Downtown Los Angeles. Whole foods provides amazing options for healthy snacks, fruits, drinks and even wonderful warm meals. The high end grocery retailer is a favorite among locals and travelers looking for healthy, organic options.
If you're staying with us in the Downtown LA area and will be attending an event at the Hollywood Bowl, well lucky you! The Hollywood Bowl is one of our favorite music venues, so you're in for a treat if it's your first time there.
Every year, we have guests stay with us who will be attending the Rose Parade in Pasadena. For those international guests unfamiliar with the Rose Parade, it is a popular parade that has been running annually on January 1st for more than 125 years. It travels a 5 1/2 mile stretch of spectators, showcasing floats made out of - you guessed it - ROSES, as well as marching bands, cultural dance performances and more.
Around the Downtown LA and surrounding areas, you will see Latin American fruit carts loaded with watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, jicama, cucumber and other seasonal fruits. You get to customize your fruit selection and get only the fruits you want. What makes these fruit carts special is that you can top your fruit with chili powder and/or lime. We personally always get both because there is something really great about that sweet-meets-sour bite.
If you are a pastrami fan, you cannot visit Los Angeles without eating at the historic Langer's Deli. Open since 1947, this deli offers the BEST pastrami sandwich you will ever eat in your life. Guaranteed.
The Los Angeles Fashion District is great for business travelers (buyers, designers, wholesalers), as well as leisure shoppers. Most transactions are wholesale but there are plenty of retail opportunities for every shopper.
Several of our guests invest in the GO CARD Los Angeles in order to save on sightseeing. It works great as long as you do some pre-planning and determine exactly what you want to see and do. Just make sure you don't try to do too much in one day. Since Los Angeles is huge and spread out, cramming too many activities into one day can rush you too much and ruin the experience.
Many of our guests have been choosing to take a shared van shuttle from LAX to our hotel. This is a great option if you are looking to save some money and don't mind sharing a ride with other travelers. We always recommend our guests use Prime Time Shuttle instead of Super Shuttle because it costs less. Sample pricing as of December 2014 is below.
Getting a US SIM card for your smartphone while in the US will make your travels much easier by accessing the internet on the go and using Google Maps. Car rental companies offer navigation systems, but they can get costly - especially for longer trips since they charge you per day. A better option is to purchase a SIM card for your unlocked GSM smartphone. Be sure to check if your phone is unlocked with your provider back home first. If you do not own a GSM phone, you can always purchase an inexpensive phone here along with your SIM card.
Downtown LA is a great place to find tasty food, regardless of your budget. You will find everything from high end five star restaurants to affordable hole in the wall eateries. Here at Jerry's Motel, we are big fans of gourmet fast food - food that is inexpensive yet high quality.
Plan Check Kitchen + Bar has just opened a new location in Downtown Los Angeles! Just a few short blocks away from Jerry's Motel, Plan Check is a popular gastropub offering amazingly juicy and unique gourmet burgers alongside craft beers, creative speciality cocktails and more! This is our new go-to spot for a delicious hamburger in Downtown LA.
One of the most common questions we get from our international visitors is, "can I make a right hand turn at a red light?" The answer is yes, EXCEPT when there is a sign that says "NO TURN ON RED."
Jerry's Motel is conveniently located within 1 mile of 2 Metro light rail stations. We provide maps of the Downtown LA area at check in, so all of these locations will be easy to locate on a map.
7th Street/Metro Center Station is located just 1 mile away from us, and can be reached by either a 15-20 minute walk, or you can catch bus #16/316 (toward Downtown LA) across the street on 3rd Street and get off at the 6th St/Hope Street stop.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown LA was designed by the great architect Frank Gehry and is home to the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. The venue feels small and intimate, and the acoustics are hailed as one of the best in the world.
Driving through Los Angeles anytime between the early evening to the wee hours of the morning, there will be no shortage of Mexican street food. You can find tacos and burritos sold out of food trucks and makeshift food stalls set up in vacant parking lots or even just a side walk.
Free LA Tour provides free walking tours of Downtown Los Angeles. They currently provide 2 different tours (Historic Core and Union Station to Pershing Square). Each tour provides a great introduction to the downtown areas history, cool architecture and public art displays.
Grand Central Market in Downtown LA is a historic open air market that originally opened in 1917. During the last two years, the market has been reinvigorated and new trendy gourmet stalls have opened and operate alongside the traditional produce, spices and taco spots.
If you are a modern art buff, you will have two great museum choices in Downtown Los Angeles thanks to The Broad Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
Jerry's Motel is conveniently located approximately 2 miles from Dodger Stadium. Although pretty close distance-wise, we do not recommend you walk to Dodger Stadium. Unlike stadiums and arenas in other cities that are located in the thick of the city, Dodger Stadium is awkwardly tucked away within a park on a hill.
The Griffith Park Observatory and its surrounding grounds are great for views of the city and the Hollywood sign. One of the best times to visit is before sunset, so you get a day time plus a nice evening view of the lights of LA.
The Hollywood sign is a must see for most first-time LA visitors. Although you cannot walk right up to the sign, you can get great views and pictures from a distance. Here are some ideas on some of the best and easy to get to spots.
Metro bus and rail rates will increase as of September 15, 2014. Please note that fares will be:
When renting a car in Los Angeles, it is absolutely essential to use GPS to make your way to your destinations. The city is huge, so having guidance will help make your trip easier and much more enjoyable. Even LA residents oftentimes rely on GPS when venturing to new areas.
Shopping in Los Angeles is great. Best of all, there is a place to shop for any budget. So whether you are looking for high-end or bargain shopping, there is a place for everyone.
Another great option for bargain shopping in particular is the Beverly Connection shopping complex in Beverly Hills. Located across the street from the upscale Beverly Center mall, Beverly Connection has stores like Nordstrom Rack, TJMaxx, Marshalls and Ross for bargain shoppers.
Hop On, Hop Off Tours (or HOHO) are a great way to visit LA's most popular tourist destinations. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of figuring out what to see and makes trip planning a little easier. These tours are especially great for visitors who will not be renting a car. You can purchase a 1 day ($44), 2 day ($59) or 3 day ($74) pass.*
The cupcake revolution started in Los Angeles a few years ago, and transformed a traditional cupcake into an amazing gourmet treat.
Sprinkles Cupcakes started it all with their first cupcake bakery in Beverly Hills. Since then, they have opened locations across the country, and one conveniently located near us at FIGat7th in downtown Los Angeles.
Santa Monica and Venice are conveniently located close to one another. You can either:
1) Take a nice walk from one location to the other (2 miles, approximately 30 minutes walking).
2) Take the short bus ride outlined below. This bus ride will take about 15-20 minutes and is on the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.
We are located just 2 miles from Union Station. If you are arriving via Amtrak, Metrolink, or LAX FlyAway Bus, these are your best options to get here are:
This is a question we get on a weekly basis from our guests who don't have a rental car and want to go to Disneyland which is located in Orange County. Unfortunately there is no direct train route that makes it all the way from downtown LA to the Magic Kingdom. Below are a few options to consider:
The Los Angeles Convention Center is host to many large conventions during the year such as E3, Anime Expo, Dwell and the LA Auto Show. The "South Park" area of Downtown has gone through a major transformation in the last 15 years starting with the building of Staples Center and most recently the LA Live complex. This area has many great restaurants and bars as well. Getting to the Convention Center from our property is simple by either walking (1.5 miles), driving (5-7 minutes) or by using the DASH bus system.
Where can we find some delicious Mexican food? That is a question we get from many travelers while in LA. Just a couple miles away from us at the base of Dodger Stadium is a taco restaurant which serves traditional tacos with braises from all over Mexico.
Many of our guests are coming to the United States for their first time and often ask us about tipping their taxi driver, waitresses or maids. Although tipping is not customary in many countries around the world, tipping is standard in the United States. Below is a very simple guide on tipping along with a link to TripAdvisor's guide to Tipping and Etiquette in the United States. Both will come in handy during your stay.
A popular activity when visiting LA is to go to a TV show live taping. There are over 100 live television show taped in the LA area and some pre-planning before your trip could give you the chance to be a part of the audience.
Many of our guests will have a rental car during their stay and take advantage of our free parking. A large portion will travel without a rental car and use the Los Angeles public transportation system. Although it is not the best system in the world by any stretch of the imagination, you can still enjoy LA by bus or subway. With a little bit of advance planning and knowledge of the system prior to your visit you can make your stay in LA an enjoyable one.
Our guests often ask about the various sightseeing tour companies in LA and which one is the "best". It is really important to find out what kind of tour you are looking for to determine what makes sense for you.
Renting a car is the easiest way to get to Jerry's Motel in Downtown Los Angeles from LAX. For those without a car, two easy options are available:
Besides spending time going sightseeing our guests also often ask us about the best places to shop while visiting LA. We have broken down some good options below that are all within 30 minutes of Downtown LA and fit various budgets:
Want to do something different rather than going to a bar or see another tourist "hot spot"? The Groundlings is a world famous improv comedy troupe/school that has nightly public shows. The theater is located on Melrose Ave. in a trendy shopping and dining area.
Want to find all the great places to eat, drink and shop in Los Angeles before you get here? Besides visiting our website, Yelp can be of great help. Yelp is an online city guide that helps you find highly reviewed places to eat, drink and shop. Just pop in a location of zip code and sort by distance, rating, type and voila!
Many guests ask us about the cheapest way to get to Las Vegas or San Francisco from LA. If you wont have a rental car, we recommend looking into MegaBus. Megabus provides long distance bus transportation from Union Station in Downtown LA to San Francisco or Las Vegas for as low as $7 per person including luggage storage and free Wi-Fi.
Renting a car is the best to get around in Los Angeles. LA's public transportation is not as developed as many major cities from around the world. Given that LA covers such a large geographic area, a car allows you to experience a lot more instead of spending wasted hours on bus/train connections.
Going to a sporting event or concert at one of the many nearby venues is always a fun way to have a unique experience during your trip. The best and number 1 option in purchasing tickets is through Ticketmaster. We also have Lakers tickets available when you book direct through our website. Look for the NBA Lakers Package add on when booking a stay between October - April.
Griffith Park Observatory provides the best view of the "City of Angels". The great thing is that it is free. Besides the beach, it is also a great place snap some photos during sunset. Also on site is a small museum and planetarium show (entry fee). Check out the pics below.....
WORLD TAXI METER gives you a pretty close estimate of taxi costs. Perfect for those who want to find out how much a specific trip might cost. Whether you are without a rental car or want to taxi back after a night at a bar or club this site will be useful. The site estimates about a $55 fare from LAX International Airport to Jerry's Motel or $10.89 from Union Station to Jerry's Motel.
BRITE SPOT is located in Echo Park just a short 5 minute drive from our property. In the mood for fluffy old fashioned pancakes, hash browns and sausage?! Head down to this hip diner and have a feast. Many of guests love this place and eat there every morning during their stay.
GOOGLE MAPS IS VERY HELPFUL IN PLANNING YOUR TRIP - WITH OR WITHOUT A RENTAL CAR
USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? USE GOOGLE MAPS TO PLAN YOUR BUS/METRO TRAIN ROUTES.
