A cheap week in LA/SB
I work remotely for a US tech start-up, and my work is flying me out for our company kickoff in Santa Barbara at the end of February. Because I want to spend as little time in Berlin February weather as possible and I want to meet up with some local(-ish) relatives, I'm flying in a week earlier than necessary. As a result, however, I'm going to have some free time to fill.
The biggest thing is that I'm going to have to find and pay for my own lodging while I'm there until the work event starts and I can check into the hotel my company booked. So if anyone has any personal experience with some cheap-but-not-sketchy lodging options in LA or Santa Barbara, I especially welcome that. I'm flying into LAX so I'm able to stay there before going down to Santa Barbara for the actual work event if it's cheaper or there's more to do there (which I kinda assume is the case on both counts, idk).
I've heard LA is generally pretty expensive. I'm not a huge party animal by any means, but I figure I should do more when I'm there than sitting in my hotel reading (especially if I want to kick the jetlag before all the work stuff starts). So I'd also love any recommendations for cheap but interesting stuff to do while I'm there. My cursory Google searches have turned up a bunch of Hollywood tourist type stuff and recommendations for outdoorsy activities like hiking, neither of which is my speed. But surely there's gotta be some interesting stuff for a nerdy introvert to check out!
I'm also a very food-motivated traveler, so any particular restaurant recommendations for while I'm there are very welcome -- especially stuff that's hard for me to find in Germany. Latin American food is especially high on my list ofc, and I'm also on the lookout for good wing places, since I know both of those things are very hard to find at home in Berlin. But I also welcome other recommendations, especially stuff that isn't gonna come up in a quick google search. Or authentic Chinese food (even though I'm not going to SF, I learned how to say 洛杉矶 in Chinese class back in the day so LA's gotta have at least somthing 😅). I'm also a coffee person, so I'd love to know about any particular standout local coffee shops (even though I'm sure there's way more than I could try in even a month in a city the size of LA).
Santa Barbra is far enough I wouldn’t call it LA. It’s going to be a minor trip to get there. Consider taking the Coast Starlight train to LA Union Station and just walking around the station. Just don’t expect it to be like European trains. From there I think you can take the subway to get to Ovation Hollywood, which is basically the big touristy shopping center for Hollywood right on the walk of fame and consuming the TCL Chinese Theater (where you can actually catch a movie). There’s lots more to do there.
It’s honestly really hard to recommend food because there are so many great restaurants. Even narrowing down to a type of cuisine is too broad. Tito’s Tacos in Tustin is something of a local fixture but I don’t know if I would recommend it to tourists; it’s not really in a touristy area. Maybe grab some donuts at Randy’s?
For Asian food I don’t know if I’ve ever had good stuff in LA proper; you generally have to go a bit further out for the best stuff. I’d probably recommend going to Little Tokyo since it’s full of dense shopping and food places. If you do, you must go to Fugetsu-do to get freshly made mochi. It’s the rule. Outside of that area, there are a few high end chains that have absurdly good Asian food like Din Tai Fung and Hi Di Lao that I would wholeheartedly recommend seeking out, but do be warned that they are going to be relatively expensive; it’s not hard to get to $100 USD for two people. But they are definitely great experiences.
disclaimer, my parents live in LA, so I visit often but not a local
Tito's Tacos is kinda close to LACMA, isn't it? Not exactly touristy, but still relatively close.
I'm a fan of California Donuts, and it's within Koreatown basically which has some great KBBQ and similar things.
+1 on Din Tai Fung and Hai Di Lao though. DTF is probably the better soup dumplings you can have without being in asia!
Also +1 on Little Tokyo. One of my favorite stores, Japangeles is there and they don't ship online, so I'll always go and try and pick up something there. There's some good sushi and stuff around there too.
Yeah I ask about LA because I'm flying in there due to the better international connections; I'm in Santa Barbara for the actual work event but for the week prior there's nothing forcing me to be there, so I can take the bus or train there right before work stuff starts if need be. I do want to check out the trains though, even though they're not Europe-level I've heard they're pretty good for the US.
Heh, I am oddly proud of my fellow unioners hearing that from a European (ye olde train heaven).
Actually, I should disagree about Din Tai Fung and Hai Di Lao. Insanely expensive for pretty average fare; not to knock the flagship locations in Taipei and Shenzhen though! If you're interested in cheap Chinese food, wait until you hit Santa Barbara and get some near UCSB. They keep prices lower to serve the university students there.
In Los Angeles, you should prioritize Japanese and Korean food instead. Little Tokyo has already been mentioned and, alternatively, the Sawtelle mini-Japantown if that's more accessible to you. In terms of Korean food: it's the season for sullangtang! I believe Hanbat Shuul Lung Tang has been family-owned and operated for 30? 40? years. Hangari Kalguksu is another one of my favorites; you should only go if you're hungry though because they give you a lot of food (get the boiled pork if you have a fridge at your hotel). It's not exactly the season for guksu, but since you're in town!
Not to dampen your spirits but I am US-born and raised. Plus I live in Germany, where complaining about our trains is a national pasttime. But I've heard generally positive things about California's trains compared to the rest of the US outside the Northeast corridor, and some UK-based coworkers who took the train from LA to SB last year seemed to have a positive impression! Maybe I'll update with my opinions when I'm back in March ;D
Good to know to focus on Japanese and Korean food though. I'm a fan of those as well, so no skin off my nose! I've just got more of a personal connection to Chinese. Any Asian cuisine but Vietnamese is probably going to have better availability than in Berlin, though, if I'm honest.
If you're really up for an adventure, you might also consider hitting up Cluck2Go in Pasadena. The LA county metro reaches all the way out there with a few bus transfers, but it will be a huge endeavor. That said, it's one of the few establishments where I've enjoyed the Hainanese chicken rice (which is Singaporean, not actually Hainanese per my dad and grandpa lol) outside of Asia. Yes, it's better than what I've had in the Bay! I usually go all the way out there just to pick up an order to deliver to my high school friend when we go yumcha; it's that good for scratching that particular itch!
Oh we gonna havta fite. :P
They're expensive yes, but they offer a better experience and quality than pretty much all of the competition. Like I said; it's an experience thing. I mean, what other hot pot restaurant can you go to with robot servers and dancing noodles? Don't answer that question.
But yeah, the expense makes it a kind of bad recommendation since they're looking for cheap. But really the best cheap Asian restaurants are going to be way outside of the touristy areas. But heck, it might be worth the trip just to go to an authentic Taiwanese restaurant. Gua bao, fried pork chops, three cup chicken, beef noodle soup... there's so many things I would recommend trying at least once.
Hey,
I'm NorCal not Socal, but from visits, Grand Central Market has affordable interesting Latin American food. Definitely eat Mexican food in California.
The Getty museum is beautiful and has nice views
When we went to the Getty they were showing an Aztec book.
In SB, I recommend eating the tacos at Corazon Cocina. It's in a little indoor market area which is cool. Also walk down State St.
As for LA, you mentioned being a nerdy introvert. If it's practical to go to Pasadena, there may be something cool for you on the Caltech campus.
Also, I should warn you than LA is huge in terms of travel time, especially during commuting hours. If you rent a car, be prepared for gridlock, and for a lack of parking when you arrive. Public transit is ok but grimey.
I'm curious to why you would recommend visiting Caltech. What specifically would you recommend seeing there?
Nothing specific, just a vague idea.
Koreatown is one of if not the largest Korean communities in the US. There’s a lot of nightlife, and great Korean food - a fair amount of chefs get poached from Korea for higher pay. Just be warned it can be, uh, very Korean, to the point where you may feel like a foreigner.
Little Tokyo is also nice, but it’s like 3-4 blocks in size.
Would also make sure to give taco trucks a try.
Are you renting a car to get around LA and go up to SB? SoCal is huge and traffic is a slog, so I would first try to secure lodging closer to your relatives rather than stay near LAX. Do you know what area they're in?
Regarding hotels, I've recently been avoiding Airbnb due to my family warning me it's gone downhill. Even though I can't verify this, I noticed that Airbnb listings were pretty much the same price as a 3-star hotel back in 2022. I've been keeping to 2-star chains such as Best Western and Marriott Fairfield Inn. The Holiday Inn is also in that tier, but I haven't stayed with them in recent times. I would check Tripadvisor reviews to see what people are saying about a specific hotel location. It seems like things get sketchy for rooms below $100/night.
My relatives are coming down from the Bay area when they're off from work to meet up with me for a day or two, so lodging closer to them isn't really coming up. I'll be uber-ing around most likely and taking a bus or train between LA and SB.
I'd honestly forgotten Airbnb was even an option, but now that you mention it I've also generally heard that it's not cheaper anymore too. I'd prefer a traditional hotel anyway these days. 2-star chains might be one of my best bets though.
Since your relatives are coming to you, I guess that frees up your options based on where you stay! Around LAX, you'll be closer to West LA. I hardly ever go there anymore, but here are things I've done in the past. FYI some places are cash only or credit card only (the legality of that TBD), so bring both if you can.
South of LAX, there is Torrance which is a quiet suburb with a large Japanese community. I've only ever been there to eat lol. These are some of the more memorable places for me.
If you stay in Downtown LA, you'll be closer to other places that people have mentioned (Koreatown and Little Tokyo). Grand Central Market food hall is reasonably close to The Broad Museum, MOCA (modern art) Museum, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, which should have free timed tickets/self guided tour. Pre-pandemic, I recall having the best carnitas tacos of my life at Villa Moreliana, but I recently haven't been able to catch them before they've closed for the day.
Little Tokyo is close to the Arts District, which has barcades, bars, breweries, coffee shops, galleries, museums, and plenty of restaurants. For your safety, avoid Skid Row, which is closeby and a visible region on google maps. Some places I'd recommend in this area:
I don't go to Ktown anymore, even to eat because the parking is typically meter street or valet, hard to park and go do stuff for hours at a time. Besides nightlife activities, there are Korean spas, shopping malls (some eerily empty), trendy cafes/dessert shops, and restaurants. However, the lines are ridiculously long for the most popular ones, and few have online reservation systems. Below are some places that stood out to me in the past.
You'll also be closer to Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park, where you can get good Chinese/Asian food. The downtown area of Alhambra on Main St could be a day trip for you. There's a farmer's market on Sunday, Gallery Nucleus (art store with exhibits), and a movie theater. San Gabriel has a food hall (Blossom Market) if you want somewhere cool to hang out and read a book. My favorite restaurants in these areas are:
If you venture closer to Chinatown, there's also Howlin' Ray's (Nashville Hot Chicken) and Pearl River Deli (Cantonese). I haven't been to the latter, but my bf liked it. Apparently they streamlined their menu and limited their business hours.
I just remembered, make sure you go to Leo's Tacos, they have a couple of locations and I'm pretty sure they're all in parking lots, but the tacos are amazing and every time I go to LA I make sure to get them.
My favorite boba place in LA is Sunmerry, though I haven't been able to try too many places in LA proper.