LA Valley Vacation

tichellady

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 10:24 am

chagru wrote:

Decided will probably forgo the pool and stay in pico. Now I've found a fabulous well priced house with a pool in Encino, and I'm wondering if I should just go there and make do with the food and minyan situation there whatever it is in favour of the house. Any thoughts?

How long is this trip for? And what month?

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 10:39 am

chagru wrote:

I'd take the house over the neighborhood. You aren't moving there - it's for vacation.

Last edited by amother on Sat, Jan 02 2021, 11:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

chagru

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 11:00 am

Amarante wrote:

If Universal is cheaper then only by a hair so I wouldn't select on the basis of price.

Disney is definitely more of an experience for kids because of the whole Disney mystique. Older kids seem to like Universal more but perhaps it depends on whether they are familiar with movies and the specific movies being highlighted like Harry Potter.

You really can't go wrong with taking everyone to Disney - it's definitely doable in one day although ideal would be to rent a room close to Disney so they you can start as early as possible.

. My kids are not really movie knowledgeable. Will look into it, will depend on price. Are the queues insane in August?

monkeys

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 11:22 am

I would definitely recommend Disney over universal especially if your kids don’t know movies. It’s a ton of fun! Best to get there really early and plan to stay till after the night show. Or do an overnight in Anaheim. You can buy a two day pass to the parks.

There is so much to do in California, I wouldn’t get hung up on having a house with a pool. I think the convenience of not having to worry about food is worth much more. You’ll be busy enough taking trips. There are many parks with splash pads if the little ones need to cool off.

monkeys

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 11:41 am

chagru wrote:

THabj you everyone. You've given me so much helpful information that I'm going to discuss with my husband and plan from that. I think it makes the most sense to make do without the pool and just do stuff in LA which is very exciting for my kids. Is there stuff to do locally like park or boat rides that are not a big day trip, just a small thing to get out? With kids of all ages we can't make everyone happy all the time! Is pico and la brea, Hancock park the same area?

There are many local parks. Virginia park and Tungva park in Santa Monica have splash pads. Rancho park and Roxbury park are beautiful local playgrounds. There’s Balboa park and Griffith’s park. Griffith’s has pony rides.
You can rent boats locally at Marina Del Ray. You can rent a duffy boat for the young ones that goes around the harbor. There are sea lions (and once in a while dolphins) swimming around. The older ones can get a speed boat and go further out.

La Brea and Pico are different neighborhoods around 15 min from each other ( much longer at traffic times). They’re each “the other side of town.” La brea is more of the heimish neighborhood but Pico has the majority of the restaurants. Pico is a better choice if you’re on vacation. There are all types there and plenty of minyanim and kollelim.

tichellady

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 1:30 pm

chagru wrote:

. Ten days in August

Both options sound good. It depends on what you want. I would go for the house with the pool because I love swimming. Encino is actually a nicer area than Pico Robertson. If you could get a house in beverylwood or Beverly Hills or Hancock park , that would be nice, but probably much more expensive. There is plenty of kosher in the Encino area, both grocery stories, restaurants and cafes. Nothing fancy, but perfect for families. There are more kosher restaurants there than the La Brea area. The big day trips aren’t that much further from the city or valley ( in fact, universal studios is in the valley). If it’s a hot day, you can swim and then do an indoor activity.

Maybe do five days in the valley and 5 days in the city to get a different feel.

amother

Burlywood

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 1:47 pm

( there is a tendency for people from the city to look down on the valley and go assume that frum life there is a lot more limited than it actually is. I have lived in both the valley and city and they are both great. Yes it is hotter in the valley . I still think if it’s a hot day in the valley it will be too hot in the city to do an outdoor activity, so either way you will need to find an indoor activity. The valley is easier to park and get around and there is a subway from north Hollywood to downtown LA all the way to Long Beach, which can be convienent. I actually prefer a lot of the restaurants in the valley to the city ( unless I want something fancy, but for a family meal, aroma st cafe, orange delight, roladin, Tel Aviv grill, netanya, la pizza, toast cafe, and psy street kitchen are all great options).

amother

Mustard

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:24 pm

monkeys wrote:

If the kids don’t watch movies then will they enjoy Disney either?

chagru

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:37 pm

tichellady wrote:

. Was actually thinking of doing that, but not sure of its worth the hassle of packing and repacking.

chagru

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:39 pm

I'm really touched how many of you have taken the time to repeatedly respond with such useful information. I'm so much more informed now as to what my options are. Thank you all very much. Im from a small town where there isn't so much kosher food options, so I'm sure what you guys consider not much, we will be wow so much!

Amarante

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:42 pm

Where you stay really depends on what you are planning to do on your vacation.

Personally I would prefer to be out and about and getting to see new things if I go to a city. If I wanted to hang out by a pool, I would go to a closer resort.

The benefit to staying in the Pico area is that it is walkable so your older kids can go out by themselves. There are wonderful coffee shops they can walk to and as I posted earlier, it is either cheap Uber or a bus ride for them to go where they might want to go by themselves.

I am not putting down Encino at all but the reality is that everything is a shlep and your family would be forced to do everything together because it is more suburban versus Pico which is more like Midwood.

Unless you hit a freakish hit spell, Los Angeles in the summer is nit as horrendous as New York or even worse Miami or DC.

Santa Monica is generally very pleasant even in the summer because of the ocean climate.

No one has mentioned it but I think the Museum if Tolerance is well worth a visit.

There might also be some activities that aren’t uniquely Los Angeles but which you have the time to take care of.

If you have teenage girls, they would probably love looking at the fancy shops in Beverly Hills.

You should really try the kosher Thai restaurant because that is a cuisine that is almost impossible to find kosher.

Amarante

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:45 pm

Definitely get the pretzel challah from the bakery coffee shop on Pico. 😳😀👅

ETA if you are from a small town, I would definitely opt for the Pico area and give you and your family the ability to experience a metropolitan experience. Walking to sidewalk cafes and people watching is one of the great joys of urban living.

chagru

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:47 pm

amother wrote:

If the kids don’t watch movies then will they enjoy Disney either?

. They watch a lot of movies! Typical Disney ones. They will appreciate that, what I meant is they won't appreciate the set and stage as they watch kids movies, not real ones.

Amarante

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 2:54 pm

chagru wrote:

. They watch a lot of movies! Typical Disney ones. They will appreciate that, what I meant is they won't appreciate the set and stage as they watch kids movies, not real ones.

Not sure what you mean by set and stage as the Universal Park really isn’t much of a backstage tour anymore as the tram ride is now more of an amusement ride in itself. But Disney is way more iconic than Universal. Universal has more exciting rides so it tends to appeal to a slightly older crowd as I wouldn’t take a young kid there whatever their movie knowledge was.

NBC has a real behind the scenes tour. Not recommending it for you but if anyone else is reading the thread and is interested in production, that’s the tour to book.

Depending on what is going on, you might be able to get tickets to watch a sitcom being filmed which could be interesting. If there is a show your kids like, you can contact the production company. It’s free if the tickets are available. Some years ago I took my kids to watch a Disney sitcom that was being taped and they enjoyed the experience. It was one which was done with Muppets.

monkeys

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 3:54 pm

chagru wrote:

. They watch a lot of movies! Typical Disney ones. They will appreciate that, what I meant is they won't appreciate the set and stage as they watch kids movies, not real ones.

Then they would LOVE Disney. It’s an amazing experience. Disney is loads of fun even for those that don’t watch movies.

monkeys

Sun, Feb 03 2019, 4:08 pm

I agree with Amarante regarding location. I’m not putting down the Valley at all. There are wonderful communities there. I just think that if you’re on vacation Pico is very convenient. The older kids can go about by themselves.