Planning Family Trip Santa Monica/LA Help needed please!

[daytonababe]

I go to the track at Fontana every year for the nascar , but if there’s no event on and there isn’t in April that I’m aware of then you won’t see
Anything

All you can do is drive up the road to the ticket office , you can’t go in the track or anything

However when I’m there I stay at Ontario Mills about 10 mins from the track , it’s a decent area .

The actual area around the track is pretty rough .

[red cuillen]

I wouldn't be put off going to Venice Beach, it's fine during the day, and there are some nice buildings just in from the strip. Also there is no harm in seeing 'how the other half lives' as it were. I just wouldn't plan on spending too long there. It's quite a nice walk from SM pier, about 45-60 min each way though, there is a shuttle you can take I believe.

[Mrs Red C]

Red Cuillen and I did a trip report for Easter 2018 that covers Santa Monica and other parts of your planned trip, inc photos from Venice Beach. (Felt very uncomfortable at V B even in daylight)
It's called San F to LA via Joshua Tree NP, 5 or 6 parts.
It might be useful for your other planning bits.

[aimo]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

I go to the track at Fontana every year for the nascar , but if there’s no event on and there isn’t in April that I’m aware of then you won’t see
Anything

All you can do is drive up the road to the ticket office , you can’t go in the track or anything

However when I’m there I stay at Ontario Mills about 10 mins from the track , it’s a decent area .

The actual area around the track is pretty rough .

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That's a shame! Thanks for the info

[aimo]

Originally Posted by Mrs Red C

Red Cuillen and I did a trip report for Easter 2018 that covers Santa Monica and other parts of your planned trip, inc photos from Venice Beach. (Felt very uncomfortable at V B even in daylight)
It's called San F to LA via Joshua Tree NP, 5 or 6 parts.
It might be useful for your other planning bits.

See more...

Just read your trip report, very helpful thankyou!

[Mrs Red C]

Glad you found it useful.
We really enjoyed this trip, the variety of cities and countryside was great, it catered to all our wants. I think the only downside looking back, was tiredness. It was a lot of driving plus jetlag after the 11hr flights.
Enjoy your planning!

[aimo]

Hello! My planning has been on hold for a while, but I'm back! Accommodation in Santa Monica itself is looking very expensive. Can anyone recommend somewhere between santa monica and Griffith park that is a "safe" area to stay in, and might be a bit cheaper? There are so many different areas to choose from!

[tonymc]

When we visited a few years ago, we booked a one bed condo through hotels.com just across the road from Marina del Rey (and a Cheesecake Factory). Only a 10 minute walk from Venice Beach, and around 10 mins drive to Santa Monica.

You can also book through the company which manage the properties - Global Luxury Suites, but may be worth checking airbnb, home away and Trip Advisor for holiday rentals.

We visited Warner Bros Studios Tour and Hollywood on a Sunday, which worked really well as traffic was very light in the morning. However, had we have been visiting on a weekday, we would have probably looked at staying to the north of the city.