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Old 26 Aug 20, 10:41 AM  
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Bazinga 39
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Staying Santa Monica

Hi, looking at different options for LA as part of a west coast trip, would Santa Monica be a good option to look at, we did want to visit the pier anyway but would it be practical for seeing the Hollywood sites and visiting universal with a shortish drive?
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Old 26 Aug 20, 11:47 AM  
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Bozza
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In morning rush-hour traffic, it could take an hour or even more to get from Santa Monica to Universal Studios. Possibly not what you want if you're trying to ensure you're there for park opening.

We stayed in Glendale which was a great base for all the sights including Universal Studios and the various bits around Hollywood. It meant we were a bit further out from Santa Monica, but there were more things we wanted to see in-land than on the coast.
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Old 26 Aug 20, 12:19 PM  
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KarenG
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We ruled Santa Monica out because it was so expensive compared to other areas...
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Old 26 Aug 20, 12:23 PM  
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We stayed in SM at xmas and loved it. We drove to walk of fame, hollywood tours and warner bros studios. We liked the pier and the atmosphere, we always came back at night and parked up and had the evenings in SM, we would definately stay there again but depends where you want to visit 😊
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Old 26 Aug 20, 02:26 PM  
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Bazinga 39
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Thanks for those replies, I think I’ll look at it as a maybe depending on price, as previous poster said think it would be nice for the evenings😀
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Old 26 Aug 20, 07:34 PM  
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Olympiad
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We've stayed in Santa Monica the past 3 times we've been in the LA area, for some of the reasons you say - it's relatively well located for getting to the Hollywood and Universal areas, as well as to other parts (around the coast to Malibu, up into hills and along Mulholland Drive, and the metro into downtown LA). And of course the beach and shops/restaurants which give it a good vibe - more beachy and laid back.

As Bozza says you'll need to plan when you drive, but that's true of anywhere in LA in rush hour. Took us 35 mins on a Sat morning to Universal, and about the same on a Friday morning (rush hour) to Paramount Studios in Hollywood. From another post it looks like you're planning on July/August and relatively speaking LA traffic is lighter then.
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Old 26 Aug 20, 08:16 PM  
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Bazinga 39
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Originally Posted by Olympiad View Post
We've stayed in Santa Monica the past 3 times we've been in the LA area, for some of the reasons you say - it's relatively well located for getting to the Hollywood and Universal areas, as well as to other parts (around the coast to Malibu, up into hills and along Mulholland Drive, and the metro into downtown LA). And of course the beach and shops/restaurants which give it a good vibe - more beachy and laid back.

As Bozza says you'll need to plan when you drive, but that's true of anywhere in LA in rush hour. Took us 35 mins on a Sat morning to Universal, and about the same on a Friday morning (rush hour) to Paramount Studios in Hollywood. From another post it looks like you're planning on July/August and relatively speaking LA traffic is lighter then.
Thanks for reply, I can cope with those drives if it means a nicer spot to stay in, depending on price of course😀
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Old 27 Aug 20, 09:01 AM  
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tonymc
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When we visited a few years ago, we rented a one bed condo in Marina del Rey, which was just opposite the Marina. It was about 10 minutes drive to Santa Monica Pier, and a short stroll to Venice Beach and the canals.

We did have concernd initially over driving up to Hollywood, but as we had planned the WB Tour and Hollywood on a Sunday, it only took us 25-30 minutes to get to WB.

That said, I would think that if you were planning on more than one day in the Hollywood/Universal area then you would be better finding somewhere nearer.
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Old 27 Aug 20, 11:35 AM  
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Bazinga 39
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Originally Posted by tonymc View Post
When we visited a few years ago, we rented a one bed condo in Marina del Rey, which was just opposite the Marina. It was about 10 minutes drive to Santa Monica Pier, and a short stroll to Venice Beach and the canals.

We did have concernd initially over driving up to Hollywood, but as we had planned the WB Tour and Hollywood on a Sunday, it only took us 25-30 minutes to get to WB.

That said, I would think that if you were planning on more than one day in the Hollywood/Universal area then you would be better finding somewhere nearer.
Thanks for reply, good tip about driving into Hollywood on a Sunday😀
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Old 28 Aug 20, 09:23 AM  
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We stayed in Santa Monica and loved the location. We visited Universal and went on the Metro (light rail tram). It leaves from near the pier and there was one change in Hollywood. When we got off at the station (Universal City) there are free Universal buggies that take you to the park entrance. We were there before opening and it was very cheap as I recall.
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