FUN THINGS TO DO IN LOS ANGELES
1) Go to DOWNTOWN CULVER CITY to eat/see a movie
From Antioch/the Sheraton, take Green Valley Circle to Sepulveda Blvd.
Turn right on Sepulveda. Pass Fox Hills Mall on your right.
When the road forks, stay in the right lane (Jefferson, not Sepulveda). You will
pass Target on your right.
Jefferson swings to the right. Turn left on Overland Blvd and travel for about a
mile.
Turn right on Washington Blvd., passing Sony Studio on your right.
After Culver Blvd. Merges with Washington Blvd., get in the left hand lane and
turn into any of the side streets which offer public parking (e.g., Watseka and
Cardiff)
Good restaurants in Culver City are either on the main street or just off and include
o Bottle Rock – wine bar (3847 Main Street)
o Ugo’s – Italian (3865 Cardiff)
o Tender Greens – organic salads, chicken, steak and tuna (9523 Culver Blvd.)
o Ford’s Filling Station – (9531 Culver Blvd.)
o Bistro de L’Hermitage – French (9727 Culver Blvd.)
There are also two Japanese, one barbeque, and one Mexican seafood restaurant which I
haven’t visited but which may also be good.
Entertainment:
In Culver City, there are several outstanding theater companies – Come Back Little Sheba
is playing at the Kirk Douglas Theater at 9820 Washington Blvd., and Jonathan Swift’s
Gulliver’s Travels is playing at the Actor’s Gang Theater on 9070 Venice Blvd at the
intersection of Culver Blvd.
The Jazz Bakery is featuring Frank Morgan and Ron Matthews, located at 3233 Helms
Avenue at the intersection of Washington Blvd.
*To return to the hotel, reverse directions.
2) Go to DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA to walk along the beach, visit the pier,
shop, eat, see a movie, listen to music
From Antioch/the Sheraton, take Green Valley Circle to Sepulveda Blvd.
Take a left on Sepulveda Blvd, and pass under the 405 Freeway.
Get in the left-hand lane and turn onto Howard Hughes Parkway to pick up the
405 Freeway going North.
Travel for about 3 miles and look for the sign for the 10 Freeway
Take the 10 Freeway going West
Travel for another 3 miles and exit at 4th Street (not 5th!)
Turn right on 4th Street and immediately get into the left-turn lane
Turn left on Colorado Blvd.
Pass the Santa Monica Place mall on your right and notice the pier is directly
ahead.
Turn right on 2nd Street, pass the mall and the intersection of Broadway and enter
one of the public parking lots on 2nd Street (there are three)
Once you have parked, you have a number of options:
a) walk West toward the beach. You will hit Palisades Park that extends for several
miles overlooking the seafront (good sunsets!)
b) head toward the pier at Ocean and Colorado Blvd., ride the ferris wheel, watch the
surfers, eat cotton candy, etc. Below the pier, you can continue your walk south along
the seafront towards Venice Beach (unusual characters down there!)
c) head back to the 3rd Street Promenade (parallel to the park and in one block from 2nd
Street where you parked). This is a pedestrian walkway filled with movie theaters,
shops and restaurants. There is also frequently outdoor entertainment.
As there is much to do here, you may want to split up from your group and agree to meet
back at a particular landmark at a certain time.
Good, reasonable restaurants on and around the Third Street Promenade:
o Monsoon – good bar and great Indonesian food (1212 Third Street Promenade)
o The Gaucho Grill – Argentinian food – great meat and pastas (1251 Third Street
Promenade?)
o Johnny Rockets – All-American diner – burgers, fries and shakes (1322A Third
Street Promenade?)
o The Broadway Deli – yes, LA has delis!!! (1457 Third Street Promenade)
o The Border Grill – on 4th Street – Mexican/California Fusion (1445 Fourth Street)
o Houston’s – tasty and elegant American fare (202 Wilshire Blvd. at intersection of 2nd
Street)
o PF Chang’s – Asian (326 Wilshire Blvd. at intersection of Wilshire and Third Street)
o (there are plenty more from Wolfgang Puck’s to Yangtze Asian food to bistros to
sports bars on the Promenade and some fancier restaurants on Ocean facing the sea)
Entertainment: Clubs include Harvelle’s Blues Club located at 1432 Fourth Street and
Zanzibar: A DJ Music Experience located at Arizona and Fifth (1301 Fifth Street);
Lounge 217 (217 Broadway)
*To return to the hotel, get on 4th Street heading South and take the entrance to the 10
Freeway going East. Go South on the 405 and exit at Jefferson Blvd. Turn left on
Jefferson and right on Sepulveda. Turn left on Green Valley Circle, the street of the hotel.
3) Go to MARINA DEL REY to walk, eat, buy souvenirs for the family
From Antioch/the Sheraton, take Green Valley Circle to Sepulveda Blvd.
Turn right on Sepulveda and an immediate right on Slauson Blvd.
Pass Fox Hills Mall on your right and enter the 90 Freeway heading West
Travel the length of this freeway (just under 2 miles – the shortest in CA!) and
continue on the surface street until you hit Lincoln Blvd.
Turn left on Lincoln and immediately get into the right-hand lane
Turn right on Bali Way.
From here, you can go one of two ways – right or left on Admiralty Way
To Eat Directly/Dance Later:: Take a right on Admiralty (Casa Escobar Mexican
Restaurant is just off Admiralty on your left at 14160 Palawan Way and also offers
salsa dancing most evenings) and a subsequent left on Via Marina if you prefer to eat
at the Cheesecake Factory on the marina (4142 Via Marina)
OR
To Walk/Shop/Eat: Take a left on Admiralty and a right on Fiji Way to the end of the
drive. Park in the public lot and wander through the souvenir shops, taking scenic
photos. Popular restaurants in this area include El Torritos Mexican Restaurant and
Shanghai Reds (13715 and 13813 Fiji Way respectively).
* To return to the hotel from El Escobar/The Cheesecake Factory, take Admiralty back
the way you came past Bali Way; go to Fiji Way street and turn left. Turn right on
Lincoln Blvd. and left on Jefferson. Proceed for 4 miles. Turn right at Sepulveda Blvd,
pass Fox Hills Mall on your left, and turn left onto Green Valley Circle.
* To return to the hotel from the Fiji Way marina complex, head back on Fiji Way to
Lincoln Blvd. Turn right on Lincoln Blvd. and left on Jefferson. Continue as directed
above.
Feel free to ask any of the LA staff for directions to other sites including the Farmer’s
Market/The Grove – a complex of restaurants and shops that is a popular spot for families
and friends -- or downtown Hollywood (the traffic getting there and the crowds might be
prohibitive, but hey- it’s LA!)