where to stay

my 2 daughters are off to california for 2 months in july on a very limited budget.They want to see all la has to offer,the coastal resorts where the oc was filmed plus san f and vegas.What is cheapest/safest way of doing this?does ucla rent out rooms in summer? any ideas about transport? thanks

where to stay

Are they going to be hiring a car?

If not, look at southwest airlines (southwest.com) to travel between cities. (Southwest is the %26#39;easyjet%26#39; of the U.S.)

Check with UCLA directly: ucla.edu

The cheapest rooms in general are in hostels. One of the popular ones in Hollywood is the Orange Drive Manor Hostel. They have dormitory-style housing as well as private rooms. Info is here:

http://www.orangedrivehostel.com/

To get around the city, they%26#39;ll need to use the metro rail and metro buses (assuming they won%26#39;t have a car). Info at MTA.NET

Check our our FAQs at the top of this forum for lots of info.

where to stay

Craigslist.org has listings for sublets and room rentals, usually not until the room has become vacant, however, maybe a month before you want it you can find something.

dailybruin.com is the paper for UCLA students, they often try to rent out their apartments for June and July when school is out.

Thanks for the info will check out all recommendations no car!

rent a stroller or bring your own?

I%26#39;m certain this has been asked somewhere at sometime on this message board so I apologize is this is redundant . . .

We%26#39;re going to be at DL in mid December and will need a stroller each day (we have a 5 day pass). This is our first time there so I don%26#39;t know what to do regarding a stroller . . . we%26#39;ll be flying in - should we bring our own stoller and check it at the airport, or should we rent a stroller each day at the park? How big are the park%26#39;s strollers? Large enough to carry a child and a backpack or bag? How do you keep your stroller from getting taken by other people . . . I think I heard something about tying a balloon or handkerchief onto the handle so that you can tell yours apart from everyone else%26#39;s?

Thanks for all your help!!!

Andrea

rent a stroller or bring your own?

Depends on the age of your child. If you have a 4 or 5 yr old and only want the stroller for when they tire out...I%26#39;d say, buy one of those cheap umbrella strollers and bring it along with you. If you have a baby, and need to bring along all the gear, rent the stroller daily rather than lugging your big one on the plane with you. Rental is 8 dollars a day....you can move it between the two parks, but you cannot take it off property. You turn it in at the end of your day, and pay again the next day to rent again.

As for losing it, nahhh don%26#39;t worry about that. There are a thousand strollers in the park at any given time. You%26#39;ll have a name plate to put on it when you rent it, and it will have all of your %26#39;stuff%26#39; attached I%26#39;m certain. There doesn%26#39;t seem to be much theivery within the park.

rent a stroller or bring your own?

I always found it most convenient when traveling to take my stroller right to the gate, then check it there. They have it ready and waiting for you when you get off the plane. I took my Peg Perego to the park, many, many times and never had it stolen. If your rental stroller is picked up by someone, just take your receipt to the rental counter and they will give you a new one.

Here is what my niece and I did last December at Knott%26#39;s. We took an extra jacket that we could identify easily and put it in the bottom of the stroller. Then we could also use the jacket to cover up any of the bags we bought. Bringing your own stroller could help. I also think this would be best for the walk to DLR and through DTD or main gate area.

Each ride has an area designated for parking strollers and many of those areas are near where castmembers are watching the queues, so that deters anyone from stealing anything that may be inside your stroller. But, I would be careful about leaving something like an expensive camera in one. In actuallity, it is an extremely safe place, but you never know.

Thanks for the replies . . . I%26#39;ve never checked my stroller at the airport gate . . . how does that work?

I thought I read somewhere that only umbrella strollers can be taken INTO Disneyland . . . true? If I take my own stroller, it%26#39;s a regular, standard stroller (not the umbrella type). I%26#39;d hate to take it all the way there and then be told that I can%26#39;t bring it into the park with me.

Andrea

I believe the rule is that only umbrella strollers can be taken onto the Disneyland Railroad. And it is not a general rule for the entire park.

So if you want to use the railroad system to go from one land to another, you cannot take a regular stroller onto the train and you would have to leave it there and travel round trip - or return to get it. This probably wouldn%26#39;t be of a concern to you because the crowds at that time should be large enough that using the train to get around wouldn%26#39;t help since there would be a long line at each station.

Redlands is right....your own stroller is welcome anywhere, except disneyland railroad which circles the perimiter of the park. The railroad only allows you to bring on an umbrella stroller. Otherwise...you must leave your stroller at the train queue and pick it up when you come back around.

Is that a new rule? My youngest is nearly five so it has been about 2 years since I ditched my stroller for good, but I used to take my full sized stroller on the DL train. (Folded up of course.)

Gate checking is easy. Just roll the stroller all the way down the jetway. Fold it up, they will take it away and give you a claim check for it. When you get off the plane it will be right there in the jetway waiting for you.

I read when of your other posts so I understand that you have a 3 year old so you should definitely take your own stroller.

We went last December with a 3 year old and we took our full size Peg Perego stroller and we could not have lived without it.

We thought that we would go back to the hotel to have him nap but that did not work the first day so we just let him nap in the stroller whenever he wanted to and it worked out great.

It is also great for carrying stuff when you are walking around but I would not advise leaving anything of value it it when you are not near it.

We would use it to get from land to land and then park it while we went on the rides in each particular land.

I have heard that some have been stolen but as ours is about eight years old, we never had a problem. People advise to securely attach a bright coloured cloth to your handle to deter theives. Some people even lock the wheels but I understand that you are not allowed to lock it to Disneyland property.

The problems with renting a stroller is that you cannot take it out of the park for the walk back to the hotel and everyone else has one that looks exactly like yours. I am not sure if it is comfortable to sleep in either.

We also found it helpful at the airport and we were allowed to take it right up to the gate and they had it for us right outside the plane door when we got out.

Have fun!

One advantage to having your own stroller is if you plan on going to downtown disney youll have it. Like mentioned before you can go park to park but not past the security point between the parks and downtown. Also keep in mind if your children our really young and your at the park, after a long day they may be too tired to walk back to the hotel (assuming your staying real close) and so will you so its nice to have it for them and your bags when returning at night. We have always taken our stroller and never had a problem. So unless the rules have changed for the train you should be ok as long you remember to fold it up and keep it with you. And last as to being stolen, Ive never had a problem or even keeping our bags with it and we usually have a backpack with snacks and small souviners, but again use common sense, if it looks like attractive or flashy keep it with you.

VickiSoCal,

Actually, it is an old rule - about the train. So, I don%26#39;t know if it has changed in recent years. I do remember that was the only place where we had problems back between 1986 and 1992. I don%26#39;t have any children, but those were the years I went with my sisters and friends who used strollers. Maybe on one of the trains or one of the cars there is enough room, I%26#39;m not sure.

Orange Co. area things to do

Good evening - I am traveling with my boyfriend to Fullerton, CA for a motocross race (in Anaheim, staying in Fullerton - which I see isn%26#39;t the best of areas) this week and will be spending Thursday on my own - I am looking for something to do...

I am willing to use the Metrolink (or any public trans.), however, I%26#39;m not sure the best and safest place for a 24 year old women on her own for the day...any ideas or places to start? I looked into Oceanside, but thought I might get bored.

I welcome any ideas at all - sorry if I%26#39;m asking the same questions - thank you!!

Orange Co. area things to do

The Los Angeles Metropolitan area is huge and quite diverse. Tell us about the kinds of things that interest you:

1. Museums (we have over 100 from ';tar pits'; to ';Television'; and from ';Western Heritage'; to ';Science';. (Let alone the art museums!)

2. Natural beauty: Mountains,. Canyons, Beaches, etc

3. Architecture

4. Celebrity-spotting

5. Shopping -- all types, all price-ranges

Tell us about your interests and we%26#39;ll make some suggestions.

Traveling during the day on mass transit is perfectly safe.

Orange Co. area things to do

I am interested in people and celeb watching, shopping (more in the lower end...unfortunately, I don%26#39;t make a celebs. salery), beaches / vast scenery...I would love to learn to surf, but I%26#39;m unsure if the waters will just be too chilly (I%26#39;ve seen the cold spell that has hit). I%26#39;d like to spend time outside and I%26#39;d love to eat a nice (resonable) priced meal that I couldn%26#39;t get here in Ohio and sit outside where I could people watch . (I love asian themed food, pitas and bbq - odd combo, I know :) )

Thanks again for the help - I am truly excited for this wonderful trip!!

Since you are staying in Orange County, you might want to explore Laguna Beach. It%26#39;s a beautiful small coastal town in South Orange County which has alot of restaurants,shops where you can sit out and have a nice reasonable lunch and watch the ocean.

Another good place to go and near Laguna Beach is Newport Beach and visit the shoppng center Newport Center FAshion Island. It%26#39;s an outside mall and has a great view of the ocean.

Check the website octa.net. Both of these areas are connected to Fullerton via bus.

Enjoy!!

fullerton is not a bad area, just a suburban boring area. Water will be too cold at this time of year for those without a full wet suit. Other than the beach areas, places close to fullerton that would be fun are the Block in Orange and Downtown Disney. If you want to check ou the beach for a nice beach walk, try metrolink to san clemente, san clemente is a beautiful spot and on the metrolink stops.

Thanks Longboard. Shame on me for not mentioning my own beachtown. If you go to San Clemente,then don%26#39;t forget to eat on the pier at the Fisherman restaurant or my favorite Beachgarden Cafe across from the pier.

Cheers!!!

San Clemente sounds and looks wonderful - do you think I would have enough to do here? Is there any shopping around? Also, if I take the metrolink here from Fullenton can I get off at Orange as well or do I only get one stop per ticket?

Thanks again - we leave tomorrow!! :)

San Clemente has a shopping area in their downtown with a number of boutique style shops. If you want a large shopping center then you can take the bus #91 from downtown San Clemente to the Mission Viejo Mall. Another option would be to take the number 1 bus North through Laguna Beach,then on to Newport Beach to the FAshion Island Newport Center Mall.

The train tickets are point to point. So you just get off then buy a new ticket to continue.

Enjoy!!

representative of male teenagers

Coin operated laundrettes - my location

Thanks in particular to Yogachik and bchdweller for their information. We will be staying at 101 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica and then later on at 9641 Sunset Blvd (nr Rodeo). The hotels are expensive but saving for this trip is killing me and it is a treat for my mum as her birthday present so don%26#39;t think that we are too posh to use laundrettes. Thing is we want to bring loads of stuff back so don%26#39;t want to bring too many clothes in the first place if you get my drift. Ijust wanted to have an idea of where there might be some laundrettes. Thanks to you all for some help.

By the way Yogachick do you know of any really good health shops that have places you can eat in too. I am not a keep fit fan but I like all that organic stuff.

Coin operated laundrettes - my location

The immediate areas of your hotels are posh, so I would think there would not be a laundromat within walking distance. If you do a yahoo yellowpages search for ';laundromat'; you should find one within a few miles however.

Sparkling Coin Laundry, for example, has locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood that are just a few miles from your hotels, see www.sparklingcoinlaundryla.com

Coin operated laundrettes - my location

Will you have a car?

When staying at the Fairmont in Santa Monica, there%26#39;s a laundromat on Montana at 10th street. There%26#39;s also one at Wilshire and Euclid (aka 13th). There%26#39;s one on Main Street at Ocean Park , as well. You could combine the Montana Ave or Main Street laundry day with lunch and/or shopping. But - you will need a car. If you don%26#39;t have a car, the easiest would be the Wilshire and Euclid location

The other address -- is that the Beverly Hills Hotel? I don%26#39;t know of anywhere in Beverly Hills, but your hotel might. Whenever I travel, I ask the concierge where and how to get to the laundry place.

Regarding health shops - they%26#39;re everywhere in LA. Everywhere. And, every restauarant has a vegie option. Most restaurants in LA pride themselves as being farm fresh and organic. Particularly restaurants like Axe in Venice, Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, Dhaba in Venice...

If you really want to try an organic / healthy / vegatarian place while in Santa Monica look up Raw.

THANKS SO MUCH TO YOU ALL AGAIN. Yes, our first few nights are at the Fairmont - at least I think so. I have booked but the reviews about their maintenance etc are really bad. I contacted the hotel to ask them to comment and ensure me that our room will be okay but boy are they taking their time getting back to me so I am getting a bit concerned. Regards Janet (London)

Don%26#39;t have any worries about the Fairmont. It%26#39;s one of the nicest hotels in LA - my personal favorite for guests.

Thanks Yogachick for your comments on the Fairmont. I am sure we will be fine there The website looked good but reviews so so. We wanted to stay near the sea for the first 3 days before Carmel and Shutters could not do us a room with two doubles on that date. I have so much advice from all you guys I just need to sort it all out in to some order. Funny enough when I came there about 8/9 years ago I did none of this checking things out and yet had a great time - perhaps having all this information at our fingertips takes some of the adventure out of it - who knows.

We stayed at the Renaissance Hollywood.

We located a laundrette near the Holiday Inn Express (Hollywood) about half a mile from the Manns chinese theatre.

Its next to the Sultani Restaurant whose address is 1535 North La Brea, Hollywood.

There is a bus stop nearby.

You also get cheap internet access at the launderette.

Hotels near eBay & Karina Station

I will be attending a conference in San Jose this March. I would greatly appreciate recommendations for clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced accomodations near the eBay campus. The closest VTA stop is Karina Station.

The nearest hotel is the Doubletree but it%26#39;s fairly spendy.

Also, if anyone has recommendations for attractions and restaurants in the area that would be great!

Hotels near eBay %26amp; Karina Station

Try googling these two...Executive Inn-Airport, and Best Western San Jose Lodge. And check the locations...they appear to be less ';spendy'; than the Doubletree, if they are near the eBay campus, which I do not know.

good luck

Hotels near eBay %26amp; Karina Station

Gee, there are a whole bunch of places around there the Karina stop. Sierra Suites, Extended Stay Deluxe, Motel 6, Fairfield Inn Airport, Holiday Inn Express.

Dodge Magnum vehicle or something else?

I liked the look of the Dodge Magnum in photograph - don%26#39;t get them in UK. A three door car will do but I thought something with a bit of high must be nice plus we are driving to Las Vegas. There are two of us and I am quite tall.

Dodge Magnum vehicle or something else?

It is an excellent vechicle. I bought one last year and have been very pleased with it. Tons of space. You%26#39;ll be comfortable. It handles great. Looks sharp. You get a lot of looks and conversations with strangers. Very rough and ready interior. (I have three small children.) Understand, it is not a high vehicle like a truck or an SUV.

The only thing I don%26#39;t like is the look of the audio system. Straight out of the early 80s. I%26#39;d also point out, if you get the V8, it will be a gas guzzler. The other versions are quite good on the freeway in terms of mileage.

Have fun.

Dodge Magnum vehicle or something else?

At Thrifty it%26#39;s considered the standard size car. But reserving one does not guarantee you a Magnum. You could be given any standard size car. You%26#39;d have to reserve an intermediate SUV in order to be guaranteed a 3-door. Well, not guaranteed, nothing in the world of car rentals is guaranteed, but you%26#39;d have a better chance at a 3-door.

Thanks so much for the advice - you are all so helpful Janet

I rented this car last year and loved it. I%26#39;m 6%26#39; 1'; and found it very roomy for us (me, wife, 2 kids). Lots of interior space both in the cabin and the ';trunk'; (it%26#39;s a staion wagon, after all). Plenty of power. I recommend it heartilly.

Video recorders and cameras

What do u do with these items when u are at disneyland on rides do u take them with u or are there lockers if so are they safe?

Video recorders and cameras

This is a good question!

You can take them on the rides. However, you are not allowed to take video or pictures (especially flash photos) on the rides. That doesn%26#39;t mean that people don%26#39;t do it. You can find digital video of Disney rides on the Internet. This actually is an infringement of their copyright and against their rules, as well as against the law. DLR has it printed in the souvenir programs that each person receives on entry.

I have never seen a castmember stop anyone from using a camera on the rides or do anything about it at all. I have noticed that the Haunted Mansion stops any time someone takes a flash photo! Then there is an annoucement that says the spirits have been disturbed.

I have a big bugaboo about people using digital movie cameras in the rides. This is because if I am sitting behind someone using one I can see the picture on their camera as they are holding it up. It is very distracting and takes away from the experience of the ride. In the past, when cameras where placed up against the eye of the user it wasn%26#39;t so distracting. Also, use of digital cameras and cell phones inside rides (yeah, people do it - mostly checking messages) is also extremely distracting to other guests because there is a light that comes from those devices.

All that being said, you will want to take your cameras with you all day and night for all kinds of photo ops and to capture all the sites of DLR that you can. If they are small enough to fit in a purse or ';fanny pak';, that%26#39;s good. Lots of people take backpacks and, as long as it is waterproof, that is a good place to store them, especially if they are on the larger side.

Video recorders and cameras

We took our school bag, which fitted jumpers, snacks and camera in- knew it would be easy to spot if we had to leave it anywhere, but there was no ride we couldn%26#39;t take it on. It usually sits at your feet on the floor, so just make sure it won%26#39;t let water in, and you can take your camera anywhere.

Yep, you can take things like that on rides with you, most rides have a pocket/pouch on the back of the seat in front of you to put things it. Rides like California Screamin%26#39; have a secure pouch so that yr stuff doesn%26#39;t fall out when you go upside down! :O) Just don%26#39;t forget to get it out afterwards, is all!! My hubby and I allocated a specific day (or 2) to take our camera with us, and then the other days we put everything in our locker and wandered around without it. Hope you have a great time!

Let me set the record straight regarding taking photos and video at the Disneyland Resort, since I do it on a fairly regular basis.

First off, there is NOTHING printed in the Guide to the Magic regarding guests taking photos and/or videos. They do mention the new Photo Pass program where Disney takes photos for you. And I am currently looking at the current version issued from both Disneyland and California Adventure.

Pretty much you are allowed to take photos anywhere in the park, unless the ride/attraction is posted with restrictions.

The most common restriction is Flash Photography, usually Dark Rides like Pirates or the Haunted Mansion. Also, Video and usually photos are not allowed on attractions that are films, such as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and Soarin%26#39;, due to copyright issues regarding movies. Just make sure and read the signs and listen to the announcements, if you are not sure, ask the Cast Member working the ride.

So pretty much, if you are just taking photos for NON-commercial use, you have no problems, and that is why you can find video of attractions on sites like YouTube, since there is no payment made to the person who filmed the attraction.

Since the main use of my photos are for ';news'; reports at places such as MousePlanet and MiceAge, I can legally get paid for my work. Disney knows this, and I am in good standing with them and their Marketing Department, as I get credentialed for Media events.

I cannot sell my photos to Travel sites, as Disney is very protective of their use, for example, the reason the Unofficial Guides don%26#39;t have photos is due to Disney having their own version (Birnbaum) and have a special set of rules.

But EVERYONE should use common sense and be courteous of fellow guests. But take as many photos and videos as you want, just make sure that you are obeying the rules that are posted at the individual attraction.

I just posted a new Inside Anaheim page talking about the specifics of each attraction regarding Photos and Videos.

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29092-c53073/Anaheim…

I also placed this thread at a Disney related site that has a lot of photographers on it. If there are errors on the list, they should be caught, and I wil edit the Insider page to reflect the current policy.

Hope this will help clarify the policies of the park regarding photographs and video.

Thank you, Darkbeer. From reading this I can see there is a lot more to the policies than I thought. I think I was remembering old policies, maybe way back in the day before digital. Disney seems to be a lot more lenient than some other amusement parks and entertainment centers. I remember going to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and seeing the big show in the evening. They had people walking up and down the aisles and if they so much as caught you raising your camera you would get talked to and possibly thrown out! That%26#39;s going overboard.

I have a question, though, why are photos and filming of the Star Tours ride allowed and yet it is a movie? Is that because possibly it is not actually a Disney movie?

I appreciate you adding the courtesy suggestions, especially regarding the external viewfinders.

Just a quick note. We made sure to put our cameras (that were in a backpack) in plastic bags when we planned to go on the water rides that splash (Splash Mountain at DL and the Grizzly River Run at DCA). Just a bit of insurance in case we got extra wet.

Darkbeer, thanks for being the source for the truth.

Note: I am working on the list, and will be verifying the information on my next few park visits, but I would say it is at least 95% accurate. I have had some good input over at MiceChat on the info, but still want to double check the list to make sure it is 100% accurate.

This question raised a good question, and the lack of any real information online was surprising. I have looked at official Disney sites, and unofficial places, so decided that one needed to be made.

And I think that SAFETY and COURTESY are important parts of any photography at Theme Parks. (and most everywhere else).

Many of my photos sometimes take some patience as I wait for folks to not be in the area when I am trying to get a specific shot.

And I try and not use my Flash unless it is allowed and needed, many times a non-flash photo turns out better than with a flash.

Also, remember that some of my photos at darkbeer.smugmug.com come from events and arrangements where I am allowed special privileges by the parks, including access to the rides while the ride is closed to the general public, so Flash is allowed when it normally would not be, or that I can stand in places that are normally not available to the public, and special platforms that are built for specifically for the events.

Thanks for all your help has been very very helpful with deciding if to bring video cameras or to much trouble with not being able to go on ride but now i see its very easy to do !!!

makeup 2009