WHAT TO BRING
Sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat and a sweater. These classics tourist items will serve you well in Southern California's happy sunshine. Expect cooler temperatures on the west side.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Weather on the west side will be in 70s. Expect a drop in temperature in the evening. If you are staying on the east side, expect to be hotter, 80s during the day dropping down to 60 at night.
Sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat and a sweater. These classic tourist items will serve you well in Southern California’s happy sunshine. Expect cooler temperatures on the west side.
WHAT TO WEAR
Your finest, fiercest cocktail attire. Sequins, spandex & all the colors highly encouraged. Make sure to wear your dancing shoes!
HOW TO GET THERE
Renting a car: Driving in L.A. is not for the faint of heart. If you plan to stick to one area of town, you likely won’t need a car. If you plan to go to multiple neighborhoods in a short amount of time, you may want to think about it renting a car.
Lyft & Uber: https://www.lyft.com/ and https://www.uber.com/
If you're trying to get somewhere quickly or traveling with a group we strongly recommend Lyft or Uber (ride-sharing apps that allow you request a ride, where ever, whenever). You must download the app to your phone and set up an account to use it. It is faster, cheaper and easier than trying to find a cab. LAX recently became the largest airport in the country to allow Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers, but we haven't done it yet.
Public Transit: http://www.metro.net/ and http://bigbluebus.com/
Nate is a big fan of public transit and will happily talk to you for hours about L.A.’s growing network. But in the meantime, check out the links above. Unfortunately the new train from Downtown LA to Santa Monica doesn't open until the spring, but several of Santa Monica and Los Angeles buses can get you where you need to go.
Metro TAP cards work on all LA County buses and trains, and it's $1.75 each trip with free transfers. The buses are pretty quick, but it will take over an hour to get across town, and it can take even longer if you have to transfer.
If you're in Santa Monica the LA Metro 704 express bus will take you down Santa Monica Blvd to Westwood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hollywood, the Santa Monica/Vermont Red Line Station, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Downtown LA. If you're in Venice the LA Metro 733 express bus will take you down Venice Blvd to the Culver City Expo Line Station. Santa Monica Blue Buses and LA Metro buses have several local routes in every direction.
Walking: As the saying goes, “Nobody walks in L.A.” However, you plan to center your activities around the west side, you could get away with walking and using Lyft/Uber for anything truly faraway.