Traveling to LA for a Game

[A.J. Hicks]

So I come home from work today and my wife is asking if I'd be able to get the 27th of November off.

My birthday is the 30th.

Anyhow, push comes to shove she wants to get tickets to go see the Rams vs Saints game.

She asked me to make this thread ( I talk about the great community we have here constantly).

She want recommendations on stay in LA. ETC ETC ETC. We also briefly discussed flying into Vegas and then driving a rental. We live in Utah so we also have the option of just driving ourselves.

Any and all suggestions I would love to have.

I spend a ridiculous amount of time on here discussing the Rams with you fellow fans. I think I'll share this with my wife and encourage her to create an account. When I first met her she knew nothing about football, but now she sits there and understands what is going on with the game.

Let it rip LA natives.

 

[yrba1]

Nice, parking will be a nightmare, recommend taking the metro from whichever parking complex you're close to and use the Expo line to get to the LA Memorial Coliseum. Don't shy away from AirBNB for lodging, I used it during my travels in Europe, did not disappoint; not sure how it'll work in LA but reviews are usually a solid indicator of the place.

 

[Merlin]

That's a great game choice man. Should be an explosive and entertaining game.

Chances are flying to/from LA is your cheapest option if you buy them ahead of time.

If it were me I'd fly in/out. I'd also stay in either Venice or Manhattan beach the night before and after the game, since those spots are pretty quick cabs to LAX but also have real nice bars and nightlife for taking the lady out. I tend to prefer location over hotel quality personally, as I usually don't spend too much time in the hotel, so my only real concern is that it's not a dump. Doing that opens up a lot of the smaller beach type hotels dotted all over the place.

If you drive it opens up some other possibilities for spending the night. I'd suggest one night at least in Huntington or Newport beach, which are my favorite spots there by LA. Long Beach is nice too, but you gotta be careful there, as it's easy to end up in a seedy part. The other two are real safe and nice places for nightlife or tourist type stuff like beach walking or piers, etc.

Might want to do another night in Vegas to shorten the drive one way or the other too, if you don't want to stay two nights in LA where the hotels are much pricier. If you do that check out the deals in the stations casinos, which are the more local type joints that are clean and cheap. Palace stations casino is right by the strip, and real cheap and has a super cheap all you can eat buffet.

If you stay in Venice Beach, make sure you hit La Cabana. Been stopping in there to eat forever, place is amazing.

 

[SteezyEndo]

Stay outside out of LA metro. Long Beach should have some nice hotels and you can uber it up to the game. Yardhouse, tequila jacks, famous daves. Uber from there shouldnt be that bad. You also have Queen Mary, aquarium of the pacific right there. It would be an overall good experience.

 

[Corbin]

Yes Bro I'm so damn jealous! I went last year vs. the Seashits first regular season game back and it was epic! First time to L.A. and wasn't disappointed!

I would fly into L.A. if you could and get an Uber or taxi to where your staying! The key is to find where your staying at that goes right by the Metro which is dirt cheap! ( from Santa Monica to the stadium and back was like $5) Then you don't have to worry about transpiration or traffic or costs of renting a vehicle unless you really want to!

The Metro is in orange and simply get off on Metro Park/ USC Stadium! It was like a 10 minute ride from Santa Monica... could be 15.

I got a cheap place on the beach and if you look now you might be able to find one cheap! However I will say this if you rent a car make sure you find parking because parking is a pain in the ass down there! Also get those sausage dogs outside of the game with everything on them they are FREAKING DELICIOUS!!

PS LAX is very close to Santa Monica area and you can get some hotels around there if you like instead of a house.

 

[nighttrain]

and get ya some in and out burgers

train

 

[SteezyEndo]

Let it rip LA natives.

LBC is chill. I live approx. 26.8 miles from LBC and its cool. Nice people a lot of nightlife if you desire.

 

[Merlin]

LBC is chill. I live approx. 26.8 miles from LBC and its cool. Nice people a lot of nightlife if you desire.

My wife's favorite restaurant is a small chain called Cafe Sevilla. Best one is in San Diego, in the gaslamp district, but there's also one down there in LBC. There's often guitarists there playing flamenco or similar music, great wine and food, dancing as well.

They have these dates there that are wrapped in bacon and stuffed with blue cheese. Not even kidding re: how good they are, it's stupid.

 

[SteezyEndo]

My wife's favorite restaurant is a small chain called Cafe Sevilla. Best one is in San Diego, in the gaslamp district, but there's also one down there in LBC. There's often guitarists there playing flamenco or similar music, great wine and food, dancing as well.

They have these dates there that are wrapped in bacon and stuffed with blue cheese. Not even kidding re: how good they are, it's stupid.

I hate Daygo. Lol. Stuck in Pendleton i hate it. Not my cup of tea. Above OC I recommend. I dont get those Daygo vibes.

 

[fearsomefour]

Sweet wife man!!
My wife told me yesterday I remind her of Danny Devito on Always Sunny in Philadelphia. LOL.
Have fun!!!!

 

[fearsomefour]

If you head down a day early....it's LA, there are always concerts going on or nursemaid or whatever you are into.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Sounds cool! You have a great wife!

 

[den-the-coach]

Sweet wife man!!
My wife told me yesterday I remind her of Danny Devito on Always Sunny in Philadelphia. LOL.

Yeah I just said to my wife the other day, "Honey did you ever think in our wildest dreams our two children would become an Engineer & a CPA?" And her response was: "Den, you're not in my wildest dreams."

WTG @A.J. Hicks enjoy the game and take in the sun.

 

[dolphinlover123]

@A.J. Hicks I stayed at an airbnb in west hollywood I think. I was out most of the day so just needed a place to sleep. I think you can get a decent place for 70-80 a night. It was good bc the person had a street parking permit for us while staying too.

Oh and I did almost the same exact thing as you. I traveled for 4 nights and 5 days. 2 nights in LA and 2 nights in Vegas. I did a groupon on Vegas at Treasure Island. It's a nice alternative to very expensive ones and it's in very good location on the strip. I flew to LA from SF and then rented a car and then drove to Vegas. The drive is not bad unless you have an accident. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Especially if you are traveling with your +1. I drove back to LA to fly back to SF.

 

[Ramrocket]

Thats some great advice there lads. My wife, son and a few tag alongs have just booked our flights for September next year. Arrive in San Fran 7 Sept and plan on doing 7 weeks in the States.Hoping to catch a Rams game on either opening weekend or wk 2. Also hoping to catch up with some ROD members as well if at all possible. I've never been to the USA before so any and all advice as the time approaches would be gratefully accepted. This thread is a nice start.

 

[RamFan503]

Hey @A.J. Hicks - A lot of good suggestions here. Sounds like your wife's a keeper.

You may also want to look into VRBO as well as airBnB. We have stayed at a bunch of VRBO houses and condos and they are incredibly cheap for some really killer locations and places. They almost all have full kitchens so you can save a little cash by cooking some of your own meals and the refrigerators hold more beer. You may be able to find one on the beach or very close to it. People who still live down there are more the ones to lean on for location but the rule used to be to stay west of the 405 and north of Long Beach.

Don't limit your search too much. If it is a bit of a distance, you can probably rent a car that will make up for it. I would even look into places like Solana Beach if you don't mind driving on game day. The weather down there is really hard to beat and it is a pretty cool beachy area. Sound like you are going to be staying a few nights, there are fun things to do around that area.

I think Vegas would probably be your cheapest air fair. You may even have to fly into LAX first and still have it cost less - they cut deals relying on you gambling. Not sure if they'll let you do it anymore but a buddy of mine who used to fly to LA all the time, would have his luggage checked through to LA, and skip the LA to Vegas leg. He said it saved him a couple hundred dollars on most flights. Problem with Vegas is that it is a 4 hour drive - probably fine before the game - drag after the game.

I've talked to a few people who have located a park and ride and Uber'd it in from there. You may want to check that out. Uber is cheap and they can get you right down there. Taking a car is problematic because parking has always been insane in that area. I haven't been on the Metro but trains on a game day can be pretty iffy and you'd still be a mile away at the closest stop.

Good luck and have a blast.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

@RamFan503 I just created an account for my wife. I doubt she'll be around on the forums often but I thought she'd at least take to this post.

She is also a big Ram fan. Was kind of requirement before we got married. We dated 5 years before we got married.

Now she's sitting there right next to me. Calling plays out. Understanding the game.

And to all those saying she's a keeper. You better believe it.

 

[RamFan503]

@RamFan503 I just created an account for my wife. I doubt she'll be around on the forums often but I thought she'd at least take to this post.

She is also a big Ram fan. Was kind of requirement before we got married. We dated 5 years before we got married.

Now she's sitting there right next to me. Calling plays out. Understanding the game.

And to all those saying she's a keeper. You better believe it.

Good deal. Look forward to her at least chiming in here and there.

My wife is a little afraid to be near me on game day - my dog even more so. I'm just a little excitable is all. But she still wears her Rams top or her Rams dress she had an artist friend make for her or the Rams ear rings I bought for her when I was in St Louis, or something Rams on every day the Rams are playing. Hell - when we were still dating over 30 years ago and my old TV was going out on me, she suggested we go on a frenzied search to find a new TV before the start of the Rams/Whiner game. I would have asked her to marry me right then and there but we were already engaged.

I'm sure she will be going to a game or two with me in LA. She knows how badly I want to see a few games while they are still playing in the Coliseum. Don't think I can make it to that Saints game but it would be fun to catch up to you and a few others down there. My sister lives in Malibu so I have a pretty nice place to stay.

Hey! She has a place she rents out down there. I'll see if she has that available and at what rate. I think she rents it out by the week or month so it's a long shot but it's a pretty cool place just up the hill from Zuma Beach.

 

[gabriel18]

Congrats and bring home a win . Hopefully it's a full house and there's lots to cheer about .

 

[RamsSince1969]

Hope to say hello to you when you come out. I'll be at the game with my son. What a great wife!

@RamFan503 I just created an account for my wife. I doubt she'll be around on the forums often but I thought she'd at least take to this post.

She is also a big Ram fan. Was kind of requirement before we got married. We dated 5 years before we got married.

Now she's sitting there right next to me. Calling plays out. Understanding the game.

And to all those saying she's a keeper. You better believe it.