Going to Los Angeles this summer for a few days with mom and little brother. Where/what part of town is a good place to stay for such an occasion? We will probably be visiting Universal Studios but just for a day. Would ideally be an area with lots to see and do, walkability would be nice.

South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach) or Santa Monica.

Stay by the beach and drive into Hollywood to see all the touristy stuff. The coastal communities are bad ass.

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This. Manhattan Beach would be my first choice.

Would you say a car rental is a must? I'be never been so not sure how extensive their public transportation is.

Portofino redondo beach

yes, you need to rent a car .. there is no public transportation in socal that you would use unless you want to take amtrak to San Diego or Santa Barbara..

In terms of price and location .. The beverly hilton is about as central as you can get if you are staying just a long weekend..

If longer hit a beach city up as well

I like the staying by the beach idea and driving into town. Now the question is Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach?

Manhattan is def the nicer of the two but santa monica is setup better for the tourist thing .. its a bit more central to running around as well ..(malibu, Hollywood, Univ studios, etc.) and more hotels

don't let the 12 mile distance between the two fool you .. that is a 40 minute drive on a good day..

I work in Manhattan Beach. It's a great place to lounge around, but it's not very accessible to the things you'll want to do as a tourist. Stay in Santa Monica, as close to Main Street or 3rd and Colorado as you can.

If you want to do more Hollywood than beach, West Hollywood or Beverly Hills would be my vote for hotels.

Most of my Aussie friends like Santa Monica.

Personally, I stay at the Hotel Amarano in Burbank. Harvey the Bartender and I go way back to when he was fresh off the boat from Pennsylvania.

I had a good time at The Standard downtown a couple years ago.