Planning a trip to watch Ags against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. I figure it is a once in a life time chance to go to the Rose Bowl to watch Aggie Football. I'm starting to plan my trip. Any suggestions? Places to stay, airports to fly into, etc., etc..

Wife and I try to go to Palm Springs every September. This year, we will be there during the game. Driving in from there. Pretty exciting.

Burbank, Ontario, & LAX are closest options.

Vegas my man...lomg labor day weekend and Vegas is only 3-3.5 hrs from rose bowl

Any one know where team is staying?

Imagine a hotel near rose bowl in Pasadena

I live in SoCal. What do you want to know?

I'm looking for suggestions of what to do after the game. My parents and I are flying into San Diego for a few days before and then taking the train up on Sunday morning. I haven't picked a hotel yet for Sunday night. We'll most likely rent a car Monday so we can visit family in Corona and my dad flies out of LAX that night. My mom and I are sticking around at least a few days (we still haven't booked a return flight) with the only thing on the agenda being to visit her cousin in Lake Arrowhead.

I haven't been to California before and am kind of overwhelmed with options. The LA, Hollywood scene doesn't particularly interest me and we aren't beach people. I've been to Disney World a ton of times, so I don't know that we need to do Disneyland. Is anyplace worth checking out near Lake Arrowhead?

We are pretty flexible, we were thinking of staying until Wed or Thursday, but can be flexible on that as well as where we fly out of. We got a direct flight out of Ft. Lauderdale into San Diego, but would prefer to fly back into Ft. Myers so we'll have to take multiple legs anyway so we aren't limited to LAX.

We will be returning to Texas on Tuesday. We are staying at the Langham in Pasadena and flying out of LAX on Tuesday morning. How bad will the traffic be that morning?

Bad. Rush hour in LA Tuesday after Labor Day. Bad.

Flying in late Friday night, staying close to LAX so its easy to fly out Monday morning. Going to Disney Saturday and probably the beach Sunday before the game.

Wife and I are planning on going Fri - Mon, are we better off staying near Huntington Beach or Santa Monica? I like the idea of flying in / out of John Wayne airport (SNA), but we've already been to Huntington Beach and haven't been to Santa Monica. She'd prefer to stay by the beach and drive to / from the game

fwag04 said:

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Wife and I are planning on going Fri - Mon, are we better off staying near Huntington Beach or Santa Monica? I like the idea of flying in / out of John Wayne airport (SNA), but we've already been to Huntington Beach and haven't been to Santa Monica. She'd prefer to stay by the beach and drive to / from the game

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That's a ways away from Pasadena, but it's a beautiful area. If you don't mind driving >1 hour to/from the game (and through LA traffic), go for it. If you want to be by the beach, I easily recommend Santa Monica over Orange just for proximity.

I'm flying into Burbank. Nice small airport close to the stadium. F LAX.

fwag04 said:

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Wife and I are planning on going Fri - Mon, are we better off staying near Huntington Beach or Santa Monica? I like the idea of flying in / out of John Wayne airport (SNA), but we've already been to Huntington Beach and haven't been to Santa Monica. She'd prefer to stay by the beach and drive to / from the game

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We're flying into SNA on Friday and staying at the Ritz in Dana Point; makes for a longer commute to the game on Sunday but we wanted a nice beach to spend the weekend on.

What time is your departure at LAX?

Southwest flies into Burbank, Ontario, LAX, and Long Beach in the LA area. You can check out all of their schedules depending on where you will be.

The "Hollywood" & "LA" scene isn't like what you are thinking. Los Angeles isn't all glitz and glamour, that is for sure. And frankly, Pasadena doesn't even count as Los Angeles.

And you mentioned you aren't beach people, but remember, the beaches the weather is cool almost year round. we have been wearing jackets at the beach this month. In Sept, yes, that is a busy time, but you can wear jeans and a jacket and ride a bike along the sidewalk and it is stunning.

Santa Monica. But head south along Ocean Park and Venice as well. Head north to Pacific Palisades and do some browsing. But definitely Santa Monica. You will be about 1-2 hour drive to Pasadena from there, depending on traffic.

if you are into real estate there are some awesome scenic drives and walks to see some amazing properties.

Are you into some casual hiking? Once again, Hollywood Blvd here is similar to the San Antonio Riverwalk. Lots of tourists and people trying to get money from those tourists. But it is an actual city with schools etc.

When people come visit me we normally do:

Malibu
Griffith Observatory
Santa Monica/Venice
Manhattan Beach
Hollywood Sign hikes
Check out Hollywood Blvd one time
Maybe check out a concert or comedy club - most famous ones are along Sunset Blvd
Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills

Lake Arrowhead isn't far from Big Bear Lake and it is a really pretty drive. That is where LA goes to vacation - ha!

But way out there, you are 2-3 hours from LA proper, so doing something for the day in LA would take up much of the day.

another idea is going the Warner Bros Studio Tours
check out shows to see what is filming you could go to a live audience event
there are some really great museums here - Getty Center, La Brea Tar Pits Museum, Holocaust Museum

each neighborhood and area is unique in LA.

Koreatown
Japan Town
China Town
Little Armenia
Up in Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley is know for their Sichuan Chinese Food from when they settled here

The foodie scene is out of this world here in LA too.

LA is like Austin on steroids is how I describe it to my friends/family in Texas.

Matsui,
Google maps says it's just under two hours from Palm Springs to the Rose Bowl. Is that fairly accurate?

Matsui said:

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Southwest flies into Burbank, Ontario, LAX, and Long Beach in the LA area. You can check out all of their schedules depending on where you will be.

The "Hollywood" & "LA" scene isn't like what you are thinking. Los Angeles isn't all glitz and glamour, that is for sure. And frankly, Pasadena doesn't even count as Los Angeles.

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I think Hollywood is by far the most overrated tourist attraction in LA, and maybe even the United States. Just souvenir shops and tourists everywhere. They do have some cool bars and restaurants there though. I agree there are so many another awesome places to see in the area. The place I work at in TX is opening an office in Huntington Beach... I wouldn't mind moving...

But what "is" Los Angeles? It's such an enormous county and it's so diverse. You can be by a cool beach then drive 15 miles inland and you're in the hot desert. Santa Monica feels pretty removed from the city. Downtown feels different from Hollywood. Westwood, Pasadena, the Valley, Orange County all have a different feel to them. And that's what makes LA an awesome place I think.

On that Sunday and assuming you will want to be there 2-3 hours before kickoff to stroll around, yes. To be there by Noon I wouldn't leave later than 10 AM.

Also, before games they have big public tents set up selling food drinks entertainment etc. It isn't like Kyle where it is mostly Foundation events or private tailgates.

Agreed on your statement. Hollywood is attractive to tourists and people who want to profit off of tourists and that is about it.

I have been to the following in LA in the last 5 years: Reagan Library, Nixon Library, Queen Mary, Will Rogers State Park, Orange Empire Railway Museum, March Field Air Museum, walking tour of downtown LA, Battleship Iowa, La Brea Tar Pits. All were good.

We are headed out on Thurs. Fly into John Wayne. 3 nights in Huntington Beach at the Hyatt. Spend time in the OC. Then move to the Westin in Pasadena on Sun for the game. Fly out of Ontario on Monday.

DanHo2010 said:

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Not sure how much a jam-packed sports weekend appeals to you, but I'm doing Western Michigan vs USC at the Coliseum Saturday at 2, LA Galaxy vs Colorado Saturday night at 8, Ags vs UCLA Sunday, and then D-backs vs Dodgers Monday at 5.

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We're flying in Saturday morning and flying out Wednesday morning.
USC game at coliseum
Ags- ucla
Dodger / Dbacks game on the agenda

Get ya a steak at Musso and Mikes then drinks poolside at the Roosevelt or a drink at the dresden,

Flying in on Saturday midday, out on Monday morning (AUS --> LAX). Staying at Le Merigot in Santa Monica.

aggie7911 said:

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Get ya a steak at Musso and Mikes then drinks poolside at the Roosevelt or a drink at the dresden,

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What should one order at The Dresden?

Anyone know what the team hotel is for this game?

We are staying at the Westin in Pasadena.

The lady and I are flying in Thursday around 5 and leaving Monday afternoon. We rented a car and I found a vrbo place in West Hollywood. I've only been to LA once and it was a day trip over from Palm Springs and we didn't get to see much. I've read some of the earlier posts, but what are the best spots and beaches that are close enough to West Hollywood that we should check out as first timers?

Flying OMA-BUR on Sat returning the following Sat. Staying with wife's kinfolk in woodland hills. Will be sure to get some Roscoe's, Hot Pot, and fathers office burger