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Brainwrong

Brainwrong

Spaktacuradge
Private Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
A'right, having spoken to Southfield proprietor of the mighty Frutin Travel, I'm gonna be staying around Santa Monica.

Does anyone know this area? I like the sound of it, on the beach, sounds to have a good vibe, plenty going on, bars, clubs, record stores.

Anyone got any good tips re the area?

I'll be there 15th - 22nd May 2014.

Cheers.
 
Brainwrong said:
A'right, having spoken to Southfield proprietor of the mighty Frutin Travel, I'm gonna be staying around Santa Monica.

Does anyone know this area? I like the sound of it, on the beach, sounds to have a good vibe, plenty going on, bars, clubs, record stores.

Anyone got any good tips re the area?

I'll be there 15th - 22nd May 2014.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I lived in Santa Monica for nearly a year in 1995, long time ago but have good memories. Its a good area to be based important to be near(ish) to the sea in my view and not that it matters but there's quite a big Scottish and Irish ex pat community. Its got decent pubs, restaurants, shops etc without being too pricey. Down at the beach is good but I'd probably do the short hop to Venice with all its eccentricity just to the south or take on the malibu snazziness to the north. hire a bike and you can cycle the broadwalk all the way along the coast stopping off for a beer or two on the way - it runs for miles and miles and is rammed with roller skating honeys. Inland the trip up to hollywood for the clubs is an easy trip from SM too. The main freeway east comes into santa monica which makes trips out of town not too bad if you're gonna be driving. very close to santa monica is brentwood and westwood - the area around UCLA (univ) which is worth exploring, brentwood from memory was quite chilled and 'villagey'- LA felt to me like a bunch of towns linked together rather than a massive city - i recommend you get a car, its a sprawl and public transport isn't that great (or wasn't).

other things - head for the surf down at newport, think of a trip out to Catalina island if you fancy getting out of the city for a day

cant really recommend specific places (pubs/clubs etc) as am sure they will have changed massively over the years but if you need to see a football match (whens the cup final? :lookaround:) I'd ask in Obriens Irish pub - i used to go there a bit and the folk there were mostly sound, sadly the bar i worked in (irish rover) is long gone although it was a bit of a kip. have a good one
 
Cheers, man. Great info.

I've booked this so we win the Scottish cup. It's a fuckin stick on ;)
 
I work close to Santa Monica and occasionally venture down there. Their showpiece is the 3rd Street Promenade for shops and stuff. There is the Santa Monica Pier which is quite interesting, for about an hour. I've not been in the The Kings Head for years but it has traditionally been used by a lot of English ex pats for the football. My experiences in there were mixed. There's another boozer like it near there, opposite corner I think but I forget the name of it.

The Irish Rover might be McCabes now. I remember (although it's a haze) watching Hibs v Rangers 1993 league cup final in the Irish Rover. Full of huns :(
 
The Kings Head is a good place, owner is Irish from Carrickmacross. If you want surf, head down to Tressles down by San Clemente.
 
BurbankHibee said:
The Irish Rover might be McCabes now. I remember (although it's a haze) watching Hibs v Rangers 1993 league cup final in the Irish Rover. Full of huns :(
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I wonder if it's still Colin that has it then? interesting..... have you ever been in? I wonder if Spud and Biggles are both still around.....? I guess that final might have brought the huns out but it was never a hun pub
 
Been to LA a couple of times...the last time being in 2004.
As has been said 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is great as is the pier and
Venice Beach. I do remember there being a couple of good irish pubs but i'm afraid
I can't remember the names.

Things to do in LA...go to Universal Studios, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Strip etc
Stars homes tour in Bel-Air is quite good although you won't see any stars there ! Downtown LA is great to go to as well

Some folk are a bit indifferent about LA, but I thought it was a great city to be in.
 
gun ainm said:
I wonder if it's still Colin that has it then? interesting..... have you ever been in?
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That was the one and only time I was in it. And it was a bit of a dump right enough.

gun ainm said:
I guess that final might have brought the huns out but it was never a hun pub
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Actually, it wasn't "full" of huns, it's just that it was all huns, maybe about 20. A mixed bunch, they were alright though. I was the only Hibs supporter there.
 
BurbankHibee said:
That was the one and only time I was in it. And it was a bit of a dump right enough.
Click to expand...

cheers anyways bud - it was spit and sawdust but what a laugh we had there and there were some great folk about - happy days
 
Greenmachine said:
Some folk are a bit indifferent about LA, but I thought it was a great city to be in.
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I'm indifferent to LA I suppose. But the good thing about LA is it is hugely diverse and really it's a lot of different types of cities over a large area. I don't really see an "LA City" as such.

Forgot to mention Farmer's Market and The Grove. Farmer's Market is a great place for getting food and hanging around people watching. The Grove is a swanky outdoor mall. You might see minor celebrities at this place.

Olvera Street is another interesting place, not too far from Union Station. This is a historic site but has plenty cantinas and there's usually some festival or other going on with Mexican performers.

And then there is Phillipe's, the best french dip sandwich EVER (apparently, I thought they were alright).

Warner Bros studios in Burbank has tours but that's a bit off from Santa Monica. Manhattan beach is good and Sharkey's has the best fish tacos I've ever had.

The Dodgers are on the road that week so baseball is out.

- - - Updated - - -

gun ainm said:
cheers anyways bud - it was spit and sawdust but what a laugh we had there and there were some great folk about - happy days
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I was going to go to McCabe's last year Hogmany. They had a band playing I've seen a few times and they were going to bring in the new years at 4:00pm (to coincide with UK) but I couldn't make it. I vaguely remember the barman from the Irish Times, I think he was a bit fed up with us by the time we left. Can't say I blame him, we were all pished by about midday because we had been in since about 7:00am and were probably a pain in the @rse.
 
I visited Phillipe's last year when passing through - thanks to Man Versus Food.
The home made mustard was pretty fine as I remember.
 
By Scottish standards it will be tropical ! But May with being right on the coast it can be quite chilly, for me anyway. But dinnae let me put you off ! The place looks barry and they probably have some kind of heating anyway.

Two other attractions I forgot to mention. For a bit of culture the Getty Museum. And the observatory in Griffith park. You could spend a whole day at the Getty.

You might want to check out the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd and other clubs nearby.
 
Brainwrong said:
Will the weather be that bad/cold by Scottish standards, middle of May?
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I went in April. It was like a warm summer's day in Scotland the whole time we were there. In the 70s every day. Very pleasant indeed. :thumbgrin
 
Brainwrong said:
Will the weather be that bad/cold by Scottish standards, middle of May?
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I'm newer here than Burbank so I think I still think of hot / warm / chilly / cold in Scottish terms. Yesterday the temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit here during the day (that's 20 degrees in Scottish currency) and everyone was all 'oh its sooooo cold'. May will be really nice - not too hot to do the touristy things and warm enough that as a Scot you'll happily spend the day on the beach if you want. Being by the coast you do quite often get what is called 'the marine layer' in the morning - a Haar as my mum would say, but this almost always burns off by 11am. The generous pouring techniques of bartenders will also make sure you don't feel chilly (unfortunately the prices aren't quite as generous).
 
Greenmachine said:
Been to LA a couple of times...the last time being in 2004.
As has been said 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is great as is the pier and
Venice Beach. I do remember there being a couple of good irish pubs but i'm afraid
I can't remember the names.

Things to do in LA...go to Universal Studios, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Strip etc
Stars homes tour in Bel-Air is quite good although you won't see any stars there ! Downtown LA is great to go to as well

Some folk are a bit indifferent about LA, but I thought it was a great city to be in.
Click to expand...

Venice Beach is a bit of a shit hole now.
Full of beggars and dafties. The local dafties were protesting about cops beating them up when I was there.
Good on the cops.

No gorgeous young women roller bladeing when I was there, although Mrs Shrink managed to get her picture taken with a fire engine...... don't ask.

There was one beggar there who was brilliant - he was missing a limb (or had it well hidden) and was telling some tourists that he was a Vietnam Veteran. If so, he must have lied about his age because he was probably a foetus at best.
Still, his patter seemed to be working.

Muscle Beach just had a few sweaty guys posing about - no fit women at all. Apart from Mrs Shrink obviously. :lookaround:

LA was OK, but my only regret was being unable to persuade Mrs Shrink that I should arrange to meet up with a couple of Bouncers.

Maybe one day.
:wink:
 
Right, I'm swithering between Santa Monica & Venice, seen great places to stay in both.

Does anyone have an opinion re the better of the two?

I essentially want to be in an area that I can just walk / bicycle about, cafes, bars, record shops, clubs perhaps.

Both probably fit that bill, perhaps Santa Monica more?

The wedding is down Rancho Palos Verdes which is a feckin' approx $70+ cab fare, anyone got any cab company tips? I won't be driving, so will definitely be relying on cabs as I can't be fucked with buses.

LA based boucers; fancy a pint or two on the Friday night? In fact, I'm only restriced by the Sunday, any other day would be cool.
 
Brainwrong said:
Right, I'm swithering between Santa Monica & Venice, seen great places to stay in both.

Does anyone have an opinion re the better of the two?

I essentially want to be in an area that I can just walk / bicycle about, cafes, bars, record shops, clubs perhaps.

Both probably fit that bill, perhaps Santa Monica more?

The wedding is down Rancho Palos Verdes which is a feckin' approx $70+ cab fare, anyone got any cab company tips? I won't be driving, so will definitely be relying on cabs as I can't be fucked with buses.

LA based boucers; fancy a pint or two on the Friday night? In fact, I'm only restriced by the Sunday, any other day would be cool.
Click to expand...

I would personally choose Santa Monica cos I'd say there's a better quality of bar/ restaurant / shopping around there and the route up to Sunset Strip, Hollywood etc is easier but Venice has its share of "groovy" shops and bars.

I wouldn't get a bus out to the wedding either - will take ages. However, the buses and the metro trains are safe to use and depending on where you are going much more convenient than driving (parking is a pain both practically and financially in much of the Los Angeles area) so give them a whurl during your stay. I live (in Los Angles terms) near Rancho Palos Verdes so could probably pick you up on the Sunday and drive you to the wedding at least.

Would be up for meeting up with you and some of the others - PM with any plans and I'll see what I can do - obviously with the sprawl of Los Angeles it will all depend on where each of us can easily get to...
 
vasco de gama said:
I would personally choose Santa Monica cos I'd say there's a better quality of bar/ restaurant / shopping around there and the route up to Sunset Strip, Hollywood etc is easier but Venice has its share of "groovy" shops and bars.

I wouldn't get a bus out to the wedding either - will take ages. However, the buses and the metro trains are safe to use and depending on where you are going much more convenient than driving (parking is a pain both practically and financially in much of the Los Angeles area) so give them a whurl during your stay. I live (in Los Angles terms) near Rancho Palos Verdes so could probably pick you up on the Sunday and drive you to the wedding at least.

Would be up for meeting up with you and some of the others - PM with any plans and I'll see what I can do - obviously with the sprawl of Los Angeles it will all depend on where each of us can easily get to...
Click to expand...

Cheers, man.

No, don't worry re lift, fully appreciated though :)

Cool, will PM the three (that I know of) of you.
 
Brainwrong said:
The wedding is down Rancho Palos Verdes which is a feckin' approx $70+ cab fare, anyone got any cab company tips? I won't be driving, so will definitely be relying on cabs as I can't be $#@!ed with buses.
Click to expand...

That's the problem with this huge city, getting around can be a challenge even when you are driving. I can't imagine trying to get around by bus. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

LA based boucers; fancy a pint or two on the Friday night? In fact, I'm only restriced by the Sunday, any other day would be cool.
Click to expand...

I'd be up for it, PM nearer the time.
 
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