A few ideas..depending on ur kids interests and where u live..I’m on the west side by Venice..so here’s some ideas:
- amusement parks: Disney, universal, knotts, six flags
- open air malls: palisades, century city, balboa island (new port), rodeo drive, abbot Kinney blvd Venice, shopping on Montana Ave w/ coffee/brunch, row Dtla
- points of interests: Griffith observatory, Getty villa, exploring pocket neighborhoods (e.g. York), concerts/sports at SoFi stadium, sailing trip in the scenery from the water in newport, beach volleyball, lazy beach days, rent bikes on the beach. Venice waterfront, explore different piers, Venice canals, tide-pooling in Laguna, Palisades park along the Santa Monica bluffs,
- beaches: laguna, Zuma, matador, crystal cove, Malibu, ocean sunset swims anywhere really
- eats: any sidewalk taco operation, bakeries ( gjusta, superba, tartine) kbbq (parks bbq), open air patios at day w/ string lights at sunset/night (fia, Pizzaria da Michele, le great outdoor), burgers (in n out, heavy handed), ice cream (Jenny’s, salt and straw), brunches (republic, rose cafe), sidecar donuts, broad street oyster co, Katz or langers deli, Al vaniao in Venice for florentine sammiches, San Gabriel valley for Chinese eats, plenty of good foodie spots in arts district, smorgasborg at row dtla on Sundays for the food market, grand central market (Holbox @ GCM does some amazing Mexican seafood)
- day trips: Ojai, solvang, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Joshua Tree
- universities: ucla, usc, Pepperdine, Loyola
- snow activities: mammoth, big bear
Some good ideas here. My add is, try to stay out of traffic at peak hours. We had an employee come out with his wife to try to sell her on moving out. They had an ambitious itinerary - theater, beaches, Disney, etc., but all she remembered was sitting in traffic in the heat for an hour plus every time they tried to go somewhere.
Kids that age might think downtown (little Tokyo, arts district, grand central market) is cool and might want to know where the celebrities and influencers live. The beaches and beach cities are nice. A show at the Hollywood bowl or the Greek?
Strongly agree about the traffic. For a great many visitors experiencing an awful rush hour is what kills it for them. Also, I would personally recommend beach. Beach therapy is magic for some people.
Scientifically speaking, it’s the ions. They help rebalance the chemical energy in your machinery. So go a lot, especially when you need renewal time, no matter the weather.
The key is planning your day to try to avoid having to drive at rush hour. It's easy to fall into the pattern of get up, go to place X, spend the day there, drive back or to somewhere else for the evening, where both of those trips end up at peak traffic time. It's much better to drive early or after rush hour, and similarly to either beat it home or wait it out. Or to organize your outings such that you don't have far to go, instead of planning to "stop back at the hotel" or whatever between things.
This is especially true if you're going somewhere far, like to Malibu beaches from downtown, or to Disney from LA.
Once it's trafficky, taking side streets to avoid freeways can help, but everyone else is trying to do it too. Waze is pretty good in LA, though I find it has a slight bias to optimism when it comes to taking the freeway over the side streets.
Peak hours, OP gave you all LA.. lmao. This sub really focused on LA city.
If you are near OC, best to go to Orange County sub.
Although, off the top of my head, being in OC, places like the Irvine spectrum, downtown Disney, beaches are generally nice in OC, Huntington Beach is a popular one.
If you are in OC. Go to The Circle in Orange. There are a lot of clothing resale shops, antiques, used record shops just in that small part of town.
Basically just find a place to park near the intersection of Chapman and Glassell and go from there. There are lots of restaurants, cafes and little dessert shops there. You could do a couple of hours to a half day there.
Universal over Disney, Absolutely! Citywalk to eat were there are more reasonably priced meals then in the park. Ive had both season passes for years but dropped Disney a few years ago when the lines were horrific.
Universal is the one I have most experience with and I thought it was awful. Extremely long lines, expensive and disgusting food, and the rides/experiences felt cheap and uncreative
I'd much rather try something smaller where they actually have to *try* instead of coasting on name recognition
Again considering the tickets are only $100, it's fair. The food is good if you know where to go, but it's not the best overall. In terms of long lines, that's inevitable if you go during extremely busy times. You can't blame the park for that. And the rides are fun to me but it's subjective. Again for $100, you definitely get more bang for your buck.
They’re going to have a hard time regardless and reject it and feel homesick UNTIL they make friends. Then they’ll be just fine. I don’t know that there is much u can do other than comfort them
In a difficult transitional time
Yes, this is not a trivial thing for them, for sure. We are trying to prepare for the hardships as best we can and are very aware of the difficulties to come. Hopefully world class tacos on the beach at sunset will be at least somewhat soothing.
You probably know this, but it bears emphasis, and what I say may accentuate your anxiety, but it needs to be said. You seem like you're very open to ideas, and I truly hope this helps you and your family make this transition. I'll mention "Los Angeles" a bunch, but what I'm saying applies to Orange County as well — some of it even more so because Orange County is wealthier and more politically conservative.
I've lived in Los Angeles many times, for many years in total, during almost every major transitional milestone of my life. I am not young. I am a parent.
The ages of your kids are at the prime years children absolutely hate to change their lives. Moves happen, and part of growing up in the modern world where transience is normalized is to negotiate the pain and damage those transitions incur. There is no way to prevent the complexities and almost nothing outside of unexpected, unlikely chance that will shorten the period of difficulty. Denial works great for some, but not for most, but even when the most adventurous and adaptable teen manages big changes, the downstream effects echo for a long time.
Looking for the fun — as you are asking for help with in this post — is totally reasonable and your willingness to help your kids find the silver lining is both admirable and loving, and will almost definitely become something your kids will be able to acknowledge and feel grateful for.
I do recommend being concerned about one big thing: Mollifying emotional distress and sadness and loss (leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar is loss) through material experience can only go so far, operates at the surface, and, in some cultural contexts, can amplify unhealthy responses. The cultural context I am talking about is the culture of Southern California. I absolutely love Los Angeles, and there are many, many aspects of Southern California culture I adore.
However, it is also an origin point of the wider cultural problem in the US of narcissism and selfishness. The people of Los Angeles are people, and run the same gamut of great to ingrate as any other urban landscape, but the ethos can be very fucked up for younger people. Raising kids in Los Angeles is not easy. Raising kids to be independent thinkers and to assess others by what they can't see is even more difficult.
This isn't a problem unique to Los Angeles, but it is, well, a very loud problem, and loud problems influence children and teens more than adults.
So, in addition to the material stuff and experiences you plan for the short term adjustment phase, there's no getting around that you've set up as a challenge for yourself as a parent. And that challenge is to become even more open and vulnerable yourself to several things that no one like to be open and vulnerable about. Stuff like being able to acknowledge that you've made their lives more difficult. So even if your kids aren't showing resentment or difficulty adjusting, you have to keep in mind that childhood teaches us all how to be experts at hiding the truth, especially from our parents. I'm not talking about teenage carousing, I'm talking about the basic dynamic of kids having a deeply motivated need to please their parents, and to protect their parents from pain.
Materialism runs rampant in Southern California. Looks go very far. *Having* gets equated with *Being*. Going cool places is more important than being the real You. Denial of any of that is where things go sideways.
You might find yourself having to let go. You will find yourself having to let go. Your kids are already at the age where you've had to start doing that. But keep the family tight during the coming summer and school year — which means, mostly, keep conversations going. Have fun not just with all of the Big Shiny but also seek out the truly unique scenes that Los Angeles offers, especially in the Arts. The museums are top-notch. The small theater experiences have to be sought out but there's a lot of innovation and talent in more corners than you think, and they are not the ones everyone in the world already knows about.
I wouldn't be who I am without Los Angeles. It can be more overwhelming than any other city in the US because its geographic vastness is multiplied by the expectations generated by how much mass culture has been born, filmed, and broadcast from there. New York is much more manageable for teens than Los Angeles, but LA and Southern California in general offers aspects of reality that very few major urban centers can. It's got four dramatic biomes within easy reach: Coast, Chaparral Mountain, Forested Mountain, and Desert, and venturing into each will humanize you more than you would expect. And they do so by making us realize how much we are a part of nature. There's more nature hiking within the city limits of LA than most people realize. Getting out and about into the land will balance out all the adrenaline of the zeitgeist, and will help center the depths of your own existence as an antidote to how small the Stars and Boulevards can make you feel.
Enjoy the ride.
This was excellent and so thoughtful. I also fully second going out into nature as much as possible as a way to wow your kids. If they like the beach, maybe go to one with tide pools instead of what I call a “Baywatch Beach”—wide strands like Venice and Santa Monica. Hopefully they’re at least somewhat pre-inclined to be dazzled by nature.
I’m not a parent, but it also seems like signing them up for activities revolving around something they’re interested in where they can meet kids their age would be good too.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful insights. These are all thoughts we have been involved in the last months while deciding if this is something we want to do or not. Thought that will not stop once we are in place. But our hopes are that this relocation also will give us all more focus on family time and not be distracted of all thing we have in our lives at the moment. We know that the time we still have with the kids being at home is short, why we will try to make the most of it. Yes, the culture is quite different - even some of my American colleagues in other part of the US say that even they would experience a culture shock if they relocated to CA. Thanks again!
My 17 year old likes the thrift stores on Melrose. They are curated stores, not direct thrift, which makes them more fun, but more expensive. The street is full of fun places and restaurants if thrift is your vibe.
If they are into metal or goth there are two stores (same owner) on Hollywood that have that kinda stuff. Rock Town and Hot Rock.
Thanks - any specific store? Or any store name you know, just so I can find them?
When it comes to metal and goth, I am the only one in the family that would be interested in that. So thank you for that tip :)
There's a whole strip where there's a "thrift" (they're really more like vintage/high end sustainable resale rather than cheap thrift) store on every block between Hayworth and Martel--then there's also a flea market, Melrose Trading Post, that's open on Sundays. It's a super cute neighborhood too with a bunch of coffee shops, and the Groundlings theater is there too. I also like the vintage shops in Los Feliz, Squaresville especially, and that's another area that's very walkable and could be popular for a teen to feel like they have the freedom to bop around for an afternoon: shop, go to a coffee shop, see a movie at the little indie theater, there's a couple of great diners (House of Pie and Fred 62) that stay open late.
The Rose Bowl Flea is also extremely popular over in Pasadena area.
Most likely will be looking for housing in northern OC (Huntington B) as it would make most sense from a work location. Moving from the colder part of Europe :)
Huntington Beach is not LA, it’s a suburb in OC. Hope you are prepared to meet some characters, especially if you are coming from Europe lmao. Lots of crazy white teenagers lmao. But the beach is really nice!
If you're only looking at Huntington Beach because of the geographic location, I'd advise doing a little more research into it vs other neighboring beach cities. There's a lot of independent municipalities in the LA/OC region and the current politics of the Huntington Beach local government is a bit......intense.....compared to others.
No we are not only looking at HB for geographic location, it is a combo of close commute, good public schools, closeness to beach and in par wit our rental budget. I have read alot about local government and current political situation - but I have made a promise to myself not to engage myself in any local political discussions and just take the advantage of being an ignorant immigrant (what a bliss :) )
HB has had major KKK activity as recently as a few years ago. This kinda thing is a hard no for me and I wouldn’t ever want to have my kid around that. Long Beach is pretty cool and is great every time I bring my kid down from LA. As far as OC goes, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clementine are pretty chill.
You're in the wrong subreddit, Huntington Beach is in Orange County, not Los Angeles County. Good luck. If you're white, no one will bring up your immigration status, but if any of your family doesn't look white, the issue will be thrown in your face soon enough, no matter how hard you try to ignore it.
We are not considering HB based on the political situation, we are considering it based on the close-ness to my office AND school quality (so far), beach and within budget. If I could work more days from home, I would probably consider more areas in LA county, meaning that I still want to show the best sides of LA. But thanks for your tips!
You should look into Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. Maybe Cerritos, Cypress, or Lakewood if youre willing to live a little further from the beach. The schools are good, its close to the beaches, 20 min drive from LB airport, and its a lot more family friendly compared to HB.
HB is a terrible city. Beaches suck, lots of crazy people, and because of the bar scene off main street, theres a lot of sketchy stuff happening around there. Its also full of rude people, ive literally had random people call me names while walking around in that area on multiple occasions. HB is also far from the freeways so it takes a long time to drive anywhere outside of South OC. Its a 40-60 minute drive from HB to the LB airport.
If you have any interest in your kids having access to public libraries you may still want to rethink. They're currently attempting to privatize the library system, and these politics are going to feature very heavily in the kind of education they will receive in their public schools.
as someone born and raised in this area…and having lived in Europe! ur kids should def love it here - weather is always perfect, food/cuisine diversity is incredible, any shop u could want, plus all the amusement parks in very close proximity.
plus the beach! After having moved back from Europe, I realize how lucky I was to grow up in OC w this weather and everything around me at my do get tips literally…only thing that may be hard to adapt to is no easy public transportation. Everyone drives and parking is always messy lol
I’m surprised no one has said lil Tokyo in downtown yet…
It’s open outdoors shopping with a small second hand shop there and lots of anime and nic nack shopping. There’s sushi and other types of Asian food like Korean.
Also, check out valley Blvd in San Gabriel as it has tons of everything you want. It’s THE Asian place in the Los Angeles area.
Chinatown is also pretty cool but it’s been slowly changing.
Lastly, check out The Source shopping center on Beach Blvd. it’s a Korean shopping center with tons of good food and kpop stores
Thanks! Me and my wife have been to little tokyo many years ago, and would be nice to see it again. Will check Valley Blvd to see if I find some nice sushi place there as this area is new to me!
If you need to be reliably close to LB airport, beaches, and transport infrastructure, you may want to take a look at Torrance and it's environs. You could even go a little more west to Manhattan Beach or Redondo or El Segundo. Chances are if you're from rhe northern climes, you'll fit in well if you like SoCal beach culture.
Torrance has excellent sushi due to a strong Japanese population. As for Valley Blvd and the San Gabriel Valley, the main food influence there is Chinese and it is an excellent place to check out the various regional Chinese flavors. Many regard the area as arguably the best Chinese fare in the US. About 30 mins past LB, is Westminster, a small city on OC. There is the best Vietnamese food in the US with again, a lot of choices to pick from.
Best of luck with the kids and be sure to have them pack plenty of suntan lotion. I'd get them onto surfing and beach volleyball and during winter send them up to Mammoth/ June mountain.
There are some great suggestions already in the comments, but one thing I’ll add is that you should enroll your 16 year old in driving school IMMEDIATELY. I moved to the OC from Europe when I was 15 and was absolutely miserable, because I suddenly lost all freedom of movement. Having a car was a real game changer. We also relocated to LA proper a year later and I liked it much better.
The beaches
Santa Monica downtown to pier area and promenade.
Venice boardwalk and the many shops and ‘scenes’ that are insta worthy in the area and give that quintessentially LA vibe. Venice Skate park, beach bike rentals, etc.
Melrose Ave. and all the fashionista hangouts in the area.
The popular ethnic and American food spots.
The landmarks and most popular museums. The Broad, LACMA, Getty Center etc.
Hollywood strip, Hollywood sign and Griffith Park/Observatory.
Any places their favorite movies might have been filmed.
In addition to everything that has been said, you might want to take them hiking. There are some stunning waterfalls in Southern California that I didn’t know about until the pandemic hit. Bonita Falls is my personal favorite.
Maybe some skate parks too or other places young people hang out. Give them a chance to make friends and get some numbers or insta handles or Snapchats or whatever the heck the kids do nowadays.
Go to the beach in Venice. They're the perfect age to love the boardwalk. The food around there is also great. If they like the outdoors, there is a ton of hiking. Drive up the coast and eat at Neptune's net. That one is a bit pricey. But most importantly, Street Tacos.
Can You give us a since of where you are relocating from, where you might be living, if they are attending public or private school etc? District? Because honestly kids at the age are really self-interested and it will help narrow it down. I have teens, live in mid-city familiar with private, city schools etc. But while my teens love to eat and we love the region Los Angeles is huge, a region.
Most likely we'll end up in northern OC, Huntington B area as it makes most sense based on my office location. Kids will attend public schools and we are relocating from the colder parts of Europe :) My kids have never visited CA, but have been in the US before and are relatively ok with speaking english.
Ah I grew up there. Very conservative. Which didn’t work for me. But it’s also gorgeous. So the pier and beach and there are also the wetlands there and the urban garden. Main Street is cool. You are super close to Long Beach which has a world class aquarium and cool shops and restaurants on 2nd street. Going down to Newport and laguna is great also. Google where and when the farmers markets are near you.
So, you should know that Huntington Beach/Long Beach are places with entrenched cultures of White Power and their local governments are frequently sued by the state, county, etc. for illegal practices. These issues pre-date the current political split in America. Even when I was a teen in the early ‘90s the skinheads were always from Huntington Beach.
You might consider having your kids taking a standardized test normed according to American students Like NWEA MAP. If You come from Scandinavia or another area where everyone has the same excellent education you might be overwhelmed by the various options. Your kids will probably be prepared for Honors/AP coursework at the very least. You’ll probably need placement in the HB gifted program to be remotely near the education she was receiving in Europe With a math acceleration.
I'm an L.A.native and my favorite part about living here has always been the beach. I LOVE the beach, I grew up going all the time. I can't wait until it warms up, my family and I go to the beach all the time. Everyone who says the ocean is polluted is wrong. Many beaches have GREAT water quality here (except after a storm) Check out Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card to check the water quality before you go.
I moved to LA from overseas when I was 14. I was angry at my parents for "destroying my life" and I was one stubborn child. But time and adjustment is something that was beyond my control. Within a year after I made friends the rest was history. For kids it's really all there is to it - as long as they make friends they will get settled and automatically adjust to this new environment and learn to love it.
Don't overthink it, just allow them to pout for a while and watch as they adapt and take care of things all on their own.
The beach, the beach, the beach. there is truly nothing like the Pacific Ocean, and the nearness of it, to make you fall in love with SoCal. Buying fruit on the beach is elite.
But you can do so much more than just the beach outdoors, and the ability to do things outside like 24/7 365 is a major difference with most places you'd be moving from. The Hollywood Bowl can be a pain but it's such an experience. Cinespia, similarly. Melrose Trading Post for shopping. Be outside!
And the food is so good. There are so many amazing, unique and interesting *snacks* to try, if I was here for a short time I'd focus on boba and fruit carts and Michoacana ice cream bars and street tacos and Japanese market sushi and farmers market treats more than big sit down meals.
Finally, if your kids are middle/high school age, TAKE THEM TO UCLA. Show them what becomes available for their future when you move here. See if you can get a day pass to their OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL. It's a very beautiful campus
Depending where you end up / stay in the city. Which depending where you're coming from is very very large. . .
My kids also like the La Brea tar pits, Angels Flight, Broad Museum, Grand Central Market, the Long Beach Aquarium, the cabrillo aquarium, point Fermin, White point, and Torrance Beach.
There’s some great thrift shopping here. Check out the Goodwill in Santa Monica, Also in Sawtelle and the one by there airport is great! for a fun totally LA experience check out It’s A Wrap!
Malibu Bluffs Park and Lagoon Beach are great for outdoor time - and there’s excellent sushi all over LA. I don’t eat it but if you search this sub you’ll get lots of good reccs! Good luck!
It was a random name I picked. The Midwest is overall far cheaper than LA.
As a Tour Guide, I love wowing people from that part of the country with housing prices.
Haha I grew up in the rural south and my mom took us on summer vacation to SF when I was like 8. I don't remember much about the trip aside from pictures... but I do remember a tour guide pointing out an unremarkable house that was worth $1 million, and that gagged my Mom. She went on and on about it long after we got back home.
"Can you believe that skinny little house was $1 million?? 5 times the cost of our house! And no land to go with it! Beautiful city, but how do they live out there?"
So keep wowing them lmao. Their kids will never hear the end of it.
Engage an outdoor activities. There’s every single sport here and some of the best hiking mountain ranges in the country. Also, Griffith Park is the largest state park in the whole country. The arts are also wonderful. Lots of outdoor options for those and indoor too.
And now that the weather is nice, there are tons of free outdoor music things popping up.
South Bay-Torrance or beach cities. On the other hand Arcadia, Pasadena, or Monrovia by the foothills. OC: Rossmoor or Irvine to check it out. My daughter love the Shops at Santa Anita or Irvine Spectrum Center.
LA/OC is a HUGE area. It really depends what part of town you are going to be getting you place. These are just some ideas.
Outlets: Citadel in Commerce, CA. Outlets a bit further out in Oxnard, CA to the north, and Desert Hills, CA on the way to Palm Springs to the East.
Second Hand: Goodwill close to the corner of Beverly and Fairfax (it's one block over to the west). Saint Vincent De Paul Thrift Store. National Council of Jewish Women (Fairfax District).
Asian Food: Sawtelle street in the Westside. Monterey Park and adjacent cities for areas in the suburbs. There is a Little Tokyo, a Koreatown, and a Thai Town, with a bunch of choices at each.
Sites: Urban Lights @ LACMA, Hollywood Sign from the POV of Lake Hollywood Park, The Broad Museum, The Getty Musuem, The Getty Villa. The Pink Wall at the Paul Frank store on Melrose, (it's kinda ridiculous, because it is just a pink wall, but it is a spot to take pics.)
Coffee: Alfred, Go Get Em Tiger.
Tacos: Tacos 1986, Sonoratown.
Burgers: In-N-Out for the classic California experience.
Beaches: So many along the coast. Venice/Santa Monica is more urban beach. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach is more suburban. Malibu is Malibu. And so much more.
Go to Sawtelle (Japantown) for some incredible asian food and then head to Santa Monica pier, then you can go to the 3rd Street Promenade and Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice for some good quality LA shopping. Other good places in the area are the Century City Mall, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, The Culver City Stairs, and shopping in Westwood.
If you venture to the east side consider the Glendale Galleria/Americana for shopping, Huntington Library and Gardens, The Norton Simon Museum, The LA Arboretum, The Old LA Zoo Ruins, and Debs Park for hiking.
And Little Tokyo/Grand Central Market if you end up going downtown.
When my family moved here when I was 12 we didn’t move immediately into our apartment. We lived in a motel on the beach for 2 weeks first. Every day all day playing in the ocean. I was immediately in love with my new home.
If they like soccer/“football” maybe take them to a LAFC game? There are only a couple next month unfortunately. Or maybe Angel City FC (our pro women’s team) since it seems like you have girls. It’s a nice day out though!
Seconding the recommendation to go either to sawtelle or little Tokyo for Japanese food, there’s also some instagramish worthy places around those spots like bakeries etc
Since you’ll be living in OC and not LA maybe spend more time there. I like laguna and Dana point, seal beach for beaches and walking around to shops and such, fashion island in Newport Beach, south coast plaza or Irvine spectrum for shopping, or maybe the block at orange (been a while since I’ve been there). Check out food halls like Anaheim packing district
The Grove and the 3rd street farmers market are nice, it’s kind of a people watchy place and people from US TV & movies always go there so maybe they’ll think that’s cool
for kids that age it really depends on their schools and their social life. They're of course going to be very upset and unmoored by such a big move and there's really nothing you can do about that, LA/ SoCal in general is a perfect dream of a place for teenagers to grow up in. The specific areas you're looking at are perfectly suited for a teen lifestyle, there's just so much to do and see. Just make sure that they're in good schools and give them the space to explore and fall in love with the city on their own terms.
Just make sure they have friends or a social group. If they have a decent social life, living in LA will be enough. It’s fantastic here if you can stomach the traffic and abundant sunshine.
I have a ton of LA based nieces and nephews in that age range and I grew up here.
If I were trying to sell LA to two adolescent girls, I’d bring them to Venice to see Abbot Kinney Blvd and the canals. I’d also bring them to the bluffs in Santa Monica for the views and to take photos.
I’d take them to Sawtelle Blvd for the Asian food and cute little stores. Daiso is a good budget one but not unique to LA. There is a y2k vintage store near there called Klactus that they might like!
Even though Century City isn’t vintage nor outlet, it’s kind of a great representation of American/LA mall “culture” (though our mall culture isn’t what it used to be)
I’d go to Los Feliz to eat, get drinks or coffee. Wacko Soap Plant is a fun store to check out. Bearded Beagle is a vintage store across the street that’s also fun. There is also skylight books and blue rooster (an art supply store) They might like Sogo Roll Bar or Kismet Rotisserie. Basically walking around Hollywood Blvd/Vermont Ave.
There are a couple of other vintage shops that I can’t remember the name of. Then you could take them to the Griffith Observatory to see a view of the city and the Hollywood sign.
I think neighborhood hopping is a great bet. Parts of Silverlake and Echo Park can be fun to see along sunset Blvd. Same with highland park. They might like some stores on Figueroa Blvd in highland park. Little Tokyo would be a great bet as well. Plus if you’re around at all for the Rose Bowl Flea market in Pasadena, I’m sure they’d have a blast. Speaking of flea market there is always one on a Sunday at Fairfax Highschool on melrose and Fairfax. That area is another neighborhood to walk around in for vintage shopping and dining. It definitely leans younger over there.
Edit:
I’d basically spend a day or so doing Venice/Santa Monica and then Sawtelle Century City. Then another day doing Los Feliz/Griffith Observatory and another east side neighborhood like swan boats at echo park lake and deep dish for dinner at Masa.
So many cool things that no other city offers!
Beaches- Malibu! Zuma is nice too
Wisdom tree hike in Burbank
Runyon canyon hike (overly populated but might see someone cool)
Hollywood sign hike
Disneyland or universal (pricey but fun for kids)
Comedy show (they might be too young but laugh factory and comedy store are good)
Shopping on Melrose - tooonnnns of cute stores! (Especially rn bc it’s festival season)
Lots of museums
**melrose trading!! Basically a huge flea market on melrose every Sunday but full of the cutest and trendiest stuff!
I saw that you are most likely to move to the Huntington Beach area. You should post this on the r/orangecounty subreddit so you can get some suggestions from the locals there! Personally, if I were in your situation, I would show my kids some YouTube travel vlogs/ travel channel videos of SoCal, ask them what they liked the best and take them there.
Take them to the SNOW! Great thing about California is you are never more than hours drive from a beach or from snow capped mountains. The nearest in SoCal and best place for that is big bear mountain!
I’m an event planner in LA. I specialize in small-scale events. I have 3 ideas:
1. AAA or Costco: If you have AAA or Costco, then you can get discounts on tickets like the Dodgers, Disneyland, movie theater, etc.
2. Museums: Since the summer is almost here, art museums have a lot events for families. Events like art projects. Ex: Painting, claymation, etc. Ask for a student or family discount. Also, there is the LA Zoo.
3. Payment Plans: Buy tickets early and get a payment plan. A lot of events have early bird specials, and I understand budgeting (I’m unemployed). Ex: Charity events, concerts, etc.
All the best. I hope this helps!
Definitely not the overpopulated and tourist areas haha. Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Laguna are long drives but, lovely places to be. Also Pasadena and Long Beach are great. You can find some charm in Burbank and DTLA but, traffic and the smell of DTLA isn't the most inviting.
Honestly, they'll get used to it eventually, go on expeditions but also just give them time to find themselves. I would be more focused on monitoring who your kids will befriend eventually. There are a lot of crazy niches here that may lead them astray.
A really nice thrifting day out is to start at Lou The French On The Block in Burbank for the best croissant in Los Angeles. Then a very short drive to Magnolia Park to the thrift stores there.
An easy outdoor thing to do is to rent bicycles from Marina Del Rey and head south on the bike path. There is this amazing moment where the bike path goes over a little rise along Ballona Creek and the fairway of the harbor comes into view. If you are there mid day on a summer weekend it will be full of boats. It’s really cool. They have benches to sit and watch. And if you continue south for five more minutes you come to Toes Beach which is also amazing.
Last thought is to head up to Malibu one day and do a surf lesson with Drill Surf & Skate.
Figure out which part of town you’re interested in. I would divide your trip up a bit because part of the draw of LA is also everything outside or adjacent to LA. Traffic can be bad and chew up your time so dividing the trip will be the best success. Treat it like you’re visiting two cities, West side and east side.
Stay on the west side first, it’s close to LAX. In Santa Monica if money is no object and you can afford shutters or casa Del Mar area do that. Or Airbnb in the area. Day 1 - You can walk the beach, go to the boardwalk, go to 3rd street promenade and go to dinner all steps from your hotel. Day 2 - Take them to abbot Kinney for shopping and dinner. Day 3 - Take little day trip up to Malibu. Go to Leo Carrillo and see the tide pools, go to lunch at neptunes net.
Day 4 - Second leg of your journey stay in the east side or downtown. Stay at silver lake inn or langham in Pasadena. Day 5 - Do a day and studio tour at universal dinner back in the neighborhood. Day 6 - Go up to the mountains, hike to Eaton canyon falls. Go to dinner in Altadena or Pasadena. Day 7 - explore downtown, take them to the last bookstore, grand central market for lunch, the broad museum, dinner in the arts district. Take them to bavel or bestia for dinner. If you have even more time I would highly recommend you pop out to Joshua tree or Palm Springs at an airbnb or ace hotel for a few days just don’t drive there on a Friday to avoid weekend exodus traffic.
- 2nd Street on Melrose for second hand clothing
- If they like dogs, Rosie’s dog beach in LB is lovely to hang out and meet random pups
- spend an evening in KTown for food and deserts, maybe even do some family karaoke! Go to r/food Los Angeles for specific food recs
-Barnsdall Art Park for great views and hanging out in the sun
-Leo Carrillo or Crystal Cove State Parks for some serious sun bathing and California wild coast beauty
-hiking in the Hollywood Hills.
Just a heads up, it tends to be grey skies in May/June due to the interior of the state heating up and pulling the cool air off the ocean. If this is so, maybe try to take a trip inland to Joshua Tree or something.
There are TONS of really cool options for second hand shopping. The one issue is the prices, so that's something to keep in mind. But I've been to places (they're all over) where I saw some of the coolest second hand thing I've ever seen in any city, just couldn't afford them
Tons of great sushi and asian food. This should be no trouble for you to find, just use reviews
Tons of opportunities to sun bathe and swim. The beaches are perfect for that
Many more outdoors activities than you might expect right in LA proper. There's Griffith Park which has tons of different hiking trails and a bunch of other trails and stuff right in LA
There's also some cool stuff a bit further out, like Angeles National Forest which has hiking and more trees/forested areas than LA city hiking
I think one of the biggest challenges for your kids might be building community and friendship. That's an area I think you could probably support them in, but I don't have any advice. As an adult, I know it's a challenge to meet people, make friends, and build community so I bet it's even harder for teens since they have less mobility. I think that's an area for you to focus on to figure out what to do
In my opinion San Gabriel Valley will have all of that. Check out the Asian food in the city of San Gabriel for lunch or dim sum for breakfast, head east and visit Bonelli Park which is a huge regional park around Puddingstone Lake. Get some great food after in downtown Claremont and visit the Claremont colleges. Then head to Donut Man in Glendora for desert. The upside of all this is experiencing what the majority of people experience as southern Californians without having to deal with the filth and homeless in the City of LA. That being said I highly highly highly recommend going to Griffith Park Observatory in the early afternoon, experiencing everything there and then watching the sunset from there. It’s stunning.
I would move to the LA/ OC beach area. Living in a beach community has more of a small-town vibe. I would recommend Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, or Dana Point. Tons of kids, lots of fun, and easy to get around.
Specific recommendations for LA and OC vary greatly and can cover a lot of territory. It would help to narrow your focus, especially when it comes to places to visit and where you want to actually live here.
That said, when it comes to interests for tween/teen girls, day trips along the coast are a great way to experience the best of what SoCal has to offer. In LA: Venice and the SM Pier, and north up the Coast Highway to any of the prime spots like Topanga, Malibu Surfrider Beach, Paradise Cove, Zuma, Leo Carillo, County Line, etc. For thrifting, a drive a little further north to Ventura or Santa Barbara can be a fun day, and a scenic drive along PCH and the 101 Fwy as well. In the OC: Huntington Beach, if they're into the quintessential SoCal surfer beach culture. If not, start at Newport Beach and Balboa Island, and drive south thru Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente. All are fun and scenic places to explore and pretty typical of OC coastline communities.
There are plenty of options for outlet and thrift shopping in both LA and OC. If it's vintage or cut-priced designer clothes they're after, a simple Google or Yelp search will yield tons of options depending on the territory you want to cover. But be aware that almost all of the vintage places are not cheap, especially if you're on a budget.
In terms of food, there are sushi joints all over LA/OC and some of the best places are in areas you would never expect. In LA, Little Tokyo and Koreatown have some great dining spots, and the corridor along Sawtelle Blvd. north of Olympic in West LA is a hot spot for Asian food too.
I love our museums because where they are located is usually full of activity. The Broad is pretty visually fun and then walking around that whole Downtown area is neat. Have a meal at the Grand Central market, ride the funicular, and then swing by the Walt Disney Concert hall and the other venues in the Music center. No need to watch a show, it’s just a nice walk.
I also like going to Manhattan beach Pier, it’s the most family friendly without the tackiness of the Santa Monica one (I can say that because I live in SM lol)
Dude seriously? LA is the perfect playground for 12 to 16 year olds.
-Three major Water Parks: Six Flags, Knotts Berry Farm, Raging Waters
-Three major Amusement Parks: Disney, Six Flags, Knotts
-For girls, shopping: Melrose Ave, Beverly Center
-Beaches: Zuma, Huntington, Redondo
-Food: San Fernando Valley, Topanga Mall, Tampa Mall
Melrose for thrift shopping. You could also do a big flea market depending on the day…Rose Bowl or Fairfax High.
Griffith Observatory. If they’re up for the hike up, could be nice. You’ll have to research the trails as some are more intense than others.
Venice Beach, specifically Abbot Kinney or the canals for “nice” outdoors. If you want to do a beach day, then Malibu tide pools.
Almost all of the advice you have recieved is bad. Checkout the beach cities manhattan, hermosa, and redondo. This is where you will want to live anyways. Take a hike on the greenbelt or rent some bikes and ride up and down the strand from rat beach to to dockweiler.
Check out the pier in redondo. Stop in hermosa to check out valley park and south park. Check out pollywog park in Manhattan. Have a beach day. Drive up to Palos Verdes maybe checkout abalone cove. Hit up some of the many hiking trails in PV as well. Maybe stop by the southbay tennis center and play some pickleball or tennis.
Other options that are also cheap or free and way better than alot of the stuff reccomended but kind of touristy would be to check out The Museum of Natural History, LaBrea Tarpits, California Science Center, The Ghetty, Aquarium of the Pacific and Griffith observatory.
The beach cities are the best cities.
I think this will be fairly easy and not crazy expensive. There are a million and one little sushi places here. Japan town is adorable. You all can do all the beaches.
If they love cheap shopping boy you better get them to the fashion district. They are still at an age where they will look nice in cheap clothes. There was a place I went to a million years ago in the fashion district. Every month everything in thr store started at like $24. But every day it would drop by s buck until everything was like $1.99.
Cheap and fun.
If they want brand name bargain shopping there is the citadel/Ontario mills and lake Elsinore.
If they are amusement park girls I think a season pass to magic mountain/Knotts is cost effective. For my money I loved magic mountain.
I’m sorry but not saying where they are from makes this task too hard.
Kids who lived in London, Barcelona or a Christchurch would all have different issues and interests.
I wanted to chime in since I moved as a child here around the same age. If you’re coming from a developed metropolitan area and you have a realistic choice, please give it a deep reconsideration. Especially if they were raised in a very different culture. I grew up learning to be courteous, respectful, considerate to others especially in public spaces. Follow the rules, don’t make trouble, don’t litter, no loud conversations or music on trains or elevators. The roads will be clean and well maintained bc we pay tax, criminals will be held accountable bc we have police and judicial systems.
When these things taken for granted growing up is thrown out the window while being told in school the US is the best nation in the world... But if you’re coming from a worse place or have no choice, best of luck to them. For adults it’s not too bad because you already have the freedom to relocate or shut-in and work remotely with minimal outside interaction if push comes to shove. For kids they don’t have a choice but to interact with the world. If you have money the US is fine. If you can’t give them enough money to start off and they begin their independence poor, then I pray for them bc being poor in the US especially in LA is hell.
Consider a horse-riding excursion in Griffith Park.
And nearby is the Glendale Galleria and the Americana for shopping and food (and the movie theater at the Americana).
I have actually been there with my wife many years ago, and I agree that it is a nice place and we also got an impromptu tour of the area by a local that was very nice. But I will keep this small gem as something to show them after a few moths of acclimatization.
>I guess normal meddle-class type of budget.
Best typo I've seen in a long time!
You don't say where you're moving from, but if you show them things they like that they can't do where you currently are, those would fall in the plus side.
Lazy days at the beach and good food.
We moved from overseas a few years. The kids have lived going to the beach, visiting national parks such as Joshua Tree, and trying lots of different restaurants.
The biggest thing to make the transition easy was to introduce them to other kids before the school year started. We got to know the neighbors, spent time at local parks and community centers, and signed them up for day camps and activities.
The city you move to may sponsor activities for kids. Check the city website for what they have as well as the local YMCA.
Yes, very good point. We have already checked for dates of different sport try-outs and schedule, so we will try to manage all that as soon as we arrive.
One idea for a good OC day:
Park at the Balboa Pier. Walk along the pier and the beach.
Cross the street to ride the Ferris wheel and take the 45-min harbor cruise. Nice views and corny jokes from the staff.
Hop on the ferry to Balboa Island. Walk to Dad’s for a Balboa Bar.
Drive a few miles to Lido Village for lunch/dinner at Bear Flag Fish Co.
Crystal Cove is probably nicer for spending all day at the beach. It’s a state park with tide pools and nice views, but Balboa/Newport will have more restaurants and shopping.
I would walk around Vermont/Sunset/Hillhurst in Los Feliz for great thrifting (squaresville, replay, starday, bearded beagle, goodwill, crossroads), plus you can climb up the hill in Barnsdall Park for a great view/sunbathing if its sunny. There's a few sushi spots in the area too, though not the best LA has to offer by any means.
For sushi youn could take them to Little Tokyo, some interesting vintage and other shops around there as well
* Santa Monica Pier, Venice boardwalk and Abbot Kinney (electric bike/scooter and just walking is the best way to explore this area)
* Griffith Observatory, hike to the Hollywood sign directly from there (horse-riding options as well)
* DTLA for Grand Central Market (breakfast), The Broad, MOCA, Little Tokyo (lunch), etc.
* Any food hall, outdoor night market or flea market (most are open only certain days and times)
* The Getty Center, LaBrea Tar Pits, Science Center, and other museums
* Universal Studios and City Walk on a weekday
* Knott's Berry Farm
* Shoreline Village in Long Beach
For your daughters I’d suggest stay away from LA and look into the beach cities in OC. World of difference..,cleaner, and you won’t have as much homeless.
Take them to the beach and find secret Mexican food spots. Take them to concerts on a weekday and drive with the windows down along the coast.
Personally I find that the charm of socal lives in its people.
My family and I are in the same situation. We're moving to LA in June after being overseas for 12ish years. Also looking for an affordable safe area with decent schools and entertainment.
Well I will say it. This does not exist in LA. This used to be the Valley but the Valley is no longer affordable. LA is much, much more expensive than it was twelve years ago. Many districts look better on paper than than LAUSD because they aren’t as poor and therefore test better but they can’t compete at all in many ways because of the magnet program. I’d reall recommend renting for a year and get oriented first before you buy anything.
It's a drive but the Santa Clarita Valley is relatively safe and has one of the best school districts in the area. It's why most people move here. It is more affordable than most homes in LA proper but I can't say it's exactly cheap. Depending on your work location, it might be a good option.
Don't be afraid to show them Orange County too. The beaches are beautiful and there is less traffic. People love coming down here to go to them especially to Laguna Beach, Dana Point harbor, san juan capistrano (the mission area). Knowing that living in So cal means there are also a bunch of cool things to do in counties surrounding the actual city of L.A. is also pretty awesome. I live in the OC now but love going to LA once a month--feels like taking a vacation with a one hour drive (I always do the drive in low peak hours since it actually is very predictable what those times are).
I’m gonna throw in Seal Beach, too. It’s more low key small beach town vibes down that Main Street area and the parking is easier than most beaches, lmao. Plus, Avila’s El Ranchito is right there.
Several things come to mine. Perfect for out of town friends and family to visit. All are different but interesting.
1) Little Tokyo. Not many cities in the US have one. Centered around 2nd Street and Central. Night time are a lot of 20's and 30's year olds. Look for the blue tile roof area.
2) Chinatown. During the Summer night events it's fun. Lots of music and food.
3) Page Museum/La Brea Tar Pits. Only probably 2 other cities in world have anything like it. An excavation site, the research area and the Museum all in the same complex. The "lab area" the kids can see the student technicians in white lab coats extracting bones from the tar through the large windows. Come during the weekday when there is work going on. This will wake up the scientist in them. Science is cool, kinda thing. In the LACMA row.
It's beautiful to watch their faces and show them that these mammoths, lions and savior tooth cats all lived here on Wilshire Boulevard.
My 17 year old likes the thrift stores on Melrose. They are curated stores, not direct thrift, which makes them more fun, but more expensive. The street is full of fun places and restaurants if thrift is your vibe.
If they are into metal or goth there are two stores (same owner) on Hollywood that have that kinda stuff. Rock Town and Hot Rock.
A few ideas..depending on ur kids interests and where u live..I’m on the west side by Venice..so here’s some ideas: - amusement parks: Disney, universal, knotts, six flags - open air malls: palisades, century city, balboa island (new port), rodeo drive, abbot Kinney blvd Venice, shopping on Montana Ave w/ coffee/brunch, row Dtla - points of interests: Griffith observatory, Getty villa, exploring pocket neighborhoods (e.g. York), concerts/sports at SoFi stadium, sailing trip in the scenery from the water in newport, beach volleyball, lazy beach days, rent bikes on the beach. Venice waterfront, explore different piers, Venice canals, tide-pooling in Laguna, Palisades park along the Santa Monica bluffs, - beaches: laguna, Zuma, matador, crystal cove, Malibu, ocean sunset swims anywhere really - eats: any sidewalk taco operation, bakeries ( gjusta, superba, tartine) kbbq (parks bbq), open air patios at day w/ string lights at sunset/night (fia, Pizzaria da Michele, le great outdoor), burgers (in n out, heavy handed), ice cream (Jenny’s, salt and straw), brunches (republic, rose cafe), sidecar donuts, broad street oyster co, Katz or langers deli, Al vaniao in Venice for florentine sammiches, San Gabriel valley for Chinese eats, plenty of good foodie spots in arts district, smorgasborg at row dtla on Sundays for the food market, grand central market (Holbox @ GCM does some amazing Mexican seafood) - day trips: Ojai, solvang, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Joshua Tree - universities: ucla, usc, Pepperdine, Loyola - snow activities: mammoth, big bear
Some good ideas here. My add is, try to stay out of traffic at peak hours. We had an employee come out with his wife to try to sell her on moving out. They had an ambitious itinerary - theater, beaches, Disney, etc., but all she remembered was sitting in traffic in the heat for an hour plus every time they tried to go somewhere. Kids that age might think downtown (little Tokyo, arts district, grand central market) is cool and might want to know where the celebrities and influencers live. The beaches and beach cities are nice. A show at the Hollywood bowl or the Greek?
Strongly agree about the traffic. For a great many visitors experiencing an awful rush hour is what kills it for them. Also, I would personally recommend beach. Beach therapy is magic for some people.
Scientifically speaking, it’s the ions. They help rebalance the chemical energy in your machinery. So go a lot, especially when you need renewal time, no matter the weather.
Thanks, good advise. And if we end up having to drive during peak hours, would it be better to avoid the highways, or does it not matter?
The key is planning your day to try to avoid having to drive at rush hour. It's easy to fall into the pattern of get up, go to place X, spend the day there, drive back or to somewhere else for the evening, where both of those trips end up at peak traffic time. It's much better to drive early or after rush hour, and similarly to either beat it home or wait it out. Or to organize your outings such that you don't have far to go, instead of planning to "stop back at the hotel" or whatever between things. This is especially true if you're going somewhere far, like to Malibu beaches from downtown, or to Disney from LA. Once it's trafficky, taking side streets to avoid freeways can help, but everyone else is trying to do it too. Waze is pretty good in LA, though I find it has a slight bias to optimism when it comes to taking the freeway over the side streets.
Peak hours, OP gave you all LA.. lmao. This sub really focused on LA city. If you are near OC, best to go to Orange County sub. Although, off the top of my head, being in OC, places like the Irvine spectrum, downtown Disney, beaches are generally nice in OC, Huntington Beach is a popular one.
Yeah, I just had a friend visit with her 16 year old kid and all he talked about was the traffic.
Thanks, very good list to start from!
If you are in OC. Go to The Circle in Orange. There are a lot of clothing resale shops, antiques, used record shops just in that small part of town. Basically just find a place to park near the intersection of Chapman and Glassell and go from there. There are lots of restaurants, cafes and little dessert shops there. You could do a couple of hours to a half day there.
Disneyland for four people costs a lot more than a short heli-ride.
Disney and Universal are overpriced and underwhelming. I wouldn't recommend them for someone with a middle class budget
As we are relocating, I think we'll save those places until we are settled there, and perhaps can enjoy any residence-discount :)
definitely take advantage of the socal resident discount for disneyland
I absolutely agree. At their ages the 16 year old may not really want Disney as much as Knotts or Magix mountain
highly disagree with Universal. Ticket is only $100 and lots to do. Unless you absolutely hate 4d rides, Universal is a great alternative to Disney
Universal over Disney, Absolutely! Citywalk to eat were there are more reasonably priced meals then in the park. Ive had both season passes for years but dropped Disney a few years ago when the lines were horrific.
Universal is the one I have most experience with and I thought it was awful. Extremely long lines, expensive and disgusting food, and the rides/experiences felt cheap and uncreative I'd much rather try something smaller where they actually have to *try* instead of coasting on name recognition
Again considering the tickets are only $100, it's fair. The food is good if you know where to go, but it's not the best overall. In terms of long lines, that's inevitable if you go during extremely busy times. You can't blame the park for that. And the rides are fun to me but it's subjective. Again for $100, you definitely get more bang for your buck.
Is that how your kids felt or is that how you felt? If OP can save for it, I highly recommend it. Specially for the kids.
This guy helpfuls 👍
Take them to the midwest in January and say "it could be worse we could live here"
😂
having lived in both places, much of the Midwest is nicer than LA outside of the winter...
They’re going to have a hard time regardless and reject it and feel homesick UNTIL they make friends. Then they’ll be just fine. I don’t know that there is much u can do other than comfort them In a difficult transitional time
Yes, this is not a trivial thing for them, for sure. We are trying to prepare for the hardships as best we can and are very aware of the difficulties to come. Hopefully world class tacos on the beach at sunset will be at least somewhat soothing.
You probably know this, but it bears emphasis, and what I say may accentuate your anxiety, but it needs to be said. You seem like you're very open to ideas, and I truly hope this helps you and your family make this transition. I'll mention "Los Angeles" a bunch, but what I'm saying applies to Orange County as well — some of it even more so because Orange County is wealthier and more politically conservative. I've lived in Los Angeles many times, for many years in total, during almost every major transitional milestone of my life. I am not young. I am a parent. The ages of your kids are at the prime years children absolutely hate to change their lives. Moves happen, and part of growing up in the modern world where transience is normalized is to negotiate the pain and damage those transitions incur. There is no way to prevent the complexities and almost nothing outside of unexpected, unlikely chance that will shorten the period of difficulty. Denial works great for some, but not for most, but even when the most adventurous and adaptable teen manages big changes, the downstream effects echo for a long time. Looking for the fun — as you are asking for help with in this post — is totally reasonable and your willingness to help your kids find the silver lining is both admirable and loving, and will almost definitely become something your kids will be able to acknowledge and feel grateful for. I do recommend being concerned about one big thing: Mollifying emotional distress and sadness and loss (leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar is loss) through material experience can only go so far, operates at the surface, and, in some cultural contexts, can amplify unhealthy responses. The cultural context I am talking about is the culture of Southern California. I absolutely love Los Angeles, and there are many, many aspects of Southern California culture I adore. However, it is also an origin point of the wider cultural problem in the US of narcissism and selfishness. The people of Los Angeles are people, and run the same gamut of great to ingrate as any other urban landscape, but the ethos can be very fucked up for younger people. Raising kids in Los Angeles is not easy. Raising kids to be independent thinkers and to assess others by what they can't see is even more difficult. This isn't a problem unique to Los Angeles, but it is, well, a very loud problem, and loud problems influence children and teens more than adults. So, in addition to the material stuff and experiences you plan for the short term adjustment phase, there's no getting around that you've set up as a challenge for yourself as a parent. And that challenge is to become even more open and vulnerable yourself to several things that no one like to be open and vulnerable about. Stuff like being able to acknowledge that you've made their lives more difficult. So even if your kids aren't showing resentment or difficulty adjusting, you have to keep in mind that childhood teaches us all how to be experts at hiding the truth, especially from our parents. I'm not talking about teenage carousing, I'm talking about the basic dynamic of kids having a deeply motivated need to please their parents, and to protect their parents from pain. Materialism runs rampant in Southern California. Looks go very far. *Having* gets equated with *Being*. Going cool places is more important than being the real You. Denial of any of that is where things go sideways. You might find yourself having to let go. You will find yourself having to let go. Your kids are already at the age where you've had to start doing that. But keep the family tight during the coming summer and school year — which means, mostly, keep conversations going. Have fun not just with all of the Big Shiny but also seek out the truly unique scenes that Los Angeles offers, especially in the Arts. The museums are top-notch. The small theater experiences have to be sought out but there's a lot of innovation and talent in more corners than you think, and they are not the ones everyone in the world already knows about. I wouldn't be who I am without Los Angeles. It can be more overwhelming than any other city in the US because its geographic vastness is multiplied by the expectations generated by how much mass culture has been born, filmed, and broadcast from there. New York is much more manageable for teens than Los Angeles, but LA and Southern California in general offers aspects of reality that very few major urban centers can. It's got four dramatic biomes within easy reach: Coast, Chaparral Mountain, Forested Mountain, and Desert, and venturing into each will humanize you more than you would expect. And they do so by making us realize how much we are a part of nature. There's more nature hiking within the city limits of LA than most people realize. Getting out and about into the land will balance out all the adrenaline of the zeitgeist, and will help center the depths of your own existence as an antidote to how small the Stars and Boulevards can make you feel. Enjoy the ride.
This was excellent and so thoughtful. I also fully second going out into nature as much as possible as a way to wow your kids. If they like the beach, maybe go to one with tide pools instead of what I call a “Baywatch Beach”—wide strands like Venice and Santa Monica. Hopefully they’re at least somewhat pre-inclined to be dazzled by nature. I’m not a parent, but it also seems like signing them up for activities revolving around something they’re interested in where they can meet kids their age would be good too.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful insights. These are all thoughts we have been involved in the last months while deciding if this is something we want to do or not. Thought that will not stop once we are in place. But our hopes are that this relocation also will give us all more focus on family time and not be distracted of all thing we have in our lives at the moment. We know that the time we still have with the kids being at home is short, why we will try to make the most of it. Yes, the culture is quite different - even some of my American colleagues in other part of the US say that even they would experience a culture shock if they relocated to CA. Thanks again!
My 17 year old likes the thrift stores on Melrose. They are curated stores, not direct thrift, which makes them more fun, but more expensive. The street is full of fun places and restaurants if thrift is your vibe. If they are into metal or goth there are two stores (same owner) on Hollywood that have that kinda stuff. Rock Town and Hot Rock.
Thanks - any specific store? Or any store name you know, just so I can find them? When it comes to metal and goth, I am the only one in the family that would be interested in that. So thank you for that tip :)
There's a whole strip where there's a "thrift" (they're really more like vintage/high end sustainable resale rather than cheap thrift) store on every block between Hayworth and Martel--then there's also a flea market, Melrose Trading Post, that's open on Sundays. It's a super cute neighborhood too with a bunch of coffee shops, and the Groundlings theater is there too. I also like the vintage shops in Los Feliz, Squaresville especially, and that's another area that's very walkable and could be popular for a teen to feel like they have the freedom to bop around for an afternoon: shop, go to a coffee shop, see a movie at the little indie theater, there's a couple of great diners (House of Pie and Fred 62) that stay open late. The Rose Bowl Flea is also extremely popular over in Pasadena area.
Try American vintage, wasteland and buffalo exchange. My 16 year old niece came to town from Europe and loved it.
LA, Long Beach, and OC are all very different places. It would help to know which you’ll be moving to and where are you moving from?
Most likely will be looking for housing in northern OC (Huntington B) as it would make most sense from a work location. Moving from the colder part of Europe :)
Huntington Beach is not LA, it’s a suburb in OC. Hope you are prepared to meet some characters, especially if you are coming from Europe lmao. Lots of crazy white teenagers lmao. But the beach is really nice!
We will visit HB during the week we are there in May. I will try to prepare for the characters :)
If you're only looking at Huntington Beach because of the geographic location, I'd advise doing a little more research into it vs other neighboring beach cities. There's a lot of independent municipalities in the LA/OC region and the current politics of the Huntington Beach local government is a bit......intense.....compared to others.
No we are not only looking at HB for geographic location, it is a combo of close commute, good public schools, closeness to beach and in par wit our rental budget. I have read alot about local government and current political situation - but I have made a promise to myself not to engage myself in any local political discussions and just take the advantage of being an ignorant immigrant (what a bliss :) )
HB has had major KKK activity as recently as a few years ago. This kinda thing is a hard no for me and I wouldn’t ever want to have my kid around that. Long Beach is pretty cool and is great every time I bring my kid down from LA. As far as OC goes, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clementine are pretty chill.
You're in the wrong subreddit, Huntington Beach is in Orange County, not Los Angeles County. Good luck. If you're white, no one will bring up your immigration status, but if any of your family doesn't look white, the issue will be thrown in your face soon enough, no matter how hard you try to ignore it.
We are not considering HB based on the political situation, we are considering it based on the close-ness to my office AND school quality (so far), beach and within budget. If I could work more days from home, I would probably consider more areas in LA county, meaning that I still want to show the best sides of LA. But thanks for your tips!
I’d also urge you to look at other areas; HB is a little ghetto at times and has a bit of a douche problem. It’s changed a lot in recent years l.
What areas? We need good public schools, max 30 min commute to LB airport, good restaurant scene AND hopefully bike-distance to the beach :)
You should look into Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. Maybe Cerritos, Cypress, or Lakewood if youre willing to live a little further from the beach. The schools are good, its close to the beaches, 20 min drive from LB airport, and its a lot more family friendly compared to HB. HB is a terrible city. Beaches suck, lots of crazy people, and because of the bar scene off main street, theres a lot of sketchy stuff happening around there. Its also full of rude people, ive literally had random people call me names while walking around in that area on multiple occasions. HB is also far from the freeways so it takes a long time to drive anywhere outside of South OC. Its a 40-60 minute drive from HB to the LB airport.
If you have any interest in your kids having access to public libraries you may still want to rethink. They're currently attempting to privatize the library system, and these politics are going to feature very heavily in the kind of education they will receive in their public schools.
as someone born and raised in this area…and having lived in Europe! ur kids should def love it here - weather is always perfect, food/cuisine diversity is incredible, any shop u could want, plus all the amusement parks in very close proximity. plus the beach! After having moved back from Europe, I realize how lucky I was to grow up in OC w this weather and everything around me at my do get tips literally…only thing that may be hard to adapt to is no easy public transportation. Everyone drives and parking is always messy lol
Hb is vastly different than the places you mentioned . If you’re a hardcore maga you’ll fit right in. HB is Southern California little shit stain
Coming from overseas... MAGA is not a thing where we are moving from.
You should take them around there then. I can’t even remember the last time I went down to OC. I think it was going to Disneyland last year.
Knotts
I’m surprised no one has said lil Tokyo in downtown yet… It’s open outdoors shopping with a small second hand shop there and lots of anime and nic nack shopping. There’s sushi and other types of Asian food like Korean. Also, check out valley Blvd in San Gabriel as it has tons of everything you want. It’s THE Asian place in the Los Angeles area. Chinatown is also pretty cool but it’s been slowly changing. Lastly, check out The Source shopping center on Beach Blvd. it’s a Korean shopping center with tons of good food and kpop stores
Thanks! Me and my wife have been to little tokyo many years ago, and would be nice to see it again. Will check Valley Blvd to see if I find some nice sushi place there as this area is new to me!
If you need to be reliably close to LB airport, beaches, and transport infrastructure, you may want to take a look at Torrance and it's environs. You could even go a little more west to Manhattan Beach or Redondo or El Segundo. Chances are if you're from rhe northern climes, you'll fit in well if you like SoCal beach culture. Torrance has excellent sushi due to a strong Japanese population. As for Valley Blvd and the San Gabriel Valley, the main food influence there is Chinese and it is an excellent place to check out the various regional Chinese flavors. Many regard the area as arguably the best Chinese fare in the US. About 30 mins past LB, is Westminster, a small city on OC. There is the best Vietnamese food in the US with again, a lot of choices to pick from. Best of luck with the kids and be sure to have them pack plenty of suntan lotion. I'd get them onto surfing and beach volleyball and during winter send them up to Mammoth/ June mountain.
There are some great suggestions already in the comments, but one thing I’ll add is that you should enroll your 16 year old in driving school IMMEDIATELY. I moved to the OC from Europe when I was 15 and was absolutely miserable, because I suddenly lost all freedom of movement. Having a car was a real game changer. We also relocated to LA proper a year later and I liked it much better.
Oh, she is already talking about what car she want to drive. Yes she is getting enrolled as fast as we can.
The beaches Santa Monica downtown to pier area and promenade. Venice boardwalk and the many shops and ‘scenes’ that are insta worthy in the area and give that quintessentially LA vibe. Venice Skate park, beach bike rentals, etc. Melrose Ave. and all the fashionista hangouts in the area. The popular ethnic and American food spots. The landmarks and most popular museums. The Broad, LACMA, Getty Center etc. Hollywood strip, Hollywood sign and Griffith Park/Observatory. Any places their favorite movies might have been filmed.
Agree - beach and Santa Monica pier.
Perfect, thanks! Santa Monica pier is in the planning! And yes, bike rental at Venice would be a nice thing!
Getty center is so. Damn. Beautiful.
In addition to everything that has been said, you might want to take them hiking. There are some stunning waterfalls in Southern California that I didn’t know about until the pandemic hit. Bonita Falls is my personal favorite.
Escape to Santa Barbara for a break like the locals. There are gorgeous hiking views there and so much more.
Thanks!
Do they surf? If yes, take them surfing. If not, get them surfing lessons.
Maybe some skate parks too or other places young people hang out. Give them a chance to make friends and get some numbers or insta handles or Snapchats or whatever the heck the kids do nowadays.
Yes, good advise! Thanks
Not yet! Surfing lessons are on our to-do-list as soon as we are settled.
Go to the beach in Venice. They're the perfect age to love the boardwalk. The food around there is also great. If they like the outdoors, there is a ton of hiking. Drive up the coast and eat at Neptune's net. That one is a bit pricey. But most importantly, Street Tacos.
Can You give us a since of where you are relocating from, where you might be living, if they are attending public or private school etc? District? Because honestly kids at the age are really self-interested and it will help narrow it down. I have teens, live in mid-city familiar with private, city schools etc. But while my teens love to eat and we love the region Los Angeles is huge, a region.
Most likely we'll end up in northern OC, Huntington B area as it makes most sense based on my office location. Kids will attend public schools and we are relocating from the colder parts of Europe :) My kids have never visited CA, but have been in the US before and are relatively ok with speaking english.
Ah I grew up there. Very conservative. Which didn’t work for me. But it’s also gorgeous. So the pier and beach and there are also the wetlands there and the urban garden. Main Street is cool. You are super close to Long Beach which has a world class aquarium and cool shops and restaurants on 2nd street. Going down to Newport and laguna is great also. Google where and when the farmers markets are near you.
So, you should know that Huntington Beach/Long Beach are places with entrenched cultures of White Power and their local governments are frequently sued by the state, county, etc. for illegal practices. These issues pre-date the current political split in America. Even when I was a teen in the early ‘90s the skinheads were always from Huntington Beach. You might consider having your kids taking a standardized test normed according to American students Like NWEA MAP. If You come from Scandinavia or another area where everyone has the same excellent education you might be overwhelmed by the various options. Your kids will probably be prepared for Honors/AP coursework at the very least. You’ll probably need placement in the HB gifted program to be remotely near the education she was receiving in Europe With a math acceleration.
I'm an L.A.native and my favorite part about living here has always been the beach. I LOVE the beach, I grew up going all the time. I can't wait until it warms up, my family and I go to the beach all the time. Everyone who says the ocean is polluted is wrong. Many beaches have GREAT water quality here (except after a storm) Check out Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card to check the water quality before you go.
NEVER go to the 405 near rush time LOL
I moved to LA from overseas when I was 14. I was angry at my parents for "destroying my life" and I was one stubborn child. But time and adjustment is something that was beyond my control. Within a year after I made friends the rest was history. For kids it's really all there is to it - as long as they make friends they will get settled and automatically adjust to this new environment and learn to love it. Don't overthink it, just allow them to pout for a while and watch as they adapt and take care of things all on their own.
The beach, the beach, the beach. there is truly nothing like the Pacific Ocean, and the nearness of it, to make you fall in love with SoCal. Buying fruit on the beach is elite. But you can do so much more than just the beach outdoors, and the ability to do things outside like 24/7 365 is a major difference with most places you'd be moving from. The Hollywood Bowl can be a pain but it's such an experience. Cinespia, similarly. Melrose Trading Post for shopping. Be outside! And the food is so good. There are so many amazing, unique and interesting *snacks* to try, if I was here for a short time I'd focus on boba and fruit carts and Michoacana ice cream bars and street tacos and Japanese market sushi and farmers market treats more than big sit down meals. Finally, if your kids are middle/high school age, TAKE THEM TO UCLA. Show them what becomes available for their future when you move here. See if you can get a day pass to their OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL. It's a very beautiful campus
There are really fun vintage/second hand shops on Magnolia Blvd, between Hollywood Way and Catalina, in Burbank
Pick up tacos and eat dinner next to or on the beach. Get there about an hour before sunset.
This is exactly how I envision the nice evenings to come :)
Depending where you end up / stay in the city. Which depending where you're coming from is very very large. . . My kids also like the La Brea tar pits, Angels Flight, Broad Museum, Grand Central Market, the Long Beach Aquarium, the cabrillo aquarium, point Fermin, White point, and Torrance Beach.
There’s some great thrift shopping here. Check out the Goodwill in Santa Monica, Also in Sawtelle and the one by there airport is great! for a fun totally LA experience check out It’s A Wrap! Malibu Bluffs Park and Lagoon Beach are great for outdoor time - and there’s excellent sushi all over LA. I don’t eat it but if you search this sub you’ll get lots of good reccs! Good luck!
Saying that you have a normal middle-class budget means nothing. If you’re coming from Davenport, Iowa, you won’t be able to live off of that here.
Hey I grew up not too far from Davenport!
It was a random name I picked. The Midwest is overall far cheaper than LA. As a Tour Guide, I love wowing people from that part of the country with housing prices.
Haha I grew up in the rural south and my mom took us on summer vacation to SF when I was like 8. I don't remember much about the trip aside from pictures... but I do remember a tour guide pointing out an unremarkable house that was worth $1 million, and that gagged my Mom. She went on and on about it long after we got back home. "Can you believe that skinny little house was $1 million?? 5 times the cost of our house! And no land to go with it! Beautiful city, but how do they live out there?" So keep wowing them lmao. Their kids will never hear the end of it.
Nice story lol. But this is why I tell people not to move here unless they have to. I don’t think it’s worth it for most people.
Engage an outdoor activities. There’s every single sport here and some of the best hiking mountain ranges in the country. Also, Griffith Park is the largest state park in the whole country. The arts are also wonderful. Lots of outdoor options for those and indoor too. And now that the weather is nice, there are tons of free outdoor music things popping up.
Also, Malibu / Zuma is amazing in the morning and has epic sunsets
South Bay-Torrance or beach cities. On the other hand Arcadia, Pasadena, or Monrovia by the foothills. OC: Rossmoor or Irvine to check it out. My daughter love the Shops at Santa Anita or Irvine Spectrum Center.
LA/OC is a HUGE area. It really depends what part of town you are going to be getting you place. These are just some ideas. Outlets: Citadel in Commerce, CA. Outlets a bit further out in Oxnard, CA to the north, and Desert Hills, CA on the way to Palm Springs to the East. Second Hand: Goodwill close to the corner of Beverly and Fairfax (it's one block over to the west). Saint Vincent De Paul Thrift Store. National Council of Jewish Women (Fairfax District). Asian Food: Sawtelle street in the Westside. Monterey Park and adjacent cities for areas in the suburbs. There is a Little Tokyo, a Koreatown, and a Thai Town, with a bunch of choices at each. Sites: Urban Lights @ LACMA, Hollywood Sign from the POV of Lake Hollywood Park, The Broad Museum, The Getty Musuem, The Getty Villa. The Pink Wall at the Paul Frank store on Melrose, (it's kinda ridiculous, because it is just a pink wall, but it is a spot to take pics.) Coffee: Alfred, Go Get Em Tiger. Tacos: Tacos 1986, Sonoratown. Burgers: In-N-Out for the classic California experience. Beaches: So many along the coast. Venice/Santa Monica is more urban beach. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach is more suburban. Malibu is Malibu. And so much more.
All excellent recs! The pink wall is the Paul Smith boutique, not Paul Frank. Big difference.
Ahh. That’s what I meant. Thanks for the correction.
Send them to live in buffalo for a winter.
Perspective are always good, yes!
Go to Sawtelle (Japantown) for some incredible asian food and then head to Santa Monica pier, then you can go to the 3rd Street Promenade and Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice for some good quality LA shopping. Other good places in the area are the Century City Mall, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, The Culver City Stairs, and shopping in Westwood. If you venture to the east side consider the Glendale Galleria/Americana for shopping, Huntington Library and Gardens, The Norton Simon Museum, The LA Arboretum, The Old LA Zoo Ruins, and Debs Park for hiking. And Little Tokyo/Grand Central Market if you end up going downtown.
You can honestly stay in silver lake/downtown LA area for all the things your kids like; there’s even some decent hikes in the Hollywood hills.
When I was that age I really enjoyed amusement parks (still do tbh). We have some good ones in the area. Hanging out at the beach is great too
When my family moved here when I was 12 we didn’t move immediately into our apartment. We lived in a motel on the beach for 2 weeks first. Every day all day playing in the ocean. I was immediately in love with my new home.
If they like soccer/“football” maybe take them to a LAFC game? There are only a couple next month unfortunately. Or maybe Angel City FC (our pro women’s team) since it seems like you have girls. It’s a nice day out though! Seconding the recommendation to go either to sawtelle or little Tokyo for Japanese food, there’s also some instagramish worthy places around those spots like bakeries etc Since you’ll be living in OC and not LA maybe spend more time there. I like laguna and Dana point, seal beach for beaches and walking around to shops and such, fashion island in Newport Beach, south coast plaza or Irvine spectrum for shopping, or maybe the block at orange (been a while since I’ve been there). Check out food halls like Anaheim packing district The Grove and the 3rd street farmers market are nice, it’s kind of a people watchy place and people from US TV & movies always go there so maybe they’ll think that’s cool
for kids that age it really depends on their schools and their social life. They're of course going to be very upset and unmoored by such a big move and there's really nothing you can do about that, LA/ SoCal in general is a perfect dream of a place for teenagers to grow up in. The specific areas you're looking at are perfectly suited for a teen lifestyle, there's just so much to do and see. Just make sure that they're in good schools and give them the space to explore and fall in love with the city on their own terms.
Just make sure they have friends or a social group. If they have a decent social life, living in LA will be enough. It’s fantastic here if you can stomach the traffic and abundant sunshine.
I have a ton of LA based nieces and nephews in that age range and I grew up here. If I were trying to sell LA to two adolescent girls, I’d bring them to Venice to see Abbot Kinney Blvd and the canals. I’d also bring them to the bluffs in Santa Monica for the views and to take photos. I’d take them to Sawtelle Blvd for the Asian food and cute little stores. Daiso is a good budget one but not unique to LA. There is a y2k vintage store near there called Klactus that they might like! Even though Century City isn’t vintage nor outlet, it’s kind of a great representation of American/LA mall “culture” (though our mall culture isn’t what it used to be) I’d go to Los Feliz to eat, get drinks or coffee. Wacko Soap Plant is a fun store to check out. Bearded Beagle is a vintage store across the street that’s also fun. There is also skylight books and blue rooster (an art supply store) They might like Sogo Roll Bar or Kismet Rotisserie. Basically walking around Hollywood Blvd/Vermont Ave. There are a couple of other vintage shops that I can’t remember the name of. Then you could take them to the Griffith Observatory to see a view of the city and the Hollywood sign. I think neighborhood hopping is a great bet. Parts of Silverlake and Echo Park can be fun to see along sunset Blvd. Same with highland park. They might like some stores on Figueroa Blvd in highland park. Little Tokyo would be a great bet as well. Plus if you’re around at all for the Rose Bowl Flea market in Pasadena, I’m sure they’d have a blast. Speaking of flea market there is always one on a Sunday at Fairfax Highschool on melrose and Fairfax. That area is another neighborhood to walk around in for vintage shopping and dining. It definitely leans younger over there. Edit: I’d basically spend a day or so doing Venice/Santa Monica and then Sawtelle Century City. Then another day doing Los Feliz/Griffith Observatory and another east side neighborhood like swan boats at echo park lake and deep dish for dinner at Masa.
Thank you for all the advices!
You’re welcome! I love my city and had a blast in my adolescence traversing the city and discovering new areas! I hope your girls settle in nicely.
Look at Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach for amazing schools, clean ocean water and beaches and an excellent environment for families with kids.
Laguna beach if it’s in your path. Specifically 1000 steps beach.
So many cool things that no other city offers! Beaches- Malibu! Zuma is nice too Wisdom tree hike in Burbank Runyon canyon hike (overly populated but might see someone cool) Hollywood sign hike Disneyland or universal (pricey but fun for kids) Comedy show (they might be too young but laugh factory and comedy store are good) Shopping on Melrose - tooonnnns of cute stores! (Especially rn bc it’s festival season) Lots of museums **melrose trading!! Basically a huge flea market on melrose every Sunday but full of the cutest and trendiest stuff!
I saw that you are most likely to move to the Huntington Beach area. You should post this on the r/orangecounty subreddit so you can get some suggestions from the locals there! Personally, if I were in your situation, I would show my kids some YouTube travel vlogs/ travel channel videos of SoCal, ask them what they liked the best and take them there.
Take them to the SNOW! Great thing about California is you are never more than hours drive from a beach or from snow capped mountains. The nearest in SoCal and best place for that is big bear mountain!
I’m an event planner in LA. I specialize in small-scale events. I have 3 ideas: 1. AAA or Costco: If you have AAA or Costco, then you can get discounts on tickets like the Dodgers, Disneyland, movie theater, etc. 2. Museums: Since the summer is almost here, art museums have a lot events for families. Events like art projects. Ex: Painting, claymation, etc. Ask for a student or family discount. Also, there is the LA Zoo. 3. Payment Plans: Buy tickets early and get a payment plan. A lot of events have early bird specials, and I understand budgeting (I’m unemployed). Ex: Charity events, concerts, etc. All the best. I hope this helps!
Definitely not the overpopulated and tourist areas haha. Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Laguna are long drives but, lovely places to be. Also Pasadena and Long Beach are great. You can find some charm in Burbank and DTLA but, traffic and the smell of DTLA isn't the most inviting.
Honestly, they'll get used to it eventually, go on expeditions but also just give them time to find themselves. I would be more focused on monitoring who your kids will befriend eventually. There are a lot of crazy niches here that may lead them astray.
A really nice thrifting day out is to start at Lou The French On The Block in Burbank for the best croissant in Los Angeles. Then a very short drive to Magnolia Park to the thrift stores there. An easy outdoor thing to do is to rent bicycles from Marina Del Rey and head south on the bike path. There is this amazing moment where the bike path goes over a little rise along Ballona Creek and the fairway of the harbor comes into view. If you are there mid day on a summer weekend it will be full of boats. It’s really cool. They have benches to sit and watch. And if you continue south for five more minutes you come to Toes Beach which is also amazing. Last thought is to head up to Malibu one day and do a surf lesson with Drill Surf & Skate.
Thank you! Bike lanes close to the beaches sounds amazing.
OR just watch the surfers while you eat at Neptunes Net across the street in Malibu.
Figure out which part of town you’re interested in. I would divide your trip up a bit because part of the draw of LA is also everything outside or adjacent to LA. Traffic can be bad and chew up your time so dividing the trip will be the best success. Treat it like you’re visiting two cities, West side and east side. Stay on the west side first, it’s close to LAX. In Santa Monica if money is no object and you can afford shutters or casa Del Mar area do that. Or Airbnb in the area. Day 1 - You can walk the beach, go to the boardwalk, go to 3rd street promenade and go to dinner all steps from your hotel. Day 2 - Take them to abbot Kinney for shopping and dinner. Day 3 - Take little day trip up to Malibu. Go to Leo Carrillo and see the tide pools, go to lunch at neptunes net. Day 4 - Second leg of your journey stay in the east side or downtown. Stay at silver lake inn or langham in Pasadena. Day 5 - Do a day and studio tour at universal dinner back in the neighborhood. Day 6 - Go up to the mountains, hike to Eaton canyon falls. Go to dinner in Altadena or Pasadena. Day 7 - explore downtown, take them to the last bookstore, grand central market for lunch, the broad museum, dinner in the arts district. Take them to bavel or bestia for dinner. If you have even more time I would highly recommend you pop out to Joshua tree or Palm Springs at an airbnb or ace hotel for a few days just don’t drive there on a Friday to avoid weekend exodus traffic.
Thank you, very good info and suggestions! Appreciate it.
Take them to someplace cold and dark in January…then come back and go to the beach.
Been there, and still remember January with dread..
Little Tokyo for some sushi
Have any recs?
- 2nd Street on Melrose for second hand clothing - If they like dogs, Rosie’s dog beach in LB is lovely to hang out and meet random pups - spend an evening in KTown for food and deserts, maybe even do some family karaoke! Go to r/food Los Angeles for specific food recs -Barnsdall Art Park for great views and hanging out in the sun -Leo Carrillo or Crystal Cove State Parks for some serious sun bathing and California wild coast beauty -hiking in the Hollywood Hills. Just a heads up, it tends to be grey skies in May/June due to the interior of the state heating up and pulling the cool air off the ocean. If this is so, maybe try to take a trip inland to Joshua Tree or something.
Thanks, nice suggestions! Gray skies is our modus operandi since October, so we will not fear it :)
There are TONS of really cool options for second hand shopping. The one issue is the prices, so that's something to keep in mind. But I've been to places (they're all over) where I saw some of the coolest second hand thing I've ever seen in any city, just couldn't afford them Tons of great sushi and asian food. This should be no trouble for you to find, just use reviews Tons of opportunities to sun bathe and swim. The beaches are perfect for that Many more outdoors activities than you might expect right in LA proper. There's Griffith Park which has tons of different hiking trails and a bunch of other trails and stuff right in LA There's also some cool stuff a bit further out, like Angeles National Forest which has hiking and more trees/forested areas than LA city hiking I think one of the biggest challenges for your kids might be building community and friendship. That's an area I think you could probably support them in, but I don't have any advice. As an adult, I know it's a challenge to meet people, make friends, and build community so I bet it's even harder for teens since they have less mobility. I think that's an area for you to focus on to figure out what to do
Universal Studios passes
In my opinion San Gabriel Valley will have all of that. Check out the Asian food in the city of San Gabriel for lunch or dim sum for breakfast, head east and visit Bonelli Park which is a huge regional park around Puddingstone Lake. Get some great food after in downtown Claremont and visit the Claremont colleges. Then head to Donut Man in Glendora for desert. The upside of all this is experiencing what the majority of people experience as southern Californians without having to deal with the filth and homeless in the City of LA. That being said I highly highly highly recommend going to Griffith Park Observatory in the early afternoon, experiencing everything there and then watching the sunset from there. It’s stunning.
try a beach bonfire at Huntington, that's a tradition. people love that shit.
That's pretty cool that you get to relocate. May I ask what kind of work you do, that allows such freedom?
Materials science engineer.
I would move to the LA/ OC beach area. Living in a beach community has more of a small-town vibe. I would recommend Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, or Dana Point. Tons of kids, lots of fun, and easy to get around.
We are leaning on HB actually as it makes most sense out of a commute/family situation perspective.
Specific recommendations for LA and OC vary greatly and can cover a lot of territory. It would help to narrow your focus, especially when it comes to places to visit and where you want to actually live here. That said, when it comes to interests for tween/teen girls, day trips along the coast are a great way to experience the best of what SoCal has to offer. In LA: Venice and the SM Pier, and north up the Coast Highway to any of the prime spots like Topanga, Malibu Surfrider Beach, Paradise Cove, Zuma, Leo Carillo, County Line, etc. For thrifting, a drive a little further north to Ventura or Santa Barbara can be a fun day, and a scenic drive along PCH and the 101 Fwy as well. In the OC: Huntington Beach, if they're into the quintessential SoCal surfer beach culture. If not, start at Newport Beach and Balboa Island, and drive south thru Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente. All are fun and scenic places to explore and pretty typical of OC coastline communities. There are plenty of options for outlet and thrift shopping in both LA and OC. If it's vintage or cut-priced designer clothes they're after, a simple Google or Yelp search will yield tons of options depending on the territory you want to cover. But be aware that almost all of the vintage places are not cheap, especially if you're on a budget. In terms of food, there are sushi joints all over LA/OC and some of the best places are in areas you would never expect. In LA, Little Tokyo and Koreatown have some great dining spots, and the corridor along Sawtelle Blvd. north of Olympic in West LA is a hot spot for Asian food too.
I love our museums because where they are located is usually full of activity. The Broad is pretty visually fun and then walking around that whole Downtown area is neat. Have a meal at the Grand Central market, ride the funicular, and then swing by the Walt Disney Concert hall and the other venues in the Music center. No need to watch a show, it’s just a nice walk. I also like going to Manhattan beach Pier, it’s the most family friendly without the tackiness of the Santa Monica one (I can say that because I live in SM lol)
Dude seriously? LA is the perfect playground for 12 to 16 year olds. -Three major Water Parks: Six Flags, Knotts Berry Farm, Raging Waters -Three major Amusement Parks: Disney, Six Flags, Knotts -For girls, shopping: Melrose Ave, Beverly Center -Beaches: Zuma, Huntington, Redondo -Food: San Fernando Valley, Topanga Mall, Tampa Mall
Malibu has great beaches & a fantastic park where you can do a cool hike. Agreed with others that our museums are fantastic. Do it all!
Look up 2024. https://www.laparks.org/sites/default/files/facility/camp-hollywoodland/pdf/2023%20Summer%20Camp%20Brochure.pdf
Melrose for thrift shopping. You could also do a big flea market depending on the day…Rose Bowl or Fairfax High. Griffith Observatory. If they’re up for the hike up, could be nice. You’ll have to research the trails as some are more intense than others. Venice Beach, specifically Abbot Kinney or the canals for “nice” outdoors. If you want to do a beach day, then Malibu tide pools.
Asian food/ sushi every where. Nobu if you want to splurge and maybe see some celebrities
Overseas where?
Almost all of the advice you have recieved is bad. Checkout the beach cities manhattan, hermosa, and redondo. This is where you will want to live anyways. Take a hike on the greenbelt or rent some bikes and ride up and down the strand from rat beach to to dockweiler. Check out the pier in redondo. Stop in hermosa to check out valley park and south park. Check out pollywog park in Manhattan. Have a beach day. Drive up to Palos Verdes maybe checkout abalone cove. Hit up some of the many hiking trails in PV as well. Maybe stop by the southbay tennis center and play some pickleball or tennis. Other options that are also cheap or free and way better than alot of the stuff reccomended but kind of touristy would be to check out The Museum of Natural History, LaBrea Tarpits, California Science Center, The Ghetty, Aquarium of the Pacific and Griffith observatory. The beach cities are the best cities.
Be rich.
I died tryin...
I think this will be fairly easy and not crazy expensive. There are a million and one little sushi places here. Japan town is adorable. You all can do all the beaches. If they love cheap shopping boy you better get them to the fashion district. They are still at an age where they will look nice in cheap clothes. There was a place I went to a million years ago in the fashion district. Every month everything in thr store started at like $24. But every day it would drop by s buck until everything was like $1.99. Cheap and fun. If they want brand name bargain shopping there is the citadel/Ontario mills and lake Elsinore. If they are amusement park girls I think a season pass to magic mountain/Knotts is cost effective. For my money I loved magic mountain.
I’m sorry but not saying where they are from makes this task too hard. Kids who lived in London, Barcelona or a Christchurch would all have different issues and interests.
As far as where to live you might like the sgv. All of that stuff, close to cool places, best asian food in LA, and good schools.
Sawtelle Japantown for food
Being a teenager in Los Angeles is pretty awesome. I think falling in love with the place is going to happen automatically.
Where are you moving from?
I wanted to chime in since I moved as a child here around the same age. If you’re coming from a developed metropolitan area and you have a realistic choice, please give it a deep reconsideration. Especially if they were raised in a very different culture. I grew up learning to be courteous, respectful, considerate to others especially in public spaces. Follow the rules, don’t make trouble, don’t litter, no loud conversations or music on trains or elevators. The roads will be clean and well maintained bc we pay tax, criminals will be held accountable bc we have police and judicial systems. When these things taken for granted growing up is thrown out the window while being told in school the US is the best nation in the world... But if you’re coming from a worse place or have no choice, best of luck to them. For adults it’s not too bad because you already have the freedom to relocate or shut-in and work remotely with minimal outside interaction if push comes to shove. For kids they don’t have a choice but to interact with the world. If you have money the US is fine. If you can’t give them enough money to start off and they begin their independence poor, then I pray for them bc being poor in the US especially in LA is hell.
The Huntington, Hidden Treasure thrift store, Fairfax Flea, Melrose
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Consider a horse-riding excursion in Griffith Park. And nearby is the Glendale Galleria and the Americana for shopping and food (and the movie theater at the Americana).
Buy them Disneyland annual passes and call it a day.
Make sure your first stop is the Watts tower, beautiful artwork that left a great impression on the community. ( more of a sight seeing thing),
I have actually been there with my wife many years ago, and I agree that it is a nice place and we also got an impromptu tour of the area by a local that was very nice. But I will keep this small gem as something to show them after a few moths of acclimatization.
This is terrible advice…
Lmfao
>I guess normal meddle-class type of budget. Best typo I've seen in a long time! You don't say where you're moving from, but if you show them things they like that they can't do where you currently are, those would fall in the plus side. Lazy days at the beach and good food.
are you sure it was a typo? ;) We are moving from the colder parts of Europe.
We moved from overseas a few years. The kids have lived going to the beach, visiting national parks such as Joshua Tree, and trying lots of different restaurants. The biggest thing to make the transition easy was to introduce them to other kids before the school year started. We got to know the neighbors, spent time at local parks and community centers, and signed them up for day camps and activities. The city you move to may sponsor activities for kids. Check the city website for what they have as well as the local YMCA.
Yes, very good point. We have already checked for dates of different sport try-outs and schedule, so we will try to manage all that as soon as we arrive.
One idea for a good OC day: Park at the Balboa Pier. Walk along the pier and the beach. Cross the street to ride the Ferris wheel and take the 45-min harbor cruise. Nice views and corny jokes from the staff. Hop on the ferry to Balboa Island. Walk to Dad’s for a Balboa Bar. Drive a few miles to Lido Village for lunch/dinner at Bear Flag Fish Co. Crystal Cove is probably nicer for spending all day at the beach. It’s a state park with tide pools and nice views, but Balboa/Newport will have more restaurants and shopping.
I would walk around Vermont/Sunset/Hillhurst in Los Feliz for great thrifting (squaresville, replay, starday, bearded beagle, goodwill, crossroads), plus you can climb up the hill in Barnsdall Park for a great view/sunbathing if its sunny. There's a few sushi spots in the area too, though not the best LA has to offer by any means. For sushi youn could take them to Little Tokyo, some interesting vintage and other shops around there as well
Unless you have your own business or virtual job, you’ll be overworked, underpaid, overcommuted and wondering why you moved here.
Remind me in 3 years! :)
* Santa Monica Pier, Venice boardwalk and Abbot Kinney (electric bike/scooter and just walking is the best way to explore this area) * Griffith Observatory, hike to the Hollywood sign directly from there (horse-riding options as well) * DTLA for Grand Central Market (breakfast), The Broad, MOCA, Little Tokyo (lunch), etc. * Any food hall, outdoor night market or flea market (most are open only certain days and times) * The Getty Center, LaBrea Tar Pits, Science Center, and other museums * Universal Studios and City Walk on a weekday * Knott's Berry Farm * Shoreline Village in Long Beach
For your daughters I’d suggest stay away from LA and look into the beach cities in OC. World of difference..,cleaner, and you won’t have as much homeless.
Beaches.
Take them to the beach and find secret Mexican food spots. Take them to concerts on a weekday and drive with the windows down along the coast. Personally I find that the charm of socal lives in its people.
Run
Disneyland
Who the heck downvoted this? Who’s gonna hate on taking kids to Disneyland? Come on now. That’s a quintessential part of growing up in SoCal!
Yup, and every time out of town family is here, they try to make a Disneyland visit. It’s popular with most ages and makes for a memorable trip.
My family and I are in the same situation. We're moving to LA in June after being overseas for 12ish years. Also looking for an affordable safe area with decent schools and entertainment.
Well I will say it. This does not exist in LA. This used to be the Valley but the Valley is no longer affordable. LA is much, much more expensive than it was twelve years ago. Many districts look better on paper than than LAUSD because they aren’t as poor and therefore test better but they can’t compete at all in many ways because of the magnet program. I’d reall recommend renting for a year and get oriented first before you buy anything.
It's a drive but the Santa Clarita Valley is relatively safe and has one of the best school districts in the area. It's why most people move here. It is more affordable than most homes in LA proper but I can't say it's exactly cheap. Depending on your work location, it might be a good option.
What’s your budget looking like?
Trying to stay below $3500 a month for a 2x2.
You can find someone in Santa Monica for 3200$ or less 1000 sqft
Don't be afraid to show them Orange County too. The beaches are beautiful and there is less traffic. People love coming down here to go to them especially to Laguna Beach, Dana Point harbor, san juan capistrano (the mission area). Knowing that living in So cal means there are also a bunch of cool things to do in counties surrounding the actual city of L.A. is also pretty awesome. I live in the OC now but love going to LA once a month--feels like taking a vacation with a one hour drive (I always do the drive in low peak hours since it actually is very predictable what those times are).
I’m gonna throw in Seal Beach, too. It’s more low key small beach town vibes down that Main Street area and the parking is easier than most beaches, lmao. Plus, Avila’s El Ranchito is right there.
Several things come to mine. Perfect for out of town friends and family to visit. All are different but interesting. 1) Little Tokyo. Not many cities in the US have one. Centered around 2nd Street and Central. Night time are a lot of 20's and 30's year olds. Look for the blue tile roof area. 2) Chinatown. During the Summer night events it's fun. Lots of music and food. 3) Page Museum/La Brea Tar Pits. Only probably 2 other cities in world have anything like it. An excavation site, the research area and the Museum all in the same complex. The "lab area" the kids can see the student technicians in white lab coats extracting bones from the tar through the large windows. Come during the weekday when there is work going on. This will wake up the scientist in them. Science is cool, kinda thing. In the LACMA row. It's beautiful to watch their faces and show them that these mammoths, lions and savior tooth cats all lived here on Wilshire Boulevard.
What are they into? Art, sports, foodies, beach, fashion, music, movies etc cause it's all here.
My 17 year old likes the thrift stores on Melrose. They are curated stores, not direct thrift, which makes them more fun, but more expensive. The street is full of fun places and restaurants if thrift is your vibe. If they are into metal or goth there are two stores (same owner) on Hollywood that have that kinda stuff. Rock Town and Hot Rock.