Drive times from Anaheim to Santa Monica in AM

[Crystal J]

I am doing a tour that leaves from Santa Monica at 9:45 AM on a Wednesday as a mid-week break from the parks. I already know traffic is going to suck, but it is what it is. How would you best advise to get there and how long should I allow with a goal to arrive by 9 AM.

Also - any other local attraction worth checking out? I have another free non-Disney day before we fly out on a Saturday night on a red-eye.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I am doing a tour that leaves from Santa Monica at 9:45 AM on a Wednesday as a mid-week break from the parks. I already know traffic is going to suck, but it is what it is. How would you best advise to get there and how long should I allow with a goal to arrive by 9 AM.

Also - any other local attraction worth checking out? I have another free non-Disney day before we fly out on a Saturday night on a red-eye.

Do you have an iPhone or Android smartphone? If so, download the Waze app before your trip. The morning of, open the app and put in your destination. It will tell you how long it will take to get there and automatically find the best route. I would recommend allotting 2 hours to be safe, so start checking the app at 7am and be prepared to leave no later than 7:15-7:20am.

 

[dweezil78]

Do you have an iPhone or Android smartphone? If so, download the Waze app before your trip. The morning of, open the app and put in your destination. It will tell you how long it will take to get there and automatically find the best route. I would recommend allotting 2 hours to be safe, so start checking the app at 7am and be prepared to leave no later than 7:15-7:20am.

Be prepared to add 30-45 min to whatever Waze says at that time of the day for that drive.

 

[Jiggsawpuzzle35]

Stay away from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is dirty and overrated. Long Beach has the Queen Mary and Aquarium. It's a nice place to visit. Griffith Park is another nice place to visit. Another nice option is taking the Amtrak to San Diego and visiting Old Town and The Gaslamp Quarter.

 

[dweezil78]

Also - any other local attraction worth checking out? I have another free non-Disney day before we fly out on a Saturday night on a red-eye.

The Getty Museum is a great spot to check out. It's totally free other than the parking fee (if you park there) and even if you don't care about art, it's a really cool building with some incredible views of the city assuming it's a clear day. Driving along the Palos Verdes coast is also incredible and is just a short drive away, just south of LAX. And although I still have not been there, I hear the Huntington Library over in Pasadena is pretty amazing. Pasadena is also home to the Proctor and Gamble House which is a historical landmark and best known for being Doc Brown's house in Back to the Future.

Also would suggest the StarLine Tour doubledecker hop on/hop off busses as a cool and easy way to check things out across the city. I've used this in another city while visiting and found it very worth the $$$. http://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-HOHO.asp

 

[prberk]

I loved the Paramount Studio Tour. It was a couple of hours as I remember, and a no-frills, straight-up studio tour. Not a tour/amusement park like Universal, but a real studio tour of the last remaining active studio in Hollywood proper from the golden age. (Most moved to Burbank or Universal City area.) It is actually on Melrose Ave., with a famous entryway. It is a combination of the former Desilu and RKO Radio Pictures studios, and a storied history itself. Some of its lot you will recognize (buildings used for the high school in Happy Days, the Brady Bunch, and other things). You will also see live production usually.

The tour is limited to about a small number of people, and is awesome for that reason. http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/

Another real-Hollywood option is "The Price is Right," which films most days in Hollywood at CBS Television City. You have to arrive most days by 5:00 a.m. to have a real chance of getting in (and being a contestant), but it is a fun, free option.

And one more thing to do is simply visit the real Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's) on Hollywood Boulevard. The whole block from it to the famous Highland (and even further down, to Vine) is wonderful and full of glorious Hollywood. The Walk of Fame is that street, and Disney owns the block across the street, with the El Capitan showing Disney films next to a Disney Studio Store and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain there also. You can take in a movie or tour the Chinese, and put your hands in the handprints of the famous stars in its courtyard. The Dolby Theatre (formerly Kodak) is in the same block (think Academy Awards) -- and at the corner with Highland you get a commanding view of the Hollywood sign.

So, those are great one-day options, all within an hour or two in traffic from DL.

 

[prberk]

Stay away from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is dirty and overrated. Long Beach has the Queen Mary and Aquarium. It's a nice place to visit. Griffith Park is another nice place to visit. Another nice option is taking the Amtrak to San Diego and visiting Old Town and The Gaslamp Quarter.

I disagree with the statement about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, especially the area in front of the Chinese Theatre. I find it a cultural landmark and fun to visit. It can be very nice during the day. As mentioned in my post, half of the block is Disney stuff, and some of it is a nice upscale mall (Hollywood and Highland), where you can park (validated) in a deck and see the sights.

I think some things like this are like New York's Times Square: They will always have tourists, and can be "dirty" in some ways, just because people come there daily. But also like Times Square, it is much cleaner and more family-friendly than it used to be. Both also have Disney investment literally around the block. And the people-watching is part of the fun.

 

[catmom46]

Be prepared to add 30-45 min to whatever Waze says at that time of the day for that drive.

I take it you don't use Waze on a daily basis.

 

[prberk]

I take it you don't use Waze on a daily basis.

I had a friend ask Waze how to get to the McDonald's on Harbor Blvd. (supposed to be the one across from Disneyland), from where we were in La Mirada after church on the weekend of the Expo, and, well, it took him around his elbo to get to his butt. I was following. I had met him up there that morning for church, essentially going straight up "the Five" freeway on a twenty-five mintue drive. The trip back, following Waze, avoided the Five, went over to the 605, down to the 405. and was headed further south (past the 22) past Costa Mesa, when I called him and asked him where in the world he was going. He got irritated and told me to lead. We had to backtrack to Harbor Blvd. and drive up it from well below Disneyland all the way back. A twenty-five minute trip was now more than an hour, and we missed something we were trying to see.

I had told him that we could eat at the McDonald's on Harbor across the street from DL to hurry up and get to the convention, because taking the direct route (the Five), it would be right at the exit and on the way. Now, we were way below where we needed to be and would see several McDonald's along the way. So would just pick one.

The Waze app had not asked him to clarify "which McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." It apparently just assumed -- or it was taking us on the circle tour. I wondered about traffic, as we missed the first entrance to the Five. I listened to the actual real live radio news channel, which had traffic every ten minutes even on the weekends. They said that the Five was clear and moving normally with no incidents all the way from LA through Orange County toward San Diego.

So, it wasn't for traffic reasons that Waze took us around our elbow to get to our butt. And we still never found out which "McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." it was finding -- because it never clarified or asked us which one. We were just late and missed the program we wanted to see.

Sometimes a map and old media are still the best way.

 

[catmom46]

I had a friend ask Waze how to get to the McDonald's on Harbor Blvd. (supposed to be the one across from Disneyland), from where we were in La Mirada after church on the weekend of the Expo, and, well, it took him around his elbo to get to his butt. I was following. I had met him up there that morning for church, essentially going straight up "the Five" freeway on a twenty-five mintue drive. The trip back, following Waze, avoided the Five, went over to the 605, down to the 405. and was headed further south (past the 22) past Costa Mesa, when I called him and asked him where in the world he was going. He got irritated and told me to lead. We had to backtrack to Harbor Blvd. and drive up it from well below Disneyland all the way back. A twenty-five minute trip was now more than an hour, and we missed something we were trying to see.

I had told him that we could eat at the McDonald's on Harbor across the street from DL to hurry up and get to the convention, because taking the direct route (the Five), it would be right at the exit and on the way. Now, we were way below where we needed to be and would see several McDonald's along the way. So would just pick one.

The Waze app had not asked him to clarify "which McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." It apparently just assumed -- or it was taking us on the circle tour. I wondered about traffic, as we missed the first entrance to the Five. I listened to the actual real live radio news channel, which had traffic every ten minutes even on the weekends. They said that the Five was clear and moving normally with no incidents all the way from LA through Orange County toward San Diego.

So, it wasn't for traffic reasons that Waze took us around our elbow to get to our butt. And we still never found out which "McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." it was finding -- because it never clarified or asked us which one. We were just late and missed the program we wanted to see.

Sometimes a map and old media are still the best way.

There have definitely been times when Waze isn't optimal, but overall it's been consistent in regard to estimated arrival times for me. I've never had it be off by 30-45 minutes.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I had a friend ask Waze how to get to the McDonald's on Harbor Blvd. (supposed to be the one across from Disneyland), from where we were in La Mirada after church on the weekend of the Expo, and, well, it took him around his elbo to get to his butt. I was following. I had met him up there that morning for church, essentially going straight up "the Five" freeway on a twenty-five mintue drive. The trip back, following Waze, avoided the Five, went over to the 605, down to the 405. and was headed further south (past the 22) past Costa Mesa, when I called him and asked him where in the world he was going. He got irritated and told me to lead. We had to backtrack to Harbor Blvd. and drive up it from well below Disneyland all the way back. A twenty-five minute trip was now more than an hour, and we missed something we were trying to see.

I had told him that we could eat at the McDonald's on Harbor across the street from DL to hurry up and get to the convention, because taking the direct route (the Five), it would be right at the exit and on the way. Now, we were way below where we needed to be and would see several McDonald's along the way. So would just pick one.

The Waze app had not asked him to clarify "which McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." It apparently just assumed -- or it was taking us on the circle tour. I wondered about traffic, as we missed the first entrance to the Five. I listened to the actual real live radio news channel, which had traffic every ten minutes even on the weekends. They said that the Five was clear and moving normally with no incidents all the way from LA through Orange County toward San Diego.

So, it wasn't for traffic reasons that Waze took us around our elbow to get to our butt. And we still never found out which "McDonald's on Harbor Blvd." it was finding -- because it never clarified or asked us which one. We were just late and missed the program we wanted to see.

Sometimes a map and old media are still the best way.

As with all mapping apps, you do need to be specific. Harbor Blvd is a ginormous road that stretches for miles and miles and likely has several McDonald's on it in various cities, and it definitely sounds like he had selected the wrong McD's by accident.

 

[dweezil78]

I take it you don't use Waze on a daily basis.

You kiddin? I use it every day to and from work. Waze is good but you have to know what you're doing with it. Almost every time I drive from the SF Valley to Anaheim in the AM on a weekday I get about half a dozen "5 minutes added to your route!" Waze is great if you are a local and looking for short cuts, but for out of towners it can be super hit and miss -- especially when it sends you across a major road at a point where there's only a stop sign and no traffic light!!

If you are driving a substantial distance during rush hour in LA, it's almost always going to be off by a good 20 or some minutes as traffic begins to build up that it was not accounting for when you started the drive.

 

[catmom46]

You kiddin? I use it every day to and from work. Waze is good but you have to know what you're doing with it. Almost every time I drive from the SF Valley to Anaheim in the AM on a weekday I get about half a dozen "5 minutes added to your route!" Waze is great if you are a local and looking for short cuts, but for out of towners it can be super hit and miss -- especially when it sends you across a major road at a point where there's only a stop sign and no traffic light!!

If you are driving a substantial distance during rush hour in LA, it's almost always going to be off by a good 20 or some minutes as traffic begins to build up that it was not accounting for when you started the drive.

Ah yes, the longer distance you need to travel the more discrepancy in arrival time, especially during rush hour. I only drive to/from the South Bay and Santa Monica, so it's fairly consistent to add only 5-10 minutes.

 

[dweezil78]

Ah yes, the longer distance you need to travel the more discrepancy in arrival time, especially during rush hour. I only drive to/from the South Bay and Santa Monica, so it's fairly consistent to add only 5-10 minutes.

Yep -- and driving from Anaheim to Santa Monica can be quite the journey! Heck, just driving from the 405 to Santa Monica can be quite the journey!!

 

[dweezil78]

I disagree with the statement about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, especially the area in front of the Chinese Theatre. I find it a cultural landmark and fun to visit. It can be very nice during the day. As mentioned in my post, half of the block is Disney stuff, and some of it is a nice upscale mall (Hollywood and Highland), where you can park (validated) in a deck and see the sights.

I think some things like this are like New York's Times Square: They will always have tourists, and can be "dirty" in some ways, just because people come there daily. But also like Times Square, it is much cleaner and more family-friendly than it used to be. Both also have Disney investment literally around the block. And the people-watching is part of the fun.

Agreed, I think despite it's dirty/touristy reputation, it's a fun thing to check out if you've never been. Especially if you are a Disney fan and has spent time at MGM/Hollywood Studios. To see the real Chinese Theatre up close is really neat and taking in a movie at the El Capitan is definitely a unique and very Disney experience for sure.

 

[prberk]

As with all mapping apps, you do need to be specific. Harbor Blvd is a ginormous road that stretches for miles and miles and likely has several McDonald's on it in various cities, and it definitely sounds like he had selected the wrong McD's by accident.

Yes, and I found it curious that it did not ask or require him to be more specific. He just relied on it and went.

I just find it curious that so many people these days seem to check their brains (or at least their maps) at the door when using a GPS type of device. I always want to have a general overview in my head of where I am going. A map, digital or paper, does that -- and allows me to second-guess the device (or, in this case, realize that it has made assumptions in the route that I did not intend, or that I need to correct).

I am consistently surprised these days at how many people just want to know the directions, and don't give any thought to the surroundings or other options. They would never know if they were going around their elbow to get to their behinds, because the digital device said that was the way to go.

I guess I should not be surprised. I remember in map days how many people seemed to have to turn a road map all the way around and still couldn not understand it. Sigh.

Me, I wanted to know where I was headed, and where it was in relation to everything else...

 

[catmom46]

Yep -- and driving from Anaheim to Santa Monica can be quite the journey! Heck, just driving from the 405 to Santa Monica can be quite the journey!!

All this talk of driving reminds me of the SNL skit "The Californians" - it's hilarious cuz it's so true!

https://screen.yahoo.com/californians-drama-off-405-000000032.html