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San Pedro from a San Pedran


Wineaux
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I'd like to start this thread and try and keep it as the definitive "go to" for ?'s about San Pedro. I currently live in San Pedro moving from West LA in 1999 where I lived for 19 years, originally from Macedonia, Ohio. I have lived in the Los Angeles are since 1980. My wife, Alison, was raised here in San Pedro so she has seen it all!!

 

I find San Pedro to be very misunderstood by TA's throughout the world and those that live in SoCal but are outside the area. San Pedro is definitley a working port town but has plenty to offer cruise passengers as well as those looking to kill an afternoon before heading to the airport.

 

If you have any questions in regard to our beautiful town please feel free to ask and I will try and answer them to the best of my ability.

 

Welcome to San Peeeeeeeeedro!!!!

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will be there next month staying at the CP...from there is there a liquor store nearby? place to get some last minute snaks?

 

it would be helpfull in the begining of your post here to put down stuff like this as this seems to be asked always at the departure ports

 

food

snaks

liquor

cost of taxi to port

hotel recommends

whats nearby the hotels

what to do

etc etc

 

all recommends by the locals...VERY HELPFUL~!!!!!!

 

just some of the stuff i remember reading on the Port Canaveral thread which has a wealth of info for cruisers coming to the area

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we will be at the double tree .we have gone over to pf changs but would like something different

If you're looking for a different Chinese restaurant....in Lomita (about 15-20 minutes from the DT)....Szechwan Chinese Food, 2107 Pacific Coast Hwy., Lomita, CA 90717,

310-534-2280....corner of PCH & Oak St.

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And maybe if posters are making recommendations about restaurants and activities, they could note whether they're in the area served by the DT and CP's shuttles as some of our guests might not be renting a car. That would help, I think.

 

(born in LA and raised in the Valley, did live in Mar Vista and near W. Hollywood, so I'm deferring to the locals)

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The closest area to San Pedro with a Chinese population--an area where you may find some good Chinese food--is the Torrance area...wihin a few miles North/Northwest of San Pedro...but you'll be looking at a taxi ride in each direction...So, I am not really sure it makes the most sense to eat Chinese food while staying the night in San Pedro

 

Torrance has more Japanese and Koreans than Chinese. The Chinese restaurants are pretty generic but not as "westernized" as PF Changs.

 

For good Japanese food in Torrance, I would recommend Yuzu. http://www.yelp.com/biz/yuzu-torrance

 

Someone else on these boards mentioned Gonpachi but I think their restaurant in Torrance is just so-so. http://www.yelp.com/biz/gonpachi-torrance

 

If you are looking for good Mexican food, La Capilla is also located in "Olde Torrance" http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-capilla-mexican-restaurant-torrance

 

Another option for Chinese food is Sea Empress in Gardena. http://www.yelp.com/biz/sea-empress-seafood-restaurant-gardena

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will be there next month staying at the CP...from there is there a liquor store nearby? place to get some last minute snaks?

 

it would be helpfull in the begining of your post here to put down stuff like this as this seems to be asked always at the departure ports

 

food

snaks

liquor

cost of taxi to port

hotel recommends

whats nearby the hotels

what to do

etc etc

 

all recommends by the locals...VERY HELPFUL~!!!!!!

 

just some of the stuff i remember reading on the Port Canaveral thread which has a wealth of info for cruisers coming to the area

 

I live one town over from San Pedro, so I think I qualify as a semi-local.:D I'm too lazy to look up links for you, but Google is a wonderful thing...

 

Food: in addition to the restaurants posted by Bruin Steve, I like:

 

Think Prime or Think Bistro, both in San Pedro and owned by the same family that owns Think Cafe - the Bistro is within the 5-mile shuttle radius from both the CP and DT; not sure about Think Prime, though.

 

Nelson's at Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes (not within shuttle range). Pub grub in an amazing cliffside setting. There are also two other restaurants, Mar Sel ($$$$ upscale semi-French) and Catalina Kitchen, more home-style cooking, also a bit pricey. We love Nelson's especially during the summer when you can have dinner or a brew while watching the sun set.

 

The Admiral Risty (also in RPV out of shuttle range) is a favorite for many locals, but I'm not a big fan - the view is amazing, but not as good as at Nelson's, and the service is uneven. The food is good, though.

 

There's also Trump National Golf Course in RPV, although we haven't eaten there in a long time. I'm sure it's still expensive...

 

If you want to shop for food, there's a Von's supermarket on Gaffey Street in San Pedro, within shuttle range. You can get groceries, snax and liquor.

 

A taxi will run about $55 plus tip to the port. You can also book a shared van through Super Shuttle or Prime Time for about $17pp. A large group can get a private van.

 

Car services include Execucar (part of the Super Shuttle company), Apex Transportation (we use them 800-359-1800) and others that I'm not familiar with.:) Should cost about $60 plus tip from the airport to the pier.

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What a great thread! I got on here this evening just to learn what we can do in San Pedro without a car for 2 to maybe 4 hours max?! We will be on a cruise (doing a back-to-back) so we will have a stop/switch of cruise passengers at the San Pedro Cruise Terminal. We want to get off the ship and stretch our legs on land for a bit. I have a few questions...

 

I found online the Pacific Electric Railway ~ the "big red trolley cars" will be running the day we are there and it is unlimited rides for $1.00. It looks as though we can get on a red car and go to Downtown Station or Ports o' Call Station (and back). Do you have any recommendation as what there may be for us to do/see in a short time frame?? We won't need to eat and we would probably just enjoy a short stroll along the waterfront, maybe sit outside somewhere and have a cool drink, maybe see some historic site, possibly gaze at some beautiful boats, take a few pictures, etc??

 

Neither of us have ever been to the San Pedro port. Do we even need to take the red trolley to see any of what I have suggested?? Are the areas I've mentioned safe during the day hours? Any ideas for us will be appreciated! Thank you! :)

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The areas you've mentioned are safe during the hours you will off the ship. You can take the trolley to Ports O'Call but many of the shops have limited hours so I'm not sure what will be open while you are there.

 

There is a nice promenade along Harbor Blvd. If you want to stretch your feet, you can walk towards the bridge (near the Catalina Express terminal) and get a nice view of your ship.

 

Just ouside the terminal is a pool/fountain with water shows. I believe the shows were done by the same person who did the Belagio water shows. The shows are every half hour from 10-6 and every 10 minutes from 12 pm - 1 pm. Here is a link with more info: http://www.sanpedro.com/media/San_Pedro_Fanfare.htm

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Regarding wine....The Von's at 13th & Gaffey has the typical selection of wines. San Pedro also has a wine shop....Off the Vine...it's walking distance from the CP and I'm sure the DT shuttle will take you there as well. Off the Vine has a more select choice and a great variety from different wine regions. And it has a tasting area......:D

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Too bad this great info is getting scattered and not focused into sections!! I'm not a SP local either, I live an hour south in Orange County but go to SP now and then.

 

The Grinder is a good family coffee shop / deli pretty close to the trolley station at the Maritime Museum. Not haute cuisine, just good basic food and not too expensive. http://www.grinderrestaurants.com/

 

One FAQ is the distinction between San Pedro and Long Beach. They form a huge harbor complex; SP is the west portion (and part of the City of LA) while LB is the east portion (LB is an independent city). With rare exceptions, *all* cruiselines and ships (except Carnival) use SP. The facility is called the LA World Cruiseport. Carnival owns the facility at LB and is the only line using it (again, with occasional exceptions). Be sure you're clear which port you're headed to!! If you get the wrong one, it's not too bad a mistake since the two facilities are about 8 miles from each other.

 

I sometimes see questions from non-Californians about liquor sales. In California it's sold 7 days a week. Grocery stores, drugstores (like CVS and Walgreens), mass retailers (Target), and many convenience stores (7-11, AM/PM, etc) sell liquor; we don't have government-run stores.

Edited by kenish
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we will be at the double tree .we have gone over to pf changs but would like something different

 

I am Chinese and live in the area. There are no great Chinese places in the South Bay. You have to go to Chinatown or the San Gabriel Valley for those. But, here are my favorites.

 

PV Palace (also in Lomita across from Szechuan) is great for dim sum or family dinner. This is a Cantonese style restaurant with all the typical dishes. Dim sum is served daily until 3pm I think.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pv-palace-lomita

 

Shanghai Palace (in the same lot as the Ramada Inn) is a northern Chinese place where I go for my xiao lung bao fix. These are delicious steamed pork dumplings. http://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-palace-restaurant-torrance

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I am Chinese and live in the area. There are no great Chinese places in the South Bay. You have to go to Chinatown or the San Gabriel Valley for those. But, here are my favorites.

 

PV Palace (also in Lomita across from Szechuan) is great for dim sum or family dinner. This is a Cantonese style restaurant with all the typical dishes. Dim sum is served daily until 3pm I think.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pv-palace-lomita

 

Shanghai Palace (in the same lot as the Ramada Inn) is a northern Chinese place where I go for my xiao lung bao fix. These are delicious steamed pork dumplings. http://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-palace-restaurant-torrance

 

 

Thanks for the recommendations. As locals, we'll check them out.

Edited by CaseyJr
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How about vegetarian restaurants or at least restaurants with several veggie options?

 

There is NO pure vegetarian restaurant in town but most restaurants have some vegetarian choices. Your best bet would be: Think Cafe, Nosh, Niko's, Raffaelo's or Neil's.

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What a great thread! I got on here this evening just to learn what we can do in San Pedro without a car for 2 to maybe 4 hours max?! We will be on a cruise (doing a back-to-back) so we will have a stop/switch of cruise passengers at the San Pedro Cruise Terminal. We want to get off the ship and stretch our legs on land for a bit. I have a few questions...

 

I found online the Pacific Electric Railway ~ the "big red trolley cars" will be running the day we are there and it is unlimited rides for $1.00. It looks as though we can get on a red car and go to Downtown Station or Ports o' Call Station (and back). Do you have any recommendation as what there may be for us to do/see in a short time frame?? We won't need to eat and we would probably just enjoy a short stroll along the waterfront, maybe sit outside somewhere and have a cool drink, maybe see some historic site, possibly gaze at some beautiful boats, take a few pictures, etc??

 

Neither of us have ever been to the San Pedro port. Do we even need to take the red trolley to see any of what I have suggested?? Are the areas I've mentioned safe during the day hours? Any ideas for us will be appreciated! Thank you! :)

 

We were in SP Jan 1, and the trolley cars were no longer running.

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We were in SP Jan 1, and the trolley cars were no longer running.

 

They may have had the red car closed that day for the holiday but as far as I know they are still running on the schedule below.

 

 

Schedule

The Red Cars operate every Friday, Saturday and Sunday year 'round from Noon to 9 pm (last car leaves Swinford St. for 22nd St. at 9 pm).



 



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There are 3 of us, found this at the Crowne Plaza: $299 for room for one night, shuttle from LAX to CP, shuttle from CP to the ship, shuttle from the ship to LAX.

 

Are there other deals out there? Thanks!

 

Seems high to me but I've never had to do this so hopefully someone can give you some first-hand experience.

Edited by Wineaux
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Seems high to me but I've never had to do this so hopefully someone can give you some first-hand experience.

 

That is really high. We got the hotel for around $74./night on Priceline. The super shuttle is $16. per person & the hotel provides free shuttle from hotel to pier.

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