Comfort Inn, Acacia Ave, LA

[Been There, Planning That]

We'll be staying pre cruise for two nights at the Comfort Inn, Cockatoo in LA.

We'll arrive late afternoon and I would like to do a bit of shopping before sight seeing the next day.

 

Are there any malls nearby or at least a drug store?

 

Thanks in advance to any locals who might reply,

 

Ruth

[Bruin Steve]

We'll be staying pre cruise for two nights at the Comfort Inn, Cockatoo in LA.

We'll arrive late afternoon and I would like to do a bit of shopping before sight seeing the next day.

 

Are there any malls nearby or at least a drug store?

 

Thanks in advance to any locals who might reply,

 

Ruth

 

How on earth did you end up THERE???

 

There is NOTHING around there...except a few fast food places you'll have to walk a couple of blocks to...and it's not exactly the best of neighborhoods...

 

I usually recommend NOT staying anywhere near LAX...but especially NOT East of the 405...This one is like 12 or 15 blocks east of the 405...

 

There is NO shopping there. And no sightseeing. No access to any sightseeing tours. Public transportation from there is inefficient and scary...Taxi rides to anywhere worth seeing will be expensive.

 

This would be one of the last areas in Los Angeles where I'd tell anyone to stay...

 

(For other Angelenos thinking of commenting--who I assume haven't really heard of this hotel either--it's about a block and a half off of the intersection of Imperial Highway and Hawthorne Blvd., just across the 105 from Inglewood...)...

Edited January 27, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[Been There, Planning That]

Too late -- our TA booked it and we've paid so we're stuck in a down at the heels district I fear. Somehow we'll have to make the best of a bad situation. We'd originally planned to fly in the day before but with the risk of bad weather here in the great white north we decided to fly in two days early just in case.

 

Thanks for the advance warning, guess we'll see the 'seedy' side of LA,

 

Ruth

[Cruisin' Chick]

I google-mapped it and have to agree with Steve. Shockingly horrible place to stay even one day, much less two. You really need to tell your TA that. If he's unfamiliar with Los Angeles, he shouldn't just be picking out hotels or motels by whatever method he used. Probably price, which is a horrendous criteria, unfortunately.

 

You'll be using taxis quite a lot, I'm afraid, which should use up any savings for the stay. And definitely don't even think about trying to use a bus to get around....I'm serious.

[Husky61]

I have to agree with Steve and Cruisin Chick, it is not a very nice area. I worked that area for several years and I would not recommend staying there.

 

At one time the hotel was owned by organized crime.

[Been There, Planning That]

YIKES! Trip advisor reviews are OK by our modest standards. But obviously it is an error we'll have to live with. If it's as bad as you say, our stay will be added to 'foreign' adventures.

 

And you're right, taxi fares will negate any savings,

 

Thanks to each of you for the warning.

 

Ruth

[kenish]

Google Maps is your friend. Pull up the motel and you can explore the area either as a map or images. About 300m south on Hawthorne Blvd. is a Ralph's supermarket and an El Torito Mexican restaurant. The latter is a chain restaurant, they're good but not haute cuisine! About 2km north and east are a Target, and several restaurants. The motel desk will probably have good recommendations.

 

Both Ralphs and Target have personal care and toiletry items. The area is OK safety-wise during the day, just stay aware. I don't recommend walking around the area after dark...the local residents are probably OK but there's a transient element in the LAX area, and some you may encounter might not have your best interests in mind.

Edited January 27, 2015 by kenish

[mapleleaves]

maybe you print this response, take it to your TA and ask him/her to book you elsewhere ??? Given that the booking was his/her poor choice, let them work out the refund and apply the funds to a more reputable place. Worth a try...

[Been There, Planning That]

maybe you print this response, take it to your TA and ask him/her to book you elsewhere ??? Given that the booking was his/her poor choice, let them work out the refund and apply the funds to a more reputable place. Worth a try...

 

We can't really fault our TA -- for one night it would have been perfect. We just didn't rethink when we decided to stay for two nights. Now it's a problem.

 

We have contacted our TA and she's seeing what can be done. We're rethinking location and probably should stay in San Pedro area where we can simply walk around the area.

 

Open to hotel suggestions for that area -- I realize will be more expensive but don't want to break the bank.

 

Thanks for all your help -- discouraging though it has been,

 

Ruth

[Cruisin' Chick]

We can't really fault our TA -- for one night it would have been perfect. We just didn't rethink when we decided to stay for two nights. Now it's a problem.

 

We have contacted our TA and she's seeing what can be done. We're rethinking location and probably should stay in San Pedro area where we can simply walk around the area.

 

Open to hotel suggestions for that area -- I realize will be more expensive but don't want to break the bank.

 

Thanks for all your help -- discouraging though it has been,

 

Ruth

 

I'm glad you passed along this info to your TA. As we locals advise many times on the Western Destinations board: if you find a really cheap rate for a hotel in the LA area, it's probably a rat trap or in a dicey area or both. You probably should have just let the TA book the cruise and the flight and then ask us for hotel suggestions.

 

With Trip Adviser, the reviews don't always jibe with reality. There was a hotel in Seattle that got a lot of pans because it was next to a highway. We didn't care for our pre-cruise hotel so the day before our cruise we checked out other hotels and decided to book post-cruise there, despite what was on Trip Adviser. It actually was a decent place. Our room fronted the highway indicated, but the glass must have been really thick as we didn't get noise at night (and I'm a pretty light sleeper). And the other complaint that it was hard to get around...we would just walk down to the intersection to cross (no bridge to get across the road there) and we found some decent eateries close by. And we can tell it was a safe area too. Our only complaint was that the garage was hard to park in, especially if one was stuck with too big a vehicle (there were just SUVS left at the rental car place when we wanted a smaller car).

[Been There, Planning That]

Again, I owe thanks to CC experts, and in this case the LA locals. We could have managed, though with grumbling acceptance I'm sure, but with our new hotel in San Pedro, we're all set to simply spend our extra day roaming around the area. We've been to LA before and done the biggies, just disappointed that the Getty Museum is closed on Mondays which had been our original plan.

 

We're loyal to our TA, in spite of some shortcomings, but really no one TA could possibly know about particular hotels around the world. And she has arranged independent trips for us, literally around the world - all on our modest budgets. In our senior years we've come to cruising because of its simplicity and lack of adventure!

 

Again, with thanks from both of us,

 

Ruth -- in the frigid north where it's been such a bitterly cold winter, we haven't had much snow.

[Bruin Steve]

Again, I owe thanks to CC experts, and in this case the LA locals. We could have managed, though with grumbling acceptance I'm sure, but with our new hotel in San Pedro, we're all set to simply spend our extra day roaming around the area. We've been to LA before and done the biggies, just disappointed that the Getty Museum is closed on Mondays which had been our original plan.

 

We're loyal to our TA, in spite of some shortcomings, but really no one TA could possibly know about particular hotels around the world. And she has arranged independent trips for us, literally around the world - all on our modest budgets. In our senior years we've come to cruising because of its simplicity and lack of adventure!

 

Again, with thanks from both of us,

 

Ruth -- in the frigid north where it's been such a bitterly cold winter, we haven't had much snow.

 

So, you were able to switch hotels? Which hotel in San Pedro did you book? (Hopefully the Crown Plaza or Doubletree as those are the two best)...In any event, this puts you farther from the main tourist sites of Los Angeles--but it sounds like you've done those before...

 

It does put you right at the pier--which should greatly simplify the morning of the cruise for you...

 

With a full free day there, you have some options locally...You could go tour the USS Iowa and the Maritime Museum...Or you can take a taxi into Downtown Long Beach--across the harbor--where you can visit the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary, stroll around Shoreline Village...and, perhaps eat dinner in one of the many restautrants in the area near the Aquarium...

 

While in San Pedro, you have many restaurant choices...While I was there earlier this month for a cruise, we stopped for a meal at my favorite--The San Pedro Brewing Company on 6th Street--I had one of their outstanding Tri-tip Sandwiches...If you'd rather eat down at the waterfront, you might want to visit Acapulco--us locals find it a bit mundane--it's a small local chain Mexican eatery--but, comoing from out of the area, it may be quite unique for you--reasonably priced and right on the water...

 

Have fun...

[Been There, Planning That]

We won't be staying at one of the two best hotels -- we're just not best hotel travellers BUT we're delighted to have been able to relocate.

 

We're planning to do the USS Iowa and Maritime Museum.

 

Thank you Bruin Steve for the restaurant suggestions. I'll add them to our 'to do/eat' suggestions.

 

It will be such a treat to simply be warm that I know we'll enjoy our full pre cruise day.

 

We do appreciate so much everyone's help. Our capital is NOT a cruise port -- well half day cruises on the Rideau Canal or skating right now, that we cannot reciprocate with our home hotels and suggestions.

 

Again with thanks,

 

Ruth