All Things Minnesota at UCLA at Rose Bowl Stadium October 12, 2024


Don't sleep on this. Step one, make a lodging reservation that can be cancelled if you change your mind.



13. UCLA

This was not what the Bruins needed entering their inaugural Big Ten season. UCLA lost some of its best young players to fellow Big Ten newcomers....
 


Any recommendations on where to stay?
What activities in LA are you going to do other than the game? That will be a big factor. There's not much by the Rose Bowl for things to do. When my family goes to LA it's usually theme parks, beaches , shopping, Hollywood. So we stay near those places.
 



Thanks but no thanks. Been there, done that. Don’t need to go back.
 



What activities in LA are you going to do other than the game? That will be a big factor. There's not much by the Rose Bowl for things to do. When my family goes to LA it's usually theme parks, beaches , shopping, Hollywood. So we stay near those places.
Yeah from my work travels there I would say in the Santa Anna, Orange, Anaheim area but then you are pretty far from the stadium (a good hour drive at least). Also dedends on which airport you plan to fly into...
 



Got my hotel in Pasdena early before things get booked up or prices go up. Next will be a flight then get my tickets through the U. Can't wait!
 

Yeah from my work travels there I would say in the Santa Anna, Orange, Anaheim area but then you are pretty far from the stadium (a good hour drive at least). Also dedends on which airport you plan to fly into...
I realize the stadium is nowhere near campus, but there is a hotel right on the UCLA campus (Luskin Center) that is a really nice hotel. The UCLA campus is in a decent location for access to Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, Hollywood. But if you're doing Laguna/Newport/Huntington Beach or Disneyland it's not the best spot to stay.
 

I plan to fly out and stay with a HS buddy. Take the Southwest "Super" Chief back to Chicago and Empire Builder home (I like trains and have the time). If Brosmer is good, and we've got some healthy experienced LBs, I think we've got a decent chance in this game.
 
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I plan to fly out and stay with a HS buddy. Take the Southwest "Super" chief back to Chicago and Empire Builder home (I like trains and have the time). If Brosmer is good, and we've got some healthy experienced LBs, I think we've got a decent chance in this game.
That sounds like a fun trip. Train trips are underrated. Some of our best family trips were train ones
 



I realize the stadium is nowhere near campus, but there is a hotel right on the UCLA campus (Luskin Center) that is a really nice hotel. The UCLA campus is in a decent location for access to Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, Hollywood. But if you're doing Laguna/Newport/Huntington Beach or Disneyland it's not the best spot to stay.
If into architecture tour Pasadena and see the Gamble House. Great example of Greene and Greene.

https://gamblehouse.org/

https://www.pbssocal.org/home-garden/the-craftsman-homes-of-pasadena

Edit: Adding Eddie Van Halen's childhood home.

https://www.vhnd.com/2021/07/13/eddie-alex-van-halen-childhood-home-the-graffiti-they-left-behind/
 



If into architecture tour Pasadena and see the Gamble House. Great example of Greene and Greene.

https://gamblehouse.org/

https://www.pbssocal.org/home-garden/the-craftsman-homes-of-pasadena

Edit: Adding Eddie Van Halen's childhood home.

https://www.vhnd.com/2021/07/13/eddie-alex-van-halen-childhood-home-the-graffiti-they-left-behind/
I appreciate any suggestion that isn't "this bar is gud".

Not that LA is short on other things to do, but man it feels like every travel related suggestion / website is 50% "yo they have great bars, try this one".
 

Might have to visit next time! Also if into architecture (and sculpture), the Getty Villa in Malibu is pretty amazing. If into art, the other Getty art museum (the Getty Center) is pretty amazing (not too far from the UCLA campus).
Thanks! Hope to make it out this time. Have family in California from the bay to basically the southern border. I've yet to make it to the Getty Museum. Maybe this time?
 

I appreciate any suggestion that isn't "this bar is gud".

Not that LA is short on other things to do, but man it feels like every travel related suggestion / website is 50% "yo they have great bars, try this one".
True!:ROFLMAO:
 


There are a lot of factors in deciding where to stay for the game. As some have pointed out, LA is a large area so where you decide to stay might very well depend on when you get in town and how long you are staying. If you are getting in on Friday and leaving on Sunday, I would recommend staying in the Pasadena area. With such little time, you won't have a lot of time to really explore the city, since you will not have a free day. Pasadena is a beautiful city, with many great restaurants in old town. Also, the Huntington Library is certainly worth visiting (you will spend a couple hours there at least) as well the Norton Simon Museum, which is highly underrated with paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, Renoir and many others.

Downtown LA is also a good option if you are spending a little more time here because you can take the subway to Hollywood and walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If you take the subway a little further north it will drop you off at Universal Studios, where you can spend a full day with the family going on rides, etc. Plus, downtown has LA Live, where there is always activity going on and there are a bunch of great restaurants in downtown. You can also take light rail from downtown to the beach and if you do rent a car, it is an easy drive to the beach.

You may also want to consider staying in the Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles. This is also near Universal Studios, if you wish to go. This area is also an easy drive to Beverly Hills via Coldwater Canyon Blvd. Hollywood Blvd./ Vine is an easy 15 minute drive or you can catch the subway at the North Hollywood or Universal City stations and take it into Hollywood. Lastly, it is about a 20 minute drive to the Rose Bowl from this area and Ventura Blvd. has a lot of great restaurants to choose from.

Those would be my three areas that I would suggest staying in. Staying near the beach, like Santa Monica, is great and it is closer to the airport, but it is a bit of a drive to the Rose Bowl. Those are my two cents.
 





That sounds like a fun trip. Train trips are underrated. Some of our best family trips were train ones
When I was a kid we took a family trip out east by rail many summers, either on the Broadway Limited (NY) or the New England States (Boston). I understand the many advantages of air travel (son is a pilot for Delta!), but my wife and I have a love affair with train travel. I've never ridden the Southwest Chief. Can't wait.
 

I stayed at the RitzCarlton Pasadena for a week back in the late 90s. I had a Cottage Suite, just beautiful, great hotel!! It's called the Langham now, not sure what it costs, probably pretty spendy, but if you want a luxurious experience and if this is anything close to what it was like when I was there, it's worth the experience. I think it covers about 20-25 acres, use to have private residences on the grounds.
 

Don't choose lodging only because it's near one of the attractions you plan to visit. Look at the bigger picture of value cost and the attractions you plan to see. Everyone drives to their destinations, in LA. Visiting LA means traveling to different sites sprawled across the metro region.

You need to rent a car in LA. It's sprawled. You need a regional map to look at LA.

Economy planning can make the trip cheap, without a car, but it takes creative planning, such as a bus line to the airport. And then a couple Uber rides would be needed if you plan to do more than just go to the game.

If you're in LA you need to do other things too. Even free beaches at the ocean or free hiking. Or free art museum, etc. But it costs something to get around the sprawling Southern California area.
How sprawling is it?
 

How sprawling is it?
Quick illustration: I googled Rose Bowl to Santa Monica (basically the beach) and the easy answer is 27 miles. However, I saw driving time estimates from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Reality is probably 45-50 minutes.

Traffic in LA can be crazy at times. Also, when they give directions in LA they tend to use an abbreviated form. Saturday Night Live actually did a skit about it years ago. For example: Going from Santa Monica to the Rose Bowl you might hear, "you take the 10 to 110 to Orange Grove". That's I-10 to US 110 to Orange Grove Blvd. Or they might just call Interstate 10 "Santa Monica". So that would be " you take Santa Monica to 110 to Orange Grove"
 

Last one. For today anyway.
Have been to Sequoia twice (with kids and they loved it). About 4 hours from LAX to the park entrance, and then another 1 hour to get into the heart of the park (takes a while as you can't drive that fast due to all the switchbacks). There are lodges to stay at within the park. It is connected to Kings Canyon National Park which also has more Sequoia trees.

Fall is a great time to be there as the crowds won't be bad (high temps probably in the upper 60s?). The drive up is interesting too as you are driving through the central valley and going past orange groves, almond trees, grapes, and some oil fields.

It's amazing. Words really can't describe it - the Sequoias are unreal but also the rest of the mountain scenery is awesome. Probably my favorite national park I've been to. 2 or 3 nights and you can see pretty much all of the 2 parks. 2 nights minimum for just Sequoia. Highly recommend if you have the time and $$$.
 
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