Where should I stay in Los Angeles?

Santa Monica between Ocean Avenue and 4th Street is the safest first-timer bet in Los Angeles. You can walk to the beach in 10 minutes from most hotels along that corridor, and the salt air hits you the moment you step outside. The E Line runs from Downtown Santa Monica station to 7th Street/Metro Center in about 48 minutes for $1.75 each way. Third Street Promenade, 3 blocks from the pier, has enough restaurants that you won't need a car your first night. Hotels in the $180-300 range cluster along Ocean Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. The Pico Boulevard side runs $140-200 and is still a 15-minute walk to the water. Mind you, June mornings in Santa Monica often start overcast, with temperatures near 17°C at 8am. The marine layer typically burns off by noon, and today's 26°C afternoon is standard for mid-June.

West Hollywood is the pick if you'd rather be 15 minutes from the Griffith Observatory trail than 15 minutes from the Pacific. Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega and Fairfax puts you within a short rideshare of LACMA on Wilshire (the collection goes back to 1910), the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Sunset Strip. Hotels here run $200-350 at places like the Andaz or Mondrian on Sunset Boulevard. The neighborhood is walkable by LA standards, which means you can cover about 8 blocks on foot before the sidewalk disappears. You'll hear bar noise on weekend nights if you're on Sunset between Doheny and La Cienega, so ask for a room facing away from the boulevard. Lunch plates along Santa Monica Boulevard tend toward $18-25. Taco stands on the side streets sell al pastor for $3-4.

Koreatown, centered on Western Avenue and Wilshire, is the best value in central LA. Hotels run $80-150, and the Metro B and D Lines stop at Wilshire/Western, which gets you to Hollywood in 12 minutes. Some blocks feel rough after dark, though, and the 24-hour Korean BBQ joints on 6th Street fill the air with charcoal smoke and garlic at 2am. Downtown LA around the Arts District, east of Alameda Street, has converted warehouse hotels in the $160-250 range. The Broad museum is free. That said, the blocks between the Arts District and Skid Row shift character fast, and first-timers might find the contrast unsettling after dark. Beverly Hills along Wilshire runs $300-500 and up, with quiet streets and clean sidewalks, but you'll need a car or rideshare for everything except walking Rodeo Drive.

Skip the hotels along Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Vine unless you want to fall asleep to the sound of tour buses and costumed performers at 11pm. The Walk of Fame, laid down starting in 1958 across 15 blocks, is worth 30 minutes on foot, not 3 nights sleeping above it. The LAX corridor along Century Boulevard runs $100-160 but sits 45 minutes from anything worth seeing, and the warm exhaust hangs heavy in the air. Venice Beach south of Rose Avenue has gotten pricier without getting calmer. The Venice boardwalk gets louder and less predictable after sunset. If you stay in Santa Monica and want to see Venice, the 1.5-mile walk south along the bike path takes about 25 minutes.