L.A. in May

[Ari]

Hi,
I'm thinking of spending the month of May in Los Angeles, bringing my wife and daughter (18 months old) along.
I'll be there for work and to visit some family, and my wife wants to spend a lot of time at the beach.
The problem is, since my last visit to LA, about 8 years ago, the prices have skyrocketed.
I'm no longer familiar with the little hide-aways, and searching the internet for sublets and swaps is discouragingly expensive.
Renting an RV is more expensive than a decent hotel.

I need fresh eyes on this, so I'm turning to you for advice.

Can anyone, i.e. locals, recommend a way to do this trip as economically as possible?
I've already looked into homeless shelters, so save your keystrokes
And staying with family is not possible, as they live near Sacramento, so they only get week-end visits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_-CmwHWPo

Thanks in advance.

[Daniel Stone]

you mentioned the wife wanting/needing the beach. So you're planning on staying near the beach? Prices near the beach(especially close to summer, which, here in LA, usually starts around May ) can go UP. Toss in a rental car and insurance for it, its not going to be "cheap". But reserving a Motel 6, Super 8 or Best Western in the general area you'd like to stay in, well ahead of your stay, might help lower the cost a bit. Don't just take the prices they give you over the phone. Haggle with em, c'mon, if you do it 3mo ahead of time, and if you leave a deposit on the room, why not ?

Venice Beach and Santa Monica can be fun for the family, the pier is always fun(during the day, IMO, at night it can be kinda sketchy) and you have lots of opportunities to wander up towards me in the foothills to take in some of the local mountain scenery

-Dan

[false_Aesthetic]

1) How close do you want to be to work?
2) How close to the beach does the wife want to be?

If you're willing to drive deals can be had in Torrance (very close to some beautiful small beaches in Palos Verdes), Long Beach, Hawthorn, (i.e. South of LA). You might also be able to pick up something sort've cheap in/around Topanga Canyon or Encino.

If you're looking for cheaper in/around Santa Monica or the west side of LA look at Mar Vista, Palms or even mid-city.

I think the beaches near Santa Monica suck royally. They're also some of the more polluted ones and maybe not the best place to submerge a child. South (Palos Verdes or beyond Long Beach) or North (Malibu or in Ventura County) a little nicer.

[John Kasaian]

Try Priceline.
In San Diego there are some very reasonable accomodations, but thats too far South to commute in the Los Angeleno traffic.
One option is to check out various colleges which have accomodations for visiting faculty (or even dorm rooms) to see if they have any vacancies.
I would be concerned about really cheap motels though---some parts of LA are deadly. Seriously!
Depending on where in LA you'll be working (so you don't waste half your day in gridlock) you may find outlying towns attractive alternatives, but these will likely be far away from the beaches.
If you really want a coastal experience you might try renting a live aboard yacht. You might see if there is an on-line issue of the waterfront throw-away Latitude which has plenty of ads for yacht brokerages. You might also consider looking for family friendly hostels (I think there is an online list somewhere.) There is also a Highway Guide throw-away you'll see at convenience stores and hamburger chains, which list some really cheap motels along the major highways. These are usually distributed by region (Californa/Nevada/ Arizona/Oregon) so if there are any similar publications in your area you might call the publishers to see if they can get you one for LA. If not, PM me with your address and I'll try to send you one.
IF you don't mind roughing it with public showers & lavs, there may be campgrounds at some State Beaches. You'll need reservations and the stays are limited so depending on how long your stay is, you may need to shift your camp to one or more different beaches. You can get a Coleman tent & sleeping bags cheap at a Big Five if you can't, or don't want to bother to bring your own.

[Scott Walker]

Any time I stay somewhere for a week or more I rent a house through VRBO. I have had great luck and never any surprises. The cost is anywhere from very reasonable to whatever you can imagine spending, but definitely cheaper than staying in a comparable hotel.
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california

[cdholden]

Any time I stay somewhere for a week or more I rent a house through VRBO. I have had great luck and never any surprises. The cost is anywhere from very reasonable to whatever you can imagine spending, but definitely cheaper than staying in a comparable hotel.
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california

Great link!
I travel so much for work, my vacation stays are usually paid with hotel points I've collected through work. This is a nice alternative for "home"-like accomodations.

[BrianShaw]

1) How close do you want to be to work?
2) How close to the beach does the wife want to be?

Two key questions that would help get better answers. Also, what part of LA will your work be in?

[MikeH]

Can you give us a more detailed location of here you will be working? "Los Angeles" can be 100+ miles wide in spots...

[Inayat Noor]

I heard this organization on NPR, http://www.airbnb.com/?af=469641&c=srch_all_airbnb. These are people who want to rent out their homes.

[matthew blais]

Found this hotel in the Downey/long beach area for $300 a week..
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...851280020.html