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The Westin Bonaventure:  8 out of 10 Stars
The hotel was very nice.  It is a Los Angeles landmark; many movies have filmed scenes there including Rain Main, In the Line of Fire, and True Lies.  It is not in the best location.  It is in the middle of downtown and there is not much going on down there at night.  Anytime we went somewhere we had to get on the highway, which in LA is a chore.  This was our first trip to LA, and with me not knowing any better about the lack of night life downtown, we would not stay here again.  It’s a businessman hotel.  For the price you could stay at a very nice hotel in Hollywood, or in Westwood, because you can except to pay over $200 a night.

Fine Dining
McCormick & Schmidt: 7 out of 10 Stars
This is a seafood restaurant located on the fourth floor of an office building downtown.  The décor is what you might call gentleman’s club, with dark woods and maybe just a touch of stuffy.  We chose to eat here because we have one in Kansas City and it is one of our favorite restaurants.  This location was not quite as good as our home location, the menu was very much the same though, and all of their seafood selections are fresh and flown in daily.  The menu is quite extensive; price is moderate, keep in mind that you do not get a salad with your entrée. The number one dessert at this restaurant and possibly all restaurants is what is called the chocolate bag.  It is precisely that, a chocolate bag filled with white chocolate mousse and berries.  It is a little pricey but can very easily be shared by two people and it is delicious!  I was looking at the restaurant indicator and noticed that there was a McCormick and Schmidt on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, just so you know.

 
Casual Dining
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill: 7 out of 10 Stars
More than just bar-b-que, this is a nice place to stop, grab a bite and catch your breath after a day at Magic Mountain.  The county-western themed restaurant offers sandwiches, steaks and seafood, and the atmosphere is very relaxing.  Prices are moderate, and the service was good. We actually ate this restaurant twice during this trip.

Claim Jumper: 6 out of 10 Stars
This chain restaurant serves “American” food, steaks, seafood, ribs, pasta, etc.  The décor is nice; however, it seems to attract large families and could make for a hectic atmosphere.  The food and the service are both average, and the prices are moderate. Nothing really seems to stand out about this restaurant.

Lula: 8 out of 10 Stars
A neighborhood Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica surrounded by tons of other little neighborhood restaurants and shops.  We sat outside on the patio which was lighted by rows of giant stars, it was very romantic. The menu has the basics such as burritos and tacos, but also has entrees you will not find at your typical Mexican restaurant. The food and the service were excellent, prices are moderate. 

The Reel Inn: 6 out of 10 Stars
An extremely laid back local seafood restaurant located directly off of the PCH, (Pacific Coast Highway). You order your meal off of a chalkboard and then go sit at a table with wooden picnic benches, there is also seating outside.  You’re just certain that you are going to bump into a pirate in the bathroom.   The menu was extensive; mainly seafood, but they do have a few non-seafood choices.  Since you order up front, service really is not an issue here.  Prices are moderate. It was recommended to us by someone who used to live in LA.  If you like seafood and are in Malibu and are hungry, I say to give it a try.   

 
Fast Food
In-N-Out Burger: 10 out of 10 Stars
If you drive by an In-N-Out location, be sure to stop whatever it is you are doing and eat there, whether you are hungry or not.  The fact that In-N-Out’s are not nation wide should be violation of commerce laws.  This is when I start sounding like a commercial; all ingredients are fresh, never frozen.  The potatoes are actually cut fresh at each location.  The menu is slightly limited, but what burger place isn’t?

Jack-In-The-Box: 6 out of 10 Stars
I’m sorry but as far as breakfast goes, this place is hard to beat.  It will kill you a lot faster than say, fresh fruit, but your on vacation!  Any time a breakfast sandwich has mayo on it like the Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich; you know it is going to be good.  Their full menu is good; they have alot of weird and different things. But, breakfast is definitely my favorite.  We do not have them in Kansas so it is always nice to get different fast food. 

Carl’s JR: 6 out of 10 Stars
We have Carl’s JR’s brother here in Kansas, “Hardees”.  I think the restaurants are very similar.  They have definitely gotten better over the past couple of years.  Like all fast food joints, you have your greasy burgers, your chicken, and your one token fish sandwich.  Nothing about the chain really stands out.
 

Local Attractions

Hollywood Walk of Fame: 7 out of 10 Stars
I think this is something everyone has to do when they come to LA.  I have wanted to come to LA and Hollywood basically since I knew they existed and do all the touristy things that there are to do.  I actually was a little disappointed when we got here, but I had very high expectations.  I guess I thought the movie stars were actually going to be there or something, not just this star inset in the concrete.  By far the coolest section is in front on the Chinese Theater where all of the hand prints are.  Like I said, it is something everyone should do once.   

Mulholland Drive: 10 out of 10 Stars
Mulholland Drive gives you spectacular views of the city, the valley and the Hollywood sign.  As you drive up (or down) there are places to stop and take pictures or just take in the view.  And, have I mentioned the view, it is unbelievable.  You can actually see the coast from up there.  Well, I guess actually that depends on what the air quality is that day, but for the purposes of this review we will say that you can see the coast from up there.  And the houses you see as you make your little trek out of the valley; these are the houses you see on TV.  The traffic is not bad, and it’s a really relaxing trip.

Santa Monica Beach: 7 out of 10 Stars
Well, let me start out by saying just how cold the ocean is in California in late August early September.  My lips turned blue.  But you know how it is, you are front of a body of water, you must get in it.  This was my first trip to California, and I am used to swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, which is warm.  I just don’t want people to jump into that Pacific Ocean and think it is going to warm, I hear that in the summer it’s warm (we were there late summer I thought) so I guess I will take their word for it. 

Another good thing to know before going, more than likely you are going to have to pay to park which is going to cost you more than one might expect, unless you can get one of the five off street parking spaces available.  Don’t forget your towel.  Now this is not something we thought about, I guess because we were at the hotel, I don’t know, we remembered our bathing suits.  So, as we were driving down the PCH we had to stop at one of the little touristy shops and buy some beach towels.  What a deal those were.  Besides being some of the most expensive towels we own, after you dry off your foot, the towel is soaked.  The beach was very clean, and the waves were HUGE when we were there.  Even though the water was freezing it still was a lot of fun to play in the waves.

Hollywood and Highland Center: 6 out of 10 Stars
This is a really cool outdoor mall by the Chinese Theater and Hollywood Walk of Fame.  It has an awesome view of the Hollywood sign.  The mall is very large, with five floors and over seventy shops and numerous eateries.

Tips

We went to China Town and had lunch there one afternoon, unfortunately we are unable to remember the name of the restaurant, but the food was very awesome, and we have never felt more welcome in a restaurant in our lives.  We also had a very good time walking around.  China Town in LA is very small compared to other major cities, but I almost think it might be better.  In San Francisco it is just junk shop after junk shop all selling the exact same thing, here the shops had quality merchandise. 

On this trip we did a lot of driving, part of the reason is I wanted to see the stars homes.  So, I bought a Map of the Stars homes at one of the shops by the Chinese Theater.  What a waste that was.  You can’t see their houses past the big fancy gate and mile high shrubs.  A lot of the houses are very difficult to find, I would assume on purpose.  We did get to see Jack Nicholson’s driveway while we were on Mulholland, so it was not a complete waste of time.  It was just really neat just driving around neighborhoods though.  We went thru Brentwood, UCLA, Bel Aire, Beverly Hills, and took the PCH thru Malibu.  Oh, I almost forgot, we got to see Cher’s gate!

Stay off the PCH on Labor Day, or maybe any national holiday, bumper to bumper traffic both directions.  It took us hours for what should have taken a half hour.

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