Nearby places

Planning a Day Out Around LA's Landmarks

Los Angeles is spread out, so the places listed above are best grouped by area rather than visited at random. Downtown is the easiest cluster to combine: the LA Convention Center, The Broad and Little Tokyo sit within a short Metro ride or a long walk of each other. If you are in town for a gaming or anime convention at the Convention Center, Little Tokyo makes a natural evening stop for ramen, Japanese bookshops and stores selling figures, card games and import goods.

Exposition Park lies just south of downtown and is reachable on the Metro E Line. It is home to several museums, including the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum. That makes it a good half-day option for anyone who enjoys the science and history behind the worlds we build in games.

Getting around

• Use Metro rail where you can. Downtown, Exposition Park, Hollywood and Santa Monica are all served by rail lines, which saves you from parking costs and traffic.
• Drive or use rideshare for the hills. Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Bowl are harder to reach on foot. Parking near both fills up on busy evenings, so allow extra time.
• Check official sites before you go. Hours, ticketing and reservation rules change, especially for The Broad, Hollywood Bowl concerts and the Observatory's planetarium shows.

Meetups and downtime

Forum members sometimes use big public spots as easy meeting points before a convention or LAN session. Santa Monica Pier, with its arcade and boardwalk, and Glendale Galleria, with its food court and indoor shopping, are simple places to find each other. Agree on a specific entrance or landmark in advance, because both get crowded on weekends.

If you are planning a meetup, post the details in the forums and keep to the community rules on sharing personal information. Meet in public, keep plans in the open thread, and let someone know where you are headed.