Day Trip from Long Beach

I%26#39;m attending a conference in Long Beach for 5 days in the middle of March. I plan to rent a car during my stay. On the next to last day I plan to drive from Long Beach to Hollywood for a short look around (never been there), then drive down to Santa Monica/Malibu to spend a little time on the beach. Spend the night in Santa Monica/Malibu and drive to Lax the next morning. Does this sound realistic or are my eyes bigger tahn my stomach?

Day Trip from Long Beach

It is realistic....you might want to consider The Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica for the evening. If you want to see a part of Hollywood perhaps do the beach areas; check into the Ambrose and have dinner; and then see a late night movie at The Grauman%26#39;s Chinese Theater in Hollywood or have drinks at Yamashiro (yes -overpriced and touristy; but nice views of the Hollywood Hills from here.)

Day Trip from Long Beach

Here are a couple of suggestions.

1) Consider taking Sunset when leaving Hollywood. It will take you through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. This might be more scenic than taking the 10 freeway to Santa Monica. Sunset ends at the Pacific Coast Highway. Turn right to Malibu. Turn left to Santa Monica. Take the California Incline to get into Santa Monica proper. You can walk around near the Pier and Third Street Promenade.

2) Consider stopping at the Getty museum in Brentwood. Even if you couldn%26#39;t care less about the collection, the view, building and site are impressive. You%26#39;ll get a real sense of place. Aside from parking, the visit is free.

HTH. Enjoy your trip.

I lived in Long Beach for a few years, and the drive to Hollywood is quite easy. I%26#39;d do that bit first, see what you want to see, and then drive over to Santa Monica and devote the rest of your day to the beach areas. There%26#39;s enough to explore in SM, but if it%26#39;s a nice evening, you might want to have dinner in Malibu. I%26#39;d stay in a SM hotel, btw (closer to LAX than Malibu).

I agree that you should drive Long Beach to Hollywood, look around the Walk of Fame (there%26#39;s not much to see, frankly) and the Chinese Theater, then drive to the beach.

Driving via Sunset Blvd is a great way to get a sense of Los Angeles, and see Beverly Hills. Sunset will take you directly to the beach. Perhaps eat at Gladstones, a tourist favorite (not a great restaurant, but a real CA experience). Or, take a left at Pacific Coast Highway and drive to the Pier (can%26#39;t miss it), then walk around Santa Monica and the Promenade (large, outdoor, mall with shops and restaurants/cafes).

Lots of hotels to choose from in Santa Monica, and you%26#39;ll be quite close to LAX (there are only a couple hotels in Malibu, and it%26#39;s too far north, anyway).

Thank you all so much for the replies. I%26#39;m glad to have some expert input. I%26#39;m really looking forward to driving around LA in a Mustang convertible.