AX and LA are great places to be.
I've gone to AX twice and LA.. 6 times maybe? It's always a ton of fun.
Exploring Los Angeles is half the fun of going to AX. You might not realize this because people tend to spend most of their time at the convention itself as there is nothing else to do. In the end, it comes down to how much you are willing to explore and walk long distances when it comes to that big ass city.
I've gone to AX twice and LA.. 6 times maybe? It's always a ton of fun.
Exploring Los Angeles is half the fun of going to AX. You might not realize this because people tend to spend most of their time at the convention itself as there is nothing else to do. In the end, it comes down to how much you are willing to explore and walk long distances when it comes to that big ass city.
Above: front of the Los Angeles Convention Center taken by Eva
First, I never stay at the designated, nearby convention hotels. After going to so many cons, the hotel idea lost its' spark of fun. Last year I stayed at USA Hostels Hollywood and had a blast. If you're new to hostels, you stay in a large room with bunks and there are lockers to put your valuables in, a nice kitchen, and shared bathrooms. It's usually cheaper than a hotel. But if you're going in a group of 2+ people, USA Hostels is either the same price or more than a hotel. The down turn for me is that the building is a long long walk from the nearest subway.
Above: New Daimaru and outside the hotel taken by me
In February I stayed in LA for a few days to do shopping as a birthday/Christmas present from my dad. From that trip I had found the most adorable little hotel and it is IN Little Tokyo! I'll explain Little Tokyo later. Anyway, the hotel is called "New Daimaru Hotel" and it's run by a Japanese couple with a small staff. The website is in Japanese so if you cannot read Japanese and don't have the auto translate option from Chrome, you'll have to use Google Translate. The hotel does not list on popular hotel finders either.
It's quaint, adorable, and cheap! The rooms are small yet clean and the most expensive room goes for around $85. My favorite room is around $75/night and it has a TV, sink, and mini fridge. That room style has a high demand though so you would need to book at least two months in advance. Bathrooms are two gendered waterclosets on each floor and showers are two separate, gendered closets as well. I think the most expensive rooms have showers and toilets like a normal hotel room.
The hotel resembles a hostel with all private rooms. There is even a community kitchen, manga library(in Japanese) and lounge. Most clientele are Japanese tourists and students.
New Daimaru is a two minute> walk to Little Tokyo and a three minute> walk to the nearest subway line.
A note about hotels, if it is in the city you usually spend at least $150/night for a non-roach hotel. Outside the city there are better deals but you have to drive and drive and drive and drive.
It's quaint, adorable, and cheap! The rooms are small yet clean and the most expensive room goes for around $85. My favorite room is around $75/night and it has a TV, sink, and mini fridge. That room style has a high demand though so you would need to book at least two months in advance. Bathrooms are two gendered waterclosets on each floor and showers are two separate, gendered closets as well. I think the most expensive rooms have showers and toilets like a normal hotel room.
The hotel resembles a hostel with all private rooms. There is even a community kitchen, manga library(in Japanese) and lounge. Most clientele are Japanese tourists and students.
New Daimaru is a two minute> walk to Little Tokyo and a three minute> walk to the nearest subway line.
A note about hotels, if it is in the city you usually spend at least $150/night for a non-roach hotel. Outside the city there are better deals but you have to drive and drive and drive and drive.
Above: shopping center west of Little Tokyo Village taken by Eva
The best way to explain Little Tokyo is that it is a miniature Tokyo.
Bakeries, cafes, restaurants, desserts, anime, manga, figures, toys, clothing, coffee, cosmetics, knick knacks, groceries.
Little Tokyo actually branches out past Little Tokyo Village into the next block westward and there are Japanese businesses dotted around the perimeter. And if you want to see a localized location, the Daiso mall is south of Little Tokyo Village and has karaoke, less touristy restaurants, desserts, and a 150 Yen Store. Just be careful and never go near nightfall by foot because it's in a very bad neighbor-hood-.
I may do a separate blog post on Little Tokyo with maps and such to give you better ideas on the location.
Ever wanted to try a Japanese style bathhouse? Well there are Korean ones which is close. I tried Wispa and it was fun.
Bakeries, cafes, restaurants, desserts, anime, manga, figures, toys, clothing, coffee, cosmetics, knick knacks, groceries.
Little Tokyo actually branches out past Little Tokyo Village into the next block westward and there are Japanese businesses dotted around the perimeter. And if you want to see a localized location, the Daiso mall is south of Little Tokyo Village and has karaoke, less touristy restaurants, desserts, and a 150 Yen Store. Just be careful and never go near nightfall by foot because it's in a very bad neighbor-hood-.
I may do a separate blog post on Little Tokyo with maps and such to give you better ideas on the location.
Ever wanted to try a Japanese style bathhouse? Well there are Korean ones which is close. I tried Wispa and it was fun.
Above: shopping center west of Little Tokyo Village taken by Eva
Now, you are preparing for your trip to LA and wondering what you need.
Google Maps has a useful offline map option for cities and it is useful in the case you lose data connection.
Also, you do not need data/wifi to use the GPS feature. When you start navigation, you can just turn off data and navigate.
That saves power on your phone. Don't forget to turn GPS off after navigating! It'll suck your battery dry.
Be sure to save the locations you want to visit on Google Maps so that it puts a star on the locations.
Is your phone slow from age? Download Game Boost and select Google Maps to direct RAM and processing power to only that app.
Be sure to get an offline capable subway map. I use "Los Angeles Subway Map" by Richard Turner. There is no data in the underground!
To find cheap parking I use Best Parking and log the business address in Google Maps. I usually ditch my car in a parking garage near my hotel and take the subway everywhere. Driving in Los Angeles sucks and I vowed to never drive 5:00pm traffic in that city again.
Google Maps has a useful offline map option for cities and it is useful in the case you lose data connection.
Also, you do not need data/wifi to use the GPS feature. When you start navigation, you can just turn off data and navigate.
That saves power on your phone. Don't forget to turn GPS off after navigating! It'll suck your battery dry.
Be sure to save the locations you want to visit on Google Maps so that it puts a star on the locations.
Is your phone slow from age? Download Game Boost and select Google Maps to direct RAM and processing power to only that app.
Be sure to get an offline capable subway map. I use "Los Angeles Subway Map" by Richard Turner. There is no data in the underground!
To find cheap parking I use Best Parking and log the business address in Google Maps. I usually ditch my car in a parking garage near my hotel and take the subway everywhere. Driving in Los Angeles sucks and I vowed to never drive 5:00pm traffic in that city again.
Above: Anime Expo shuttle featuring "Shall We Date?" taken by Eva
Now for non-cellular stuff, bring a water bottle. Walking around LA makes you sweat a lot, so be sure to stay hydrated.
If you plan on visiting a ton of places in one day, the metro offers day passes for $7 so you don't have to worry about fare. The pass also works on metro buses.
Getting to AX can be easy and free if you take the shuttle. Some days it even runs 24 hrs. Though the question you'll need to struggle with is: is it worth the hour wait standing in line to get on the shuttle, while the subway takes only 30 minutes>?
Being a female in LA is tough. Bring pepper spray or a tiny knife. LA is really dangerous for women, especially when travelling alone. Don't travel by yourself at night. Be weary of people looking you up and down to see if there are easy openings to steal from you.
I have a good sense of danger and can quickly know when to grip my belongings. Never look intimidated because that offers an opening for direct confrontation. Don't stare at the ragged/homeless as they will take that as an initiative to confront for money. Do not give money to people no matter how sad their story is. More than likely it is a lie to obtain bath salts and they could try to target you for more money. "I don't carry cash, sorry." Is a good excuse. If you are with a male, the beggar may not even try to confront you and will instead try to beg from the male.
Not all of these people are bad. In front of my favorite bakery was a homeless man asking for change for a Coke. We both quickly found out $1 couldn't get a Coke, so I bought him a Coke, some pastries and even gave him $2 more because I knew he wasn't a bad guy and just wanted some breakfast. That was a risk, but you know, it's worth it sometimes.
If you plan on visiting a ton of places in one day, the metro offers day passes for $7 so you don't have to worry about fare. The pass also works on metro buses.
Getting to AX can be easy and free if you take the shuttle. Some days it even runs 24 hrs. Though the question you'll need to struggle with is: is it worth the hour wait standing in line to get on the shuttle, while the subway takes only 30 minutes>?
Being a female in LA is tough. Bring pepper spray or a tiny knife. LA is really dangerous for women, especially when travelling alone. Don't travel by yourself at night. Be weary of people looking you up and down to see if there are easy openings to steal from you.
I have a good sense of danger and can quickly know when to grip my belongings. Never look intimidated because that offers an opening for direct confrontation. Don't stare at the ragged/homeless as they will take that as an initiative to confront for money. Do not give money to people no matter how sad their story is. More than likely it is a lie to obtain bath salts and they could try to target you for more money. "I don't carry cash, sorry." Is a good excuse. If you are with a male, the beggar may not even try to confront you and will instead try to beg from the male.
Not all of these people are bad. In front of my favorite bakery was a homeless man asking for change for a Coke. We both quickly found out $1 couldn't get a Coke, so I bought him a Coke, some pastries and even gave him $2 more because I knew he wasn't a bad guy and just wanted some breakfast. That was a risk, but you know, it's worth it sometimes.
Above: Sidewalk near Little Tokyo in Downtown taken by Eva
Bring/withdraw a healthy amount of cash before you leave your city/while in LA asap. $250 in $20's, $10's, $5's and $1's is what I usually bring. Many businesses are not corporate like in smaller cities and some don't even accept card. LA also nickels and dimes you to death. You also don't want to use your card too much outside big purchases because it heightens the possibility of your card number being stolen.
One cool idea I have is to ask the bank for $1 coins and put them in a coin purse. Vala you don't have to expose your wallet for tiny purchases!
One cool idea I have is to ask the bank for $1 coins and put them in a coin purse. Vala you don't have to expose your wallet for tiny purchases!
If I think of something useful, I'll update this post. I hope you have a ton of fun on your trip and stay safe!