Driving from Indio To LA on Thursday

[civicstyle2003]

So I am flying in with a group of friends on Thursday for Coachella. Rather than waste a day by the pool of the house we rented, I think we should go to Los Angeles. Now, I haven't been since I was a teen. We get in early on Thursday. I was thinking we could do the following:


13:00 - 15:00 - 2 hour drive... to the Venice Beach so we hit that around 3pm and stay there for an hour visiting/shopping
16:00 - 16:20 - 20 minute drive to the La Brea Tar Pits and chill for an hour
17:30 - 17:40 - 10 minutes to Manns Chinese/ Walk of Fame
19:00 - find a spot to eat.
20:00 - 22:00 - 2 hour drive back home by 10pm.

Does this sound possible to do if we avoid the highways and stick to surface roads once in LA???

We would leaving from Indio around noon. Any advice on routes, traffic to avoid, places other than those above to go visit.

Thanks in advance.

-ryan


Also, for those that have been before: Does traffic get bad on Thursday night as the festival starts the next day???

[bluecheese]

i wouldn't do it, and that's an optimistic travel schedule.

[hawkingvsreeve]

Add an hour to each event on that timeline.

[flowbee]

Agreed, the commute back and forth and around the city is not worth a hurried day trip to that shithole.

[ocbruin84]

just spend a week in LA after coachella

[dancefreak]

1. Your scheduling sounds like an absofuckinglutely miserable time even if it was reasonable. that's A LOT of driving for a couple hours. You're better off picking one destination to explore.
2. Your scheduling isn't remotely reasonable. At that time it will take you at least double your estimate to drive from Venice to mid-wilshire where the tar pits are located. And then ten minutes to Hollywood at rush hour!? It'll take you that long just to park.
3. You have a couple hours in LA and you're gonna hang out at the Tar Pits? Really?
4. It will not be beach weather. Here in LA, we're getting unseasonably cold weather later this week and forecast calls for a HIGH in the mid-fifties on thursday at the beaches.

Seems like a lot of running around for a first day of vacation. But that's just me I guess.

[frizzlefry]

Just get a ride or walk into the campgrounds and have more fun there than in a single night than the fun you could have in a week at LA

[shaggyduck]

Just get a ride or walk into the campgrounds and have more fun there than in a single night than the fun you could have in a week at LA

Great call.

[TomAz]

We don't have 13:00 and 15:00 and shit like that in America.. Our clocks go to 12 the way God intended them to.

[shaggyduck]

That is a horrible idea. Just enjoy the pool you rented. You'll get in an accident, parking ticket, flat tire... who knows.. something bad will probably happen. This is Los Angeles.

Not to mention, La Brea tar pits and Mann's Chinese are the dumbest fucking locations to drive 4 hours round trip for. WASTE OF TIME.

Just get some booze and relax.

[ocbruin84]

This is Los Angeles.

[aphrael]

That is a horrible idea. Just enjoy the pool you rented. You'll get in an accident, parking ticket, flat tire... who knows.. something bad will probably happen. This is Los Angeles.

Not to mention, La Brea tar pits and Mann's Chinese are the dumbest fucking locations to drive 4 hours round trip for. WASTE OF TIME.

Just get some booze and relax.

or if you really want to go out and explore, go to joshua tree.

[civicstyle2003]

or if you really want to go out and explore, go to joshua tree.

Looking at the map I did see that on there. When I talk to my friends again, I will make mention of this.

[bluecheese]

I'd venture to say that vegging out in the sun with a drink near a pool in palm springs/indio is about a million times better than you think. I know this sounds stupid right now but don't stress your body doing too much right before Friday, you're gonna do a lot of walking and it's better to be chilled out and with a full battery rather than trying to do too much and failing the night before.

[strangelove13]

wait, you're leaving Indio at 1pm and you plan on being done with Venice Beach, Hollywood-Highland (Grauman's, Walk of Fame, etc) and the Tar Pits by 6pm? you'll be lucky to leave Venice Beach by 6 (and as mentioned above, Venice Beach won't be all that great if it rains). If you're set on doing a day trip, I'd suggest driving to/from one location only (Hollywood-Highland if you want to be surrounded by tourists; LACMA/tar pits/Page [tar pit] Museum otherwise), and still plan on not leaving LA until after 6pm (when yes, traffic will suck)

[TheClaw]

If you want a road trip, I'd recommend nature. Check out Joshua Tree National Park. It's a shorter drive and is quite pretty.

[omerta]

If you want a road trip, I'd recommend nature. Check out Joshua Tree National Park. It's a shorter drive and is quite pretty.

Yeah, this is what i'm planning to do on Thursday. Looking forward to it!

[TomAz]

YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY

[Miroir Noir]

[weezy f baby]

So I am flying in with a group of friends on Thursday for Coachella. Rather than waste a day by the pool of the house we rented, I think we should go to Los Angeles. Now, I haven't been since I was a teen. We get in early on Thursday. I was thinking we could do the following:

1:00p - 3:00p - 2 hour drive... to the Venice Beach so we hit that around 3pm and stay there for an hour visiting/shopping (NOPE that's going to take you at least 4 hours into the teeth of LA traffic)
4:00p - 4:20p - 20 minute drive to the La Brea Tar Pits and chill for an hour (NOPE It takes closer to an hour to get from the westside to midcity... and the Tar Pits are boring as shit)
5:30p - 5:40p - 10 minutes to Manns Chinese/ Walk of Fame (NOPE try closer to 20-30 mins depending on traffic. That's in the middle of rush hour)
7:00 - find a spot to eat (There's an In N Out at Orange and Sunset... that you can actually walk to from The Chinese Theater)
8:00 - 10:00 - 2 hour drive back home by 10pm. (NOPE LA is not 2 hours away from Indio. You're not factoring traffic getting out of the city. It's closer to 3 hours drive time)

Sounds like a terrible idea. Now if you were saying you're driving to LA to check out 2562 at Dim Mak Studios, I'd say yes, but since you wanna do whack tourism I'd say no.

[SoccerRyot]

I have to agree with the people who are advising you to rethink this plan. You are looking at more than a two hour drive in general each way, and if it rains on Thursday in the Los Angeles area you will be stuck in traffic even longer. If you really want to spend a day in L.A. doing touristy things you need to be prepared to get here earlier or even plan to spend the night. Don't try to pack it into a few hours. The suggested places on your list are spread out too far in distance to accomplish in one afternoon and the high traffic volumes of commuters trying to head home from work will just frustrate you and ruin your visit.

If you don't want to sit around the pool, look up local museums in the desert, or check for local movie theaters and catch a movie. If weather in the desert permits, how about a short hike? I am sure there are plenty of things available to you in the desert.

Please consider planning your Los Angeles visit for another day when you have more time.

[civicstyle2003]

I have to agree with the people who are advising you to rethink this plan. You are looking at more than a two hour drive in general each way, and if it rains on Thursday in the Los Angeles area you will be stuck in traffic even longer. If you really want to spend a day in L.A. doing touristy things you need to be prepared to get here earlier or even plan to spend the night. Don't try to pack it into a few hours. The suggested places on your list are spread out too far in distance to accomplish in one afternoon and the high traffic volumes of commuters trying to head home from work will just frustrate you and ruin your visit.

If you don't want to sit around the pool, look up local museums in the desert, or check for local movie theaters and catch a movie. If weather in the desert permits, how about a short hike? I am sure there are plenty of things available to you in the desert.

Please consider planning your Los Angeles visit for another day when you have more time.

Will bring up doing things local if the weather does indeed decide to factor into any commute that we decide to make.

[civicstyle2003]

Thanks for all the advice on this one. Yes, I was using military time for the joker that made a jab about it. I realize that it is going to be traffic filled. I did Mapquest my routes and it appears we are actually flying in to Palm Springs and our place is a few miles west of that. So that saves me about 20 miles each way when it comes to leaving here on Thursday and coming back at night. I don't care much about the traffic, we are used to it here where we live. If the weather sucks, then we will scrape the beach and stick to the touristy stuff.

I've been when I was a teen, yet my other friends never been. As long as we are home around midnight we are okay. We drive hours just go to events as in Texas we are a huge state and getting from San Antonio to Dallas, or from Austin to Houston is a few hundred miles each way. We are seasoned on being in a car for hours, stuck in crappy traffic as well.

Let's see how the weather pans out for Thursday, maybe we will wind up staying at the house if the weather doesn't hold up.

[cman1098]

I find it hilarious that every soul on this board suggests the opposite to what you are doing, yet you are still determined to do it. You obviously weren't looking for advice but a conformation. Have at it. But you'll probably get back at 2-3 am the morning of the festival. Not a good idea but if you are determined to see the shit hole that is LA, do it.

[civicstyle2003]

I find it hilarious that every soul on this board suggests the opposite to what you are doing, yet you are still determined to do it. You obviously weren't looking for advice but a conformation. Have at it. But you'll probably get back at 2-3 am the morning of the festival. Not a good idea but if you are determined to see the shit hole that is LA, do it.

I understand that LA has traffic and am prepared to deal with that. Based on the responses, I am thinking of just sticking to one area if we indeed decide to make the drive out. Looking at the weather has me on edge about doing it on Thursday. I was looking for valid responses and constructive criticism about doing this which a several people provided.

[aphrael]

Thanks for all the advice on this one. Yes, I was using military time for the joker that made a jab about it. I realize that it is going to be traffic filled. I did Mapquest my routes and it appears we are actually flying in to Palm Springs and our place is a few miles west of that. So that saves me about 20 miles each way when it comes to leaving here on Thursday and coming back at night. I don't care much about the traffic, we are used to it here where we live. If the weather sucks, then we will scrape the beach and stick to the touristy stuff.

I've been when I was a teen, yet my other friends never been. As long as we are home around midnight we are okay. We drive hours just go to events as in Texas we are a huge state and getting from San Antonio to Dallas, or from Austin to Houston is a few hundred miles each way. We are seasoned on being in a car for hours, stuck in crappy traffic as well.

Let's see how the weather pans out for Thursday, maybe we will wind up staying at the house if the weather doesn't hold up.

granted that i haven't been to houston. but i have spent a fair amount of time in dallas and in san antonio; the traffic just does not compare with LA traffic.

[civicstyle2003]

granted that i haven't been to houston. but i have spent a fair amount of time in dallas and in san antonio; the traffic just does not compare with LA traffic.

Yea, I'm sure our traffic in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio doesn't compare to LA traffic. At least we will be in an automatic car and not having to shift gears to move two feet every two minutes, lol.

[weezy f baby]

I don't care much about the traffic, we are used to it here where we live.

Texas traffic is nothing compared to LA traffic. They're magnitudes different.

[TheClaw]

The stories you here about LA drivers and rain are so true. Avoid Driving in LA whe water falls from the sky.

[civicstyle2003]

The stories you here about LA drivers and rain are so true. Avoid Driving in LA whe water falls from the sky.

Yea if it's raining, that throws out doing the touristy stuff that is outside. Now that this weather factor is in the mix, I am reconsidering making the journey out there.