[sonik]

So i was typing a post and suddenly the laptop shut down.

Thank you all for the quick info! Maryjo, i was looking for private rooms in hostels. I found some not too far from the beehive of activities. It's not that i have to be located downtown, and we don't mind a long walk either, so if all is going through everything should pan out alright.
My sis is happy when we have a bed for the night, which is also my idea. I don't care too much about noise, if it's too much earplugs are a big help. Hell, i even have to use them if my bf stays up late and plays loud music because he is enthusiastically dancing to it.

The reviews on a site are relative ofcourse. I stayed in a hotel in Antwerp for 70 euros per night and it was all around filthy. I stayed in the Netherlands in a cheap hostel and i felt comfortable enough to walk around barefoot just about anywhere. So i won't book all nights in the same hostel but i'll test it first.
I have to talk the whole deal through with my sis first (because i really want her to come along). But it's great to get advice from people who know what they're talking about! Thanks again!

Thanks Mouse, about the hangar info!

My sister has also become a Bustie. When she has time, she hangs around at the Lounge.

ETA: i'll be looking into that ecovillage thing, thanks Maryjo!

[maryjo]

My absolute favourite of all the places I've stayed travelling has been private rooms in hostels. All the niceness of hostelling with your own room and shower and so on. I travelled up the west coast of the US with my ex staying in private hostel rooms, and it was lovely...

I *did* say in my original post that I didn't think a hostel would suit sonik's situation, though. For a non-holiday you need more privacy than most hostels offer. That length of stay would have me desperately searching for somewhere with both private space and access to a kitchen, but a need for my own cooking is just my own personal obsessiveness.

A friend of mine was telling me that she stayed in the LA Eco-Village on a recent visit to the city for work. I don't know anything whatsoever about it, but it sounds like a good idea!

[mouse]

maryjo i absolutely did not mean to come off as so disparaging about hostels. i don't mind them (occasionally even like them) and have had good experiences, but #1, i wouldn't want to stay somewhere with no privacy and only a single bunk to myself for two weeks straight, and #2 i've definitely found that hostels outside the us are not only cleaner, but also less expensive in comparison to your typical hotel. in america, i've found, it's usually a matter of a $5 difference, if any, to stay in a single bunk in a hostel compared to a room in a motel. i like meeting people, and i have nothing against "hippies", but if i were staying somewhere for two weeks i'd kind of like to have my own shower. just sayin.

sonik, it depends on who you're talking to....hangar 1018 is definitely known as far as the sort of independent gallery scene, art that is happening right now but not necessarily getting attention from major mainstream art critics, goes. i don't know if it's as well known by the sort of chi-chi hollywood art scene goes, but then again, i don't really know what that scene is :P

hangar 1018 has a lot of stuff going on--art shows, music, and even events where you can bring your dog (??).

[maryjo]

I have met practically all of the UK busties at one time or another and several of them are close friends I hang out with on a regular basis. Many of those people don't post at Bust any more, of course (and I don't as much as I used to either) - I stay in contact with them through livejournal. I have plans to meet up with many people fom LJ when I get to LA, but would be happy to meet some busties too. Zoya, definitely.

I have to say, I *like* hostels. And I've stayed in a few in the US and they felt no different to the ones in Europe - I think that backpacker hostels are a bit of a worldwide phenomenon. I suppose it depends what you want out of your travelling - if you need your privacy then sure, go for a hotel or motel, but I haven't particularly liked hotels on the few occasions I've stayed in them alone. At hostels you meet people, have interesting conversations, get to hang out with people in interesting situations. I suppose I'm still in the hostelling age bracket, being in my 20s and short of money - I feel more at home surrounded by people I know I have something in common with. Sure, you risk being kept awake by someone who snores, or meeting people you don't like, but it's worth it. And you also get access to a kitchen where you can cook your own food, which is what I have really missed when I have stayed in hotels.

This is where I stayed when I was last in LA - only for one night, as I was put up in a big soulless hotel by my university department for the other two (yes, I flew to LA from the UK for three nights) but I really liked it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a clean, friendly, relaxed, cheap hostel in Hollywood. Single-sex rooms, which I must admit is something I tend to require in a hostel, and plenty of showers.

For sonik, that said, since she's staying two weeks and travelling with her sister, it might make a lot more sense to stay somewhere other than a hostel. I just couldn't stand by and watch my preferred mode of accommodation get written off as 'bunkbeds full of dirty hippies'. I will admit that I don't mind bunk beds on a short-term basis and I have nothing against dirty hippies. I am a bit of a (clean) hippie, I suppose; each to her own.

[zoya]

hi!

when I said suprisingly affordable, I meant for LA.. like you can get a room there for $99 sometimes.. honestly, that is pretty cheap for Los Angeles. You can maybe get a room at a cheap hotel chain for $79 or $89 a night, but I can't imagine being able to find a decent room in a safe hotel / area for less than that.

The thing you have going for you is the exchange rate, since I know you are coming from Europe, and the dollar is worth crap right now.

I will give it some thought and if I have any specific suggestions I will post them.

mouse - we used to do LA bustie meetups all the time when farmgirl and lilcatgrrl and altargrrrl were still here. We had one monster one once where opheliathemuse and girlracer and man, I don't even remember who else came. Everyone was really cool and we had a lot of fun. I think that a lot of the old LA busties have either moved or drifted from the lounge. But anyway, everyone I've ever met in person from the Lounge has been cool.

[sonik]

Hey thanks for all the info, you guys! I got a bit de-couraged because of the prices and the all-bad reviews of hostels(some of them are not bad so who knows..). My sister doesn't have a lot of money, so i have to take that into consideration.
But i'll keep on looking.

Mouse, is Hangar 1018 a bit known around L.A. then? I have no idea. I read that the whole gallery thing in L.A. is on the verge of booming. And thanks for mentioning craigslist.

[mouse]

honestly you'd be much better off in a motel than a hostel. american hostels tend to be kind of, rooms full of bunk beds full of dirty hippies, for about two thirds of what you might pay, at a motel, for a room with two beds all for you. i don't have really any insight to the la hostels tho, they might be better.

ALSO! HANGAR 1018! crap, i would probably have ended up at that show anyway! man. i'm so excited for you/jealous! :D

there is also the option, since you're staying for two weeks, to look on craigslist for furnished sublets. there are usually a lot of them listed and they're usually much cheaper than hotels in the longterm, and you get your own apartment!

zoya, i am half excited and half nervous and unsure about the prospect of an la bustie meetup. hmmm.

[maryjo]

I stayed in a nice hostel in Hollywood when I visited LA, but that isn't really near downtown.

If there's a bustie meetup after I get to LA (August 1), I would love to come!

[sonik]

Thanks! I'm not completely broke, but i'm planning on staying two weeks, so the Standard may be a bit pricey. I read nothing but bad reviews about it, btw..so i'm looking into it. Zoya, what do you mean by surprisingly affordable? You mean the downtown one, right?
I don't think i want to stay in a motel. What is the deal with hostels in L.A.? Are they any good?
Anyway, i need a place not far from downtown i think.. i don't have a driver's licence.

Mouse, the exhibition is in Hangar 1018. I don't know the exact dates yet.

Sorry if i'm rambling, but i'm quite excited by the prospect of going to L.A.

And suggestions about where to go (and maybe where not to go: safety?) are much appreciated!

[zoya]

*delurks*

woo sonic! I second the Standard recommendation. Rooms are suprisingly affordable there (well if there is no convention in town) plus you can walk to the MOCA (museum of contemporary art) and Little Tokyo isn't that far plus you're near a subway station if you wanna go into Hollywood and see that stuff.

BTW, I am back in town for awhile, and not doing much. If anyone wants to hang out or perhaps a LA Bustie hook up, I'm game.

[mouse]

EEEEEEEEE sonik you're coming to LA? where is your show, i want to see it!!!!

as for hotels...what's your budget? i always wanted to have an excuse to stay at the standard downtown--it's completely ridiculous and fancy (they have this ridiculous loungey lobby with a calder hangin from the freaking ceiling and a piece by jenny holzer as well!) but it's on par, pricewise, with holiday inn and the like.

if you're totally broke, there are a lot of motels around too. but they are, of course, kinda seedy.

if you need recommendations for cool places to visit, too, let me know!

[sonik]

Hi, all. I was wondering if someone could give me some advice regarding good (not too expensive!) hostels/hotels in L.A.
I'm planning on visiting L.A. in October with my sister. There will be an art exhibition in downtown L.A. and i'm participating. I'm already collecting information, but i though that it would be great to get some inside advice..i've never been to California.
Thanks!

[mouse]

i am off to the chinese food festival and then to the wassup rockers free screening. l.a. is hopping. get on it!

[mouse]

you know you can get cl listings sent directly to your email, right? click on "subscriptions" on the bottom left. very useful.

[grrarrg]

It seems I can't make it through the day without
checking Craig's List at least a doaen times lately.
I do believe that that is where my salvation lies, it just hasn't appeared yet. But yeah, please do let me know if you hear of anything. Thanks!

[mouse]

hmmm. i can't say i know of anything right now, but i'll keep my ears open. craigslist has also always been good to me.

[grrarrg]

I'm looking for pretty much -anything- that isn't telemarketing or fast food. I'd prefer something involving kids, music, or both, but at this point I'd be willing to wash dishes some damn where.

[maryjo]

Well, I know the address and a lot more detailed description, but I feel weird posting it publicly online. Zip code is 90035, if that means anything.

[mouse]

"central la" could mean a lot of things. grrarg, what kind of job are you looking for?

[grrarrg]

I'm still around, just spending all my time looking for a job, so nothing exciting to report.