Traditional Homestyle Tacos In LA!

Where can we find some delicious Mexican food? That is a question we get from many travelers while in LA.  Just a couple miles away from us at the base of Dodger Stadium is a taco restaurant which serves traditional tacos with braises from all over Mexico.

We highly recommend you try the sampler plate for $6.99 which gives you 6 different tacos to try. A nice drink to pair your meal with is the Armando Palmero which is a Mexican version of the Arnold Palmer and pairs fresh lemonade with jamaica (hibiscus juice).

Yelp Reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/guisados-los-angeles-3

Guisados - 1261 West Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026
Open at 10:30am 7 days a week
http://www.guisados.co/

How To Get To The Los Angeles Convention Center By Bus

The Los Angeles Convention Center is host to many large conventions during the year such as E3, Anime Expo, Dwell and the LA Auto Show. The "South Park" area of Downtown has gone through a major transformation in the last 15 years starting with the building of Staples Center and most recently the LA Live complex. This area has many great restaurants and bars as well. Getting to the Convention Center from our property is simple by either walking (1.5 miles), driving (5-7 minutes) or by using the DASH bus system.

If you want to use the DASH bus, Route F will take you directly to the South Park area of Downtown LA. A stop for this route is located 3 blocks east of our hotel. The DASH bus is highly cost effective as it is only $.50 cents one way.

Closest Stop: LAUSD Stop #6041 at 3rd St. & Beaudry
Get Off At: Staples Center Stop #6143 Figueroa & 12th St.

Schedule For Route F:
Monday - Friday 6:30am - 6:30pm every 10 minutes
Saturday - Sunday 10am - 5pm every 20 minutes

http://www.ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown/downtown.php

Tipping Guide

Many of our guests are coming to the United States for their first time and often ask us about tipping their taxi driver, waitresses or maids. Although tipping is not customary in many countries around the world, tipping is standard in the United States. Below is a very simple guide on tipping along with a link to TripAdvisor's guide to Tipping and Etiquette in the United States. Both will come in handy during your stay.

Taxi Driver: 10% - 15% of fare
Waiter/Waitress: 10% - 20% of bill
Housekeeper: $2 - $5 per day
Bell Hop: $1 - $2 per bag
Bartender: 15% - 20% of bill or $1 - $2 per drink
Valet: $2 - $5 depending of location

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

TV Show Taping Tickets

A popular activity when visiting LA is to go to a TV show live taping. There are over 100 live television show taped in the LA area and some pre-planning before your trip could give you the chance to be a part of the audience.

Popular Shows:

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/tickets

Jimmy Kimmel Live

http://1iota.com/show/view/jimmy_kimmel_live

The Ellen Show

http://www.ellentv.com/tickets/

TV Taping Ticket Agencies:

1iota - http://1iota.com/Tickets

Audiences Unlimited - www.tvtickets.com

On Camera Audiences - www.on-camera-audiences.com

Jerry's Motel - Video Profile

Check out our video profile. For more information visit us @ www.jerrysmotel.com

Jerry's Motel - About Us!

Check out this easy to read "flip book" for a quick snapshot about Jerry's Motel.



Or vist our website @ www.jerrysmotel.com

Helpful Information On The LA Public Transportation System

Many of our guests will have a rental car during their stay and take advantage of our free parking. A large portion will travel without a rental car and use the Los Angeles public transportation system. Although it is not the best system in the world by any stretch of the imagination, you can still enjoy LA by bus or subway. With a little bit of advance planning and knowledge of the system prior to your visit you can make your stay in LA an enjoyable one.

Planning Your Public Transportation Routes:

Fares: A single trip on the bus or subway will run $1.75 and a 1 day pass will be $7. You will have to use a TAP card and "load" money on to it. The TAP card itself costs an additional $1. See the link below for additional details.
http://golosangeles.about.com/od/gettingaroundlosangeles/ss/MetroGuide_4.htm

Google Transit: Just enter the "To" and "From" addresses or landmarks and the system will generate the route to take via public transport.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/transit/#mdy

Metro Main Site: The city's bus/subway guide. Similar to Google Transit but in our opinion not as user friendly.
http://www.metro.net/

Bus/Subway Maps: 

http://golosangeles.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=golosangeles&cdn=travel&tm=9174&f=11&su=p284.13.342.ip_p531.60.342.ip_&tt=29&bt=1&bts=0&st=12&zu=http%3A//www.metro.net/about/contact/customer-centers/

Bus Stop Closest To Jerry's Motel: Line 16/316

Metro Subway Stop Closest To Jerry's Motel: 7th Street Metro Station

Downtown Bus System: http://www.ladottransit.com/dash/routes/downtown/downtown.php

Los Angeles Sightseeing Tours - What Are My Options?

Our guests often ask about the various sightseeing tour companies in LA and which one is the "best". It is really important to find out what kind of tour you are looking for to determine what makes sense for you. Below is a simple breakdown and links to the most common and well known tour operators in Los Angeles. Most have pickup points in Hollywood. LA Sightseeing will pick you up directly at Jerry's Motel when scheduled in advance.

A Day In LA Tours - highest rated tour company in LA on TripAdvisor. Pickup points are various LA hotels or in Santa Monica. Guests who have used this company rave about the guides making the tour stand out.
http://www.adayinlatours.com/index.html

Star Line Tours - offers "Hop On/Hop Off" buses as well as standard tours. Hop On/Hop Off is great for those who don't have a car and want to be independent and spend time at each spot and then get back on and head to the next sightseeing destination. Pickup locations in Hollywood and Downtown (closest stop to Jerry's Motel is at the Westin Bonaventure 4 city blocks away).
http://www.starlinetours.com/

How To Get Here: LAX Airport To Jerry's Motel

Renting a car is the easiest way to get to Jerry's Motel in Downtown Los Angeles from LAX. For those without a car, two easy options are available:

Shared Shuttle Van:
Prime Time Shuttle is our recommended option and will cost ~$16 per person one way from LAX directly to Jerry's Motel. Keep in mind that you may have other travelers in the van with you who are also being dropped off along a similar route. Book in advance online at: http://www.primetimeshuttle.com/

Taxi:
Most direct route from LAX to Jerry's Motel. Costs a bit more at ~$50-$70 depending on traffic. You can catch a taxi at LAX without any pre-planning at one of the many taxi zones. Be sure to have our address handy for the taxi drivers to input into their GPS.

FlyAway Bus
You can take the FlyAway Bus from LAX to Union Station in Downtown LA for $8 per person.  The ride will take approximately 1 hour. Buses run every 30 minutes during normal hours and every 1 hour over night.

Once you arrive at Union Station, you can either take a taxi to Jerry's Motel (approx. $10) or follow the directions below if you take public transportation. If you have a lot of luggage or you are arriving very late in the evening, a taxi will be best.

Click here to see timetables and information on pick up locations.

Shopping In Los Angeles! Outlets, Malls & Alleys....

Besides spending time going sightseeing our guests also often ask us about the best places to shop while visiting LA. We have broken down some good options below that are all within 30 minutes of Downtown LA and fit various budgets:

$ - Santee Alley (5 minutes away)

http://www.thesanteealley.com/

$$ - Citadel Outlets (25 minutes away)

http://www.citadeloutlets.com/

$$$ - Beverly Center (20 minutes away)

http://www.beverlycenter.com/

Hip/Trendy - Melrose Avenue (15 minutes away)

http://www.melroseavenue-shop.com/

Souvenirs - Hollywood MegaStore (18 minutes away)

http://hollywoodmegastore.com/

Experience Comedy In LA - The Groundlings

Want to do something different rather than going to a bar or see another tourist "hot spot"? The Groundlings is a world famous improv comedy troupe/school that has nightly public shows. The theater is located on Melrose Ave. in a trendy shopping and dining area. A ticket can run from $10-$25 (sign up on goldstar.com for cheaper prices). Many famous comedians such as Will Ferrel have performed here. The small theater provides a fun experience in which the crowd is fully engaged. 

The Groundlings: http://www.groundlings.com/

Other Famous LA Comedy Venues:
Comedy Store On Sunset: http://thecomedystore.com/index.cfm
LA Improv: http://hollywood.improv.com/
Laugh Factory: http://www.laughfactory.com/

Yelp - A Great Tool For Travelers

Want to find all the great places to eat, drink and shop in Los Angeles before you get here? Besides visiting our website, Yelp can be of great help. Yelp is an online city guide that helps you find highly reviewed places to eat, drink and shop. Just pop in a location of zip code and sort by distance, rating, type and voila!

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/la

Getting To Las Vegas Or San Francisco From LA Without A Car

Many guests ask us about the cheapest way to get to Las Vegas or San Francisco from LA. If you wont have a rental car, we recommend looking into MegaBus. Megabus provides long distance bus transportation from Union Station in Downtown LA to San Francisco or Las Vegas for as low as $7 per person including luggage storage and free Wi-Fi.

Megabus: http://us.megabus.com/

Reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/megabus-la-los-angeles

Renting A Car In Los Angeles

Renting a car is the best to get around in Los Angeles. LA's public transportation is not as developed as many major cities from around the world. Given that LA covers such a large geographic area, a car allows you to experience a lot more instead of spending wasted hours on bus/train connections. 

For example, you can get to Hollywood rather easily via subway from Downtown. But there is not a direct public transit route from the Hollywood area to the Santa Monica Pier. This example shows the difficulty a visitor might have it they want to go Hollywood and the beach on the same day. It especially makes it difficult to see a lot of sites if you only have a couple of days in Los Angeles. Reputable car rental company links below:

Hertz: http://www.hertz.com/

Dollar: http://www.dollar.com/

Enterprise: http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do

Lakers/Clippers/Dodgers/Kings Game Tickets.....

Going to a sporting event or concert at one of the many nearby venues is always a fun way to have a unique experience during your trip. The best and number 1 option in purchasing tickets is through Ticketmaster. 

Ticketmaster: http://www.ticketmaster.com/

If tickets are sold out or you want more options, the secondary ticket market can be hard to navigate. We recommend using the following two options:
Barry's Tickets: http://www.barrystickets.com/
Stub Hub: http://www.stubhub.com/

Venues within 1.5 miles of our hotel include:
Staples Center: Lakers/Clippers/Kings
Dodger Stadium: Dodgers

LA Coliseum: USC College Football

Nokia Theater: Concerts

Club Nokia: Concerts

Griffith Park Observatory - Best View of Los Angeles

Griffith Park Observatory provides the best view of the "City of Angels". The great thing is that it is free. Besides the beach, it is also a great place snap some photos during sunset. Also on site is a small museum and planetarium show (entry fee). Check out the pics below.....

Observatory Info: http://www.griffithobs.org/

Perfect Site To FIgure Out Taxi Cab Fares In Los Angeles

WORLD TAXI METER gives you a pretty close estimate of taxi costs. Perfect for those who want to find out how much a specific trip might cost. Whether you are without a rental car or want to taxi back after a night at a bar or club this site will be useful. The site estimates a $46 fare from LAX International Airport to Jerry's Motel or $10.89 from Union Station to Jerry's Motel. Hiring a taxi is not the most economical option for getting here from LAX. Our suggested option for those without a car is to take a shared shuttle van such as PrimeTime for $32 (two people).

World Taxi Meter Los Angeles: http://www.worldtaximeter.com/los-angeles

PrimeTime Shuttle: http://www.primetimeshuttle.com/

Our recommended taxi company: http://www.bellcab.com/

Awesome Breakfast Diner In Echo Park - 5 Minutes Away

BRITE SPOT is located in Echo Park just a short 5 minute drive from our property. In the mood for fluffy old fashioned pancakes, hash browns and sausage?! Head down to this hip diner and have a feast. Many of guests love this place and eat there every morning during their stay. 

Check out BRITE SPOT on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/thebritespot

• Free Pa

A Glimpse Of The Sights & Sounds Of Los Angeles

Watch the video below to get a feel for all there is to see and do in Los Angeles!

Amazing Useful Travel Tool From Google

GOOGLE MAPS IS VERY HELPFUL IN PLANNING YOUR TRIP - WITH OR WITHOUT A RENTAL CAR

USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION?  USE GOOGLE MAPS TO PLAN YOUR BUS/METRO TRAIN ROUTES.  

CLOSEST METRO TRAIN STOP:  7th St/Metro Center Station. This stop is a hub where several lines intersect, including the RED, BLUE and PURPLE lines.

TRANSPORTATION IN LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles traffic is a sight to be seen in itself! Travel by car is still the BEST way to get around this huge city. You will be able see many more sites and experience the many corners of the "City of Angels". We are conviently located near the 5, 10, 110, 2 and 60 freeways.

If you are without a rental car some of the options below will come in handy. We highly recommend you plan out bus and metro trips in advance to take into account schedules and transfers.

A bus stop for line 16 is right across the street and can take you to The Grove and Beverly Center. A quick 10-15 minute walk to the 7th & Figueroa Metro Station will allow you to visit Hollywood and Universal Studios by subway. You can also connect to Union Station from this stop which can be a gateway to many other sites. The DASH bus system is great to get around Downtown Los Angeles. There are two stops within a five minute walk from our location, which can get you to the LA Convention Center among other popular downtown destinations such as Chinatown, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, USC and much more!

Rated #1 Best Value Hotel in Los Angeles on TripAdvisor!

TRIPADVISOR'S #1 BEST VALUE HOTEL IN LOS ANGELES

Jerry's Motel in Downtown Los Angeles is conveniently located near the Los Angeles Convention Center and major tourist hotspots. We are a hit with budget conscious business and tourist travelers looking for a great place to sleep at a very competitive rate without sacrificing quality, service and location. 

All Rooms Include: 

Free Parking

Free Wi-Fi Internet

32 Inch Flatscreen LCD HDTV

Over 100 Satellite Television Channels

11 HBO Movie Channels

ESPN Sports Package

Private Bathroom with Standing Shower

Air Conditioning/Heating

Hair Dryer

Ironing Board

In-room Digital Safe

Microwave and Mini-Refrigerator

Free Local Phone Calls

Friendly Service!