Tickets
Single game tickets likely won’t be on sale till
the summer. For 2011, they went on sale in early July. Right
now UCLA is taking deposits on season tickets if you really
wanted to lock yours down. UCLA definitely isn’t a sought
after ticket these days so it could be a lot of work trying
to flip the rest just to break even. Other than Nebraska,
USC is their only marquee game on the home schedule.
The Rose Bowl seats 91,000 and last season UCLA hit 65,000
twice. The rest of their home games drew under 50,000 so
there are plenty of reasons not to stress about finding
tickets. There’s really not a bad seat in the entire Rose
Bowl.
Californians for Nebraska will have a limited number of
tickets in a block available to current members. If you
haven’t already, join CFN (it’s only $25/year) and contact
us at calhusker@hotmail.com for more information on tickets.
Which
Airport?
LAX: If you’re not staying in Pasadena or the
Burbank area, LAX should be your first option. Favorite
airlines to use are Southwest, American, or United. As
they’re in the first and last terminals respectively, it’s a
little easier to get in and out of the mess that is LAX
traffic. Picking up and dropping off a rental car takes a
chunk time because all the agencies are off airport
property. The agencies all have free shuttles to take you to
and from.
There are plenty of hotels around LAX but staying at any of
them is not recommended. They’re basically in a no man’s
land and not very close to anything worth visiting.
Burbank: (aka Bob Hope International) Makes
Eppley look like JFK. Super easy to navigate. If you’re
staying in Pasadena, Burbank or even Studio City, it’s
definitely worth a look as a first option. While the flights
can be a little more expensive ($50 – 100) you’ll save
yourself the time and headache of trying to cut across town.
Long Beach: Smaller than Burbank with fewer
options. Consider only if you find a deal that’s way too
good to pass up or if you have a reason to set up shop in
Long Beach or Orange County. Otherwise, it’s just too far
out of the way.
Ontario: About 30 miles or so east of
Pasadena. Consider ONLY if you’re staying in Pasadena and
don’t plan to do too much exploring.
A Guide to More LA Attractions
Pasadena
There are two things to consider about
With that in mind consider what’s more important- a short trip to and from
the game, or being closer to all the other things you want to see and do.
Regardless,
All these
hotels are within walking distance to
Marriot Pasadena – closest hotel to the Rose
Bowl.
Westin Pasadena
Vagabond Inn Pasadena
Howard Johnson Pasadena
Hilton Pasadena
Sheraton Pasadena
Link to all Pasadena hotels
*If you'd like to stay close to Pasadena but want something a little more
economical, consider staying in East Pasadena near the last Gold Line stop
at Sierra Madre. It's a quick couple stops on the Gold Line to get to
Huntington Library -
a drop dead gorgeous facility with amazing gardens and a wonderful art
collection.
Descanso
Gardens - another amazing garden.
Norton Simon
Museum - Art museum with a wonderfully diverse
collection.
Wayne Manor from the Batman TV series!
380 S. San Rafael Dr.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Tour
information
Ice
House Comedy Club A very historic club in
comedy world. Weekends have A-list line ups.
iPic Theaters - Takes the concept of dinner
and movie to a whole new level.
Moore n Moore Sporting Clays - A short drive
up the 210 from the Rose Bowl. Warm up for hunting season at a mountain side
sporting clays course.
Hikes in the San Gabrielle Mountains - Take advantage of the scenery and pre-emptively burn off some tailgate
calories. The
Echo Mountain trail is a great hike very close
to downtown
Burbank
A good choice for base camp that's near
Hotels-
These are good hotels with equally good locations.
Holiday Inn Burbank - Located in downtown
Safari Inn - Classic 60’s style motel.
Tangerine Hotel
Link to all Burbank hotels
Burbank Attractions-
Bob's Big Boy -
Classic car show every Friday Night
Warner
Bros -
More of a "field trip" style tour compared to Universal's theme park.
Tonight Show with Jay Leno -
Ticket Information
Conan O'Brien -
Ticket Information
Ellen
Degeneres - Ticket Information
Universal Studios - Theme Park and City Walk
with a ton of stores and restaurants. Definitely will suck up a whole day
especially if you have kids. Good alternative to Disneyland if you don't
want to make the schlep to
If you want to set up your base camp in the downtown
Downtown
If you're looking for more of a "city" feel, downtown would be the place to
set up shop. It's about as city-like (in the NY or Chicago sense) as LA
gets.
While its nightlife and restaurant scene have gotten way better over the
last few years, downtown remains a business district and sees a mass exodus
after 5 which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Regardless, if you're a foodie
or cocktail hound you'll be in heaven with all the options.
For the most part downtown is clean and perfectly safe but there are enough
vagrants and/or crackheads to make things interesting and have you walking a
little faster at night. The big key is to just ignore them and they'll
ignore you.
If you really crave adventure and opt not to rent a car, downtown is the
major hub for public transit making it much easier to get around without
wheels. Unfortunately, the subway to the beach is another 10 - 15 years out
so you'll be stuck riding the bus if you want to dip a toe in the ocean. The
one upside to riding the bus is you will have a crazy story or five to
impress your friends with when you get back home.
Hotels-
Hotels downtown can be on the pricey side but deals can be found. Be sure to
hit up your favorite discount travel site. One thing to note is parking can
run between $20 - 40 a day so keep that in mind.
Millennium Biltmore -
Huge classic hotel that has stayed current with the times. Great bar in the
lobby with all the free mixed nuts you can handle.
Hilton Checkers -
Across the street from the Biltmore. On the tiny side and getting a little
long in the tooth.
Hotel Bonaventure -
Classic 60's style skyscraper hotel. Worth a visit just for the elevator
ride and the revolving bar on the top floor.
The Standard -
Definitely not a family hotel. If you're heading to the game with a bunch of
your single friends, The Standard can't be recommended enough. At night
you'll feel like you're walking through an episode of Entourage. The rooftop
bar gets pretty wild. On weekends the bar is typically open hotel guests
only but the doormen can be greased. During the week you can slide in at the
start of happy hour no problem and stay as long as you like.
Figuroa Hotel -
A clean, classic hotel with a kitschy Moroccan theme. Poolside bar is a lot
of fun. Definitely a steal as far as downtown hotels go. It's right next to
LA Live and The Original Pantry.
Omni -
Pretty straightforward nice hotel.
JW Marriott at LA Live This
is the newest hotel in downtown. Only a couple years old. It's the anchor of
the LA Live entertainment hub across the street from
Link to all Downtown hotels
Attractions
Grand Central Market Huge
open air market that's basically a giant, exotic food court and fruit stand.
The sights and smells can be a little overwhelming (in a good way). Be sure
to ride Angel's
Flight,
the world's smallest railroad, across the street and Pershing
Square is
a block down the street.
Disney Concert Hall-
An architectural landmark you see in every other car commercial. Tours are
held during the day and if you didn't want the full tour you can roam around
outside and inside a bit.
Central Library -
Go here if you get homesick for the state capitol. It was designed by the
same architect, Bertram Goodhue, and the look and feel is uncanny. The
library is basically the stubby, semi-identical cousin to the
LA Live -
The new entertainment hub for downtown. Club Nokia and the Nokia Theater are
great places to see a concert. Several good restaurants and bars to choose
from.
Museum of Contemporary Art -
MOCA is directly across the street from the Disney Concert Hall. Definitely
the "edgiest" of art museums in town. If the classics are your thing you
might want to skip it.
Olvera Street -
One of LA's rare historic landmarks. Oldest street in downtown and pretty
much where LA started. Interesting shops and great Mexican food.
Santee Alley -
Crazy shopping district. While The Man has put the brakes on a lot of knock
offs and bootleg items, this is still the place to go if you want to find
"Gucci" purses and other big ticket items for prices so low they can't be
real. My mom loves going here when she's in town and always finds some good
scores. Definitely
read up so
you know
what to expect.
Dodger Stadium -
About 5 minutes northwest of downtown. The Dodgers are out of town the week
of the UCLA game but if you're a fan of checking out stadiums it's worth the
trip. You can take a guided
tour or
visit the Top
of the Park Gift Shop which
is open during normal business hours and even if you don't buy anything you
can explore the Top Deck and even take a picnic lunch to eat in the seats.
Great photo op especially on a clear day.
Natural History Museum -
About 10 minutes south of downtown pretty much on the USC campus and right
next to the Coliseum. Great kid friendly spot and a good educational
experience for them if you feel guilty for plucking them out of school so
early in the year.
Restaurants
The Original Pantry -
Restaurants don't get any more classic. Definitely a must visit. Never
closes and often has a quickly moving line out the door at all times. The
menu is right in the wheelhouse for 99.9% of
Philippe The Original Restaurant -
Two words- French Dip.
Border Grill -
Mexican restaurant owned by Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (they've been on
the Food Network since the last century).
Wurstkuche -
On the "adventurous" end of downtown and can be a little tricky to find but
once you get there you'll be treated to a German style beer hall with
sausages and beer for days. Don't let the line scare you. Everyone orders at
the counter and the lobby area is small. Once you get inside though a
waitress will take your beer orders right away.
Frying Fish -
Fun sushi bar in the heart of Little
Tokyo.
Just grab what you want off the conveyor belt and when you're done they
tally up your plates. Be careful, if you're hungry it can get expensive.
Bottega Louie -
Sit in the dining room and it's fancy or eat at the bar to keep it casual.
Amazing pastry counter.
Nickel Diner -
Three words- Maple bacon donut. Three more words - Biscuits and gravy.
The Gorbals -
A dining adventure right out of
Pacific Dining Car -
One of the best steaks in town and impeccable service that you will pay for.
If you saw Training Day with Denzel Washington, this is where he goes to get
permission and pay off the wise men.
Bars -
Be warned. Depending on your tolerance level getting tipsy can be pricey.
Expect a beer to run $5 - 9 not including tip. Mixed drinks can go anywhere
from $9 - 15 if you get fancy. Don't drink and drive either. Even if you
don't kill someone, getting a DUI will cost a
pretty penny. Just isn't worth it.
Golden Gopher -
All round good time.
Seven Grand -
If you like whiskey this is your dream come true.
Cole's -
Skip the food and head for the speakeasy style bar in the way back.
Big Wang's -
If you need a sports bar. Good wings and pizza.
Casey's Irish Pub -
About as casual as downtown gets without going to the full dive bar route.
Large portions of the above information was provided by
Californians for
