Flights are cheap, so my gf, mom and sister are heading to LA.    I’m going at the end of May.    I see Universal is opening the 16th for California residents.     Just want to know what’s open.    Also good places to eat.

I don't know if any of the amusement parks will be open to out of state guests.  I'd suggest watching their sites, there will be publicity going on over time.  I think the more worried the governor is about the recall, the more stuff will open.  Science or something.  The schools won't open.  Unions don't believe in science.  Actually schools are moving towards opening. I think most places will be open, there may be continuing restrictions on capacity, etc.

Lots of good places to eat.  Can you narrow it down some?  What do you like? Where will you be?

The place referred to as Los Angeles actually covers most of southern California, hundreds of miles wide.  Where are you staying?

Truer words never spoken.

If you are in the S. Bay, Aurther J's in Manhattan Beach is a great steak with good wine and a solid old fashion.  Geoffreys in Malibu is tits if you are in the Santa Monica area. Terra E Mare for the Hollywood area.

Pizza,

Masa, in Silver Lake.  Try and catch a Dodger game and hit Masa on the way out of Echo Park.
Mozza in Hancock Park, just East of Santa Monica
Union Pizza in Manhattan Beach

Mexican,

El Tepyac in East LA
El Compadre in Hollywood (always a good time, and often celebrites go here)
Ortega 120 in Redondo Beach

Honerable mention,

Issacs Cafe in Willmington (best burritios in Los Angeles, don't care what anyone says)
Busy Bee in San Pedro (kick ass sadmitch)
Cassells in Wilshire LA (just a good burger, and they will put bourbon in your chocolate milkshake)

LA is a shithole.  Don't expect it to be what is sold as.  I own two homes in the South Bay area, and have mostly moved to Az.  I still work there, but I have had it.  So far as personal defense goes, pepper spray is about it.  If you have to use it, just unass the area and don't even report it.  I am sure there are some that will argue this info, but honestly all the good LASO deputies, and LAPD officers have retired or moved on.  The good ones left are not in a supervisory postion so you will get fucked by the system if you try to help yourself from the indigs that rule the mob there.  

Traffic makes it a compltley unenjoyable experiance to to do anything.

Lots to see, some realy good food and certainly something to see, but LA as a whole has degenerated into a third world shit hole on its own.  Outside of LA has a lot to offer, but it is all fuck waggon due to the politcial situation and the traffic that makes any evolution a whole day event.

If you have not booked your accomidations yet, look at Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach for a hotel.  WAY less homeless people.  Rent a car, as everything is far away.  The beach area you can rent a bike and ride from Redondo to Santa Monica.  There are some good things to see, and generally nice environment.

Good luck when you are in town, and if you need anything PM me.

Most of that negativity applies to the City of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Venice,... actually. it's a long list.

The South Bay is cool.

Stay west of Sepulveda Blvd and south of LAX.

Traffic no where near as bad as normal due to COVID restrictions forcing people to work from home.  

Lots of different city PDs in the area - LAPD is not the only game in town. For example - Torrance PD for the Dorner newspaper delivery lady fiasco.

LASD covers all the unincorporated parts of LA County and I believe contracts to some incorporated cities.

Thanks for that....

So sombody visiting LA is most likly going to go to Los Angeles proper.  For instance, Hollywood, Universal Studios, The Zoo, Venice Beach, and a multitude of other places.  Who services these areas?

Reading my first post seems to highlight the S. Bay area.  Mostly becuase there are less vagrants, and general LA inhabitants that are flat out dangerous.  That being said I have less than zero confidence in Santa Monica PD, Manhattan PD, PV PD, Gardena PD, Hawthone PD, IPD, CC PD and others.  They are ALL falling to the LA political trap.  Redondo and Torrance are about it when it comes to respecting their citizens and actually doing any police work.  

I sold my house in Manhattan and still have two houses in Torrance, but the whole place is circling the drain and just not worth the squeeze anymore.  I graduated from HS in the S. Bay, spent most of my adult life there and the area is turning for the worst.

I worked at Crenshaw/190th - I’m pretty familiar with the South Bay. Politically, the whole area might as well be LA IMO.

Look at a LAPD division map - quite a few holes filled by other departments. You painted with a sprayer regarding the comments about LAPD supervisors - my point is you may not always be dealing with LAPD when you’re in “Los Angeles”. As others pointed out it’s a big area and everything depends on exactly where you’re staying.

I will double down, and make myself as clear as I can.

LAPD SUPERVISORY OFFICERS ARE WORTHLESS.  The whole dept. is hobbled with PC bullshit and will fuck you if you try and defend yourself, and will barely take a report if you are a victim of a crime.  If you are a police officer within the dept your leadership will not defend you from wolves and you will be made an example of.

The rest of the smaller departments are also hobbled, just not to the degree as the larger depts.  Bottom line is LA is not worth the visit, not worth the risk and certainly not worth the money.  I will continue to paint with the brush that covers the most amount of ground, and you are delusional if you think carveouts can be made for the smaller cities.  At this point it is only time before the whole area is lost.

"Los Angeles" is broadly not the same as Southern California.  If coming out for tourism, one could easily be interested in perhaps 6 or 7 or more counties.  Traffic is a problem so planning is important.  It's not currently as bad as it was but as things continue to open up I'd expect it to worsen.  Not sure what's going to happen with the big amusement parks, they may or may not be able to accommodate out of area quests.  That's still under state level controls which can limit numbers, require only "local" reservations, etc.  The San Diego area attractions, like the Zoo, Safari Park, Sea World?  Check their sites. If considering them, then the west side of "Los Angeles" the coastal area around LAX is going to be a harder, longer drive.  The west side isn't all that bad for "Hollywood" - things like grubby Hollywood, Griffith Park attractions, zoo, museums, Observatory - check all of them, the Observatory is really popular and when/if it opens up, you'd need to figure out the visit process, parking, etc., is limited and buses/shuttles may be needed.

I recently visited the California Science Center - in Exposition Park.  Needed reservations but they weren't hard to get.  It's got a space shuttle.   The nearby L.A. County Museum of Natural History has old fashioned animal dioramas that they've sort of updated, but also a spectacular rocks and minerals display, a wing of dinosaur skeletons.  There are several museums in the immediate area that you might want to look up and consider.  I live in the western edge of San Bernardino county and the drive in wasn't all that bad.  There are several important art museums, Getty in west L.A., Norton Simon in Pasadena, Huntington Library, Gallery and Gardens (don't recall the exact name)  is in San Marino (near Pasadena).  it has important art galleries, the library usually has a range of important books on display, the gardens are fantastic, desert, Japanese, Chinese, traditional, etc.

Should "you" be interested, along with the L.A. county coastal areas, driving south through/along the Orange and San Diego coasts is enjoyable - beach traffic can be rough.  Even with May Gray and June Gloom weather (it can be foggy and overcast in the morning, sometimes lasting well into the day).  North along the Malibu coast into Ventura County is, maybe, fun, it's "Malibu," and like Beverly Hills and some of the other "rich" areas, that interests some.  Drive up the coast to Santa Barbara and beyond is pretty, perhaps less congested.  Going past Santa Barbara gets one into the "Central Coast."  In may it should still be kind of green.  Just the other side of the mountains from Santa Barbara you get into the Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang ( a Danish flavored town) and wine country, lots of wineries to visit, some good eats, too.  

I'd expect that if you aren't typically involved with cops at home, you won't be in SoCal., either.

My favorite is the Getty Villa in Malibu.  Parking reservations are required but they are easy to get.  I like that far more than the Getty in WLA.

I haven't been to the Villa yet.  Remembered after posting about the two Presidential Libraries.  I've been to Nixon's in Yorba Linda a couple of times but not recently, I think they've added on quite a bit.  Reagan's has an Air Force One 747 and is quite impressive, (I've heard - haven't been to that one).