Where to Stay - Los Angeles 2010 - page 89

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even spot your favorite alt-rocker tucking into a 3pm br eakfast in the vinyl booth next
to yours.
8018 Beverly Blvd. (btw. La Cienega Blvd. and Fairfax Ave.), Los Angeles, CA 90048. & 800/962-3824 or
323/651-2441. Fax [phone] units . $107-$150 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities:
Heated outdoor pool. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, fridge, Wi-Fi ($5.95 per day).

Farmer's Daughter Value Most people end up at the F armer's Daughter hotel for-
tuitously because they 're waiting to be the next contestants on The Price Is Right. The
CBS Studios across the street recommends the budget motel to its game sho w fans, but
I recommend it just because I dig this chic little lodge. It's cheery from the moment you
walk in the lobby. Bright yellows and cool blues mix well with the country-kitsch theme:
rooster wallpaper, faded barn-wood paneling, denim bedspr eads, cow-skin rugs, and a
parade of inflatable animals that float ar ound the pool. I t's obvious that someone with
smart fashion sense and a little money turned a dumpy motel into an oasis of stylish
affordability. Money-saving perks include free Internet hookup, free parking, a free DVD
library, and across-the-street access to an entire farmers' market of inexpensive foodstuffs
(p. 155). B ut no w that the hotel opened its o wn F rench-country r estaurant, TART,
there's little r eason to leav e. Tip: Request a r oom facing the alley—the vie w is terrible,
but you don't get the 24-hour road noise off Fairfax Avenue.
115 S. Fairfax Ave. (btw. Beverly Dr. and 3rd St.), Los Angeles, CA 90036. & 800/334-1658 or 323/937-
3930. Fax [phone]. w ww.farmersdaughterhotel.com. 66 units . $215 double; fr om $275 suit e. AE,
DISC, MC, V. Valet parking $12. Amenities: Restaurant; bar ; concierge; outdoor pool. In room: A/C, TV/
DVD, movie library, CD player, fridge, Wi-Fi (free).

4 HOLLYWOOD

The geographical area called Hollywood is actually smaller and less glamor ous than you
might expect. In fact, throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s, H ollywood was pretty
much a shambles. But the neighborhood has undergone a major overhaul of late—along
the lines of the reinvention of New York City's Times Square—that has turned the seedy
area back into tourism central. The re-gentrification is ongoing, but I still don 't recom-
mend heading down dark alleys on moonless nights. That said, Hollywood is definitely
cleaner and safer than it has been in decades. What's more, the hotels below are great for
travelers looking for good midpriced and budget lodging, and families will like the easy
freeway access to Universal Studios. Still, those with an av ersion for tourist traps should
book elsewhere.
EXPENSIVE
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel Part of the $615-million H ollywood & High-
land pr oject to r estore H ollywood to the glor y of its hey day, the hotel no w ser ves as
Oscar-night headquar ters for the fr enzy of par ticipants and paparazzi attending the
Academy Awards in the Kodak Theater next door. Despite its high profile, this is princi-
pally a conv ention property and not quite as elite or elegant as the media hype might
have you believe. Wood-paneled headboards and Technicolor furniture (think The Jetsons
meets IKEA) paint guest r ooms as swinging '50s bachelor pads. R ooms on the sev enth
floor and up offer truly impressive views: One-third look toward the Pacific Ocean, one-
third face the skyline of Downtown L.A., and one-third take in the lush Hollywood Hills
(yes, you can see the sign). Sightseeing is virtually unavoidable since the hotel shares the

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