Hello! I'm planning to take a road trip to California between Christmas and New Years. I haven't been to LA except the airport, so I am looking for a local's perspective on how to get around, where to get food, etc. Also, just how realistic are my plans, anyway? My girlfriend will be joining me partway through after visiting family. This is part of a larger trip, but I'll just post what concerns the LA area.

December 27 - I'll be leaving from Phoenix around noon and driving. I am thinking of getting a hotel near the airport so it's easy for my girlfriend to join me. I might go to In-N-Out for dinner (it's not a thing where I'm from). Otherwise, it's all about getting through the massive wall of traffic that I imagine surrounds LA.

December 28 - hopefully I can mostly use the metro this day. I don't trust buses, as they are affected by traffic and tend to have random schedule changes.

• Natural History Museum - opens 9:30. I'll spend around 2-3 hours here.

• ~30 minute metro ride to Historic Broadway Station

• Visit the Last Bookstore, maybe stop by the old Cecil Hotel?

• Visit Saint Vincent Court for a late lunch, and see the Fine Arts Building Atrium.

• Then, take the metro from Pershing Square station to Hollywood/Vine Station. I'm mostly here for the Museum of Death, but I would go along the walk of fame for a bit (I know it's hated, but it is an American landmark).

• No Vacancy Speakeasy looks like a cool spot for a drink. Then after that and dinner, I'll get back to my hotel - again, hoping for the metro to work out.

December 29 - Santa Monica, and maybe the Getty Villa.

• Early in the morning, I will drive from my hotel to Santa Monica pier parking. That is, unless there's a good hotel near the airport and near the metro that also has public transportation to Santa Monica.

• I might try wading into the water, although I understand it's pretty cold. I would like to take a nice walk to see some of the famous sites like the Route 66 sign, Dogtown Coffee, the Galley (maybe a lunch option), jAdis antique store, and maybe Muscle Beach and the Venice Canals.

• After Santa Monica, I'd like to drive to the Getty Villa. Personally I wish I could go there in the morning, but it seems like Santa Monica parking will fill up early, and I might have a better chance to park at the Villa.

• This is also the day my girlfriend arrives at LAX on a late flight. It would be nice to stay near the airport this night, as it would alleviate some of the hassle of picking her up.

December 30 - Ventura and Carpinteria area

• Sadly, though my gf will be landing at LAX late at night, we will also be leaving early in the morning to get to Channel Islands visitor center in Ventura. That is her cross to bear.

• After a short visit to the Visitor's Center, we have a 9:30 to 12:30 whale watching tour.

• Assuming we leave Ventura by 1:00, we can get to Carpinteria by 1:30. We hope to see the tar pits, seal sanctuary, and famous Torrey Pine. We will try to leave by 3:30.

• Drive to Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park and see the cave. We might get dinner at Cold Spring Tavern. Then, it's back to LA (maybe staying at a hotel near Griffith Park)

December 31 - Griffith Park and the Getty

• My girlfriend's main priority in her limited LA time was to go to the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory. I have a seven mile hike planned that begins at the Wonder View Trailhead and ends at Ferndell Museum below Griffith Observatory. Now, it seems very hard to park near Wonder View, so it might be smart to park near Griffith, take an Uber or something to Wonder View, and hike back to the car. I'm interested in a local's perspective of the logistics.

• After Griffith Park, we'd like to go to the Getty Center. If this proves to be too much of a hassle, we might just leave LA and continue on to Los Alamos (dinner) and Santa Maria (hotel).