Hostel Option
We are booking 20 or more rooms in the Hosteling International Los Angeles-South Bay hostel. This hostel is in a gorgeous setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just one quarter mile from the singing location and near local restaurants and markets. The cost for the entire weekend package (3 nights) will be approximately $75 a person, payable in advance.
If you'd like to sign up, don't contact the hostel, but instead get in touch with Laura or Rick (310-450-3516, laura4belltower@verizon.net). They can book you a place in the hostel.
As of Jan. 14, there are still a couple of rooms available. Contact Rick and Laura to see if a late reservation is possible.
More information about the hostel: signing up; policies
Hotels and Motels in the area
San Pedro is the Port of Los Angeles, and most of its hotels are in the World Cruise Center area, because most of their customers are going on or coming back from cruises.
As an alternative to the youth hostel, we recommend the Pacific Inn at 516 W. 38th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, 310-514-1247.
Other lodging options include:
Sunrise Hotel – Ports O’Call, 525 S Harbor Blvd, San Pedro Ca 90731, 310-548-1080, is the least expensive of the hotels in the port area.
Modest and inexpensive: Best Value Inn - Palos Verdes, 29601 S. Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, 310-833-4431. This is out of the San Pedro area, across a very busy street from a large park. It looks a bit rundown on the outside, but the rooms are OK. It requires a deposit for the room key and for the phone. There is a dinner-only restaurant next door.
At the top of Gaffey St., near the exit from the 110, are the Holiday Inn and the Vagabond Inn. These are about 10 minutes drive from the singing location. However, we cannot recommend the Holiday Inn. The Vagabond is acceptable if your expectations are not high.
Nicer and more expensive: the Doubletree (overlooking the marina) is the closest of the upscale harbor hotels. About $134 and up online rates. The Crowne Plaza Hotel Los Angeles Harbor, a large (10-story) 4-star hotel overlooking, but not on, the harbor, is similar in price to the Doubletree. Another fancy option is to stay on the Queen Mary, which is permanently anchored in the Long Beach harbor, and runs about $150 and up per night.
Further away: Both nearby airports are surrounded by hotels, and great deals can sometimes be found online; but keep in mind both airports are about 20 miles from the singing.
You can obtain more information on discount lodging in San Pedro from the San Pedro web site.
An alternative, especially if you want to stay over Sunday after the singing (Monday being a holiday): the Southern California beach town experience in Hermosa Beach, up the coast between San Pedro and the airport. Along the beach runs a pedestrian/bikeway, The Strand; the beach is full of volleyball players; there’s a pier out over the water; and the streets off The Strand are full of restaurants. Note that this is not a solitary getaway, as the area is full of people.
The Sea Sprite Ocean Front Motel is an older complex with unexciting rooms but right on the beach, with an outdoor pool and some great rates, especially for 4 people. All rooms have a full kitchen or a kitchenette. Winter rates are $105-$175 per night.
Also on the beach is the newer, more luxurious Beach House at Hermosa Beach, recommended by Frommers. Winter rates are $269-$379 per night.
Restaurants
Like the hotels, most of the sit-down restaurants are in the harbor area. Gaffey Street, which leads from the interstate to the singing venue, is lined with fast-food places. However, two places within a block of the Pacific Inn, and thus walkable from the hostel, are:
Pacific Diner, 3821 Pacific Ave., open Mon-Sat 6am – 4pm, Sun 7am-3pm. Breakfast all day, specialty omelettes; burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads.
Lighthouse Deli, 508 W. 39th (off of Pacific), open 7 days 10-6. This is a full restaurant rather than a deli.
A recent LA Times article (not available online) recommends the Moroccan restaurant Babouch at 810 S. Gaffey. A December 2007 article recommends the San Pedro Fish Market (1190 Nagoya Way, Berth 78, 310-832-4253), where you buy fish at a market and take it to a cooking counter where it will be cooked for free; and also the Pan Pacific Restaurant (1136 Nagoya Way, Berth 79) for Mexican-style seafood.
Coffee: Sacred Grounds coffee on 6th: http://www.sgrounds.com/
The LA Times ran an article in February recommending some San Pedro neighborhood bars: The Whale and Ale at 327 W. 7th Street, 310-832-0363, the San Pedro Brewing Company at 331 W. 6th Street, Godmothers Saloon at 302 W. 7th Street, and 22nd St. Landing at 141 W. 22nd Street. (scroll down to San Pedro in the article).
A year ago it also recommended The Whale & Ale for its food; it seems that the current menu is a mix of British pub food and roast meat, main course salads, and vegetarian entrees.