Rose Bowl Area (Pasadena, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills: hotels, restaurants, trendy)

[lostinTX]

I am starting to talk myself into gambling that my favorite NCAA football team will make the championship game in January, and no, it is not Texas. But all the nice hotels in Pasadena are booked, this will be a work so I don't need the cheapest accomadations. I am looking towards west hollywood? I am in my early 30's, will be with my wife and some customers. Where should we stay? Ease of getting to the staduim on gameday is a plus, but I will get a cab or a limo, I guess, I just don't want to stay an hour away without traffic. Any suggestions will be helpful, my first trip to LA. Thanks

[streetscenes]

The only thing that comes to mind with "ease of getting to the stadium" would be in downtown LA. Not sure if the new Ritz will be open before the Rose Bowl. West Hollywood and Beverly Hills would be a much longer trek to the game but would put you where lots of restaurants and night clubs are.

[uptown_urbanist]

Skip West Hollywood. It's a long way away. I agree: go with downtown LA. West Hollywood is fine if you want to spend the majority of your time in that direction, but assuming you want to focus your attention on the Pasadena area it's a lot of unnecessary commuting time. You'd have to count on at LEAST one hour each way from West Hollywood.

From downtown LA you could also take the Gold Line (light rail) from Union Station to Pasadena, if you wanted to (I've been on there around that time of year, and based on number of people wearing team shirts it seems to be a popular option). It drops you in the heart of Old Pasadena, where usually there's lots of activities and events in the days leading up to the actual game.

Downtown LA has a range of nice hotels, from the classic to the very trendy (like the Standard, for one).