Trailer day parking in LA near Petersen Museum

[25Twin]

Hi, we are looking for advice on possible place to park our truck and trailer (total length 50 feet) for a half day to visit the Petersen Museum in LA. I see some neighborhoods nearby that have street parking, but something a little more of a certainty would be great. Thanks for any help!

[DKB_SATX]

Maybe scout out some surface lots and expect to have to pay a bit? I'm not local, so I don't know how packed those lots might be on the day(s) your considering, but we visited there last year and as I recall, you might have a challenge finding empty curbs with 50' + between driveways in the area. The Petersen's garage is pretty tall at the entrance (probably for buses to drop people off, etc.) but if I recall, it's a pretty normal-height garage in the main parking area.

Maybe call or email the Petersen? I'm sure lots of people with motorhomes and such have been there before, maybe they have info for difficult parking situations.

Oh, and if you're a car nut, do the vault tour if you can.

[ratch]

I went to the Peterson this past November on a Wednesday, mid day. Traffic was highly congested on all the adjacent streets. There might be parking in the nearby neighborhood but maneuvering that rig looking for a place to park would be a bit too sporty for me.
I suggest locating a parking spot in a less congested area and take a Uber to the Peterson. Sorry I can't identify what or where that might be but hopefully someone local on the forum can.
And be sure to pony up for a tour of the vault. Amazing collection.

[ROBERT CROSS]

On a weekday...look for a church. Knock on the door, if/when someone answers make an 'offering' and ask to park for several hours. If no-one answers, leave a 10'r in an envelope with a note and slide it under the door.🙏

Bob
🇺🇸

[Goin camping]

You can park your trailer at our place and then head the 60 miles or so down to the Petersen. We're off the 14 Fwy in the Antelope Valley.

If that idea appeals to you. Send me a PM and we can do the details.

[25Twin]

Thanks all!

Good suggestion to look for a church!

I did call the museum, they suggested I call a different museum, and after about 5 minutes listening to their various phone messages but not reaching a real person I gave up.

Good to know the streets are congested. I do OK driving through some urban areas (have driven thru SF a few times and LA once) but always like to know how we’re getting out. Using the distance feature on Google maps, those driveways do seem a touch closer than 50’

Thanks for the reminder for the vault!

[OTRA15]

Stay at the closest campground you can find, and take the tow vehicle in for a day trip IMO.

The last time I was in downtown LA was in the 1970's, and traffic and parking were a nightmare then, even for regular cars.

That was almost 50 years ago!



Ya gotta know when to bail out on an idea.

This is one of those times IMO.

Happy trails,

Peter

[riowerks]

We're a little closer than Goin Camping. We are about 25 miles or an hours drive from the museum. We can also offer overnight parking if you decide you want to make a day trip of it and see other museums while you're there. By the time you return from a mid day museum trip it will be commute time and will take you 2 hours to get outside of LA traffic in any direction :-(

[tincaravan]

I live 5 minutes from the Petersen museum and I concur that it's unlikely you'd find anywhere to park near it. I'd hate to get stuck there!

I don't have a trailer yet (this year, fingers crossed!) and when I do, plan to go full-time. Thus I've given some thought to where I'd park it when I return to visit.

I think this is your best bet:

There's a stretch of Venice Blvd, which is about 15 minutes south by car from Wilshire Blvd, which runs from about Fairfax Blvd to the 405 freeway -- so a good few miles. Venice is a wide boulevard with at least 2 lanes and a bike lane, but residential; it's a street where you could comfortably drive a bit more slowly than traffic while you scope it out. And it's a street where you'll see lots of RVs parked that look like they never move. If memory serves, most of them are on the north side of the street.

Fairfax is an exit off the 101, so you could take that exit, then go west on Venice and check your right-hand side for parking that looks doable. I can't tell you about parking restrictions in that precise area, because LA is notorious for having lots of complicated parking rules and very strict enforcement, but the fact that there are tons of rustbucket RVs suggests you can leave it for awhile. (But read the signs!)

Then take an Uber/Lyft to the Petersen -- probably a $5 ride.

Hope that helps! Hit me up with any other local questions

[OTRA15]

What probability would you give, for finding a parking spot for a 50’ rig with plenty of time to spare, in order to get to the expensive museum, incl. the Vault, on time?

Less than 100% certain?

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

What probability would you give, for finding a parking spot for a 50’ rig with plenty of time to spare, in order to get to the expensive museum, incl. the Vault, on time?

Less than 100% certain?

Personally, I’d expect the chances to be fat, slim, and none, in that order. I’d find a place to park outside LA area proper and drive in by other means. The streets are narrow, busy, and as noted, the parking rules are contradictory and confusing unless you can fit in a parking structure near the museum.

[Mr. Merk]

**I would definitely suggest find an RV park, drop the trailer and see more of LA! I go for the car culture/specific events. We roadtripped out there the past two years and I LOVE going.

Don't go without taking the vault tour!

Spring of '18 we had lunch in their cafe, sat in the hall viewing the cars on display for the Porsche Effect exhibit. Fantastic! Then toured the vault.


Spring of '19 we returned and had our car on display for the rooftop Air & Water show.

[Mr. Merk]

I'll also add this:

Use Google Navigation 100% of the time. There was a night that we were trying to get from Mid City to Monrovia at rush hour for dinner with a friend. Google kept us moving on side streets and not sitting in traffic on the 10.

We got there, although my clutch leg was so sore I could barely walk by the time we arrived let alone sleep that night!

[25Twin]

Had been having a hard time finding an RV park reasonably close but was just able to book at Golden Shores for two nights so problem solved. Thx all

[OTRA15]

Excellent . . . thanks for the update!

BTW the La Brea Tar Pits are just across the street from the Petersen:

https://tarpits.org/

Have a great trip.

Peter

[25Twin]

Got my ticket to the vault. No kids under 10, so the wife and our 6 year old might check out the tar pits while I tour the vault. Excited!

[Mr. Merk]

Originally Posted by 25Twin

Had been having a hard time finding an RV park reasonably close but was just able to book at Golden Shores for two nights so problem solved. Thx all

I love Long Beach. There's a great place on Broadway called the Attic. They're famous for their Mac & Cheese.

[ROBERT CROSS]

"Famous" for YellowFood?😂

Webe known worldwide fo our YellowFood.👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[LBOskiBear]

Was just about to suggest Golden Shore (I live just down the street). The other option would be Dockweiler Beach by LAX where there's a campground and is slightly closer.

For a day visit, you could call the Ebell of Los Angeles - I've been to events there and they have a surface lot. Don't imagine there's much going on during the day.

[57Wanderer]

We lived in Los Angeles for 40 years. We would NEVER entertain the notion that anyone could find street parking in any neighborhood in that city. We love it there, but on return trips, we drive in on a Saturday or Sunday morning, utilizing only freeways and wide boulevards, and head straight to Dockweiler, where we drop the trailer and then explore the city we love in our tow vehicle. Often I rent a small car at LAX so as to zip around so we don't have to drive our beast of a truck on the side streets. Driving on the freeways with a trailer is stressful enough, and that neighborhood around the Petersen is very very congested. And I would NEVER park my trailer on any street in LA and unhook and drive away from it. You would risk all kinds of theft, including not finding your trailer where you left it, or at all. Drivers are certifiably crazy there, and it could get sideswiped easily. If you don't want to check in at Dockweiler, the offers of driveway moochdocking nearby sound really good, and I'd take those folks up on one of those.