Where to Stay in LA: Neighborhood Quiz

Santa Monica for most people: beach, walkable dining and the E Line to Downtown, so you can skip the car. West Hollywood is the pick if you want restaurants and nightlife, and Hollywood or Downtown if you want to be central on the Metro for less money.

Downtown, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Koreatown or West Hollywood. Downtown has the best Metro connections; Santa Monica and West Hollywood are the most walkable; Hollywood and Koreatown sit on the B and D Lines.

Universal City and Studio City in the San Fernando Valley, next to the park and the Warner Bros. lot. Hollywood is one Metro stop away on the B Line if you'd rather be more central.

Santa Monica for the beach and pier, Long Beach for the Aquarium of the Pacific and a calmer waterfront, or Pasadena for space and gardens. The quiz weighs these when you say kids are coming.

Each answer adds points to the areas that suit it, based on our editors' judgment and our area guides; the three highest-scoring areas are shown. It's a starting point, so read the area guides before you book.