I stayed at the Travelodge Pico Blvd.  I had a good sized room with kitchen which had a stove, microwave and fridge.  (you have to request this).  There is a Trader Joes next door which was great for organic food however I wasn't sure about their water so ended up buying evian at Ralphs (near Matia's office) and carrying it back. It was about a mile walk to Matia's office from the Travelodge.  The no. 7 Big Blue Bus stops outside Trader Joes and you can get this right down to the beach at Santa Monica for 75c.From the airport I booked the Super shuttle shared van online.  It was only $18 and dropped me right outside the hotel.  They also collected me at the end of my stay although came a bit earlier than the time they said so be ready for this.The cost of this room is $135 per night which was cheaper than a lot of hotels in Santa Monica.  Pico Blvd probably isn't the classiest place but quite convenient if you haven't got a car.http://www.travelodgesantamonica.com/http://www.supershuttle.com/

Oh yes Pico blvd and me have wonderful memories. I was kissed by a bumb on my way to Matia's waiting for that very bus you speak of. He ran up to me grabbed my head kissed me and ran away. LOL it was kinda freaky and I usually carry mace when I go there. It's not really a place I would stay by my self persoanlly.

You can can call the airling ahead of time and tell them you have special needs. If you request a weelchair even if you can walk just do it you will skip security they will still check your bags but you will not have to wait on that line wich can be hard on you bladder if you have to pee.Also they will sit you first get off first and you will be next to the bathroom.
I usually put a water on my checked bag in zip bag so that when i get off the plane i can drink it. IF you tell the airline a head of time you need special water for your conditon they may alow you to take it on. I buy a 3 oz plastic bottle and fill it with my special water put in zip block bag and put it with my food on my carry on. They don't have a problem with you bring your own food. Make sure all your supplemets stay in there orginal bottles this makes it much easier. they should not have problems with any of this.
you can walk to the ralphs i park there when i have gone to the office at times so I don't have to pay unless I can find legal street parking. IF your not renting a car the ralphs will be your best bet. THere is also one near the air port but by cab that will end  up running you about 20 bucks.
Ralphs 11727 Olympic Blvd Los Angeles CA 90064 Store Phone: (310) 473-5238
Wilshire Wild Oats Natural Marketplace 3.7 miles 500 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401310-395-4510 opent till 10pm 7 days weekSanta MonicaWhole Foods Market 2.8 miles2201 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90403310.315.0662Store hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.Trader Joes 1.4 miles3212 Pico Blvd
santa monica CA 90405
 
 
velocity cafe (cyber cafe) 3.5 miles2127 lincoln Blvd.Santa Monica310-314-33682dollar hr internet or free with drink They have plane green tea. and coffee
 
here is a good old post

embrace the process, suffering and all

hi melissa, welcome to the healing journey!
1. this is my third attempt, not Matia's fault! the first time i had to stop, b/c i travelled around the world for 10 months, plus my ic only flared during sex
2. i tried a second time last year and quit, b/c i broke up with a very important person, then i got hit by a car (thankfully i was ok!) and had to take stress leave b/c i was being bullied at work. my overall life was tough and i resorted to eating regularly, but i had a bad uti and flare and begged matia to take me back
3. what i realized from matia, is that even if you cheat on your eating, just shake it off and keep going, don't ever quit, the worst is to quit. there are many steps to success and regression is part of the process. don't be all or nothing like i did. be honest with matia and then continue, so what if it takes a little bit longer, it's better than stopping all together b/c you felt guilty about cheating!!!!
4. don't fear, just like anything, you will get used to eating this way, it takes time for your body and spirit to adjust to change, and if you go out with friends, you pick the restaurant, your real friends will understand. if they don't find true friends who will! this disease will test everything! you will be a better person for it. if you have to go to someone's house to eat, either bring your own food or eat before hand. i learned that if you want compassion from people, you've got to demand it. this journey is about you and don't ever be ashamed of that. i always say that the cancer, diabetes and vegetarians get sympathy from people when it comes to food, but this is our chance to educate people about ic. it can become very very tiring trying to explain to people why you are so tired, that you have to pee a lot and that you are eating a restricted diet. i just tell people i am very, very sick, but i will be healed soon! i feel empowered, b/c i realized that this is about me and that i could care less now what other people think!
5. enjoy your trip to LA, i booked a cheap hotel near the airport through priceline.com and flew on airmiles, then i took the bus to matia's office and then enjoyed the rest of my day shopping and i met up with a friend. i took the bus everywhere, so much cheaper!!!!
6. call the office and see if they still offer 10 appts for $1000, that way you save $10 a visit
7. buy natren by the case (save 10% at Whole foods and you can mix the probiotics), i'm sure if you contact natren you can find out which health food stores in your area carry it, and make a deal with a owner if you buy by the case, b/c whole foods can still be expensive.
8. when matia has found a herb that works for you, at the beginning just buy it one by one and pay the shipping costs, but after that buy in bulk and save on shipping. don't ever throw out herbs, b/c she might put them back in later.
9. mountain valley springs is the water that matia's likes, it comes in glass and i was able to find a distributor in toronto, canada and i have it delivered to my house. i spend about $64 canadian dollars a month (gives me 2 litres a day to drink)
10. i figure right now, i spend about $454 canadian a month on matia's appt, herbs, probiotics and water. but at the end of the day, i would have spent that money on entertainment, coffee, drinks and dinners out. so for my health, the cost is worth it!!!! plus as you get better, i'm sure the cost will go down.
11. the chinese have a character that puts crisis and opportunity together. look for the opportunity in this crisis. pain and suffering is part of becoming better in mind, body and spirit. all humans go through it, you either pay now or later, either way it is part of life. and remember you are not alone, and people are suffering with much worse conditions in the world
12. my favourite phrase is "and this too shall pass."
13. write a daily, food, symptom and emotion journal, this will help you with appts and you can see progress, by comparing your symptoms from month to month. the process can be very slow and tedious.
14. make sure you are very honest with Matia! she is not a quiter and she thrives on getting her patients well! she is always available on e-mail
15. if you haven't already, join the monthly phone meetings, they are empowering and educational.
you are in good hand, God Bless You Melissa!!!!
Yumi
 
There are other rentals i found this via http://www.vrbo.com/ is a great place to check for vacation rentals. I have found whole homes for 100 bucks a night right on the beach. You just have to look. How nice to stay in a home. The only thing is they do require a deposit but you get it back. I have used this service 4x now.
I use orbitz to book my flight and I fly into LAX. You can get a bus shuttle for a cheeper price then a cab in case you don't want to rent  a car. You would use prime time for this http://www.primetimeshuttle.com/airportshuttlelax.htm
 
Homestead LAX-Airport

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1910 E Mariposa Ave,El Segundo, CA 90245 Area: Los Angeles Airport (LAX), El Segundothey have a full kitchen here for 75 dollars a night. Its about 15-20 min from Matia's office. It is an extended stay hotell and I found it through orbitz. there is a ralphs Grocery just behid the hotell you will be able to cook while your there.if you really want to  enojoy your stay you can do a vacation rental there is usually a refund deposit this one is only 100 bucks a night for ocean view. Will be 5 min from Matia but you would have to drive about 10 min to the nearest grocrie store.http://www.vrbo.com/138445you may want to include some basic diet and water q and A most of the questions seem to be the same concerns. Sorry if i repeated myself i just dug up my  old posts.

Thank you very much for caring and starting this... I am going to see Matia for the first time in Feb and all this really helps. And thank God for Nicole! She knows a lot!Hopeful 

I am glad to help and Carol I am glad I made you laugh ;) I have so many crazy stories from when I used to live in LA. I think getting some places to eat not only in LA but wherever everyone is would be a good post to have. IF I think of any other things about LA that is helpful I will add to it.