Traveling to see Dr Goldberg

[Guest guest]

Here is a file that was updated last in 2005 that used to be routinely

and informally sent around.

It was created by parents for parents.

I'm not sure how much of it is actually current as we haven't been to

see Dr G in a few years.

We used to stay at the place on Lassen Street. Each unit was like a

mini apartment.

There used to be a place near Dr G that sold frozen meals for people

with dietary concerns.

I don't have their information anymore but they did have a website.

Perhaps a query to GFCFKids@?

When we travel to see Dr G, we fly with no stops from BWI to LAX.

We always had a 'relaxant pill' on hand just in case got nervous

(nervous = aggressive behavior).

We rented from Hertz because of the GPS. They also have a 'premier

service' that you pay extra for where the

car is ready when you arrive. There's no waiting. You find your name on

a board, locate your car and you're off!

Enjoy!

Doris

sville, MD

CONTENTS:

1. Dr. Goldberg's information

2. Places to Stay

3. Places to Eat

4. Places to Shop for Food

5. Places to Shop

6. Tips for International Travelers

7. eliminated

8. Parent Tips

9. Things to Do

Here is some information collected by parents of many of Dr. Goldberg's

patients. It is by no means an exhaustive list of places to stay, eat,

or things to do, merely a place for you to start. I've also included

some helpful hints from many of us who have made the journey to

California from great distances. We hope this makes your trip a little

bit easier.

1. Dr. Goldberg, MD, F.A.A.P

5620 Wilbur Avenue, Suite 318

Tarzana, CA 91356

(818)343-1010 (phone)

(818) 343-6585 (FAX)

office@... (e-mail)

www.neuroimmunedr.com (web site)

Directions to Dr. Goldberg's office from Topanga Canyon Blvd. (where

most of the hotels listed here are located -- check www.mapquest.com for

more directions):

2. PLACES TO STAY:

Days Inn

1-818-345-9410

Tarzana Inn

- Holiday Inn

21902 Lassen St.

Chatsworth, CA 91311

818-773-0707

Accommodations: suites including one BR/one Bath and 2 BR/2Bath

arrangements. Each suite has a living room with sofabed and fully

equipped kitchen. Features: fitness center, outdoor pool and

complimentary daily breakfast buffet. 10 minutes from Dr. Goldberg.

- Radisson (along CA27)

9777 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

818-709-7054

- Super 8 Motel (along CA27)

818-883-0240

- Warner Center Marriott

21850 Oxnard St.

Woodland Hills

818-887-4800

$169 per nigh for a twin bed Mon-Thurs, but they often have $84

Fri-Sun. Indoor pool, restaurant, mall across the street. Mc's

nearby.

- Extended Stay America

20205 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

818-710-1170

- Holiday Inn

21101 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

818-883-6110

- Red Lion Inn and Suites

On Sherman Way

- Embassy Suites

Imperial Hwy. near LAX

- Red Roof Inn

818-347-8080

7 minutes to Dr. Goldberg by car. Nice pool and whirlpool (fenced in),

free continental breakfast, onsite restaurant, free local calls,

microwave and refrigerator in room. Rates $70, $80 or $90 per night

depending on room location.

*One parent found out that any hotel will give you a free refrigerator

for your room if you say your child has allergies to certain foods.

Worth asking about.

3. PLACES TO EAT:

Many of us found most places accommodating. Just let them know in

advance that your child has a certain food intolerance and that they may

have a behavioral incident if they get that food (gluten/casein....).

Most restaurants will go out of their way to make sure your child's food

is OK for them. It's always best to call ahead and check first.

- In-N-Out Burger

North of LAX on Sepulveda

Burgers can come wrapped in lettuce and fries are GFCF

- Outback Steakhouse

18711 Devonshire Street

Northridge

(818) 366-2341

Can be a bit crowded, but the atmosphere is fun and the food is good.

Lots of " whole, plain " items like steaks and chicken served with a baked

potato and steamed broccoli, so parents can easily determine what's

actually in the food.

- 94th Aerosquadron

16340 Raymer Street (Off Woodley Avenue)

Van Nuys

(818) 994-7437

Kind of a " World War I aviation/bombed-out French Chateau " look to the

place, located next to the Van Nuys Airport.

- Market Broiler

5545 Reseda Blvd.

Tarzana

(818) 994-7437

Good plain seafood, steaks, chicken, baked potatoes, vegetables, etc. on

their menu. Very close to Dr. Goldberg's office.

- Rosie's BBQ & Grillery

9012 Tampa Avenue

Northridge

We love this place. Great salad bar with a huge selection of items,

especially good for lunch when the salad bar is also a

salad-and-sandwich bar (you can make your own sandwiches). Dinner fare

includes chicken, tri-tip, and ribs in huge portions, so you can share.

Like most family-style restaurants, the kids' menu is a nightmare,

so we just ignore that and focus on the salad bar.

- Jerry's Famous Deli

21857 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

(818) 340-0810

-or-

16650 Ventura Blvd.

Encino

(818) 906-1800

This is a best bet!!!! They have absolutely everything, will prepare it

any way you want, and are open 24 hours a day (or close to that) except

on Yom Kippur.

- Koo Koo Roo

6020 Canoga Avenue

Canoga Park

(818) 227-8055

Set up like a fast-food place, but it's healthy and wholesome food.

They specialize in chicken and turkey and have lots of salads, veggies,

and other " legal " side orders to choose from. In the fall and winter

months, one of the sides is baked yams (yum!).

- California Pizza Kitchen

18800 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana

(818) 345-9925

Very close to Dr. G. This is a chain probably everyone knows. They can

certainly do a cheeseless pizza for you (and you can bring some " mock "

Parmesan to throw on), or a pasta dish with no milk

4. PLACES TO SHOP FOR FOOD:

- Trader Joe's

17640 Burbank Blvd. (at White Oak Ave.)

Encino, CA 91316

818-990-7751

Parking is terrible at this location, but it is the closest to Dr.

Goldberg's office.

- Whole Foods Market

21347 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills, CA 91364

818-610-0000

This is a really nice store. They have lots of the types of items that

are perfect for kids, plus there is a wonderful deli and a pleasant

area to sit down and eat.

5. PLACES TO SHOP:

- Promenade at Woodland Hills

6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

- Topanga Plaza -- Westfield Shoppingtown

- 99 Cents Only Store -- just down the road from Dr. Goldberg's office.

6. TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS:

Taxis

Airport to Tarzana/ Woodland Hills area is about $60 -- 70. Plenty of

taxis around the area.

Green & White United Taxi of San Valley 1-800-290 5600

Car Rental:

All major car rentals at the airport. Disadvantage is you need to take a

shuttle van from the terminal building to the rental car depot several

blocks away.

Hertz Woodland Hills is located in the lobby of Warner Center Marriott,

Woodland Hills. You can call 1-818-999 5049 (ask for or reserve

on the Internet!

Should be other car rentals located in the area -- the hotel/inn that

you use will know the nearest.

Shuttle:

Regular hotel shuttle service (blue buses) pick-up outside the terminal

building on the middle lane concourse.

Primetime Shuttle 1-800-773-8267 & Super Shuttle 1-818-556-6600. These

two companies were about $30.

Limo service:

JOJO's limo service.

Email to and JOJO .... JOJOLIMO@...

or

PH: 1-323 - 935 5656

A Lincoln Town Car (large sedan) LAX to Woodland Hills pickups are $85.00,

And Woodland Hills to LAX pickups are $75.00.

If you are staying in Tarzana it might be a bit less.

If you wish, you may pay by check or credit card.

JO JO himself sometimes drives, he is really good, or his drivers are

very nice and helpful. They will meet you inside the LAX international

terminal, just after you have cleared customs.

Another Limo service is Carnival car and limousine service

1-800-928-2899 & 818-345-5466 www.limo1.com, about $60.

Recommendation:

An international journey from Europe, Asia Pacific etc to West Coast US

will take you from 13 -- 25 hours! You will be very tired and if it's

your first trip, quite stressed. It is also likely you came form a

country where you drive on the left with the steering wheel on the right

of the car -- you will be in no mood to tackle LA freeways after such a

long flight and on the " wrong " side of the road! While a taxi is OK --

you will be uncertain, and it is not that cheap. The Shuttle is OK but

will stop a lot at other hotels on the way and prolong the journey.

TAKE A LIMO! It is not much more than a taxi, you will be met in the

terminal, and taken to the curbside -- into the car and strait to your

hotel. Get settled and then worry about a car rental if you need it.

When leaving, do the same thing -- the last thing you need is to be

dropping off car rentals.

LA Airport

Arrival procedures are standard, little fuss. There are lines for US

citizens and lines for visitors. Once through immigration, then you go

through customs. If you are bringing in foods for special diets or any

medicines, declare them on the forms, and the customs officials will

usually hear why you/your child needs them and lee you through without

fuss. If you don't declare and you get random searched and they find

food etc then it will be aggravating. Have prescriptions and doctor

letters if at all possible.

Leaving: Allow a lot of time -- since 9-11, security measures at LA take

a lot longer. LA is an old international airport and has only two x'ray

security points -- unlike many other new international airports that

have these at every gate! You can wait up to 3 hours just to get checked

in and to your gate. If the lines are long, inform the airline check in

personal that you are traveling with a special needs child and you will

be taken to the front of the queue. Also, passport inspection and

emigration checks are done at the check in counter -- be sure that the

check in staff take your departure card that was stapled into your

passport on arrival -- it is the only record of you having left --

otherwise you will have to immediately go to the nearest US Embassy to

surrender it. If not, on your next trip to the US you will be taken

aside as having been a suspected illegal immigrant!!

7. eliminated

8. TRAVEL TIPS FROM PARENTS:

- Rental Cars -- we rented a car from HERTZ because they are the only

ones who rent cars that have a Global Positioning Service (GPS) in

them. You type in your destination and/or address OR select from a menu

and it will plot your course. You will see your mapped course on a

screen and hear when and where to turn. Ask for GPS when making

reservations.

- AAA -- you may want to think about joining AAA. We received some very

nice travel books and maps. Discounts were also good for

hotels/suites/rental cars. Check when you are making your reservation.

- Flying - many of us have found laptop computers to be extremely useful

in occupying the kids, and many airlines provide special meals for

different diets -- ask when you make your reservations. If you cannot

afford airline tickets, please check out information at

www.unlockingautism.org or AutismAwakening@...

9. THINGS TO DO:

- Universal City Walk -- connected to Universal City. Lots of shops.

- Disneyland, Downtown Disney and Disney's California Adventure Park --

http://disneyland.com -- crowded, accommodating eating places hard to find.

- Legoland -- AAA discounts, nice place to eat

- Hollywood Ripley's Believe It of Not! Museum

Guinness World of Records Museum

- Beverly Hills

- Burbank NBC Studio Tours

Warner Bros. Studio Tour http://www.studio-tour.com

- San Diego

- San Diego Wild Animal Park

http://www.wildanimalpark.org

- Sea World Adventure Park

http://www.seaworld.com AAA discount, nice place to eat.

- San Diego Zoo

- Sony Picture Studios

Culver City, CA

323-520-TOUR

- La Brea Tar Pits

5801 Wilshire Blvd.

323-934-7243A

- Kidspace Museum

390 El Molino Ave.

Pasadena, CA

(626) 494-9144

A wonderful place with hands-on exhibits and activities. The kids will

have a blast here! BTW, if there's a long line, if you tell them your

child has a dx of " autism " , they'll let you in first.

- Descanso Gardens

www.descanso.com

1418 Descanso Drive

La Canada, CA (near Glendale, about 25 minutes from Dr. G)

(818) 952-4401

- Adventure City

10120 Beach Blvd.

Anaheim, CA

(714) 236-9300

A miniature amusement park designed for smaller children; all but one

ride can accomodate adults, though, so everyone can ride together. Set

up like a mini city with petting zoo, train ride, 9 other rides, an

arcade, and a HUGE layout right when you walk in! About an hour

from Tarzana.

- Pacific Park

At the Santa Pier, at the end of Colorado Blvd. in Santa ,

about 30 minutes from Tarzana. Call (310) 260-8744 or go to

www.pacificpark.com. for information. Admission is free. For rides, you

can buy ticket books or " unlimited ride " wrist bands - a really great

value. Besides the amusement park, the pier is lots of fun. There's a

lot to see and things are happening there all the time. Plus there's the

beach! The only caveat I would give is that it can get very crowded on

weekends...better to go during the week.

Other stuff -

- Japanese Garden at the C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant

6100 Woodley Avenue

Van Nuys

(818) 756-8166

Right next to Woodley Park, about 10 minutes from Dr. G.. Just a lovely

place to stop, very beautiful and peaceful.

- Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.

Topanga, CA

(310) 455-3723

A scenic outdoor amphitheater in the Santa Mountains. 25 minutes

from Tarzana. They're known for presenting Shakespeare and similar fare,

but every Sunday through October 27th, at 11 a.m. there is a " Family

Funday " kids' show.

- Los Angeles Arboretum

301 N. Baldwin Avenue

Arcadia, CA

(626) 821-3222

About a 45-minute drive from Tarzana. A huge, beautiful park with

strolling peacocks, many different gardens, a waterfall, a lake, etc.

www.arboretum.org.

Parks within 10 minutes of Dr. Goldberg's office

- Lake Balboa

6300 Balboa Blvd.

Van Nuys, CA 91406

(818) 756-9743

Fishing, paddleboats, wild birds (ducks, geese, mudhens, herons,

pelicans) to feed, unenclosed playground (close to water - MUST keep an

eye on the kids!!)

- Woodley Park

Woodley Avenue and Victory Blvd.

Van Nuys, CA 91411

After checking out the playground, get back into the car and drive about

1/4 mile east, where you'll find additional parking and a shady rock

grotto that is perfect for a picnic. There's also path that leads into a

wildlife reserve where you can see exotic waterfowl. Feeding the birds

is not allowed here.

- Reseda Park

Corner of Reseda and Victory Blvds.

Reseda, CA

(818) 881-3882

Just a nice and shady older park. There's a pond that attracts lots of

ducks and geese that you can feed. The enclosed playground is on the

Victory Blvd. side of the park.

- Serrania Park

20864 Wells Drive

Woodland Hills, Ca 91364

I love this park. The playground is completely enclosed, but not a lot

of shade, so if you visit during the summer, it's better in the early

evening. There's a huge, sloping grassy play area bordered by trees, and

hiking trails, too.

- Hansen Dam Aquatic Center

11798 Foothill Blvd.

Lakeview Terrace, CA 91342

(818) 899-3779

This is a huge complex that simulates a beach - complete with sand - but

the water is actually a huge, chlorinated swimming pool that you " wade "

into as if you were walking into a lake or ocean (no waves, though),

with the deepest part (about 3 and 1/2 feet) in the center rather than

one end at the other. There are lifeguards on duty everywhere. There's

also another lake adjacent, which is for boating.

- Tarzana Recreation Center

5655 Vanalden Avenue

Tarzana, CA 91356

(818) 343-5946

Just a pleasant little park with an enclosed playground, literally

around the corner from Dr. G.

- Griffith Park

4730 Crystal Springs Dr.

L.A. CA 90027

(213) 485-5501 OR (323) 9134688

This is where you hit the mother lode! Griffith Park is the largest city

park in the world. It is about a 20 - 35 minute drive from Dr.

Goldberg's office, depending what attraction you visit. Call the main

phone number to get exact directions, hours of operation, etc. Here's a

partial list of things to do in Griffith Park:

- Shane's Inspiration Boundless Playground

The best playground in L.A.! Designed to accomodate both able-bodied and

kids with physical challenges. Call the main number for directions.

- Los Angeles Zoo

5333 Zoo Drive

L.A. CA 90027

(323) 644-6400

Great zoo, with a brand new petting zoo, too. Call for admission

prices...very reasonable.

- Griffith Observatory

(323) 664-5874

Lots of great exhibits. Free admission (I think. Best to check.)

- Travel Town and L.A. Live Steamers

A kid's dream!!! Travel Town is a vintage train museum in a park

setting. There are lots of locomotives for the kids to climb on and

explore, plus a small train ride that goes around the perimeter. There's

also an observation room where you can watch model train hobbyists do

their thing, plus a gift shop that stocks tons of stuff.

- L.A. Live Steamers is next to Travel Town. It's only open on Sundays

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but it's worth it if you have a chance to see

it. These are ride-on (you straddle them) miniature locomotives. Some

are steam operated, and others are propane. They take you on a

wonderful, 15 minute through all kinds of " terrain " and train lore.

There's no admission fee for either of these (although donations are

appreciated) and lots of fun.

- Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage

Across from the L.A. Zoo. May not be the best for kids, but a great

museum nonetheless.

- Griffith Southern Railroad (small train) and Pony Rides

(323) 664-6788 (Train)

(323) 664-3266 (Ponies)

Plus Griffith Park has hiking trails, and equestrian center, an outdoor

theatre, and more.

For more information on parks and recreational centers, visit

www.laparks.org

Other fun and inexpensive things to do:

- The Gentle Barn

6050 Corbin Avenue

Tarzana, CA 91356

(818) 705-5477

www.gentlebarn.org

This is the sweetest petting zoo. There are 80 rescued animals here and

children are really encouraged to " get to know " them, including feeding,

brushing, petting, and other activities. The staff is experienced in

working with special needs children, too.

- The Farm

8101 Tampa Avenue

Reseda, Ca

(818) 341-6805 (recording)

(818) 341-6321 (weekends)

Open on weekends. Petting zoo and pony rides, about 10 minutes from Dr.

G. Admission is $3 per person; pony rides are $2.50 extra.

For hot weather or rain:

- Under the Sea (Two locations near Dr. G):

20929 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills, CA

(818) 999-1533

19620 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA

(818) 772-7003

A great " indoor playground " with an undersea theme. Equipment includes

jungle gyms and slides, playhouses, " Little Tykes " cars, a jumpy house,

gymnastic mats, stuff to climb through, roll around in, etc. Very cool

and great to work off those sensory issues when you can't go to a park.

There's a $6.00 per child admission fee and everyone must wear socks.

- Fun Town

18411 Sherman Way

Reseda, CA

(818) 776-8309

A really unique indoor playground. Lots of play equipment (slides,

jungle gyms, etc.), but it's laid out like a little town with a pretend

police station, library, grocery store, hospital, beauty salon, park,

post office, etc. Lots of opportunities to engage in " Pretend Play " with

your kiddos in addition to running, bouncing and jumping. $6.00 per

child admission and socks required.

- Corbin Bowl

19616 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, Ca 91356

(818) 996-2695

If your kids like bowling (mine does), this bowling alley is right down

the street from Dr. G. It's been here in the San practically

forever, (but it does have computerized scorekeeping). It's a good idea

to give them a call to make sure there are lanes available and that

there are no leagues playing at the same time you want to come.

- Pages Books

18399 Ventura Blvd. #15

Tarzana, CA

(818) 342-6657

A few blocks from Dr. G.'s office. A unique bookstore for children and

young adults that has ongoing activities (storytime, " Tunes and Tales " ,

crafts, etc.). www.pagesbooksforchildren.com.

Whew! And there's more, but most of it is farther away and I thought it

best to stick to places that are under an hour away.

Special thanks to Doris, Donna, and for all their hard work

gathering information!