TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL PARK - BASEBALL TICKETS
Don't come out to the West Coast without taking in a game of baseball.
It's the national sport and to understand it is to understand a lot of what makes America.
Los Angeles has two teams, the Dodgers and the Angels (technically in Anaheim, just outside LA).
The regular season runs from April until October and there are games almost every night of the week.
Ticket availability can depend on the game, weekends being particulalry popular.
Your first port of call for tickets should be the official websites. There's also a pretty neat feature which allows you to see a photograph from the seat you are trying to purchase.
As a quick rule, the more expensive tickets offer the best view. However, the cheaper seats can often have the best crowd atmosphere.
Dodgers: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/
Angels: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/
Both sites offer an exchange that allows season ticket holders to sell seats to games they can't make. You shouldn't look to pay more for a ticket than the regular official price.
If that doesn't work try www.stubhub.com, which offers the same sort of service.
There are other ways and means but for the uninitiated the risk probably isn't worth the couple of bucks you might save.
Not all foreign credit cards will work on the official website. It has something to do with whether your bank has a partnership with a US bank. Stubhub will - I tried it myself. It may mean a phone call and if they tell you it wont work insist. It does, believe me!
If you don't understand the game of baseball, don't be afraid to ask the person you are sitting next to what's going on. Californian people are generally exceptionally friendly and love nothing more than talking about baseball.
And it's as much about the atmosphere at the stadium as the game itself!
