u/Interesting-Two-8275

I will be visiting LA in June for a week with my teenage son. I would appreciate any recommendations on what we must see or do, but also what we shoud skip or avoid.

Our current plan is the following:

Day 1 - arrival early evening, Santa Monica peer, short beach walk

Day 2 - Universal studios, Griffith observatory

Day 3 - Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Rodeo drive

Day 4 - Joshua Tree

Day 5 - San Diego

Day 6 - Downtown LA

Day 7 - Disneyland

Day 8 - easy morning, departure in the evening

My main doubt is whether to spend less time in theme parks to have more time for the city. Another doubt is whether it is worth it to visit Sequoia rather than Joshua Tree considering the driving distance?