I'm (25M) planning a trip to L.A. and I have everything I want to do roughly planned out and luckily most of the attractions are close to each other at least relatively. Things like the Santa Monica Pier/Venice Beach area, the Hollywood sign and the Observatory. The only thing I want to do that's really out of the way is Six Flags.

I thought about public transit because the subway system seems uncomplicated at least in comparison to other cities like NYC. Although I thought maybe I should rent a car if I want to go to Six Flags because it didn't seem like there were a lot of buses or anything else that goes there? I'd prefer not to just Uber everywhere.

Also should I pick a hotel near LAX or downtown itself? It seems like most of the listings are near those two places but I want to know which one is more recommended. If there's a lot of random stuff to do in the downtown area like shopping and eating then I'll do that, but if not, hotels near LAX for convenience?

Any input would be great.