espite its flashy image and its residents' reputation for conspicuous consumption, Los Angeles is not an especially expensive city either to live in or visit. You'll spend far more for comparable accommodations and dining in other gay tourism meccas, such as San Francisco, Miami, and New York.

So before you rule out a big-city adventure as your next budget-minded vacation idea, give some thought to this sunny Southern Californian hub of trendy queer nightclubs, late-night diners and taco stands, and retro-chic motels.

You can immediately save a few bucks during your visit by carefully considering the pluses and minuses of renting a car. Some will say a car is a non-negotiable fact of life in L.A., but if you're staying at a hotel in West Hollywood, it's possible to get to gay bars, popular restaurants, and great shopping places on foot - relying for longer trips on the occasional cab or even a city bus (which tourists almost never use). Even if you do rent wheels, car-rental rates are reasonable here, and parking at most hotels, malls, and restaurants is similarly low-priced, even if you use valet parking (which, by the way, is mandatory at many businesses).

Another money-saving idea is to choose one of the several affordable and pleasant motels throughout the city, many of them dating to the '40s and '50s and without any recognizable chain affiliation. Such establishments can be dodgy, but, if in doubt, stick with properties that have earned approval from the American Automobile Association or Mobile Guide. If you don't mind staying somewhere that looks a bit like the place the Ricardos and Mertzes nested in during their foray into Hollywood on I Love Lucy, this is the way to go.

Arguably the best - and trendiest - of these old-school motels is the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel, which attracts all manner of visitors - fashionable (but low-budget) Gen-Xers, as well as families, queers, and budding actors.

Its kitsched-out, on-site Swingers Diner, a genuine coffee shop, draws poseurs galore. Cheap plastic chairs lend a sufficiently downcast aesthetic. The otherwise mundane diner fare is infused with funky flavors - ever try jalapeno maple syrup on your pancakes?

The Beverly Laurel lies a 10-minute drive south of West Hollywood, and it's just minutes from L.A.'s endearingly quirky Farmer's Market. Here you can cruise the countless market stalls and eateries for fresh, inexpensive groceries and snacks. And don't miss KoKoMo, a deco-style diner with an eclectic New American menu. Breakfast with huevos rancheros (eggs with smoked-tomato salsa), stargaze a little, and return later for a Japanese eggplant sandwich or a plate heaped with applewood-smoked-chicken salad. The coffeecake here is the best in the city.

To be within steps of the city's top gay and lesbian bars, you'll want to stay in West Hollywood, as close to Santa Monica Boulevard as possible. Here, the Holloway Motel is another retro property, in this case with a notably queer following. It's a small place on the fringe of West Hollywood's gay entertainment district and offers a few suites with kitchenettes.

Although rates have crept up over the years, the fabulous Ramada West Hollywood is still one of the best values in the area, especially when you consider the stylish art deco furnishings, the huge suites with sleeping lofts (and kitchenettes), and the great location. It happens that the only Palm Springs-style gay resort in the city, West Hollywood's San Vicente Inn Resort, has rates that fall well below those of most nearby hotels. This is the quintessential fun-in-the-sun spread, complete with foliage-choked lanai and buffed and in-the-buff men lying around a pool.

Breakfast is a major meal in Los Angeles, and a number of West Hollywood eateries draw a steady stream of health-minded and handsome gay folks for this morning ritual. There's always a scene at French Quarter Market, an attractive spot with New Orleans decor and plenty of outdoor seating; it's attached to a small shopping mall with several gay-oriented businesses. Other breakfast devotees prefer Basix in the morning, as well as later, for a full meal or one of its rich coffees; the California-Italian cuisine is healthy and affordable, and there's plenty of sidewalk and terrace seating.

If you're looking for a perfect date place with imaginative and sophisticated northern Italian and California fare at surprisingly down-to-earth prices, look no further than Mark's, a romantic West Hollywood restaurant (with a similarly popular cousin in Laguna Beach). The menu changes monthly but might feature butternut squash and marscapone cheese lasagna or a salad of figs, baby beets, wild arugula, radicchio, and a toasted-almond-and-blackberry vinaigrette.

The less-than-inspired name and borderline fast-food setting keep many people from trying Tacos Tacos. But that's a shame, because the straightforward Mexican food here is spicy, delicious, and inexpensive. Sweet-corn tamales, chicken enchiladas, and the several varieties of salsa (try the smoky roasted tomatillo version) are all excellent choices. (Part of the film The Opposite of Sex was filmed here, too.) Considerably more romantic and chic, the WeHo branch of the gay-frenzied Silver Lake restaurant Cobalt Cantina is a hot spot for cocktails and excellent Cal-Mex fare.

Speaking of which, Silver Lake and neighboring Los Feliz are terrific neighborhoods for exploring - you'll also find that the several gay bars in Silver Lake tend to offer cheaper drinks than those in West Hollywood, and a number of folks prefer that neighborhood's zero-attitude club scene. The area has a number lively, gay-popular, and affordable restaurants.

Close by the museums, spectacular vistas, and cruisy hiking trails at Griffith Park, you'll find Fred 62, a whimsically decorated diner known for its corn dogs and addictive homemade toaster tarts. A few doors down, Palermo was long known for the free cups of wine it dispensed to customers while they waited for their tables - a tradition that died recently after city bureaucrats demanded that the restaurant charge a nominal fee for the wine or forfeit its liquor license. It's still a great place for cheap pizzas and rich red-sauce Italian fare that's not especially imaginative but won't leave you unfulfilled. Another nearby legend, which has branches all around Los Angeles, is Zankou Chicken, famous for Middle Eastern-spiced and marinated rotisserie chicken and garlicky falafel platters.

For reasonably priced digs near Santa Monica's fabulous shops, restaurants, beaches, and pier, try the 1925 Hotel Carmel, a clean and comfortable place popular with Euro-tourists. A favorite eatery in these parts is Rose Cafe, with an eclectic crowd and a healthy menu that includes great swordfish tacos and excellent baked goods. A Venice tradition, Van Go's Ear is a 24-hour cafe with a '60s ambience and a very today sense of humor: All the dishes are named after shamed or fallen celebrities, such as Freddie Prinze huevos rancheros and Dana Plato French toast. Brunching dykes are a fixture here.

Whether you hang out by the sand and sea of Venice and Santa Monica or among West Hollywood's see-and-be-seen crowd, there's no reason you can't live it up in Los Angeles without racking up a small fortune in credit card debt.