Overall, I am glad I chose this race as my first half marathon; it was a great way to run through Los Angeles, a city I grew up in, and experience it in a new way. There are a couple of steep hills, particularly around miles 10-12, but nothing some light hill training can't fix (which you should be doing anyway if you're training for a half!). Parking is expensive, since it starts at LA Live ($15 to $20, depending where you choose to park). Better to take a Lyft or even public transportation.
I was extremely disappointed in the Expo - the swag was limited and the expo didn't have many vendors. I took 10 minutes to go through it and didn't purchase a single thing. I really liked the tech T that was provided to all participants, though!
Again, it was a great experience! If you register early, there is a HUGE discount. We only paid $60 per registrant.