I was in the same exact situation last week. I was in LA for work and wanted to go play some cards, had never done it at a casino before. I went to the Hustler and they have a $1-$2 game. Minimum buy in is $50 and max is $100. I bought in for $100 and left with $185. Everyone was nice and were patient with me.
I heard the commerce is nice too, it's a huge poker room.