Los Angeles - LAX overnight Thanksgiving night

I'm going to be overnighting at LAX Thanksgiving night. We should arrive at 1:30 pm and leave early next morning. I've overnighted at LAX once and the area seemed really awful. So, suggestions for a hotel for the night and a place to have Thanksgiving dinner. I'd prefer not to rent a car.
Thanks

You can still stay in the LAX area, catch the Ocean Express Trolley down to Manhattan Beach and enjoy a sunset dinner. Lots of good places to eat down there, but I would make a reservation since it's Thanks Giving.

http://www.gatewaytola.org/index.cfm/programs/ocean-express/

Last return from Manhattan is at 9pm, or take a Taxi back.

$5 return trip per person.

Great idea! Thanks!

You can also take the Big Blue Bus #3 to Santa Monica from LAX Bus Center or from bus stops on Century/Airport Blvd (across the street from Westin or in front of Marriott). $1 each way. Buses will be running on Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving day.

Same concept as going to Manhattan Beach except you ride a real bus that runs more frequently in the afternoon and early evening than the gimmicky trolly that only runs every 30 minutes. It also runs late into the night (last bus leaving Santa Monica 11:45 pm) so if your dinner runs late, you are not stuck with a cab.

The selection of restaurants in Downtown Santa Monica is more diverse than Manhattan Beach, although both are good places.

http://www.bigbluebus.com/pdf/Route3.pdf

Thanks!

Same concept as going to Manhattan Beach except you ride a real bus that runs more frequently in the afternoon and early evening than the gimmicky trolly that only runs every 30 minutes

BB Bus takes too long (45mins) from LAX Hotels, drivers are no help and hard to find the return stop.

Santa Monica is a Tourist area (almost, if not Hollyweird) I wouldn't go there after dark due to the homeless.

The Trolley prvides a service, it's not a "Gimmick"

Santa Monica is a Tourist area (almost, if not Hollyweird) I wouldn't go there after dark due to the homeless.


As a life-long frequenter of Santa Monica's business and tourist districts, I would take exception to this. While there is a significant homeless population in the city, they are IMO more passive then in most places. This is because city services are relatively homeless friendly vs. most jurisdictions. Also since the city recognizes the importance of tourism, they tend to keep the homeless from harassing visitors. "After dark" in a place like the Third Street Promendate shopping district on most nights you will see homeless people, but they are practically invisible since there are so many tourists, local residents, and law enforcement personnel around.

There are parts of Santa Monica that common sense tells you to avoid in the middle of the night (around Olympic or Pico), but overall it is a safe city.

BB Bus takes too long (45mins) from LAX Hotels, drivers are no help and hard to find the return stop.

Santa Monica is a Tourist area (almost, if not Hollyweird) I wouldn't go there after dark due to the homeless.

The Trolley prvides a service, it's not a "Gimmick"

LOL. When was the last time you were in Santa Monica "after dark"? I guess I'm taking life into my own hand every time I take the wife to dinner there. So are all the people that live there in that dangerous 'hood where a small condo cost over $1 million.

Bus stop is extremely easy to find because the entire Downtown area is a transit plaza. You can board #3 bus on every block along 4th street in Downtown.

The trolley does provide a service but a gimmicky one. 30 minute headway on a bus is pretty useless and it stops running before most people finish eating dinner. The city bus provides a better service and cheaper too.

Go to MB or HB its much closer and you won't run into the megalopolis of homeless people that you will in SM

MB and HB will give you more access to beach front establishments too and isn't as geared toward the sucker tourist

take a cab at least on the way back. It will be a 10-15 minute ride and $25-30 beans

stay and extra day or two and catch the beatdown that USC gives ND at the coliseum on Saturday night of Thanksgiving weekend :D

As a life-long frequenter of Santa Monica's business and tourist districts, I would take exception to this. While there is a significant homeless population in the city, they are IMO more passive then in most places. This is because city services are relatively homeless friendly vs. most jurisdictions. Also since the city recognizes the importance of tourism, they tend to keep the homeless from harassing visitors. "After dark" in a place like the Third Street Promendate shopping district on most nights you will see homeless people, but they are practically invisible since there are so many tourists, local residents, and law enforcement personnel around.

There are parts of Santa Monica that common sense tells you to avoid in the middle of the night (around Olympic or Pico), but overall it is a safe city.

+1. Craig6z is exactly right. There are some wonderful hotels in S.M. which will be offering Thanksgiving dinner.

...Santa Monica is a Tourist area (almost, if not Hollyweird) I wouldn't go there after dark due to the homeless...

In the 10 years that I've been reading FT, this is by far the most ridiculous post I've come across.

Asuka, you list LAX as one of your locatons - so you actually live here and hold that view of Santa Monica? :confused:

I frequent Santa Monica at night every night, pretty much because I live here. I wouldn't consider it scary at all, even walking by the beach at night.

The only time I've been on extra guard at night was walking around the Venice beach area around 11pm, but all the loud folks staring at us pretty much left us alone, so maybe I was just not used to it.

The promenade is about as safe as you can be, or Main Street if you want something less "touristy."

I have only been physically assaulted once in my adult life, and it was by a homeless person in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade.

I was crossing 3rd at Wilshire when I heard a man shout profanities from the sidewalk on the far side. I snapped my head to see what was the commotion and mistakenly made eye contact with him. He leaped up from a sitting position and sprinted halfway across the street to throw a punch at me.

Asuka, you list LAX as one of your locations - so you actually live here and hold that view of Santa Monica? :confused:

I own property in Hermosa Beach, given the US laws, I can only spend 1/2 a year there at a time, wish it was more.

I still hold the view that Santa Monica is not safe for tourist.

SM is a Tourist trap, everyone knows it.

I was in the Santa Monica area for work and went down to the bach area on the weekends. I was fine...never had any trouble.

What absurd comments about Santa Monica a) as just a tourist trap and b) not being safe to walk around. Lots of locals go out in Santa Monica every night - even the 3rd St. Promenade area. And as long as you take the same common sense precautions as you would anywhere else - NYC and Melbourne for example - you will be fine.

Back to the original question, one year I had my parents stay at the Sheraton Delfina while visiting over Thanksgiving. My wife and i usually go out for something other than Turkey for our holiday meal, and had planned to do the same that year. But last minute my mother insisted on a traditional meal and said the restaurant at the hotel was doing a full Turkey dinner. Reluctantly we agreed to eat there - but turned out to be an excellent meal. Shockingly good. With your itinerary you could easily cab to/from the Delfina and have a little time to walk down to the beach before dinner. Would call the hotel to confirm if they still do the Thansgiving fixed price dinner?

Another option might be to look at the hotels near Howard Hughes Promenade and Westfield Century City. These would include the Four Points Sheraton, Courtyard, and Doubetree (I think all Culver City). I believe they have airport shuttles, and there are several restaurants that should b open on Thanksgiving like Marie Cellendar's Grill.

What absurd comments about Santa Monica a) as just a tourist trap and b) not being safe to walk around. Lots of locals go out in Santa Monica every night - even the 3rd St. Promenade area. And as long as you take the same common sense precautions as you would anywhere else - NYC and Melbourne for example - you will be fine.

This is not NY or Melbourne, it's SM, while most of us have traveled, there are the people who come to SM for the first time.

What is Absurd is that you don't believe the area as being violent

I live here and do not experience Santa Monica as violent.

There are 90,000 residents living in Santa Monica and 6.7 million visitors per year. In the past year there have been approx 400 violent crimes (assault, robbery, etc). That makes the per capita rate 4.42 per 1000, which is the California average as well. Cannot find a resident vs. tourist breakout, but would guess the incidents of violent crime against tourists is very low. Will give you that Hermosa Beach's per capita violent crime rate is about 1/2 of Santa Monica. But the majority of tourists make here and enjoy a very safe visit.

I live here and do not experience Santa Monica as violent.


I too live here in Santa Monica. I'm sure there are shadier parts of Santa Monica, like perhaps around parts of Lincoln, but I have never heard of Santa Monica as being described as violent before this thread. I suppose it also depends on one's own tolerance.

I would say the promenade is safe and touristy and there are a lot of people everywhere, but if anyone is afraid of some anecdotes of violence here, then don't visit if that puts you too much out of your comfort zone. There are many parts to LA that's not Santa Monica, and we already get enough tourist dollars. :)

Hermosa Beach is nice, too. I also like that area.

This is not NY or Melbourne, it's SM, while most of us have traveled, there are the people who come to SM for the first time.

What is Absurd is that you don't believe the area as being violent

What is absurd is that you continue to say something this outrageous without a hint of irony :rolleyes:

We can read between the line... People like you use words like "homeless" to dog whistle about minorities. You don't like ethnically mixed areas. But that doesn't make it "violent".

This is not NY or Melbourne, it's SM, while most of us have traveled, there are the people who come to SM for the first time.

What is Absurd is that you don't believe the area as being violent

Depends what one considers in the category "violent." Yes, it's part of a major urban area and yes, there is crime, but someplace to avoid? Even someone visiting for the first time would likely know that as part of a major city (essentially part of the City of Los Angeles, even though legally separate; and part of the county), it's not some oasis completely unlike other urgan areas. Many tourists stay in areas that, depending on the neighborhoodk could be even riskier (e.g., central Hollywood). I wouldn't label Santa Monica as violent unless you consider anyplace with any violent crime, in any neighborhood at any hour, as violent. We stayed in central Westwood and walked around at night. But there is crime there and one needs to be careful. Ditto for every other area. As we did recently while staying in Sacramento, San Francisco, Washington and Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario. We've also stayed near LAX, and I've seen posts on this and other sites calling it a hotbed of gang activity and vagrants. And we survived! I've traveled in over 40 different countries, and am currently in Brazil, and am far from naive about the dangers of crime.