California - One Day In Los Angeles, What To Do?

Hi All,

I'll be in LA for the afternoon of February 13 and am interested in getting-out and seeing some of the sites. I have a few questions.

1. I will be staying at an LAX hotel and want to see the real touristy things like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater. How should I get there?

2. Where else might I want to consider visiting?

I have never been outside the airport and am interested in seeing a few things, but the big constraint is going to be transportation as I do not want to rent a car.

Thanks!

Why don't you want to rent a car? It will be by far the cheapest and most flexible mode of transportation unless you want to brave the bus system.

QL

You can take a bus from LAX to downtown Union Station and from there use the rail system. I think it was recently expanded to Hollywood area. You might do a google search for red line/green line LA or look at http://ts.scag.ca.gov which will help you with routing.

You may want to including a show taping such as Jay Leno or Wheel of Fortune or a studio tour. Look at http://www.seeing-stars.com for some ideas.

Or, you might just take an organized bus tour to see the highlights.

[This message has been edited by cecelia (edited 02-05-2003).]

If you only have an afternoon, you may want to rethink going to Hollywood area from LAX, as travel time via taxi (expensive), bus or rental car will be long, especially in rush hour. Consider staying on the west side of town. The Getty Museum, in addition to being a cool museum, is on a mountain/hill & has fabulous views from downtown to Catalina Island. There's also the Santa Monica area & pier. Also, the LA County Museum of Art has a special John Singer Sargent & Ansel Adams exhibit. There's also Venice & Manhattan Beach, both of which are fun beach cities. And get a rental car; it's the easiest & fastest thing to do. If you still want to do the tourist Hollywood thing, get a rental car.

Hope that you reconsider... Hollywood, and it;s environs and attractions wlll be a disappointment. As a native Angeleno, this is what I would suggest: 1. Rent a car. 2. If you are not comfortable renting a car, then suggest calling your hotel and arranging for a driver (not a limo, just a regular car). 3. From LAX, it is a short hop to Venice beach. Take a good walk and enjoy the beach, scenery and life. 4. From there, drive up the coast and marvel at our Southern California coastline. When you come to Topanga Canyon, drive across the canyon to the San Fernando Valley and enjoy the sweeping vistas. You'll find yourself, ultimately, on the 101--take it to the 405 North, and go to the Getty.Even if you have no interest in
art, it is well worth the visit (again, it's about the sweeping vistas). After the Getty, there are many options, as you will be on the westside of town. You can check the shopping in Beverly Hills, buy a map giving directions to "homes of the stars." go to Montana Avenue in Santa Monica (and probably see stars. Have a cocktail on the terrace of the Hotel Bel Air on Stone Canyon Road. You'll be surrounded by swans (both, human and avian).

Originally posted by PresRDC:

"1. I will be staying at an LAX hotel and want to see the real touristy things like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater. How should I get there?"

Since you want to do the touristy things like Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theater, etc. and you don't want to rent a car, you can book a tour at the concierge desk.

When I stayed at the Radisson Lax hotel, they had information about a tour to those places plus the Hollywood mansions. I think that the places and prices depend on the hotel or the tour company. They pick you up and of course return you to the hotel. I imagine that you can do this from most Lax hotels.

Don't forget about Universal Studios. While you won't be able to see the whole thing in one afternoon it is a great experience if you've never seen it before.

If you are a car buff, consider the Peterson Automotive Museum.