California - Is it worth to make use of the 24h-rule?

On my next trip I will probably transfer in LAX. I have never been to LA and was thinking about making use of the <24h transfer rule for international flights. Is it worth to make use of that rule and stay less than 24 hours in the city to get at least a first impression of it or should I just take the next plane out of LAX. In case I stay I would rely on public transportation.
Thanks.

If you >do< decide to stay in Los Angeles, I would recommend that you rent a car, instead of relying on public transportation. It's slow enough WITH a car to get around.

24 hours? You can taste plenty of LA :) I particularly like this post on craigslist... http://losangeles.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/14465916.html

Are you planning on sleeping or just staying up for 24hrs? What time are you arriving? What are your interests? More info would be great. But in general - do NOT rely on public transport. First of all there is nothing except buses, cabs and hotel shuttles from LAX (the Metro green line is the nearest rail I think, but you woudl have to take a bus or cab to get to it). Wherever you may go is going to require at least a half hour to get there (unless you just want to visit a bar or strip club on Century Blvd) by car. Triple via public tranportation.

The airport is near the beaches, not near a lot of what people think of as L.A. (Hollywood, Beverly Hills, studios, museums, etc). That is not to say that you can't do those things but it is not like some cities where the general tourist spots are near the airport, or there is easy public tranportation to get to those things. Give us some more info on your travel plans and we'll try to help...

Thanks aaronma and kef0913,

I guess I have to get rid of my european assumption that you can use public transportation in every major city efficiently :)

I'm just in a stage of rough planning for september and plan to book within the next weeks. I'll ask then if I have more detailed questions...

its ample enough time to see the major sites in LA, but like they said, rental cars arec cheap and the best way just GAs is a little pricey