Originally Posted by Fliar
Just a thought - I remember a thread some time ago where it was recommended to take a (short) taxi ride to a beach or seaside place not far from the aiport, even for stopovers of only 4 hours or so.
That may have been me, as it is certainly what I did. I booked the LAX Westin for about $US45 (and on another trip the Sheraton Gateway LAX for about $US30) using Priceline and used them as a base for showering etc. With a child I would definetly do this - the Westin had one of the nicer hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. Beverley Hills is about a $US25-30 taxi ride from LAX, and Santa Monica more like $US15-20. Both have [plenty of shopping options, although Santa Monica may be more family friendly.
With an 8 hour stopover you can spend 3 hours at the hotel, 3 hours sightseeing/shopping and still have 2 hours back at LAX.