Here would be my picks for Friday night:

1. Beaches in Manhattan Beach; IIRC Beaches has a Happy Hour M-F as well on drinks/food (although not sure if it's a full meal).

2 Proud Bird near LAX (Tina's detailed it above);

3. Pancho's (Mexican) in Manhattan Beach-another FT hangout;

The advantage of Beaches over the others is it's at the Manhattan Beach pier/beach overlooking the ocean w/ great views (you want SoCal beach life, you got it ), and IIRC it too has a Happy Hour M-F (not sure if full meals or appetizers). Beaches does serve full meals; I just don't know if they're included in the happy hour deal. Since it's in downtown Manhattan Beach, you can go to several other bars/restaurants/shops within a 2-block walk in any direction. Beaches has 2 levels. The downstairs bar where the Happy Hour stuff is, and then upstairs another bar and a restaurant.

My vote would be for Beaches for the reasons mentioned above & because some of the folk are coming in from out of town, & it would give them a chance to experience SoCal beach life. Not to mention for some of the 'locals' who don't really get to MB.

TrojanHorse, the free shuttle is called the "Ocean Express" & it runs along Century Blvd to downtown Manhattan Beach (cute red trolley looking thing). All the hotels in 'hotel row' have the schedule. Just ask the belldesk or front desk & they'll give you the booklet.

Just for general information as long as we're talking free shuttles from the airport area, the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo also does a regular Manhattan Beach run w/ its shuttle bus. So if someone is staying there they can get over to MB as well for free. I 'think' both the Ocean Express & HGI shuttle stop off at the Manhattan Village Mall as well, which has shops (duh), restaurants, & a movie theatre.

Cheers.

Edited to add: newself lives in Long Beach so if he's around I'm sure he'd join folk there. But he rarely reads Community so someone would need to PM him.