This maybe is trivial of me but Mrs. Fletch and I are very concerned about arriving at LAX this Friday at 4:40pm. I want to make the tranistion from the Plane to I-405 go as smoothly as possible. I plan to take whatever car No #1 has waiting and go get in line for the 8 mile, 2-hour, trip up to W. Hollywood.

Flying in on USAir. I know that Hertz is on-site but from there I'm lost.
Do I go to baggage claim? Do I shuttle?
Any advice on getting out of the airport and quickly onto the interstate?

Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom on this.

You'll go to baggage claim level and proceed outside to the island. Look above for the islands labeled as shuttles (purple IIRC) and take the 5 min ride to Hz.

When you exit with your car, turn right out of the lot and then left at the 1st light. Turn left again at the light at Century Blvd. I-405 is a ways up on your right. Heading N, you'll take the on-ramp after you pass under 405.

LMK if you need further notes ...

GMF

Question re the shuttle to Hertz: Is there any assistance with your luggage or do you have to get it all into the shuttle by yourself?

Tune your car radio to KNX 1070AM for traffic every 6 minutes, or KFWB 980AM (providing los Doyers are idle) for "traffic on the ones".

If I-405 North is a mess, use the parallel surface street, Sepulveda Blvd.

I think your on your own with the Bags but thats based on my personal exp. and I usually throw my bags up there before they would even have a chance to ask.

Defnitely! And if 405 is a mess north of the city, consider taking I-10 West to the PCH (Pacific Coast Hiway) to Topanga Canyon and then crossing over to 101 east into N Hollywood. I know this is a bit out of the way, but sometimes it's quicker - especially at rush hour. If your car has any handling performance, you'll definitely enjoy Topanga Canyon!

GMF

Most of the drivers will offer assistance to those who look like they need it. I've never seen them turn down someone who asked for assistance.

GMF

When isn't the I-405 a mess. Best bet is La Brea or La Cienega into West Hollywood. I'm not exactly sure of how to get there, but you can check the map.

Good Luck!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I think I'll head up 405N and listen to the radio while I get settled-in, and then exit onto a side streets.

Great stuff.

Unless you like to drive even longer in LA traffic (or you really want to hit that McDonalds on Century ) I'd suggest an alternate routing:

1) When you exit the Hertz lot, turn right (onto Arbor Vitae)
2) Take immediate right at the light (onto Airport Blvd going north).
3) Turn right on La Tijera Blvd (intersects at an angle, so now you're travelling NE)
4) La Tijera crosses over the 405, which you can grab going north from the left lane.

In my experience, this is the quickest route to/from the LAX Hertz lot. La Tijera is an exit from the 405 South, so just reverse the above to return...

Or is there construction going on that I'm unaware of? I haven't been in LA since February.

Good luck with the traffic. While not as bad as some east coast spots I can think of (Manhattan, Boston, etc...) driving in LA traffic can be an "unique" experience.

--Brett

The 405 is gonna be pretty bad on a Friday evening. As stated above, La Cienaga is a good alternate that runs North-South and will take you into West Hollywood (I also noticed someone gave you directions to North Hollywood - please be advised that North Hollywood is nowhere near West Hollywood and is the San Fernando Valley).

From Hertz, La Cienaga is a few blocks East of the lot, near the 405. Manchester is the major street to the North and Arbor Vitae to the South from Airport Blvd.

Otherwise, I'd suggest getting on the 405 at Sepulveda and Howard Hughes and bypass a bit of the traffic.

Whoops-- I hadn't taken the OP's arrival time into consideration. That's a lousy time to drive much of anywhere in the LA metro area! However, if you must... FlyinHawaiian's advice is sound. To get to La Cienega going North:

Exiting the Hertz lot, turn right (W) on Arbor Vitae (BTW you're only allowed to turn right coming out of this lot, IIRC)
Turn right (N) at the light onto Airport Blvd.
Turn right (E) at Manchester (1st major intersection)
Turn left (N) on La Cienega

La Cienega runs right next to the 405, so you'll get to look at all the crazy people in their cars stuck in traffic... Realize, or course, that you'll be dealing with a fair amount yourself (not to mention stoplights), but side streets should be a bit quicker.

Alternatively, bag all this and take PCH out towards Malibu. Find a nice restaurant. Have a good meal, enjoy the ocean at sunset, and don't think about heading in to West Hollywood until 8 or so... Besides, the fun freak show doesn't really start until after dark-- I think they're hanging out @ Venice Beach during the day!

OOPS!! My bad in not remembering it was W and not N Hollywood. For some reason I had N in my head when writing.

GMF

Brett, GMF, HeHateY,
Thanks again. I've printed the directions and will be prepared to drive out of there like a regular.