I've been picked up and dropped off at LAX many times but this is my first time collecting someone aaaaah!

Their flight lands around 3:30pm on a weekday so taking into account any delays plus immigration and baggage collection I'm guestimating them getting to the pick up area 4:30 - 5:00pm (great traffic time).

So my plan is to get there early and go somewhere nearby to wait, shopping mall or something similar but I can't seem to find anywhere on a map.

I know of Manhattan Beach and El Segundo but would imagine they would be pretty far traffic wise if I'm leaving there at 5pm.

I also noticed the cell phone lot but from what I see it's just an open air parking lot which I guess is pretty boring

Any advice on really nearby places ? (I'm a veggie too if anyone has any food suggestions )

Other than that I think my only other option is to park in a near by parking garage, I think they call them central parking ? and wait inside LAX.

Any tips and suggestions would be really appreciated

A good place for you might be the shopping mall in El Segundo on Sepulveda and Rosecrans; there's a Whole Foods and a Veggie Grill there and either one should be good for you to get something to eat. From there, it would be about 10-15 minutes to get to the TBIT curb.

My normal waiting places are the roof parking lot of the Longs/CVS on Sepulveda and Westchester Parkway (great place to watch the planes take off and land) or on Sepulveda Westway next to the In-N-Out.

Good luck!

Thank You

I second the Sepulveda and Rosecran area. I never tried the Veggie Grill since I am not really a Veggie person, but I love the California Fish Grill next door. Both the Veggie Grill and California Fish Grill are across the road from the Whole Food Plaza btw.

The shopping center with Veggie Grill is really a bit too far to use as a waiting lot. It may take more than 15 minutes to get to TBIT curb side. Traffic will be hell in the Sepulveda tunnel at that hour.

I would try to stay north of the airport to avoid the Sepulveda tunnel.

Try Ayara Thai... plenty of vegetarian options - 1 block north of airport in Downtown Westchester. Plenty of parking and it will only take you 5 minutes to get to TBIT.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ayara-thai-cuisine-los-angeles

When I'm in this situation, I tend to go park and then hang out at the bar at the Encounter restaurant. Friendly bar staff, surprisingly good food, and reasonable prices considering what it is. Then my friend can text me when they're coming out of security and either meet me at the bar or it's only minutes away for me to go pick them up.

Thanks for that tip

I'm thinking what I might do is see what time I get down there and if I have enough time I'll go to somewhere like the suggested El Segundo Mall and move before the heavy traffic starts to somewhere like the Ayara Thai as suggested If not I'll go straight to the area around Ayara Thai, seems there's a few places around there to wander.

Out of interest does anyone know what Manhattan Beach would be like traffic wise ? Would that be a heavy built up area ? I'm not sure which direction the work traffic would go at peak hours

To get to Manhattan Beach from LAX, you will have to go through the Sepulveda tunnel as well (basically you pass through El Segundo), so it will be subject to the same traffic problem as visiting El Segundo at that hour. Expect about 25 minutes to get from the beach to TBIT.

Traffic will be busy both directions from 4 to 7 pm

Thank You I'm not entirely sure where the Sepulveda tunnel is but will stick around the nearby areas instead to avoid sitting in traffic ^

I also hang around the CVS parking lot and watch planes and play with my phone, but I'll try the Encounter restaurant next time.

Encounter looks cool, might have to give that place a try too at some point if not this time

There is a museum on the edge of the airport.

Some fast food on Sepulveda.

North of the airport is a commercial district with drug stores, supermarkets, etc.

You could also bring magazines or listen to the radio.

Just looking into the museum is that the FlightPath one ? Thank You

Fry's Electronics is a good place to kill some time. It's also at Sepulveda and Rosecrans as some of the other previously mentioned suggestions.