I't going to be a hard fit using public transportation. You're likely to spend more time on buses than visiting the sites.

Taking the Hollywood FlyAway back to the airport will save at least an hour of travel time and give the extra sightseeing time you'll need to visit Hollywood.

I think it depends on how much time you want to spend at each site. We've done Hollywood, Grauman's, downtown LA for a bit, and even universal studio's outside all in one day using metro, but it was a lot of walking, and more than 12 hours. This was with out of country visitors who just wanted to see it for a bit.

WesternCDN does not have 12 hours. Best case scenario the OP will have approx 9 hours. The flight arrives at 9:00 am, which means that he/she will not get to the LAX transportation center until 9:30 am and Santa Monica until after 10:00 am. The return flight is at 8:25 pm, so he or she should be back at the airport by about 7:00 pm.

Ok... let's modify your plan a bit. You can do this in 10 hours. You will "see" everything but you won't be able to spend much time at each place.

1. Take FlyAway express bus from LAX to Union Station in Downtown LA (~roughly 1 hour from T7, add 30 minutes if you catch it from T2) Buy tickets here ahead of time: https://www.laxshuttletix.com/WebSto...s&C=VanNuysTix

2. Transfer to the subway (red line towards North Hollywood). Important tip: You need to buy a TAP card, which is our transit fare card. I suggest loading it with $10 "stored value" so you can use it on all the buses. Don't buy the Metro passes (e.g. the day pass), which only works on Metro bus but not other buses (e.g. the Big Blue Bus) you may need later in the day. https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/load-tap-card/

3. Exit at Hollywood/Highland. This will take about 20 minutes on the subway. Do "touristy" things there - Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, wax museum etc. all right there above the subway station.

4. When you are done with Hollywood, walk to corner Hollywood Blvd/La Brea Ave and catch the south bound Metro 212 or 312 bus (it should be orange and silver). 212 is "local" (stop every block); 312 is "semi-local" (stops at major intersection). Otherwise they are the same bus. https://d1akjheu06qp1r.cloudfront.ne...es/212-312.pdf

5. Get off the bus at La Brea/Wilshire. The bus ride should be about 20 minutes. The museums (Petersen Automotive, LACMA) and Tar Pits are between La Brea Ave and Fairfax Ave and easy to walk to from here. You can see Petersen in about 1.5 hours. LACMA takes longer if you want to see everything but you can explore the outdoor exhibits for free.

6. When you are done with this part of town, take the West bound 720 bus from Wilshire Blvd / Fairfax Ave. https://d1akjheu06qp1r.cloudfront.ne...images/720.pdf

7. Get off at Wilshire/Beverly if you want to see Beverly Hills (about 10 minutes ride) or ride it all the way to the end when the bus driver asks you to leave on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica (about 40 minutes ride).

8. Do Beverly Hills or Santa Monica things.

9. From Santa Monica, you can either catch the Big Blue Rapid 3 (every intersection on 4th street) or FlyAway (from 2nd street / Colorado Ave next to McDonald's) back to LAX.

http://www.bigbluebus.com/Routes-and...s/Rapid-3.aspx

Or

http://www.lawa.org/FlyAway/content.aspx?id=10451
http://www.lawa.org/uploadedImages/L...a%20Monica.jpg

Excellent suggestion bzcat.

^

Appreciate the detailed directions!! ^^

Sounds like a plan to me. I've already been looking at FlyAway shuttle tickets - even though they're obviously a bit more than transit buses, likely going to be worth it if it gives me some extra time in the city. :D

Any recommendations for food along the way? I'll likely hit up an In-N-Out somewhere during the day, but in terms of a quick and affordable place for lunch that doesn't require fancy clothes or a reservation, anywhere in particular that's good (I realize there's also a consolidated dining thread too)? Whenever I visit the states I like to visit somewhere that's been featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.. I'll check the map see if any of them are nearby Santa Monica or Hollywood Blvd.

Thanks!

I know, but removing Universal would save a lot of time. I was trying to imply that "seeing" is relative.

Very good suggestions. Just remember that the buses aren't always as prompt as they are in Germany. My experience, especially with the rapid 3, is that it can be pretty off. One time, I was stuck waiting for the rapid 3 for over 45 minutes and just took a taxi to the airport.

Have the uber app installed and ready in case things go wonky.

Definitely have Uber handy just in case. Uber actually makes using public transit in LA much easier because it gives you the freedom to stay in places longer without worrying you will miss the bus.

Don't look for Guy Fieri reviewed places-- look for stuff reviewed by Jonathan Gold. He's been reviewing restaurants in LA for decades and is the first restaurant reviewer to get a Pulitzer. He started at LA Weekly and moved to the LA Times a few years ago. He's famous for finding amazing holes in the wall (a substantial fraction of the best restaurants in LA are in dumpy strip malls). Find his 101 best restaurants list for the last few years and find someplace that's near where you'll be. One thing to be aware of is that he'll often find the strangest thing on the menu and review it lovingly. The restaurants generally are excellent, even if they have some unexpected menu items. It's probably rare that you'll find someplace on the list the requires reservations, and in LA there are very few places you have to dress up for.

edit: this Google Map should give you maps of the restaurants on his 99/101 list by year. There are panels at the bottom that let you pick the year. Be aware that on older lists some of the restaurants may no longer exist (on of my favorites, Chung King in San Gabriel has disappeared-- either moved again or closed)

Some of my personal faves (going roughly from east to west)

• Original Philippe's (French-dipped sandwich), Alameda & Ord, near Union Station
• Original Tommy's (gut-busting chili burger, an LA classic), Hollywood & Bronson (closest Metro: Hollywood/Vine)
  • For the full effect, one should visit the original Original Tommy's shack at Beverly & Rampart
• Palms Thai, Hollywood & Bronson (closest Metro: Hollywood/Vine)
• Bulgogi Hut (AYCE Korean BBQ for $15), Wilshire & Kingsley (closest Metro: Wilshire/Normandie)
• Pampas Grill (Brazilian) in Farmers Market, 3rd & Fairfax in the LA Farmer's Market
• Leo's Taco Truck (street tacos - get al pastor), La Brea & Venice
• Bella Pita (wowshi, a cross between pita and calzone), Westwood between Santa Monica & Olympic
• Zankou Chicken (shwarma + garlic sauce), Sepulveda & Olympic
• Daikokuya (ramen), Sawtelle & Olympic
• Shin Sen Gumi (hakata-style ramen), Sawtelle near Wilshire
• Bay Cities Deli (sandwiches, of course), Broadway & Lincoln in Santa Monica

Also, it's now known as the TCL Chinese Theater (I know it as Mann's Chinese :) )

For some of us, it will always be Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
The original name, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, was restored in 2001, after the after the Mann's Theatre chain declared bankruptcy; a partnership of Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures took over the ownership of the Chinese Theatre.

OK, I just dated myself. ;)

[*]Bay Cities Deli (sandwiches, of course), Broadway & Lincoln in Santa Monica[/LIST]
I'll try to make this a little easier on the locals because I personally hate it when this place is full of "tourists" that don't understand the system.

If you go here, make sure you pull a numbered ticket immediately. Go in the doors, go to the right to the deli counter, pull a ticket, and then wait your turn to order. It's just Boar's Heads meats, you don't need to ask to sample everything. You'll either love their bread or hate their bread, not many people in between. They also now have grab and go ready made of their more popular sandwiches when they're busy, which they usually are around lunch time. Look in the coolers around the cash registers. Soda is along the back wall in refrigerators, chips are back there also.

With many other locations throughout the southland for a quick and tasty cheap lunch.

There's also one in Little Tokyo, so if you end up in DTLA it's an option, though it's often got a long wait. There are two others in Arcadia and Monterey Park, but if you're doing tourist things and taking transit you're unlikely to end up near them.

Indeed, was trying to keep it within WesternCDN's tourist territory, near the Wilshire corridor.

Or, just order online. Go pickup. Easy.

While I do like the sandwiches, I don't think the bread is all that special. It's tough. I do like to eat it though because the rest of the Godmother is yummy.