Spending a long layover sitting in an airport catching up on e-mails, reading the newspaper and checking your watch, is not time well spent. At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), passengers with time to spare may grab a hotel shuttle, public transportation, cab or rent a car and turn a layover into a chance to relax and explore Los Angeles. You can’t do LA justice of course – consider it a cameo not a starring role -- but a little bit of LA can be a refreshing break between flights. (All of these suggestions allow for time to go through security again, but it’s best to check with your airline on the amount of time they recommend for processing through security.)
For a three-hour (or so) layover, LAX hotels – just beyond the airport entrance – offer shuttles to and from every terminal. Just getting out of the airport and waiting areas and into a cozy bar and real restaurant is a guaranteed stress-reducer. Even a real breakfast can do the trick. The Top of the Radisson Lounge has a spectacular nighttime view for drinks and light fare. Downstairs, the Palmira Bar & Grill serves prime steaks along with soothing martinis. The Renaissance Montura Hotel LAX, known for its ultramodern architecture and fine art collection, offers both a Lobby Bar and the 96th Street Bistro. The Hilton LAX has a Sports Bar and Andiamo – a Northern Italian restaurant. Their Bistro is open 24-hours a day. At the Crowne Plaza Hotel LAX, the focus is California cuisine in The Brasserie Restaurant. The Brasserie Lounge features live jazz. The LAX Marriott has several possibilities: J.W.’s Steakhouse, Latitude 33 and Champion’s Sports Bar. The Sheraton Gateway Hotel LAX also has a restaurant called Brasserie, plus The Bar cocktail lounge and Shula’s 347, owned by famed NFL coach, Don Shula. Board the hotel shuttles under the red sign outside the Lower/Arrival level. Many hotels (Westin, Renaissance, Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons, Crowne Plaza) use a single shuttle service. Other hotels have their own buses.
If nothing sounds as relaxing as a golf game, just south of LAX try the Lakes at El Segundo’s public golf course, a nine-hole course and driving range. Reservations are usually not necessary. On the north side of LAX, the Westchester Golf Course is a 15-hole executive course and is often open until 9pm or 10 pm. Weekend tee reservations are recommended – and for larger parties at all times. These golf courses are a very short taxi ride from the terminals and both rent clubs.
Venice Boardwalk is the wackiest place to spend a layover. World famous for its eccentric characters, the boardwalk has food stalls, a sidewalk café and sunshine. You can even rent skates or a bike and zip up the bike path. Have the cabdriver let you off at the foot of Windward Avenue where there are several good restaurants.
Santa Monica is directly north of Venice and a perfect choice for families. This time ask your cabdriver to let you off at the foot of Colorado Avenue. Ride the historic carousel, rent a bike, enjoy a seafood lunch, explore the aquarium, play arcade games and save time for the roller coaster that has an awesome view of the coastline.
For travelers with a long time between flights – eight hours plus – LAX FlyAway bus service is a layover traveler’s dream. Passengers board the bus on the Lower/Arrival level in front of each terminal with just-as-efficient returns to each terminal’s Upper/Departure level. Service is every 30 minutes. Board at the green 'FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans' signs. The buses travel nonstop in the quickest possible time using freeway carpool lanes. The fare is US$3 each way and service is every half hour to Union Station in Downtown LA. This landmark building is worth exploring in itself. Built in 1939, the magnificent structure has one of the grandest waiting rooms in the country with ornately painted ceilings and original and comfy leather chairs. Across the front parking lot is another LA landmark, Olvera Street, a lively cobblestone street lined with cafes, restaurants and shops with a Mexican flavor. From Union Station you can take a Red Line subway to two Downtown stations. The first stop is Civic Center Station. From there, walk north one block to 1st Street. Then, two blocks left to Grand Avenue where you’ll find Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The next stop is Pershing Square. On the west side of the Square is Millennium Biltmore Hotel, an elegant landmark with layover dining possibilities including Sai Sai Japanese restaurant and Smeraldi’s California cuisine and the Rendezvous Court with its the knockout architecture and cocktails.
DASH buses are small neighborhood buses which get you around Downtown for a fare of US25 cents. DASH route B (weekdays only, every eight minutes) leaves from the front of Union Station (the Alameda Street side) and makes stops in Chinatown, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Walt Disney Concert Hall and MOCA. On weekends take the DASH DD bus (every 20 minutes) from the front of Union Station to Chinatown, Little Tokyo and through Downtown.
Another FlyAway bus makes a nonstop run from LAX to UCLA dropping you off near the heart of the campus. With its broad plaza and stately Romanesque buildings, this is a fine place to stretch your legs. Find a snack and relax in the Sculpture Garden with works by Rodin, Moore, Lachaise, Zuniga, Noguchi and others.
Less than four miles north of LAX, Sony Pictures Studios – once the home of MGM – offers two-hour walking tours on weekdays. This is where blockbusters from The Wizard of Oz to the Spider-Man movies were made. Reservations are highly recommended and no children under age 12.
Many of LA’s great museums are doable during a long layover. LACMA, the largest art museum in the West, has a six-building campus. You won’t get through all of it, but will be able to see much of what LACMA has to offer: the Pavilion for Japanese Art, galleries devoted to antiquities as well as modern art. Just open: the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM). The building and plaza, designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, is a wonder of light-filled galleries devoted to major works by major contemporary artists.
Want to do a little shopping? Then head for The Grove for sunshine with your spending. The outdoor complex has tempting shops, even a bite to eat. There’s also valet parking to save time.
For an absolutely divine layover, rent a car and drive up the coast on Pacific Coast Highway to The Getty Villa. Parking is under the museum – quick – but you’ll need to reserve parking in advance. The Villa’s collection focuses on Greek, Roman and Etruscan art and includes a full-size replica of the Villa del Papiri in Herculaneum, complete with colonnade and interior courtyard. The Getty’s broad patio is a great place for lunch and soaking up the sunshine.
For more information about Los Angeles, visit the official visitor information Web site of Los Angeles at www.discoverLosAngeles.com. |
