Los Angeles International airport is located 17 miles south- west of Los Angeles. Los Angeles International Airport is served directly by shuttle, bus, and taxi. Public transportation is also available for travel both to and from the airport. Shuttle Services Outbound buses, shuttles, hotel or rental cars, and courtesy vans can be picked up from the designated areas on the lower / arrival level islands in front of each terminal. The areas are signed Van, LAX Shuttle, Bus Stop, and Courtesy Tram. The FlyAway bus service leaves each terminal on the lower/arrivals level under the green “Flyaway Buses and Long Distance Vans” signs. Between 5:30 am and 12:00 midnight, the service runs every 30 minutes. From 12:00 midnight to 5:30 am, it runs 12:15 am, 12:30 am, 1:15 am, 2:15 am, 2:45 am, 3:30 am, 4:15 am, and 4:45 am. A one-way fare to Union Station, Van Nuys or Westwood currently costs $6.00 Free shuttle service to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Metro Green Line Light Rail's Aviation station also leaves from the lower level under the LAX Shuttle sign.
LOS ANGELES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT
It’s easy! With 200 Metro Bus lines and four Metro Rail lines, Metro can take you just about anywhere in LA County. Despite what many may think you don't need a car to get around Los Angeles. Did you know that Los Angeles has the second largest public transportation agency in the nation that operates more than 1,500 buses? We also have a subway system that can take you from Downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood in about 12 minutes! For more local transit information please visit www.metro.net
Downtown to Staples Center STAPLES Center is located at 1111 S. Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, next to the Convention Center. There are many alternative forms of transportation to STAPLES Center events, including Metro Rail and Metro buses which frequently stop near STAPLES Center. If you're coming to STAPLES Center by train, Metro Rail Pico Station is only a block away from the STAPLES Center. To find the route that's best for you, use the Trip Planner on www.metro.net. Directions: 1. Ride any Amtrak or Metrolink train to Los Angeles Union Station. 2. Arrive at Union Station and walk downstairs to the Metro Red Line. Take any Metro Red or Purple Line train to 7th Street/Metro Center Station. It will be the third stop from Union Station. 3. Transfer from the Metro Red or Purple Line at 7th Street/Metro Center Station and make a quick connection just up the stairs to the Metro Blue Line. Get off at the first stop - Chick Hearn/Pico station - and you’ll be at Staples Center in a flash! Note: Amtrak passengers must purchase a $5.00 Day Pass to ride the Metro Red, Purple or Blue Line trains.
Downtown to Dodger Stadium Bus Service Bus service is available at the corner of Sunset Blvd. & Elysian Park Ave. Metro bus routes 2, 3 & 4 stop at that location. To find the route that's best for you, use the Trip Planner on www.metro.net.
TOURIST OFFICES LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau have two Visitor Information Centres located adjacent to METRO stations at:
Hollywood & Highland Center 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 323.467.6412
Downtown 685 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.689.8822
EMERGENCY SERVICES Police/Ambulance/Fire 911
BRITISH CONSULATE 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1200 Los Angeles, California 90025-6538 (310) 481 0031
BANKING HOURS Monday-Friday, 9.00-17.00
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Hollywood Hollywood is fun to explore on foot but, by far, the best way to see Hollywood and all of its sights is by taking a narrated bus tour of the city, especially if it's your first visit. Visitors will find lots of companies with kiosks on Hollywood Boulevard touting their tours as the best available. In fact, many of them are very, very good and will provide you with an excellent overview of the landmark attractions in the city. Some of the tours are fairly short while others will consume the better part of the day. Which you choose will depend on just how star-struck you might be! Most of the tours also venture into nearby neighbourhoods, particularly Beverly Hills, the area where many stars make their homes and have for decades. Though the buses aren't allowed to come to a complete stop in front of the houses, you'll still get a good look at them.
Universal Studios Hollywood Find a full day of action-packed entertainment all in one place: Universal Studios Hollywood. With thrilling park rides and shows, a real working movie studio and L.A's best shops, restaurants and all-new cinemas at CityWalk, Universal Studios Hollywood is a unique experience that's fun for the whole family. All this and more, only at Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A. Featuring the new Simpson’s ride. Disneyland Anaheim San Antonio Winery 737 Lamar Street Los Angeles, CA 90031 323 223 1401 Winery Tour Times Saturday - Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on the hour Monday - Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. on the hour Union Station Union Station in Los Angeles, which opened in May 1939, is known as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the United States. The facility served as a backdrop for the 1950 film Union Station, which starred William Holden and Nancy Olson. Many television shows and motion pictures have incorporated the station as a backdrop, including Speed, The Island, Pearl Harbor, Blade Runner, Star Trek: First Contact, The Italian Job and the Fox television series 24.
Griffith Park Comprising over 4,000 acres, Griffith Park one of the largest urban parks in the world and is home to a number of wonderful attractions. Also, if you're from out of state, it may be your only chance to see the natural chaparral which covered most of California's hills and valleys before they were built over. Foremost among the attractions is the LA Zoo. What can you say about a zoo: lots of animals in natural settings, etc., etc For the locomotive buffs among you there's Travel Town which has literally dozens of old steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, train cars, trolleys as well as some other forms of mechanical transportation. Also check out L.A. Live Steamers which offers lots of scale model trains, including one you can get a ride on, it's next door to Travel Town.
Hollywood Walk of Fame A tribute to over 2000 artists who have made significant contributions to film, radio, television, theatre and recording industries. The first star was placed on the 9th of February 1960, was for Joanne Woodward. One of Hollywood’s most popular tourist attractions, the Walk of Fame lies on both sides of Hollywood Blvd. Names immortalised include Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, Steve McQueen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlie Chaplin, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones, Humphrey Bogart and John Lennon.
Graumans Chinese Theater Grauman's Chinese Theatre is the most famous theatre in the world. Since its gala opening in May 1927, millions of movie patrons and visitors to Hollywood have been drawn to the theatre. They come to be entertained and enthralled by the legendary Chinese, home to the Forecourt of the Stars. The Chinese was the dream of Sid Grauman, "Hollywood's Master Showman." Filled with exotic art from China, the theatre's jade-green bronze roof rises 90 feet into the air. Spectacularly lit at night, it is a true Hollywood landmark.
Venice Beach Boardwalk Venice Beach Boardwalk is one of the most popular boardwalks in the United States, and is enjoyed by many Los Angeles travellers. The Boardwalk is the best way to experience true Venice lifestyle and is a great example of how colourful life can be as there are many different styles that come together to make up this city's history. The Boardwalk, which runs beside Venice beach, is 2.5 kilometres in length. It has a bike path, roller skaters and skateboard ramps, restaurants, shops of all kinds, and plenty of tourists. Tourists can walk along and take in the many street peddlers and vendors that blanket the Boardwalk, offering everything from handmade jewellery to fortune telling. It is located right by downtown Venice and the world famous Muscle Beach is actually on the Boardwalk itself. J.Paul Getty Center 1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049-1687 Tel: +1 (310) 440-7330 The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs. Admission:Admission to the Getty Center and to all exhibitions is FREE—no tickets or reservations are required for general admission or for parking.
BARS
Fox Sports Sky Box, Staples Center, 1111 S.Figueroa St. Big screen TVs throughout this ultimate sports bar give a front seat view for those who aren't in the actual front seat for the game nearby. Situated just off the Lakers home court, the bar is a favourite of L.A. sports fans.
Hollywood Billiards, Sports Bar and Grill, 5750 Hollywood Blvd. Where else in Hollywood can you find billiards, an incredible restaurant, amazing sports bar, arcade facilities, private VIP lounges, VIP level, and two outdoor heated patios all under one roof? 30 beers on tap, 20 HD Plasmas
El Guapo, Rock n Roll Sports Bar and Cantina, 7250 Melrose Ave (3 blocks west of La Brea) www.elguapocantina.com
Caseys Irish Bar and Grill, 613 South Grand Avenue. www.bigcaseys.com
Busby’s East, 5364, Wilshire Blvd Busby's East offers three full bars, with 20 beers on tap. We also offer two smoking patios for your convenience. Sports: With all sport's packages available, our 50 flat screen televisions are sure to be showing the game you are looking for. Strategically placed so every spot in the house is the best seat to watch from, you won’t miss a minute of the action. Food: Steaks, burgers, and pizzas. Open for breakfast Saturday and Sunday. Games: Billiards, ping-pong, shuffle board, darts, bumper pool, skeeball, backgammon, and board games are all free. Entertainment: An enormous screening room, dance club and live entertainment. Hours: We open our doors at 11am (9am on the weekends) and keep them open until 2am. Valet parking is available.
Molly Malones, 575 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
RESTAURANTS AND CAFES
Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood 1000 Universal Studios Blvd. #99 Universal City, CA 91608
Pitfire Pizza Company 108 W. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 After seven years of success in the North Hollywood Arts District, Paul Hibler and David Sanfield took their Pitfire Pizza concept downtown in 2005. Across from St. Vibiana’s Cathedral and in the shadow of skyscrapers, office workers flood this modern Italian café at lunch for thin-crust pizzas, hearty pastas, and market-fresh salads. At night and on weekends, the rush subsides and Pitfire offers a more relaxed dining experience with the same value. Order at the counter, where a board lists seasonal specials and fresh-baked desserts are on display. To drink, there’s fresh sangria and watermelon lemonade, plus wine and beer.
Lawry's The Prime Rib 100 N. La Cienega Blvd, www.lawrysonline.com Most Americans know Lawry's only as a brand of seasoned salt (which was invented here). Going to this family-run institution is an old-world event; where the main menu offerings are four cuts of prime rib that vary in thickness from two fingers to an entire hand. Every standing rib roast is dry-aged for 2 to 3 weeks, sprinkled with Lawry's famous seasoning, and then roasted on a bed of rock salt. A carver wheels the cooked beef tableside, and then slices it properly, rare to well-done. All dinners come with creamy whipped horseradish, Yorkshire pudding, and the Original Spinning Bowl Salad (drenched in Lawry's signature sherry French dressing). Lawry's moved across the street from its original location several years ago but retained its throwback-to-the-1930s clubroom atmosphere, complete with Persian-carpeted oak floors, high-backed chairs, and European oil paintings.
Ciudad 445 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071 www.ciudad-la.com Ciudad is a Latin restaurant that produces bold and authentic dishes from South America, Central America, Cuba, Spain, and Portugal. This restaurant is located in the heart of Downtown LA and owned by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger from Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales.” The restaurant has a jazzy Latin feel in a cosmopolitan downtown space. Ciudad features unique cocktails, tapas-style appetizers, homemade dessert and one-of-a-kind entrees. Every Sunday from 5-9 p.m. the restaurant has Tapas Sundays and Spanish wines by the glass.
Ciao Trattoria 815 W 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Ciao Trattoria has established itself since its opening in 1993 as one of the premier dinning destinations for guests patronizing the Performing Arts Center and Sporting events at the Staples Center and world and business travelers from around the globe.
Amalfi 143 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Exposed wood beams and a fireplace make for a romantic setting” at this “lovely” newcomer at the northern edge of the La Brea Restaurant Row where the “beautiful people” flock for “fabulous” Italian fare including “perfect fritto misto” and “amazing” pastas washed down by a “good selection of wines”; the “lovely” patio, “hospitable” service and “great value” are other reasons it’s always “crowded.”
Lucky Strike 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 Fuse Hollywood chic with celebrity bowling and fun comfort food, and you’ve got Lucky Strike. This hip bowling spot is the epicenter of nouveau cool, and Master Chef Bill Starbuck’s presentations of upscale American classics perfectly complement this unique L.A. experience.
