Los Angeles has never appealed to me. I know several of my readers happen to be Angelenos, so please, don’t take offense!
I had a flight connection in LAX a number of times (on our way to Hawaii). Since I redeemed miles, I could have added a free stopover according to program rules, but didn’t bother. Recently, I had a choice of having an overnight layover in either Los Angeles or San Francisco on the way back from Australia. I chose the latter and didn’t even hesitate. Normally, I try to visit a new city whenever possible, but not this time.
I don’t know what it is that bugs me most about the idea of LA. Is it the shallow Hollywood culture? The infamous traffic? The pollution? Like most white people, I have severe allergy problems, so… Folks say that LA has the best Mexican food. Let me tell you, they probably have never visited taco stands in Central Florida. It’s on, amigos!
I admit, I think of LA as the land of the Kardashians (plus Kanye West, who fits right in) and “The Bachelor” franchise. Of course, stereotypes are silly. Los Angeles is a city that has people of all types. Most probably have never met, nor do they care to meet the Kardashians. They have families just like mine, and want the same thing I do.
To rest in a hotel or go somewhere?
Despite my aversion toward all things “Los Angeles”, we will be there for part of the day whether I like it or not. In a few weeks, we are set to fly from LAX to Tahiti, and our flight will depart at midnight. We will be arriving at LAX around 2 PM the same day, so will have a few hours to kill.
My in-laws will be flying the day before because unlike me, my sister-in-law loves the idea of visiting LA. She has booked an all-day-tour so they can hit all the major Hollywood sights. I used my Hyatt points for Hyatt Place Los Angeles El Segundo It’s a Category 3 (12,000 points), and I booked it for two nights so we would all have a place to shower before the flight. My in-laws are set to depart for New Zealand at midnight as well.
I used the points I got from my sign-up bonus on The Hyatt credit card (my personal referral link). It’s an excellent “keeper” card for most traveling families. You get 45k points after meeting minimum spending requirements, adding an authorized user and paying $75 annual fee. The renewal certificate (good for Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort) can be used for this LAX property, which is an excellent deal. This credit card is currently NOT subject to 5/24 rule
Knowing my husband, he will want to take a long nap as soon as we get to our hotel room, considering our long flight from Orlando. So, realistically, we won’t be able to go anywhere till 6-7 PM at the earliest. That means I would have to pick just one thing to do. The quintessential LA experience.
Hmm, Hollywood sign seems like a logical landmark, doesn’t it?
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p style=”text-align: center;”>Photo by Meriç Dağlı on Unsplash
Then again, I saw a comment online and a guy said “It’s just a stupid billboard, people!” Exactly. It was set up to advertise a real estate development called “Hollywood Land.” I get that it’s an iconic landmark and all, but it’s still a billboard.
Perhaps we could go to Griffith observatory After all, both my husband and I love planetariums. As a bonus, we would be able to have a clear view of Hollywood sign, plus the city of Los Angeles.
Photo by EHAB AREF on Unsplash
I started getting all excited that I found the One, but then I realized that we would have to go there during rush hour. Uber estimates the journey at around 40 minutes without traffic. Ugh. If we end up sitting in the car for an hour or more, this would not be a good way to start our whirlwind journey of South Pacific. My husband may get annoyed, book a flight back to Florida and send me to Bora Bora on my own.
The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a terrible idea. So, I started researching places nearby. LAX airport and El Segundo are located close to various beaches. And I love the beach!
Photo by Ryan Waring on Unsplash
Though once again, there are beaches galore, so I had a tough time deciding which one we should visit. After doing some research, I settled on Manhattan Beach It looks like a laid-back community, with a nice pier and various funky restaurants in downtown.
Best of all, Uber (my referral link, you will get $5 off your first ride) estimates that it’s located only 9 minutes from our hotel, and we don’t have to get on any major highway. We could leave after 7 PM (when rush hour is over), and get there in time to see the sunset from the pier. To me, this option looks like a winner.
Bottom line
All of this, of course, assumes that our flight from Orlando leaves on-time. Also, my husband may decide he doesn’t want to go anywhere after landing in LAX. Still, I would like to take advantage of our few hours in Los Angeles if at all possible. Who knows, the city may surprise me. Plus, I’ve never met a beach I didn’t like.
Angelenos, what do you think of my plan? Yay or nay?
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Leanaaaa! My hubby and I collectively spent 36 years in Los Angeles and have spent A LOT of time in MB so I feel confident advising that… you chose an AWESOME place! MB is really pretty and laid back so we spent a lot of time there just hanging out, playing volleyball, etc. Although Griffith Observatory is pretty and has a great view.. well, let’s just say we’ve driven from MB to the GO area before during rush hour and it took a little over 3 hours just for one-way. I don’t recommend it at all because of this. I would say it would be worth it to just kick back at the beach and get some grub at either Northend Cafe (best food in the area) and Senor G’s (awesome Mexican food and smoothies – perfect for simple breakfast or lunch). There are some good local breweries down there, too, if you guys are into beer. Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂 🙂
@Army Thank you so much for your advice, especially on places to eat in Manhattan Beach! I’ll keep it in mind and try to make it to Northend Cafe. Yeah, being in traffic for three hours is completely out of the question. We would end up missing our flight. Perhaps we will be in LA again, since I hope to take kids to Hawaii in a few years. I will try to add a night or two, so we can see Griffith Observatory and some other sights.
Hi Leana. I once had 12 hours to kill in LA before my flight to NZ. I didn’t have time to plan in advance to I asked a random girl in a retail shop what I should do. She recommended a Mexican restaurant and a beach nearby. It made more sense to take a taxi than a bus since we were two people. The restaurant was fun and the walk on the beach was beautiful. I can’t remember the name of the place right now. I would have enjoyed myself if I hadn’t had a very heavy carry-on and a whiny 5 year old with me. Also, it would have helped if I had been dressed appropriately. So, I can’t say I regret it. But I can’t recommend my experience exactly. I had a friend living in LA for a while and I can say that while the stereotypical LA doesn’t appeal to me (Hollywood etc) I really do enjoy the food and the architecture and the beach. There’s good things to be found. And I have a gut feeling that even if there’s a few good taco joints in Florida, overall the Mexican food in LA will be better than what you find in Florida! Just a hunch. You let us know. 🙂
@Talchinski I imagine that dragging a carry-on and having a tired child with you made it complicated to enjoy your layover in LA! My kids will be touring the sights with in-laws, so it would just be my husband and myself. I actually wish we had more time because like you said, the city obviously has a lot to offer. Hollywood is just a small part of it. And yes, I am determined to try Mexican food while I’m there. I have to!
Manhattan Beach is a good choice even though I prefer OC beaches to the LA ones. If you had more time, I would definitely say the Getty Center; it’s one of my favorite museums, but the traffic in that direction is just awful even on the weekends. Enjoy your time in LA!
@Stephanie I was hoping you would chime in! Thanks for not taking offense at me bashing LA. 🙂 A lot of what I say is tongue-in-cheek. Since i haven’t been to your town, I can’t really comment on it. I do think we will stick with Manhattan beach. Time-wise, I have to be realistic and not bite off more than I can chew.
If I didn’t live here, I’m not sure I would really want to visit. It’s kind of intimidating because everything is so spread out and traffic isn’t fun. That being said, I never see myself living anywhere else but here 🙂
You definitely need to Yelp Mexican food while you’re here. It’s the best in the country and I actually prefer it over being in actual Mexico. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – it’s my favorite.
@Stephanie I will definitely Yelp Mexican food! Can’t wait.
Lolz you think LA rush hour ends at 7
Haha! That’s fair. We may need to leave around 7.30 PM or even later.
I think Griffith is a great idea. Neat planetarium and AMAZING view. I know a few people who took their boyfriend/girlfriend there for dates, and they are very impressed.Its very romantic. I think your husband will forget about the traffic once he gets there.
@Katye I’m honestly tempted. But I don’t want to set my heart on it because of the time limitations and the nuisance factor. The rush hour in LA is legendary. But we’ll see.
No few-hours in Disneyland? 😀 j/k. Do you have any reciprocal museum/botanical garden/zoo membership to anywhere in the area? The science center with the space shuttle seems pretty cool.
@Kacie The science center idea seems neat, though I doubt we will be able to pull it off. I REALLY want to go to Griffith observatory and may try to talk my husband into it. But realistically, I’ll be fortunate if he is willing to go to the beach after a long flight from MCO. We simply don’t have the time.
So… no In-N-Out burgers?
LOL You know, my husband would actually love to go there. But nope, I’m planning to sample some tacos just so I can say that Florida ones are better. 🙂