How I spent a few hours in Greater Los Angeles
Dec 2nd, 2014, 07:02 PM
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How I spent a few hours in Greater Los Angeles
I asked for advice on this thread
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...m#last-comment
so I figured I would let folks know what I actually did. I don't know that it quite merits a trip report, but it does have a nugget or two of wisdom that didn't need to be buried in the old thread, so here goes.
I had a non-stop flight BOS-LAX (on American) that was supposed to arrive at 10:35. Between sitting on the taxiway in Boston waiting to take off and sitting on the taxiway at LAX waiting for our gate to open up, we were about an hour later deplaning than scheduled.
The plane was a new 737-800. The interior and seats were nice, with plenty of headroom and large overhead bins, but the aisle seemed unusually narrow. Seat pitch was actually decent in economy, but they threw a real wrench in the works by adding seatback entertainment. Sounds like a great idea, but the system boxes under the seats meant many people (including me) could not fit our personal items under the seat in front of us (they would have fit without the boxes). This is especially a problem for aisle seats, which now have little room under them. Middle seats have more under-seat room (but still not enough for some people), and window seats don't have the system boxes, as far as I could tell.
By the way, the "entertainment" was pretty lame. On a 6.5-hour flight the free entertainment consisted of some NBC shows that totaled about 1.5 hours of content, some promos for American, and the flight map. They also had a Disney package for $4, movies for $6 each, and "first-run" movies for $8 each. And there was a package that included a bunch of TV choices and games for $5.
BUT—and this was GREAT news—they also had power ports at EACH SEAT! (They're on the seatback in front of you, although sort of hidden by the tray table—not covered by it, but positioned so that you can't really see the outlet when the table is upright and locked.) And they have "universal outlets" that take plugs from anywhere, not just North America, as well as USB ports. And your headphones plug into the seat back, not the armrest, which is also nice.
Anyway, when I let a flight attendant know my bag would not fit, she said "That's a real pain in the ***, isn't it?" She wasn't being sarcastic toward me; she was basically pretty harried at that point and said just make sure it did not stick out into the aisle. There were quite a few of us (including the guy in the middle seat next to me) who had our under-seat baggage only partially stowed, if at all.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...m#last-comment
so I figured I would let folks know what I actually did. I don't know that it quite merits a trip report, but it does have a nugget or two of wisdom that didn't need to be buried in the old thread, so here goes.
I had a non-stop flight BOS-LAX (on American) that was supposed to arrive at 10:35. Between sitting on the taxiway in Boston waiting to take off and sitting on the taxiway at LAX waiting for our gate to open up, we were about an hour later deplaning than scheduled.
The plane was a new 737-800. The interior and seats were nice, with plenty of headroom and large overhead bins, but the aisle seemed unusually narrow. Seat pitch was actually decent in economy, but they threw a real wrench in the works by adding seatback entertainment. Sounds like a great idea, but the system boxes under the seats meant many people (including me) could not fit our personal items under the seat in front of us (they would have fit without the boxes). This is especially a problem for aisle seats, which now have little room under them. Middle seats have more under-seat room (but still not enough for some people), and window seats don't have the system boxes, as far as I could tell.
By the way, the "entertainment" was pretty lame. On a 6.5-hour flight the free entertainment consisted of some NBC shows that totaled about 1.5 hours of content, some promos for American, and the flight map. They also had a Disney package for $4, movies for $6 each, and "first-run" movies for $8 each. And there was a package that included a bunch of TV choices and games for $5.
BUT—and this was GREAT news—they also had power ports at EACH SEAT! (They're on the seatback in front of you, although sort of hidden by the tray table—not covered by it, but positioned so that you can't really see the outlet when the table is upright and locked.) And they have "universal outlets" that take plugs from anywhere, not just North America, as well as USB ports. And your headphones plug into the seat back, not the armrest, which is also nice.
Anyway, when I let a flight attendant know my bag would not fit, she said "That's a real pain in the ***, isn't it?" She wasn't being sarcastic toward me; she was basically pretty harried at that point and said just make sure it did not stick out into the aisle. There were quite a few of us (including the guy in the middle seat next to me) who had our under-seat baggage only partially stowed, if at all.
Dec 2nd, 2014, 07:17 PM
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THE SAGA CONTINUES
Since i had access to wifi in the terminal, I decided to get out my laptop and check email before heading to pick up my rental car. So I didn't leave the terminal until about noon.
After all the concerns about renting from Dollar, I canceled that reservation and made one with Midway, Although they are perhaps best known for renting luxury vehicles, they offer a full line of cars (from economy on up).
Their LAX location is on West Century Blvd. They don't have their own shuttle. Instead, you ride the one for Joe's Parking (Midway is in the same building as Joe's), which you catch at the hotel and parking shuttle location (red sign) rather than the rental car location (purple sign).
Midway says the Joe's shuttle comes every 15 minutes or so, and I think that's about how long I waited (certainly no more than that, maybe less). I never did see a Dollar/Thrifty shuttle in that time, by the way, thought I did see multiple shuttles for Hertz and at least one for Enterprise and for National/Alamo.
It did seem to take us about as long to get out of LAX (I was at Terminal 4) as to get from LAX to Joe's. The rain really did not help that at all.
Once we got to Joe's, I just had to go around the corner of the building to get to Midway. There were 3 people working at the counter and 2 customers off the shuttle (and the other guy would not have been there at all, except his flight got canceled and he had to stay in LA an extra day). So it only took about 30 minutes from the time I went out to wait for the shuttle until I was in my car.
I got an Internet rate of $70 total for a 4-day rental of a compact car. They upgraded me (the guy said it was a "slight" upgrade, or something like that) to a Toyota Corolla, which they called a midsize car. (I remember when a Corolla was an economy car, or even a compact!) It had 552 miles on the odometer and is so new it doesn't even have plates yet.
Reviewers online had praised Midway for their fast service, and that certainly was my experience. Online reviewers also made it sound like you need to bring detailed proof of insurance if you intend to decline their coverage (as in, more than just your insurance card). But they didn't even ask to see my card when I declined their coverage!
Since i had access to wifi in the terminal, I decided to get out my laptop and check email before heading to pick up my rental car. So I didn't leave the terminal until about noon.
After all the concerns about renting from Dollar, I canceled that reservation and made one with Midway, Although they are perhaps best known for renting luxury vehicles, they offer a full line of cars (from economy on up).
Their LAX location is on West Century Blvd. They don't have their own shuttle. Instead, you ride the one for Joe's Parking (Midway is in the same building as Joe's), which you catch at the hotel and parking shuttle location (red sign) rather than the rental car location (purple sign).
Midway says the Joe's shuttle comes every 15 minutes or so, and I think that's about how long I waited (certainly no more than that, maybe less). I never did see a Dollar/Thrifty shuttle in that time, by the way, thought I did see multiple shuttles for Hertz and at least one for Enterprise and for National/Alamo.
It did seem to take us about as long to get out of LAX (I was at Terminal 4) as to get from LAX to Joe's. The rain really did not help that at all.
Once we got to Joe's, I just had to go around the corner of the building to get to Midway. There were 3 people working at the counter and 2 customers off the shuttle (and the other guy would not have been there at all, except his flight got canceled and he had to stay in LA an extra day). So it only took about 30 minutes from the time I went out to wait for the shuttle until I was in my car.
I got an Internet rate of $70 total for a 4-day rental of a compact car. They upgraded me (the guy said it was a "slight" upgrade, or something like that) to a Toyota Corolla, which they called a midsize car. (I remember when a Corolla was an economy car, or even a compact!) It had 552 miles on the odometer and is so new it doesn't even have plates yet.
Reviewers online had praised Midway for their fast service, and that certainly was my experience. Online reviewers also made it sound like you need to bring detailed proof of insurance if you intend to decline their coverage (as in, more than just your insurance card). But they didn't even ask to see my card when I declined their coverage!
Dec 2nd, 2014, 07:48 PM
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HITTING THE ROAD
Since by this time it was 3:30 on the East Coast, I was ready for lunch. While going through some guidebooks over the weekend, I came across a place called Sophy's in Long Beach. They were listed for their Cambodian food, which caught my attention. I spent two weeks in Cambodia in 2005 and really enjoyed it, so I decided to give them a try. I figured this would fit into my plan to go down to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Sophy's is at 3240 Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. For those who don;t know, Long Beach is home to the largest Cambodian population in the US. (Coincidentally, Lowell, MA, is home to the second-largest Cambodian population in the US—and I happen to live in the same county as Lowell.)
My experience there was interesting. There seemed to be equal numbers of Cambodian and non-Cambodian patrons, although it was not very crowded. The menu was huge, and it featured Thai (and even a few Chinese?) dishes as well as Cambodian. I was not sure what to order, and my waitress seemed to have a hard time understanding me (and I had a little trouble understanding her), but I ended up going with the Chhah Kreoung with beef. It was decent—nothing spectacular—but the portion was huge (and the rice that accompanied it was also plentiful). It was $9.95 for the main dish and $1.50 for the rice.
There were quite a few interesting-looking dishes (including soups) going to the other tables, so that even though I was not blown away by what I had, I definitely would go back to try some of the other dishes. Plus, they serve frog (fixed several different ways)! And they were really friendly.
Because of the continuing rain, I decided there was no point in backtracking to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I figured there would be no view to speak of, which was the point of going there, at least to me. But I was not far from Cal State—Long Beach at this point, and the Japanese Garden there was also on my list of places to visit, so I headed that direction.
I thought a Japanese garden would be about the best kind of garden to visit in the rain. Once I actually got to CSU, though, I decided I just didn't want to be traipsing around in the rain and the chill. Plus, I didn't to fancy trying to take photographs in the rain. So I headed out again, this time for Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Since by this time it was 3:30 on the East Coast, I was ready for lunch. While going through some guidebooks over the weekend, I came across a place called Sophy's in Long Beach. They were listed for their Cambodian food, which caught my attention. I spent two weeks in Cambodia in 2005 and really enjoyed it, so I decided to give them a try. I figured this would fit into my plan to go down to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Sophy's is at 3240 Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. For those who don;t know, Long Beach is home to the largest Cambodian population in the US. (Coincidentally, Lowell, MA, is home to the second-largest Cambodian population in the US—and I happen to live in the same county as Lowell.)
My experience there was interesting. There seemed to be equal numbers of Cambodian and non-Cambodian patrons, although it was not very crowded. The menu was huge, and it featured Thai (and even a few Chinese?) dishes as well as Cambodian. I was not sure what to order, and my waitress seemed to have a hard time understanding me (and I had a little trouble understanding her), but I ended up going with the Chhah Kreoung with beef. It was decent—nothing spectacular—but the portion was huge (and the rice that accompanied it was also plentiful). It was $9.95 for the main dish and $1.50 for the rice.
There were quite a few interesting-looking dishes (including soups) going to the other tables, so that even though I was not blown away by what I had, I definitely would go back to try some of the other dishes. Plus, they serve frog (fixed several different ways)! And they were really friendly.
Because of the continuing rain, I decided there was no point in backtracking to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I figured there would be no view to speak of, which was the point of going there, at least to me. But I was not far from Cal State—Long Beach at this point, and the Japanese Garden there was also on my list of places to visit, so I headed that direction.
I thought a Japanese garden would be about the best kind of garden to visit in the rain. Once I actually got to CSU, though, I decided I just didn't want to be traipsing around in the rain and the chill. Plus, I didn't to fancy trying to take photographs in the rain. So I headed out again, this time for Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Dec 2nd, 2014, 08:12 PM
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ON A MISSION
It's one of the most famous missions, it's in Orange County, and a friend had suggested I visit, so San Juan Capistrano was on my list.
Even though it was approaching 3:00 by this point, traffic was not bad. I took the 405 down to the 5 to SJC, and people were driving 65 mph and faster for much of the distance. There were a few little slowdowns to 40 mph or so, but certainly no thick traffic. It did back up at the exit for SJC, however.
Part of Ortega Highway is torn up between I-5 and the mission, so I had to make a detour on the fly (to the annoyance of my GPS). When I drove past the mission, there was what looked like a school group standing in front of it, and I sort of groaned, thinking it would be full of kids on a field trip. It turned out not to be, though. In fact, i think I saw 8 other people besides me.
I had a little over an hour there and could have stayed longer. I didn't get to listen to the full audio guide (free) that they provide. And a rainy day in many ways makes for less-than-ideal visiting conditions. But on the plus side, I was able to find a (free) parking place pretty easily on Camino Capistrano running alongside the mission. And the rain made the garden smell wonderful! There were all kind of enticing scents from the various flowers and trees there. Plus, the overcast made the Serra Chapel more atmospheric, with the glow from the votive candles.
Speaking of the chapel, there is a 200-year-old painting that was uncovered a year or two ago that has been restored and is on display there (it is Station XII of the stations of the cross). And the chapel certainly is the highlight of the Mission. The ruins of the large Old Stone Church are impressive, but more (in my opinion) because you wonder how the padres and the native Americans built it than because it is monumental (although I guess it must have been).
To be honest, the mission is hyped so much that it was a bit of a disappointment to me. Maybe if it had been sunny, and if I had had more time to look at things closely and listen to all the audio commentary, I would have been more impressed. But it really did smell great there, so that was a bonus, and so was the lack of crowds. And they let me stay a little past the 5:00 closing time, although it was getting dark by then and kind of hard to see things.
And traffic headed back north to the Lake Forest/Rancho Santa Margarita area was not bad. Even southbound did not look that heavy by the time I left SJC (close to 6 PM—I had to look in the Mission Store first, of course).
So—that was the day that was. Thanks to all who offered suggestions! The rest of my time here is work-related, but I enjoyed the chance for a little diversion.
It's one of the most famous missions, it's in Orange County, and a friend had suggested I visit, so San Juan Capistrano was on my list.
Even though it was approaching 3:00 by this point, traffic was not bad. I took the 405 down to the 5 to SJC, and people were driving 65 mph and faster for much of the distance. There were a few little slowdowns to 40 mph or so, but certainly no thick traffic. It did back up at the exit for SJC, however.
Part of Ortega Highway is torn up between I-5 and the mission, so I had to make a detour on the fly (to the annoyance of my GPS). When I drove past the mission, there was what looked like a school group standing in front of it, and I sort of groaned, thinking it would be full of kids on a field trip. It turned out not to be, though. In fact, i think I saw 8 other people besides me.
I had a little over an hour there and could have stayed longer. I didn't get to listen to the full audio guide (free) that they provide. And a rainy day in many ways makes for less-than-ideal visiting conditions. But on the plus side, I was able to find a (free) parking place pretty easily on Camino Capistrano running alongside the mission. And the rain made the garden smell wonderful! There were all kind of enticing scents from the various flowers and trees there. Plus, the overcast made the Serra Chapel more atmospheric, with the glow from the votive candles.
Speaking of the chapel, there is a 200-year-old painting that was uncovered a year or two ago that has been restored and is on display there (it is Station XII of the stations of the cross). And the chapel certainly is the highlight of the Mission. The ruins of the large Old Stone Church are impressive, but more (in my opinion) because you wonder how the padres and the native Americans built it than because it is monumental (although I guess it must have been).
To be honest, the mission is hyped so much that it was a bit of a disappointment to me. Maybe if it had been sunny, and if I had had more time to look at things closely and listen to all the audio commentary, I would have been more impressed. But it really did smell great there, so that was a bonus, and so was the lack of crowds. And they let me stay a little past the 5:00 closing time, although it was getting dark by then and kind of hard to see things.
And traffic headed back north to the Lake Forest/Rancho Santa Margarita area was not bad. Even southbound did not look that heavy by the time I left SJC (close to 6 PM—I had to look in the Mission Store first, of course).
So—that was the day that was. Thanks to all who offered suggestions! The rest of my time here is work-related, but I enjoyed the chance for a little diversion.
Dec 3rd, 2014, 07:31 AM
#9
Cranachin, I was thinking about you yesterday and hoping things were going well. Sounds like they did.
I don't know what you were expecting, but I think you would have enjoyed Mission SJC a bit more in nice weather and at a better time of year for the gardens. But considering the affects on adobe and sandstone of earthquakes, weather and age (1776), and the plundering of building materials after the Franciscans abandoned the mission, it's amazing there is anything left to see.
I don't know what you were expecting, but I think you would have enjoyed Mission SJC a bit more in nice weather and at a better time of year for the gardens. But considering the affects on adobe and sandstone of earthquakes, weather and age (1776), and the plundering of building materials after the Franciscans abandoned the mission, it's amazing there is anything left to see.
Dec 3rd, 2014, 08:37 AM
#10
Actually sounds pretty good.
Sophy's is really not anything special. Many of the LB Cambodian restaurants try to be all things to all people (as you noticed on the menu) and don't do anything especially well. I think they had one or two "promoters" on websites such as chowhound, because it's in a less scary neighborhood on the eastern edge of Cambodia Town.
You might try Phnom Penh Noodle for a smaller place, next time.
Sophy's is really not anything special. Many of the LB Cambodian restaurants try to be all things to all people (as you noticed on the menu) and don't do anything especially well. I think they had one or two "promoters" on websites such as chowhound, because it's in a less scary neighborhood on the eastern edge of Cambodia Town.
You might try Phnom Penh Noodle for a smaller place, next time.
Dec 3rd, 2014, 07:39 PM
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Jean,
The gardens were actually surprisingly nice—tons of roses in bloom, as well as bougainvilla, lotuses in the fountains, and desert plants. And there were several citrus trees of various kinds with fruit on them. As I said, the scents were wonderful thanks to the rain, so that was an unexpected treat.
I guess I expected the mission itself to be a more imposing structure (more like the basilica that is next to it—well, maybe not THAT big). I imagine the Great Stone Church would be quite a sight, were it still standing in its entirety. You certainly can tell that it was impressive in its day.
mlgb, next time I will have to try PPNoodle.
emalloy, Evidently the traffic was much worse around 5 PM than when I was on the 405. I was impressed by the 7-lane freeway, which is wider than anything around Boston.
I was hoping to find some good local pie somewhere (not a chain like Marie Callender's, although they have some decent pies) but I couldn't figure out where to go that was near the places I went.
The gardens were actually surprisingly nice—tons of roses in bloom, as well as bougainvilla, lotuses in the fountains, and desert plants. And there were several citrus trees of various kinds with fruit on them. As I said, the scents were wonderful thanks to the rain, so that was an unexpected treat.
I guess I expected the mission itself to be a more imposing structure (more like the basilica that is next to it—well, maybe not THAT big). I imagine the Great Stone Church would be quite a sight, were it still standing in its entirety. You certainly can tell that it was impressive in its day.
mlgb, next time I will have to try PPNoodle.
emalloy, Evidently the traffic was much worse around 5 PM than when I was on the 405. I was impressed by the 7-lane freeway, which is wider than anything around Boston.
I was hoping to find some good local pie somewhere (not a chain like Marie Callender's, although they have some decent pies) but I couldn't figure out where to go that was near the places I went.
Dec 7th, 2014, 03:16 PM
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One final bit:
The rental car return to Midway went extremely smoothly. There was no one ahead of me when I went to drop it off, and the check-in was very quick.
I walked over to the Joe's Parking shuttle to go back to LAX and there was no other passenger on board when I got on. The driver asked if I was in a hurry to get to the airport, and about then another shuttle arrived, so she decided to go ahead and take me.
Midway is at 6151 West Century Blvd., literally at the entrance to LAX, so it took only a few minutes to get to my terminal (Terminal 4).
I definitely would recommend them to people who need a car at LAX.
The rental car return to Midway went extremely smoothly. There was no one ahead of me when I went to drop it off, and the check-in was very quick.
I walked over to the Joe's Parking shuttle to go back to LAX and there was no other passenger on board when I got on. The driver asked if I was in a hurry to get to the airport, and about then another shuttle arrived, so she decided to go ahead and take me.
Midway is at 6151 West Century Blvd., literally at the entrance to LAX, so it took only a few minutes to get to my terminal (Terminal 4).
I definitely would recommend them to people who need a car at LAX.
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