DasFX

For our trip to Australia, we have quite a long layover at LAX. We arrive from Calgary at 13:10 and don't depart for Sydney until 23:50.

Now, I've never been to LA and wouldn't mind using the time to see some of LA's sights. I'm not daring enough to rent a car and drive around myself, but are there any tours that leave from LAX that I could do while I wait?

If I did that, are there safe places where I could stowe away my bags? I don't think I can check my bags all the way to Sydney. I fly WestJet from Toronto to LA via Calgary one a separate ticket and then pick up Qantas in LA.

Thanks

bhsnyder

Sounds like a long day or more of traveling! You definitely have enough time for a stopover here in LA, but the logistics may not make it that easy. First of all, you won't be able to leave your bags anywhere at LAX, so you'll have to drag them with you assuming Qantas won't let you check them in early. I haven't double checked, but I believe that Westjet is one of those airlines that won't check your bags through on another carrier, so you may be out of luck.

As for sightseeing tours, I unfortunately don't have any recommendations myself. You'd do just as well googling it from my perspective, but it really depends on what you want to see. LAX is fairly close to places like Venice Beach, and only a bit further from Santa Monica and Westwood (where UCLA is located). So you could just take a taxi, shuttle, or even a bus to get to those places. If you want a broader tour, like Hollywood or something, you'll either need a car or a tour.

clevelandbrown

Try doing a search for lax tours. It drew some for me, but I've not taken any so I don't have a recommendation. My wife and I like great art, so our suggestion would be to get a cab to one of the museums there. I think the Norton Simon is our favorite, but there are many excellent ones. Your relatively late arrival would probably limit you to a half day in a museum, though.

For our first visit to LA, I posted an inquiry in the US forum and got a lot of good advice.

BeachBoi

LAX International Baggage Service LAX This company picks and delivers, for storage at LAX 310-863-4109 ....This is from the LAWA website.Dont know anyone who has used them.Good Luck...You could take a Grayline Tour..www.grayline.com

Gardyloo

Thus sayeth Qantas:

<i>Passengers connecting from all airlines except Southwest Airlines will not have to recheck baggage at the Qantas counter. Your bags will be checked all the way through to your final destination. Southwest Airlines passengers however must collect their bags, transfer to either Tom Bradley International Terminal or Terminal 4 (if departing on the QF108), and recheck them in at the Qantas desk there before proceeding to the Qantas gate. </i>

-http://www.travel-new-zealand-qantas.com/travelTips/LAX

Assuming this to be true (and frankly I would phone Qantas in Canada to confirm that they &quot;interline&quot; with WestJet) then you could head out bag-less into LA.

With a 1:10 arrival and airport yoga (don't know if you clear US immigration ex-Calgary or at LAX) you'd probably be on the street around 2:30. If it were me, I'd grab a cab to Manhattan Beach and spend the afternoon walking along the Strand (beachfront pedestrian street), out the pier, maybe find a pub, and while away the hours until sunset, then dinner and the 20-min. cab ride back to LAX. I think it's cool to see the sun set over the Pacific and then see it rise over the Pacific a plane ride later. The exercise and fresh air at the beach will also help you relax and sleep on the flight (ha ha.)

What day of week, what month are you traveling? Makes a difference re other options, of which there are several.

BeachBoi

WestJet does not interline with any carrier.This means your luggage will get only as far as LAX.

DasFX

Thanks for all the replies. I did find one tour company that does specific LAX Stopover tours:

http://www.starlinetours.com/AL_stopover.asp

However this issue of bags is quite bothersome. I certainly don't want to be carting all my bags around LA. Such a pain that LAX doesn't offer the baggage storage anymore. I'm not keen on the offsite baggage storage places either.

I could just drive myself, but I heard the traffic is horrendous. It will be a friday afternoon in August, so I imagine the roads will be even more jammed.

Gardyloo

Yeah and I guess I have to correct myself (hate it when that happens) - your baggage situation is grim. Qantas checkin opens 3 hrs before flight time, and the LAX terminals are miserable for hanging out (unless you happen to be a Oneworld frequent flyer elite, in which case the dubious charms of LAX's lounges are available.)

One (not cheap but not terrible) thought would be to book a 2.5 or 3-star airport hotel on Priceline and use their shuttle to get you and bags to the hotel, from which you could then tour (or nap or shower or...) until your checkin opens at 9 pm. Judging from biddingfortravel.com, you could likely get something for under US$50, which is probably competitive with the off-airport bag service alone. After a transcon from Toronto, the shower and nap might be good ideas on their own.

Just the shuttle to and from the hotel would be preferable than a switch from Terminal 3 at LAX to Terminal 4 (which is not, contrary to what you might think, just next door.)

FainaAgain

I am sure for a small tip the large bus tour driver will store all your bags!

(large bus, not large driver )

DasFX

Well, not sure what to do. I'm not keen on travelling around with luggage nor am I keen on storing it in random places. Since I have not officially booked the Toronto to LA portion, I may just go the day before and spend the then almost day and a half in LA. Hotel at LAX is at most 100 CDN.

If I do that, should I rent a car? LA scares me from its scary traffic to its scary thugs. Any thoughts?

Gardyloo

Or just book on an airline that <i>does</i> interline bags with Qantas - like American.

DasFX

I'm flying free with WestJet, that is my only motivation to take them (for this trip anyhow).

clevelandbrown

My son was married in LA, so we spent a week there with a rental car. It was not bad within the neighborhood where we stayed and the wedding was, but going anywhere else was, frankly, quite unpleasant, and I had my son along as a guide. On our subsequent visits we have not used rental cars. I figure a taxi driver knows better than I how to get to where I want to go, and how to deal with the traffic.

wally34949

Many years ago I had to wait (with my luggage) for a flight to Australia with Qantas. I found a restaurant with a great view of the runway and watched all of the different planes take-off and land. I can almost identify every model of airplane on the runway.

bhsnyder

I wouldn't worry about the &quot;scary thugs&quot; any more than in any big city. The scary traffic is a whole different thing though. LA freeways are amazing in that the main ones have 4 to 6 lanes across (each way) and can move massive volumes of traffic at 70 mph. Since I learned to drive here, it's never been an issue for me, but others find it intimidating. The good news is that you really don't have to take the freeways if you're staying in the relative vicinity of LAX. You can get to Manhattan Beach, Venice, and even Santa Monica and Beverly Hills fairly easily on surface streets if you don't want to try the freeways.

wally34949

I suggest you get a rental car and practice driving on the left side of the freeway during the afternoon. Afterall, you will be doing this in Australia. Be sure to look out the window and smile for the 12 different television cameras above your car.

pat

Wally, you are talking about the Encounter, at LAX. (it does look like a space ship) We, too went there and watched the airplanes landing and taking off, and had a coke and some free snacks. (nuts I think) and just killed some time.