2 Days in Los Angeles
Sep 28th, 2014, 12:27 PM
#1
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2 Days in Los Angeles
Hello,
I am traveling to Los Angeles for nine days next month for business but will have two days to myself at the end of my trip. This will be my first time in LA and I am looking for advice on car rentals for the day 1 and Days 7-8. I have been thinking my best option is to rent a car the day I land for just a few hours so that I can do some shopping, specifically to get some groceries as I am staying in a suite with a kitchenette and would like to be able to make my own lunches and meals, as at the end of the day I am going to be too tired to go anywhere for dinner and don't have much time for lunch and also would like to save money. I am in town for a conference/workshop and am staying at the same hotel it is located.
Then at the end of my trip I have two days free, I don't want to do too much because I am always on the go and don't get much time to relax when I am at home, but at the same time I would like to get out an explore LA. So I am thinking of renting a car, because at this point I am not sure what I am doing. I am also thinking about the convenience of having a car over taking public transport or taxis as I have health issues that limit how long I can stand or how far I can walk.
Does anyone have any tips, suggestions or advice about getting around LA? Does my plan sound reasonable or are there other options I should look at?
I have read other threads about car rental places and have narrowed down the companies I plan to rent from to be Budget or Enterprise. Enterprise simply for other experience renting from them in other locations, and Budget based on friends who use them often.
Thank you.
I am traveling to Los Angeles for nine days next month for business but will have two days to myself at the end of my trip. This will be my first time in LA and I am looking for advice on car rentals for the day 1 and Days 7-8. I have been thinking my best option is to rent a car the day I land for just a few hours so that I can do some shopping, specifically to get some groceries as I am staying in a suite with a kitchenette and would like to be able to make my own lunches and meals, as at the end of the day I am going to be too tired to go anywhere for dinner and don't have much time for lunch and also would like to save money. I am in town for a conference/workshop and am staying at the same hotel it is located.
Then at the end of my trip I have two days free, I don't want to do too much because I am always on the go and don't get much time to relax when I am at home, but at the same time I would like to get out an explore LA. So I am thinking of renting a car, because at this point I am not sure what I am doing. I am also thinking about the convenience of having a car over taking public transport or taxis as I have health issues that limit how long I can stand or how far I can walk.
Does anyone have any tips, suggestions or advice about getting around LA? Does my plan sound reasonable or are there other options I should look at?
I have read other threads about car rental places and have narrowed down the companies I plan to rent from to be Budget or Enterprise. Enterprise simply for other experience renting from them in other locations, and Budget based on friends who use them often.
Thank you.
Sep 28th, 2014, 01:07 PM
#2
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LA is big. What part will you be staying in? You should be able to get a shuttle van (supershuttle comes to mind) from the airport to your hotel for a small cost. After you check in to your hotel, find out where the nearest grocery is and take a taxi, bus, or hotel shuttle to do your shopping--ask the hotel for advice on which is best. A car rental for days 8 and 9 make sense--you can drop the car at the airport. !Advice on what to do depends somewhat on where you ate staying and what you are interested in. Museums? Both Gettys are lovely, and LA County Museum of Art is nice too. Gardens? I love Huntington Gardens. Views? Griffith Park Observatory. Beach? Santa Monica and north, or Laguna south of LA. Mansions? Beautiful neighborhood in many places. Check the Hollywood Bowl schedule to see what music, etc. is on while you are there.
Sep 28th, 2014, 01:23 PM
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Sure, rent a car. LA has a good public transport system, better than it's given credit for on these boards. But a car is more convenient, faster than pubic transportation, and will take you to a few places that are hard to get to otherwise. Parking is much more available than in many other cities, due to an ordinance that requires X parking places for each business. And X is so liberal that it does NOT discourage auto usage. City planners hate this. They would like to cut back on the use of cars by limiting parking.
My daughter is a frequent traveler due to her occupation and often rents from Enterprise, with good results.
A few tips for getting around.
Obviously, avoid rush hours, which are the same as in any other city.
Plan your route using Google Maps, or Mapquest. Both will tell you the nominal transit time and the predicted time under current conditions. I do this even for short trips. You never know who has crashed where.
Check traffic conditions using:
http://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?lat=...-118.22335&z=2
And while driving, listen to KNX 1070 AM. They give traffic updates on the fives, like 11:05, 11:15, etc.
My daughter is a frequent traveler due to her occupation and often rents from Enterprise, with good results.
A few tips for getting around.
Obviously, avoid rush hours, which are the same as in any other city.
Plan your route using Google Maps, or Mapquest. Both will tell you the nominal transit time and the predicted time under current conditions. I do this even for short trips. You never know who has crashed where.
Check traffic conditions using:
http://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?lat=...-118.22335&z=2
And while driving, listen to KNX 1070 AM. They give traffic updates on the fives, like 11:05, 11:15, etc.
Sep 28th, 2014, 01:54 PM
#4
It's smart to rent a car, GPS would make things easier.
I know you have a kitchen and don't feel like going out for dinner, but there are so many tasty, interesting international cuisines represented in LA. There are many inexpensive options.
It would be relaxing to grab some take-out food. Korean, Mexican, Vietnamese, you name it.
You'll have a microwave to heat things up later.
I know you have a kitchen and don't feel like going out for dinner, but there are so many tasty, interesting international cuisines represented in LA. There are many inexpensive options.
It would be relaxing to grab some take-out food. Korean, Mexican, Vietnamese, you name it.
You'll have a microwave to heat things up later.
Sep 29th, 2014, 01:33 AM
#5
Find out where the nearest grocery store to your hotel is first. Then decide if a taxi is a better option for day one. If you have difficulty walking, driving your own car is not always the best option. Unless you have a handicapped parking hang-tag, available parking spots much farther from a store entrance than if you used a taxi.
Sep 29th, 2014, 08:24 AM
#6
Whether or not you want to rent a car when you land depends on:
day of week/time of day that you land (traffic)
Where your hotel is/parking/whether or not your rental company has a convenient return nearby that is open when you need to return the car (city offices close early and some are closed on Sundays).
day of week/time of day that you land (traffic)
Where your hotel is/parking/whether or not your rental company has a convenient return nearby that is open when you need to return the car (city offices close early and some are closed on Sundays).
