I'll be arriving at LAX at 11 am and will have a 5 hour layover. I'll already be checked in to my next flight (domestic) so no need to be back at the airport too early. Is there anything to do at or near the airport to kill the time?

There's a nice little restaurant called Cafe Del Rey in Marina Del Rey near LAX with killer crab cakes in a pink grapefruit sauce or a stellar Chinese Chicken Salad. After lunch you can walk around the marina and look at the boats or even go over to Venice Beach. Just don't underestimate the time required to return back to LAX---the traffic can sometimes get crazy. I think lunch and a walk around the marina will just about do it.

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The good news is that LAX is near downtown LA. The bad news is that there is no downtown LA.

This is a tough call because you'll probably have to rent a car and spend a good hour each way getting to and from anything that might be of interest. That shrinks your available time down to about an hour (assuming your arriving flight gets there on time).

So. I guess the preceding two paragraphs add up to one word: No.

Well, if you were intending to visit a museum or something else "famous", than Jim's response of "No" is appropriate.

But pleasant, non-airport surroundings are only 15-20 minutes away by car.

Besides kam1's suggestion of Marina del Rey, downtown Manhattan Beach (near the Manhattan pier)is nearby and is very pedestrian-friendly. Public transport is nil, so plan on taxis coming and going to LAX.

Beats hanging around the airport.

Thanks for the advice.

If you wind up with extra time to kill back at the airport, head over to the center area of LAX and go take in the sights from the observation deck. Hopefully it will be a clear day and you can kill a little extra time.