My 15 year old daughter and I will be travelling back from Fiji on August 29th. We have an 8 hour lay over scheduled at LAX. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go for a few hours of sightseeing?

I'd suggest you take a cab to the Manhattan Beach pier. It's only about 15 minutes away and offers lots of fun shops and restaurants for strolling and people watching. You can also take a relaxing stroll on the beautiful beach there.

venice beach is close and fun too

Just got back from LA with my 16 year old daughter.
We head straight for Santee Alley in Downtown. This is the "fashion district" of LA but it's very much like Chinatown in NYC. Excellent quality counterfeit purses and watches plus all the trendy styles. My daughter bought a few of the popular retro patterned sequined bags and a beaded bag that looks like an M&M bag. 20.00 each.
Kate Spade knock-offs run 20.00-35.00
Beautiful prom dresses... all sorts of stuff. LA has great thrift shops, too.
Very expensive but my daughter bought a great bowling league shirt and bowling shoes. Popular stuff in our part of the world.

Counting time for customs and re-check-in later (presume you're arriving in the afternoon and leaving late night) you'll only have around 5 hours net, which will happen to overlap in part with the LA rush hour (that's hours.) I'd stay local - the Manhattan Beach or Venice Beach options are good; anything farther into town runs the risk of making you antsy about getting back.

The flight from Nadi to LAX is a bear - how about a nice hotel for a few hours? I'd bet a shower and nap would feel pretty good after 10 1/2 hours on Air Pathetic. You could do something cheap on Priceline - most places have shuttles that would save money, too.

Santee Alley is a good place for deals on knock-offs, but not a place I'd suggest if you only have a few hours to spare between check-ins. Stay closer to Marina Del Rey or Venice.

Wouldn't try to go farther than Venice Beach or Marina Del Rey---just to get some fresh air and some decent food. Don't know how much longer your connecting flight is, but if it's international they are asking for a 3 hour check in. Good luck.

Try Inglewood or Compton, they are not too far from LAX and you can do some great people watching. The nightlife there is especially vibrant...

I agree with the other posters and vote for Manhattan Beach. It really is easy to get to from the airport. Rent a bike and ride down to Hermosa Beach to check out the Pier down there. It's a bit more peaceful than Venice, Santa Monica, etc.

I'd hop onto the 561 bus north to Westwood and the Getty Center. First the Getty Center, you can even grab a bite to eat there after seeing this spectacular museum, then same bus south back to LAX.
If you have time, stop in Westwood for a stroll on the trip back to LAX, if not just stay on the bus all the way to LAX.

"...good quality counterfeit purses and watches..."

Now there's an oxymoronic phrase for you!

Avoid Inglewood and Compton. Do not take a bus to the Getty. You would have to be insane to try to do that on a layover. Much, much too far away with traffic and all. The Manhattan Beach idea is probably the best.

You have to remember that you'll have to include customs, check in etc. coming back. This will take part of your time away. Then you have to deal with the LA traffic. Better safe than sorry.

Inglewood & Compton are urban, inner city, gang infested, high crime. And at night? Not if you value your life... seriously. Stay Away !!

Hermosa Beach pier is just 1-mile south of Manhattan Beach pier along the pedestrian strand (easy walk), and may also worth checking out.

The downtown, oceanfront sections of Manhattan & Hermosa are very pedestrian-friendly with many cafes, restaurants, shops, etc, while Marina del Rey is not (& is a snooze, IMO).

I've taken the bus to the Getty before and it took a little less than an hour, there was a lot of traffic. We had a 5 1/2 hour layover and this was our one chance to see the Getty so we went for it. Thought we'd have to taxi back but the bus was right there at the Getty and got us back to LAX in the nick of time. Only spent an hour at the Getty but it was well worth it and the bus ride itself goes through lots of neighborhoods and is a mini-tour of sorts. And the few from the Getty is spectacular. The bus runs about every 25 minutes.

From your terminal you exit to ground transportation, take the shuttle to the Metro Bus stop and you need correct change for the bus which was about $1.75 each way.