Hello -

I will be in Long Beach, CA, this weekend. I will be leaving LAX at 505 p.m. on Sunday. I figure I will need to allow two hours to return my rental car and check in for my flight.
So I have from morning until about 3 p.m. to see as much of LA's highlights as I can!
I will have my own rental car. My question is: do it myself? Or is there a good tour company?
I am interested in seeing the Hollywood highlights and Rodeo and downtown. Maybe the Farmer's Market (is that what it's called?). I could care less about stars' homes (some of the tours I have looked at spend too much time on that).
I have never been to LA before so I have no idea what it's like. I live in Houston, TX, so I'm not afraid of traffic.

Help would be appreciated...thanks!

You should be able to cover quite a lot of ground on a Sunday in a rental car. If you leave LB and head up the 405 to the Harbor, that will bring you to downtown LA in about 25-30 minutes. Exit 6th Street, you'll travel near the Central Library (on your left up Hope Street) the old Biltmore (beautiful Lobby Ceiling) Pershing Square. Take a left on Olive, right on 1st Street. You'll go by LA City Hall (Dragnet building) and the very odd new Caltrans Building, and into Little Tokyo. If you circle back around by taking a left on Alameda, passing Union Station, Olvera Street will be on your left. Going left on Cesar Chavez (top end of Olvera St) you'll hit the south end of Chinatown, then back to Spring Street, turn right on First, and you will see Disney Concert Hall . The new Cathedral is nearby. Street parking should be easy to find downtown on a Sunday. There are a lot of oneway streets so you want to familiarize yourself with a map beforehand, better yet get out and walk. Downtownnews.com has a good online visitor guide.

Skid Row is located approximatley south of 2nd and East of Spring. Just avoid that quadrant and you wont' miss anything.

It's easy to get to Hollywood by getting back onto the Hollywood Fwy 101 (take Broadway northbound for the onramp). Exit Hollywood Blvd, the sights are concentrated around Highland. Rodeo Drive/BH/Farmers Mkt/the Grove are reachable on surface streets. (Take Highland to Wilshire and turn right). There's a great view of the Hollywood sign from the top level of the Grove parking structure. When you are done, continue on down Wilshire and you can pickup the 405 Frwy back to Long Beach.

Its worth driving up to Hilltop Park in Signal Hill for a 360 degree view of the basin to the ocean and into OC. If it's clear you'll be able to see downtown, the Hollywood sign and Catalina.

TT_TO, I am not an LA local but live in Houston too! You are right...had I not moved to Houston a year ago I would not have been able to handle LA traffic.
In one day we walked down Hollywood Blvd (Grauman's Chinese Theatre and tour, one of my favs from the trip), Kodak Theatre, numerous souvenir shops, the Hollywood museum (only if you are interested, a waste of money to me)...
Rodeo was also a waste of time. We have those same stores in the Galleria. My friend wanted to see it so I drove but it was completely forgettable to me.
The Farmer's Market was ok. More shopping.
I'll look at my trip notes tonight and post back later.

Sidewalk of Stars & Grauman's Chinese Theater (sp? current name?)
The Farmers Market/Fairfax district
Pershing Square/Biltmore Hotel
Olvera Street/Chinatown
Santa Monica pier/ Pacific pallisades
Venice Beach boardwalk

...would be my pick for a 1 day fast-paced tour. I have ordered my list heading you back toward the airport.

<<I have no idea what it's like>>
Los Angeles is hugely spread out geographically, lots of freeways, decent drivers, likely sunny weather, palm trees, rich history, diverse population, an irrigated desert terraine.

I would start at the Farmer's market, have breakfast there- they have a yummy crepe stand with all sorts of toppings, then head west on Wilshire blvd to rodeo drive, although most of that area is dedicated for shopping if you are into that. If you are not into shopping, then i would head over to Hollywood and visit Mann's Chinese/ Kodak Theatre etc. Then finish up in santa monica (keep going west on wilshire), you can have a late lunch at many of the restaraunts, walk the pier, and do some people watching along 3rd street promenade. Then, it's a fairly quick trip back to LAX (about 15 minutes without traffic) from Santa Monica.