We are arriving LA about 9:00 on Amtrak on a Sat. night at the end of our journey. I reserved at the OMNI because I think it is near the Amtrak station. On Sun AM, we will drive a rental car to Malibu and stay at the Casa Malibu on the beach near the pier. . We will leave there to LAX, drop car, and fly out on a 3:00PM flight. Not knowing the area, do these plans seem reasonable? Thanks for any help, or suggestion.

Er, I'm confused. My reading of this is:

-- Arrive Union Station Saturday 9 PM.
-- Spend Saturday night at Omni Hotel Downtown (on Bunker Hill-- nice hotel!)
-- Check out Sunday AM, drive to Malibu (where are you renting the car?), visit Casa Malibu
-- Head to LAX Sunday PM

So you're not even checking in at Casa Malibu? Any particular reason you're running up to Malibu in the first place? It's pretty, sure, but it's a bit of a drive, it's NOT a real tourist destination, and if there's an accident on PCH, your travel plans can be ruined.

Note also that you should plan on dropping the rental car off no later than 1 PM, then taking the shuttle to LAX and getting through security and getting to your gate. This assumes that your flight is domestic. International, tack on another hour.

I guess my suggestion is this: Forget Malibu, save it for your next trip. Have a nice brunch somewhere downtown, get to LAX at an appropriate time. Don't rush the last leg of your journey.

He's staying overnight in Malibu and leaving on Monday afternoon.

Oh, well, in that case the itinerary is doable. It's just not what I'd do, unless I really wanted to Get Away From It All. Malibu just, well, bores me. Unless Jerry has friends in the area. Then it's cool.

Well I love Malibu and I think it's doable!

Actually if it was me I'd forget staying downtown at the OMNI and just head straight to Malibu.

Actually, we are taking the train from Seattle, and wanted to see LA. The reason we selected the OMNI is proximity to train station (am I correct). We originally planned to spend Sun, and Mon, and small part of Tues. (at the OMNI) until flight time downtown LA - but friends didn't think there would be much to see. We just love exploring new places, and like museums, good food, new cultures. We checked various guide books, but LA seems so confusing. Since it is the dead of summer, we expected everyone would head out of town. What do you think. And please consider our flight at 3o. We don't care about the rental car, we can nix that if safe public transportation is available. Is there another community we might be more comfortable in that wouldbe closer to the airport?

Fun things to do in downtown LA: Olvera Street and the old Adobe (historical and kitschy LA/Mexican fare), Museum of Contemporary Art (aka MOCA) next to the brand new Gehry-designed Disney Center (not open yet but so beautiful to see from outside), Bradbury Bldg (incredible architecture but only by tour), Grand Central Market (see tortillas being made by hand, food stalls, food court, sawdust on floor, excellent food and produce), Angel's Flight (funicular rail but temporarily out of commission). LA Library is in same area and was rebuilt several years ago after a fire and is incredibly beautiful with a lovely restaurant almost on the front steps.

"Dead of summer"? Oh, there will be lots of people in LA. You'll have plenty of company.

The Omni is close to Union Station (short cab ride) and quite nice. The Malibu journey still baffles me. It's NOT that Malibu is not pretty-- it's beautiful-- it's that there isn't anything to DO up there other than eat and sun yourself and hit the stores hoping to see Goldie and Kurt buying bok choy at Pavilions (or whatever market is up there).

Museums? Shopping? Move on over to Beverly Hills. There are some real good deals on hotels there, and you're right near Museum Row (LA County Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, La Brea Tar Pits), as well as near many galleries in the BH/West Hollywood area. Lots of great restaurants, too. You'd be centrally located and, if you're not planning to go to the beach, you might not need a car at all (the cab ride from the Omni will not be cheap, however).

The train ride from Seattle is a long one! I would fly from Seattle to San Fran or Oakland, and then rent a car one way to LAX. It would be faster, you'd have a nice time taking the beautiful drive down the coast, and you would probably even save money.

There is a lot to see and do around Los Angeles, but very little of it is in downtown Los Angeles.