Los Angeles: One Day/Where Should I Stay?
 

Hello,
I found out today that I will be traveling to California for a business trip in June. My meetings will be held in Chino, CA and I was advised to fly into Ontario, CA. I've never visited LA so I'm contemplating leaving one day early and do a little sightseeing. Do you recommend that I fly into LAX (skip the Ontario airport) and rent a car for my drive back to Chino? What area should I stay in in LA --- Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc? I would like to visit the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood sign (typical tourist things), and perhaps take in a little LA nightlife during my one day trip. Should I avoid LA altogether and stay in an outlying suburb? I plan to stay in LA all day Saturday and meet my team in Chino on Sunday evening. All responses are welcomed.

Thank you.

Personally I would go to Palm Springs or Laguna before I battled the traffic to get into LA. But then again, I went to Hollywood High school, so that may be the problem!

Seriously, I think there is much beach and other interesting things to enjoy closer to where you are, including Disneyland and parts of Pasadena. Or consider flying into Vegas, spending a night gawking and shopping, then driving to Chino.

However, I just noticed you are talking about a Saturday. Traffic won't be so bad.

Since most of what you want to see is in town, not at the beach, stay in West Hollywood or Bev Hills.

I would fly into LAX and fly home from Ontario, renting the car one-way.

Stay at the RenaissanceHollywood or the Hollywood Roosevelt. Depending on how early or late on Sat you arrive at LAX, you could go to your hotel...or...drive up the coast a bit and then take Sunset Boulevard to Beverly Hills for a drive...do Rodeo Drive or even the Getty Center. Sat night should be abuzz around Hollywood Boulevard so you could see the Walk of Fame before bedtime. Sunday morning you could spend 3 hours up at the Universal Tour if you wanted to fit that in.

Not sure about the drive from Chino to Ontario airport Monday morning (probably should try to avoid 7:30 to 9:30 freeway)...but driving back to LAX would definitely be something to avoid until about 10:30am and even then would be no picnic.

I second the Hollywood Renaissance, walk out your hotel and you are at Mann's Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theater (think Academy Awards) and the Hollywood Sign out your Window.

Also bus tours leave from the Chinese Theater.

We stayed a couple of nights last November, got a great breakfast included in the rate and free tickets to Universal. The hotel is top notch and the shopping mall attached to the hotel has some very good restaurants, we ate at Wolfgang Puck's Vert and had a great meal.

Thank you for the insight. I will review hotel rates at the Renaissance. Are there good restaurants, shopping and nightlife near this area? Is it within walking distance or should I rent a car?

Chino to Ontario Airport is very close. I t would be no problem getting there on Monday a.m. Now getting to LAX is another story - terrible drive. I really hate flying into or out of LAX so usually try to fly from Ontario or Santa Ana buy considering you want to spend time in LA ir is probably your best bet.