one free day in L.A. , what to do
 

My flight will not be leaving till evening(on a wednesday) and am looking at spending some time during the day on my own. I will be doing one of the city bus tours the day before and was thinking of maybe going to Santa Monica or Venice Beach? Any suggestions?
Any Idea how much a cab will cost from a LAX hotel to Venice beach or Santa Monica?
Thanks

I found out that taxicabs in Los Angeles are expensive compared to renting a car. In my opinion, do not take a taxi unless you are going within the same area of Los Angeles. For example, Westwood to Santa Monica or Sherman Oaks to Encino. Venice Beach to Santa Monica is possible but is at my upper limit of cost. My guess is that it is $25. Venice Beach parking is not free unless you want to walk a ways, though.

is that $25 from LAX to Santa Monica? that IS expensive!

Go to www.mta.net and check the Metro Trip Planner. Just plug in the address of your hotel and the name of the city or attraction that you'd like to visit. Chances are that the citybus can get you there for $1.35. The Hotel will also be able to help you with the bus routes. I know that the 561 MTA North goes to Westwood/UCLA area and to the Getty Museum which is a nice day trip. Try not to do it between 7:30 and 9:30am or 4:00 to 6:30pm because the busses are slow and crowded.

Thanks clarkgriswold