What to do with 8 hrs in LAX?
 

I will be arriving at LAX at 1 pm on a Sunday (from a long-haul flight), and my home flight to BOS won't be until 11 pm.
Given the security, etc (2hrs?), I'll have about 8 hrs to spare...
is this enough to go to town (any recommendation?), or anywhere nice to eat & stroll?
TIA!

Plenty of time on a Sunday to get out and do something fun. LAX is only 15 minutes from Manattan, Hermosa, and Redondo Beach. All have walking paths and restaurants. The pier at Redondo has a Kincaids that I like. You can catch a cab back from the nearby hotels.

A bit more adventurous is Santa Monica and the famous pier. I will let others recommend restaurants.

Appreciating that you can't book a tight connection, are you sure there isn't an earlier flight that you can grab a standby seat if you land on time?

Take a cab to Manhattan Beach, walk along the bike path, stroll the shops, have a nice dinner then cab back to LAX for your flight home.

Google - Manhattan Beach.

Just few minutes taxi ride. Nice restaurants, shopping, pier, bike paths along the beach, etc.

Nice place to spend an Sunday afternoon.

Another option is to take the FlyAway bus from LAX to Union Station (~30-40 mins; $6 each way). Union Station is right across the street from El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the original Mexican settlement in LA from 1781. You can walk down Olvera Street, visit Avila Adobe (the oldest remaining house in LA), get some fantastic and cheap Mexican food, and visit the Asian American Museum nearby.
http://www.olvera-street.com/html/olvera_street.html

Adding to the yk post - if you go by that idea, from Union Station there is Chinatown in walking distance, and you can walk up the hill to the Music Center next to the new Disney Hall.

If you're in a mood for something lively and downright wacky, take a cab to Venice and head for the stretch behind Venice beach with the famous "Muscle Beach" and the souvenir stands and the roller girls and Harry Carey and his guitar, the knuckle man with his honky-tonk piano (is he still there? Have not seen him lately), and other such partners in crime that have been immortalized in many a video - it is quite a scene, entertaining, even baffling to some! I'll bet you have nothing like it in Boston!

Stay in the beach cities area (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo) and stretch your legs along the strand. Do you have a plan for what to do with luggage?

We had a similar situation a couple of years back. We spent the morning, and had lunch at, the Getty Centre (not nearly long enough) and then spent the afternoon at Santa Monica (equally not long enough -- we went back for four nights last year). A stroll down the Third Street Promenade is interesting and amusing, the beachfront is great for walking, and there are plenty of nice restaurants to choose from.

Thank you all for the replies.
I have been to Venice Beach & Santa Monica, and yup they surely are fun places!
I don't mind going back there, although I've never been to Manhattan Beach...so maybe this is on my #1 option...

From what I read in this forum, LAX does not have luggage storage..?
If so, can you pls advise, what should I do w/ my 2 big luggage?
Thanks again, you guys are the best!

Wont you airline transfer your luggage for the next leg of your trip? I would think you woulnt have to even see it!

Are you flying on 1 ticket? if so you should be able to drop off your checked in luggage after you're done with customs.

If not flying on the same ticket, then you have a problem.

Rental car is probably your best shot. Another possibility is to take the Hilton LAX hotel shuttle, and ask the bell captain to store your luggage but I'm not sure they will do it if you don't have reservations. Perhaps a few $ may help to convince him otherwise :-)

<i>I would think you woulnt have to even see it!</i>

I don't know for sure but it sounds like the OP is coming in from international flight, so yes, the OP needs to pick up the luggage for customs, but as I stated above, if it's checked all the way through (1 ticket) then the OP can just drop off the luggage right after s/he is done with customs.

yes, the trip is booked in 1 tix, but I'm not certain if I could drop off the luggage (after the custom) since it's about 10 hrs apart...?
But if I could, then it'd be awesome...
thanks again ...

If it is a continuing flt, so to speak, I do not see why you would not be able to check-in for the next leg of your flt and therefore check your luggage. That is what you would do if you were going to spend the day at the airport. They do not know if you are on the airport property or off it, and what difference would it make anyway? By all means, verify this w/airline, but it seems a tad outrageous, if you are booked on one ticket that they would expect you to push your luggage all over the airport between flts......

BTW, what time of year are you talking about? The more urban Venice/SM might be better if it will be dark by 5:00 pm.....just a thought. To me 8 hours just in Manhattan Beach feels a little long, but that is just my opinion. Others may differ.

Then you're all set. After customs you just drop off the luggage outside the customs exit door.

Will you have any carry ons? Will they be small enough for you to keep with you and still enjoy the day?

Luggage storage is a thing of the past. You either check it through or take it with you.

<i>Luggage storage is a thing of the past</i>

if we're only talking about US (in this case we are), but as noted above, the OP will be fine after s/he is done with customs.

Just about every other international airport has luggage storage.

I live in Manhattan Beach and might agree with socialworker, depending on the time of year of your trip.

In the winter and early spring, Sunday afternoon in MB would be nice enough, but it will pretty quiet in the downtown area after 7 p.m. when most of the shops will be closed. If your trip is closer to or in summer, the downtown area will be full of people until very late in the evening.

Anyway, if you find you've seen all you want to see in MB and still have time, you can take a quick cab ride to Hermosa Beach. The crowds there will be a bit younger, and the emphasis is a bit more on alcohol.

If your airline does not transfer your luggage, you can use LAX luggage storage, they pick up your luggage curb side and deliver it back to you via a phone call.

http://laxluggagestorage.com/

Thank you all for the replies!
They are very2 helpful...i really appreciate them.

Happy travel!