1 Day in L.A. (Help)

[Mikenbabbs]

After our cruise (San Pedro Port), we've decided to take a late flight (10 PM) home out of LAX and are looking to spend a day in L.A. We won't have transportation (but plan on sending luggage direct from ship to airport) to free up ourselves. If we disembark by 11 and don't have to be at the airport til 8:00 PM what are realistic expectations for transportation costs (i.e. what's the cheapest way to go) and what should we see? We are 26 and 23 and into art, music, the outdoors, and sports. We want to stay away from amusement parks but wouldn't mind finding something "local" to eat that isn't a touristy thing, but worth the insider info. As far as food goes, we both hate seafood, but love italian food and a good steak. Any thoughts?

[kenish]

What date (or at least what month and day of the week?) A lot depends on weather and traffic. Some "starter" ideas are Huntington Beach (especially if you both surf), the Getty Museum, Third Street Promenade (Santa Monica), or Venice Beach (walk or rent bikes). Any of these align with your interests?

 

There are tons of outdoor activities in So Cal, but many of them are a stretch to do in a half day, especially if you don't have a rental car.

[BKBMN]

My husband and I were on the NCL Star in November and we also had a very late flight out of LA. We decided to book the cruise line's LA bus tour. That enabled us to leave the ship early and avoid that hassle. Typically I am unimpressed with the cruise lines tours but this 4 hour tour was really good, gave us a good overview of LA, and a chance to see downtown without the hassle of parking. When the tour concluded we were dropped off at the airport around 2pm.

 

We booked a convertible through Priceline for under $50 including taxes and took off to explore Malibu and drive through the mountains. Returned the car at the airport and then caught our flight home. It's probably a good idea to send your luggage ahead, we thought we would bring ours with and keep the suitcases in the trunk of the rental car. But we discovered that's not possible with a convertible, so we ended up putting them in the back seat.

 

Enjoy your trip.