I usually pick up a bottle or two from "duty free" so I can have a drink the first night, seems this is still allowed?
- Liquids (including alcohol) purchased after clearing the security checkpoint are permitted on the aircraft.
Hi Barn,
I travel/work in LA a lot. Yeah, the traffic sucks most of the time, but you aren't going to be there for a lifetime. Just relax and go with it. With multiple people in your vehicle, you can use the commuter lanes, so that will help a great deal. Commuter lanes are not tolled, but there are a couple of sections of less common freeways that are toll freeways. Google maps will try to route you onto them. There are no tollbooths, you just drive onto them, they take a pic of the license plate and send the rental car company a bill, who in turn, mark it up and send it to you. Gets real expensive real fast. Study Google Maps on your laptop/tablet in the hotel at night so you have a better idea of your route the next day so you can stay off the toll freeways. There aren't that many of them though.
I'm also a big fan of Suburban XL and GMC Yukon Denali, both full sized. The above poster that remarked about the third seat makes a valid point though. Conversely, if I was driving from LA to Vegas, my preferred transport would be the Suburban/Yukon. Hell of a road vehicle. I rent from Hertz all the time, but you may be onto a better deal through Costco. Don't rent the GPS....it's now very old school. Consider renting/buying a burner phone over here so you can use Waze/Google maps.
Anything from the Duty Free shops is a scam. Ridiculously overpriced. Besides, you'll be smelling that cheap perfume that they sell everytime you take a pull off the booze bottle. Stop at a Ralph's (grocery), Von's (grocery), CVS (pharmacy) or Walgreens (pharmacy) to buy your booze. They are all big chains. It's about half the price of Duty Free. DO NOT buy anything from the little, mom/pop/corner liquor stores. Don't even pull in to their parking lot. About every other time I have done so, right afterward, my credit card gets a bunch of "unauthorized" charges on it and the CC company cancels it.
Provided you go to one of the grocery stores for booze, pick up some of these refreshments;
Simply (brand) raspberry lemonade, Tito's (brand) Vodka. Mix, or don't mix. They're both great. The pharmacies don't carry the Simply lemonade.
Sir is right, go see the Atomic Energy Museum and Hoover dam. We went to the dam when they were building the bridge. The arches were about 2/3rds of the way done. It was just amazing.
Stay away of East LA, South Central LA, Compton, Watts and those general areas and you'll be fine. Like any other travel to/through a major metropolitan city, know what's going on around you, no flashy jewelry, etc. and you'll be just fine. If you get the chance, go up to the Griffith Observatory.........just don't do it on the weekend. Monday or Tuesday is probably better. Brents deli in Van Nuys on Parthenia St. is a jewish deli and the food is great. It's expensive, but the portions are humungous. Split a sandwich with someone and it gets appreciably cheaper. You won't be able to eat a whole sandwich.
(Headed out to catch the waterbus to Piazza San Marco, will try to post pics later
)
