Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Fast Facts
1
FAST FACTS: LOS ANGELES
AREA CODES
Within the past 20 years,
L.A. has gone fr om having a single ar ea
code (213) to a whopping sev en. E ven
residents can't keep up . As of pr ess time,
here's the basic layout: Those areas west of
La Cienega Boulev ard, including B everly
Hills and the city 's beach communities,
use the
310
ar ea code. P ortions of Los
Angeles County east and south of the city,
including Long Beach, are in the
562
area.
The San Fernando Valley has the
818
area
code, while points east—including par ts
of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena—use
the
626
code. What happened to 213, you
ask? The D owntown business ar ea still
uses
213.
All other numbers, including
Griffith P ark, H ollywood, and par ts of
West H ollywood (east of La Cienega
Blvd.) now use the area code
323.
If it's all
too much to r emember, just call dir ectory
assistance at
&
411.
AUTOMOBILE ORGANIZATIONS
M otor
clubs will supply maps, suggested r outes,
guidebooks, accident and bail-bond insur-
ance, and emergency r oad ser vice. The
American A utomobile A ssociation
(AAA)
is the major auto club in the
United S tates. I f y ou belong to a motor
club in your home country, inquire about
AAA reciprocity before you leave. You may
be able to join AAA ev en if y ou're not a
member of a r eciprocal club; to inquir e,
call AAA (
&
800/222-4357;
www.aaa.
com). AAA has a nationwide emergency
road ser vice telephone number (
&
800/
AAA-HELP [800/222-4357]).
BUSINESS HOURS
Offices are usually
open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. B anks
are open w eekdays fr om 9am to 5pm or
later and sometimes S aturday mornings.
Stores typically open between 9 and 10am
and close between 5 and 6pm fr om Mon-
day through Saturday. Stores in shopping
complexes or malls tend to stay open late:
until about 9pm on w eekdays and w eek-
ends, and many malls and larger depar
t-
ment stores are open on Sundays.
DRINKING L AWS
The legal age for
purchase and consumption of alcoholic
beverages is 21; pr oof of age is r equired
and often r equested at bars, nightclubs,
and restaurants, so it 's always a good idea
to bring ID when you go out.
Do not carry open containers of alcohol
in y our car or any public ar ea that isn 't
zoned for alcohol consumption.The police
can fine you on the spot. Don't even think
about driving while intoxicated.
DRIVING RULES
S ee “Getting There
& Getting Around,” p. 29.
ELECTRICITY
Like Canada, the United
States uses 110 to 120 v olts A C (60
cycles), compared to 220 to 240 v olts AC
(50 cy cles) in most of E urope, A ustralia,
and New Zealand. Downward converters
that change 220-240 v olts to 110-120
volts ar e difficult to find in the U
nited
States, so bring one with y ou.
EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
All
embassies are located in the nation 's capi-
tal, Washington, D.C. S ome consulates
