Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
35
Freeway Names & Numbers
Locals refer to L.A. freeways by both their numbers and their names. For example,
I-10 is both “the 10” and “the Santa Monica Freeway.”
•
Pedestrians in Los Angeles hav e the
right of way at all times,
so stop for
people who have stepped off the curb.
•
Get detailed driving dir ections to
your hotel.
S ave y ourself the fr ustra-
tion of tr ying to find y our hotel—plot
it on a map and call the hotel for the
best route.
Parking
Explaining the par king situation in Los
Angeles is like explaining the E nglish lan-
guage—there ar e mor e ex ceptions than
rules. I n some ar eas, ev ery establishment
has a conv enient fr ee lot or ample str eet
parking; other areas are pretty manageable,
as long as y ou hav e a quick ey e and ar e
willing to take a fe w turns ar ound the
block, but there are some frustrating parts
of to wn (par ticularly ar ound r estaurants
after 7:30pm) wher e y ou might hav e to
give in and use v alet par king. Whether
there's valet parking depends more on the
congestion of the area than on the elegance
of the establishment; the siz e of an estab-
lishment's lot often simply won't allow for
self-parking. R estaurants and nightclubs
sometimes provide a complimentar y valet
service, but mor
and possibly to wed (especially in the
Westside and B everly H ills neighbor-
hoods).
•
Have plenty of quar ters on hand.
Angelenos scr ounge for par king-meter
quarters like N ew Yorkers do for laun-
dry quarters: They are the equivalent of
pure gold. S ave y ourself some hassle
and just buy a r oll or two at y our bank
before you leave home.
•
Be creative.
Case the immediate area by
taking a turn ar ound the block. I n
many parts of the city, you can find an
unrestricted str eet space less than a
block away from eager valets.
•
Read posted r estrictions car efully.
You can avoid a ticket if you pay atten-
tion to the signs, which warn of str eet-
cleaning schedules and those sneaky
rush-hour “no parking” zones.
•
Don't lose y our car in a par king
garage.
This seems like obvious advice,
but y ou'd be surprised ho w easily y ou
can lose y our car at a L.A. megamall.
Most garage lev els and subsections ar e
letter-, number-, and color-coded, so
make a mental note after you lock your
car.
Car Rentals
Los Angeles is one of the cheapest places in
America to rent a car. Major national car-
rental companies usually r ent economy-
and compact-class cars for about $40 per
day and $130 per w eek, with unlimited
mileage.
All the major car-r ental agencies hav e
offices at the airpor ts and in the larger
hotels; I highly recommend booking a car
online before you arrive. If you're thinking
of splurging on a dig-me r oad machine
such as a M aserati, F errari, R olls-Royce,
3
e often they charge
between $5 and $7. Some areas, like Santa
Monica and B everly Hills, offer self-par k
lots and garages near the neighborhood
action; costs range fr om $2 to $10. M ost
of the hotels that ar e listed in this topic
offer both self-par king (often fr ee) and/or
valet par king, which ranges fr om $10 to
$30 per day.
Here ar e a fe w mor e par king tips to
remember:
•
Beware of par king in r esidential
neighborhoods.
Many areas allow only
permit parking, so y ou will be ticketed
