Re: access from LA airport to the city

Most of the time, the shared vans are the best - they can handle your luggage, and will deliver you to the destination you are going to. The rates are reasonable to most major hotels. Check out www.primetimeshuttle.com and http://supershuttle.com/htm/cities/lax.htm .

If you are planning to stay near downtown or in the San Fernando Valley, the LA Flyaway bus is only $3. Please see: http://www.lawa.org/vny/flyAwayInfo.cfm

You should decide what you want to do in L.A. before you decide on accommodations. You might stay at a cheap hotel, but you might pay more for transportation to area attractions.

If you don't plan on going to Disneyland, Pasadena is pretty good. Pasadena has Huntington Gardens, Norton Simon Museum and good shopping in Old Towne Pasadena. You can take the gold line (www.metro.net) to Chinatown, downtown and Union Station.

From Union Station, you can:
* take the red line to Universal Studios
* take the Santa Monica bus to the Santa Monica Pier/Third Street
* take the shuttle bus to Dodger Stadium for a baseball game

Good luck with your trip.

Biff