On our trip to Turks and Caicos, we had quite the journey with a grand total of 6 flights. With our longest layover right after our first flight in Los Angeles, we knew we had to make the most of the time.
What To Do
Our layover was a total of seven hours. That seems like endless time, but when you consider travel time to and from the massive airport, going in and out of the terminal maze, and the unpredictable, infamous Los Angeles traffic, it really is less time than you think. The absolute last thing we wanted to do was miss our connecting flight, so we chose Venice Beach as our destination. At less than 10 miles from LAX (but with about a 30 minute car ride), it was the perfect destination.
How To Get There
What did we do before ride share? When you come out of the terminal, look for signs directing you to the ride share pick up. Most airports only allow them to pick up and drop off in a certain spot. The time estimates for our driver were upwards of 30 minutes, but we actually waited only about 5 minutes. If you had more time, it might be worth looking into renting a car. We definitely paid premiums being in a metro area, but since we only had two rides and a short window, renting a car wouldn’t have made much time for us.
What To Do
Venice Beach
Venice Beach is a quintessential Southern California beach town. The boardwalk has fun shops, artists and restaurants. The beach is enormous and really clean. We had fun walking the boardwalk and soaking in sun and fresh air before going back to the stale airport air. We didn’t make it over to the pier, but that would be an amazing spot to watch the sunset.
Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower
The Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower is the destination we gave our driver because it’s located right in the middle of everything. If you’ve been with us for any amount of time, you know this colorful landmark was at the top of Brittany’s must see list. It’s probably the cutest lifeguard stand we’ve ever seen and it made for the perfect picture spot.
Venice Canals
The Venice Canals is possibly the cutest neighborhood we’ve ever seen. It’s like a real life version of the Storybook Land ride at Disneyland. If you love gawking at unique architecture and over the top curb appeal, Venice Canals are definitely worth a stroll.
Getting Around
If you haven’t had a chance to get on an electric scooter or bike, make that your new goal. I’ve had the chance to ride them around a few different cities this year and they are so fun! You’ll need a ride sharing app to unlock them. They are fairly cheap (unless you park them in a “no parking zone” like Brittany), fun to ride and maximize your sight seeing time.
What To Eat
There are so many restaurants and bars in the area. After walking (and scooting) for a few hours, we were hungry. It just so happened to be happy hour at Simmzy’s as we were walking by and the open air atmosphere drew us in. Traveling always means eating at weird times and not always being hungry when you have the opportunity to eat, so the small bites on the happy hour menu was perfect.
A layover in Los Angeles isn’t as bad as far as layovers go. You’re almost guaranteed beautiful weather and picturesque scenery. It definitely beat sitting in the airport for seven hours!
Other California travel posts you might enjoy:
A Weekend in Monterey, CA || Sonoma County Wine Region Travel Guide || 10 Tips for Disneyland wit Kids For First Timers || San Diego: What to See and Do With a Toddler + Preschooler
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