Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Southern California is beautiful, so it can be hard to leave the beaches, palm trees, and sunshine after your Los Angeles, CA trade show ends. Fortunately, there are a bunch of ways you can have fun passing the time leading up to your flight at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). SoCal knows how to show people a good time, and since their airport sees over 88 million passengers each year who fly on over 70 airlines, they have a lot of people to entertain!
Travel Times and Insider Tips
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The Los Angeles metropolitan area is huge and encompasses a few popular trade show venues. Here are some average travel times between the region’s biggest convention centers and LAX:
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30 minutes from the Los Angeles Convention Center
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40 minutes from the Long Beach Convention Center
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45 minutes from the Anaheim Convention Center
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Here’s a pro tip for getting to the airport: the Los Angeles rush hours are generally 7am-10am for the morning commute and 4pm-7pm after work. If you’re commuting to LAX during those hours, give yourself even more drive time.
Top Places to Eat
As you likely noticed during your visit, Los Angeles is packed with celebrities, and one of the hotspots to catch a glimpse of movie and music icons is West Hollywood. This neighborhood is also on display inside LAX thanks to Reilly’s Irish Pub and Barney’s Beanery, both of which originated in West Hollywood.
If those eateries aren’t quite your vibe, the menus at Rock & Brews Concert Bar and Grill, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, or Engine Co. No. 28 will surely satisfy your cravings.
Things to Do
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Check out The Theme Building and its 135-foot high arches that have stood since the 1960s.
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Relieve your travel anxiety with the Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP) program.
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Stroll around and check out the work by local and regional artists, which are on display throughout the airport.
Souvenirs and Other Things to Buy
You don’t want to go home empty-handed, and LAX is a great place to buy some last-minute gifts and souvenirs. Check out one of the two I Love LA locations for some Southern California gear, shop for your favorite biker at Bartel’s Harley Davidson Store, or grab some snacks and memorabilia at Access Hollywood.
Oddities and Fun Facts
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Although it’s unconfirmed, rumor has it that LAX has secret underground tunnels for celebrities to walk through on their way in and out of the airport.
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Marijuana is legal in California, but since the TSA is under federal jurisdiction and each state and country has its own cannabis laws, it’s best not to bring any into the airport.