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American Airlines Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on American Airlines, which operates 5 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX), departing between 9:45am and 6:15pm, and 4 additional non-stop flights, departing between 7:50am and 9:25pm on select days of the week. The average travel time from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA is 1 hour and 23 minutes.
During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Norton Simon Museum of Art
Named for a food-packing king and financier who reorganized the failing Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, the Norton Simon displays one of the finest private collections of European, American, and Asian art in the world (and yet another feather in the cap of architect Frank Gehry, who redesigned the interior space). Comprehensive collections of masterpieces by Degas, Picasso, Rembrandt, and Goya are augmented by sculptures by Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin, including The Burghers of Calais, which greets you at the gates. The "Blue Four" collection of works by Kandinsky, Jawlensky, Klee, and Feininger is impressive, as is a superb collection of Southeast Asian sculpture. Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose (1633), an oil by Francisco de Zurbarán, is one of the museum's most important holdings. Perhaps the most popular piece is The Flower Vendor/Girl with Lilies, by Diego Rivera, followed by Goya's Disasters of War. The collection of paintings, sculptures, pastels, and prints by French Impressionist Edgar Degas is among the best in the world. Tip: Unless you're an art expert, you'll probably want to take the "Acoustiguide" audio tour -- it's $3 well spent.
Museum of the American West
Located north of Downtown in Griffith Park, this is one of the country's finest and most comprehensive museums of the American West. More than 78,000 artifacts showcasing the history of the region west of the Mississippi River are intelligently displayed. Evocative exhibits illustrate the everyday lives of early pioneers, not only with antique firearms, tools, saddles, and the like, but with many hands-on displays that successfully stir the imagination and the heart. You'll find footage from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, movie clips from the silent days, contemporary films, the works of Wild West artists, and plenty of memorabilia from Gene "The Singing Cowboy" Autry's film and TV projects. The Hall of Merchandising displays Roy Rogers bedspreads, Hopalong Cassidy radios, and other items from the collective consciousness -- and material collections -- of baby boomers. Provocative visiting exhibits (whose banners are visible from I-5) usually focus on cultural or domestic regional history. Docent-led tours are generally scheduled on Saturdays at 11am and noon. Tip: You can purchase a $12 two-site ticket that also includes entry into the Southwest Museum; it's valid for 3 months.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount is the only major studio still located in Hollywood, which makes the 2-hour cart tour around its Hollywood headquarters far more historically enriching than the modern studios in Burbank (even the wrought-iron gates Gloria Swanson motored through in Sunset Boulevard are still there) The tour is both a historical ode to filmmaking and a real-life, behind-the-scenes look at a working movie and television facilities in day-to-day operation; ergo, no two tours are alike, and chances of spotting a celebrity are pretty good. Visits typically include a walk-through of the soundstages of TV shows or feature films, though you can't enter while taping is taking place. The $35 tours (by advance reservations only) depart Monday through Friday on a first-come, first-served basis at10am, 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. You need to be at 12 or older to take the tour, and cameras and recording equipment are verboten. Tip: After the tour, have lunch at the Paramount Studio?s world-famous Commissary; you never know who might drop in for a bite, and the food?s pretty darn good.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Los Angeles area, including:
The Standard
If Andy Warhol had gone into the hotel business (which he no doubt would have, if he had arrived on the scene a few decades later), the Standard would've been the end result. Designed to appeal to the under-35 "it" crowd, Andre Balazs's swank West Hollywood neomotel is sometimes absurd, sometimes brilliant, and always provocative (not to mention crowded!). It's a scene worthy of its Sunset Strip location: Shag carpeting on the lobby ceiling, blue Astroturf around the swimming pool, a DJ spinning ambient sounds while a performance artist showing more skin than talent poses in a display case behind the check-in desk -- this place is definitely left of center.The good news is that the Standard is more than just an attitude. Look past the retro clutter and often-raucous party scene, and you'll find a level of service more often associated with hotels costing twice as much. Constructed from the bones of a vintage 1962 motel, it boasts comfortably sized rooms outfitted with cobalt blue indoor-outdoor carpeting, silver beanbag chairs, safety-orange tiles in the bathrooms, and Warhol's poppy-print curtains, plus private balconies, and minibars whose contents include goodies like sake, condoms, and animal crackers. On the downside, the cheapest rooms face noisy Sunset Boulevard, and the relentless scene can get tiring if you're not into it. The Standard's trendy new full-service NestSpa offers so-L.A.-style treatments such as Touch Thyself, Jet Lag Therapy, and Hangover Helper.Note: A 12-story Downtown Standard, 550 S. Flower St. (tel. 213/892-8080), opened in mid-2002, brings a similar dose of retro-future style and cool attitude to Downtown. The Cheap Rooms -- yes, that's what they call them -- run about $100 on weekends. It's worth visiting just to check out the rooftop bar with its vibrating waterbed pleasure pods, movies projected onto neighboring buildings, and hot waitresses.
Casa Malibu
Sitting right on its very own beach, this leftover jewel from Malibu's golden age doesn't try to play the sleek resort game (and what a refreshing exception). Instead, the modest, low-rise inn has a traditional California-beach-cottage look that's cozy and timeless.Wrapped around a palm-studded inner courtyard brightened with well-tended flower beds and climbing cuppa d'oro vines, the 21 rooms are comfortable and thoughtfully outfitted. Many have been upgraded with tile bathrooms, air-conditioning (almost never needed on the coast), and VCRs or DVDs, but even the older ones are in great shape and boast top-quality bedding and bathrobes. Depending on which you choose, you might also find a fireplace, a kitchenette (in a half-dozen or so), a CD player (in suites), a tub (instead of shower only), and/or a private deck over the sand. The upstairs Catalina Suite (Lana Turner's old hideout) has the best view, while the gorgeous Malibu Suite -- the best room in the house and, like the beachfront rooms, located right on the beach -- offers state-of-the-art pampering. More than half have ocean views, but even those facing the courtyard are quiet and offer easy beach access via wooden stairs to the private stretch of beach, which is raked smooth each morning. There's also a handsome, wind-shielded brick sun deck, which extends directly over the sand, allowing everyone to enjoy the blue Pacific even in cool months. Book well ahead for summer -- this one's a favorite of locals and visitors alike.
Beverly Hilton
If you're a fan of awards shows, you'll probably recognize this hotel, at the crossroads of Wilshire and Santa Monica in the heart of Beverly Hills, as the annual home to the star-studded Golden Globe Awards. This boxlike eight-story hotel has been attracting movie city business travelers, movie stars, U.S. presidents, royalty, and tourists alike since 1955. The guest rooms are similar but not all alike -- only about half have balconies, and some are decidedly larger than others. During the summer, the ground-level poolside rooms are a good choice, thanks to French doors that open directly onto the sun deck. For city views, request one of the tower rooms. Among the Beverly Hilton's best advantages are its food and cocktail outlets: It's hard to beat a pupu platter and a rum-spiked Navy Grog at the supergroovy Polynesian-style Trader Vic's, often favored by celebs looking for a quiet hangout; you can also dine poolside at Griff's on nice days. The lavish buffets offered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are a good deal for big eaters. All in all, a pleasant, well-located, and relatively affordable slice of Hollywood glamour.
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