American Airlines Flights from Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on American Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX), departing between 12:00pm and 3:20pm, and one additional non-stop flight regularly scheduled to depart at 11:30am and arrive at 6:00am, Thursdays, Fridays. Usually a Boeing 747-400 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, CA is 13 hours and 30 minutes.
During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
California Science Center
A $130 million renovation -- reinvention, actually -- has turned the former Museum of Science and Industry into Exposition Park's newest attraction. Using high-tech sleight-of-hand, the center stimulates kids of all ages with questions, answers, and lessons about the world. One of the museum's highlights is Tess, a 50-foot animatronic woman whose muscles, bones, organs, and blood vessels are revealed, demonstrating how the body reacts to a variety of external conditions and activities. (Appropriate for children of all ages, Tess doesn't possess reproductive organs.) Another highlight is the new Air and Space Gallery, a seven-story space where real air- and spacecraft are suspended overhead.There are nominal fees, ranging from $2 to $5, to enjoy the science center's more thrilling attractions. You can pedal a bicycle across a high-wire suspended 43 feet above the ground (demonstrating the principle of gravity and counterweights) or get strapped into the Space Docking Simulator for a virtual-reality taste of zero gravity. There's plenty more, and plans for expansion are always in the works. The IMAX theater boasts a screen seven stories high and 90 feet wide, with state-of-the-art surround sound and 3-D technology. Films are screened throughout the day until 9pm and are nearly always breathtaking, even the two-dimensional ones.
Frederick's of Hollywood Lingerie Museum
God bless Frederick Mellinger, inventor of the push-up bra (originally known as the Rising Star). Frederick's of Hollywood opened this world-famous purple-and-pink Art Deco panty shop in 1947 and dutifully installed a small exhibition saluting all the stars of stage, screen, and television who glamorized lingerie. The collection now includes Madonna's pointy-breasted black-and-gold bustier, the bra Tony Curtis wore in his famous cross-dressing performance in Some Like It Hot, Phyllis Diller's training bra (marked "This Side Up!"), the Boxer shorts worn by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and a Cher-autographed underwire bra (size 32B). Some exhibits were lost during the 1992 L.A. riots, when looters ransacked the place. Mercifully, the bra worn by Milton Berle on his 1950s TV show was saved.
Capitol Records Building
Opened in 1956, this 13-story tower, just north of the legendary intersection of Hollywood and Vine, is one of the city's most recognizable buildings. The world's first circular office building is often, but incorrectly, said to have been made to resemble a stack of 45s under a turntable stylus (it kinda does, though). Nat "King" Cole, songwriter Johnny Mercer, and other 1950s Capitol artists populate a giant exterior mural. Look down and you'll see the sidewalk stars of Capitol's recording artists (including John Lennon). In the lobby, numerous gold albums are on display.The light on the rooftop spire of the Capitol Records building flashes "H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D" in Morse code. Really, it does.
Casa del Mar
Housed in a former 1920s Renaissance Revival beach club, this Art Deco stunner is a real dream of a resort hotel, equal in every respect to big sister Shutters just down the beach. Which one you prefer depends on your personal sense of style. While Shutters is outfitted like a chic contemporary beach house, this impeccable, U-shape villalike structure radiates period glamour. The building's shape awards ocean views to most of the guest rooms; unfortunately, windows don't open more than an inch or two (which gives Shutters, whose rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, a slight advantage). You're unlikely to be too disappointed thanks to the gorgeous, summery, European-inspired decor in golds and sea grass hues, plus abundant luxuries that include sumptuously dressed beds and big Italian marble bathrooms with extralarge whirlpool tubs and separate showers. Rooms are laid out for relaxation, not business, so travelers with work on their minds should stay elsewhere.Downstairs you'll find a big, elegant living room with ocean views, a stylish lounge, and the Oceanfront restaurant, which has earned justifiable kudos (and more than a few celebrity fans) for its beautiful setting, great service, and seafood-heavy California cuisine. Outdoors, the Mediterranean-evocative Palm Terrace boasts a gorgeous Roman-style pool and Jacuzzi with spectacular ocean views.Facilities: Oceanfront restaurant; lobby lounge for cocktails and light fare; alfresco cafe for daytime dining; heated outdoor Roman-style pool; plunge pool; Jacuzzi overlooking Santa Monica Beach; state-of-the-art health club with spa services; 24-hr. concierge; business center; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry-cleaning service.
The Ambrose
If being within walking distance of the ocean isn't crucial but a soothing, peaceful environment is, I've found your hotel. Located in a residential Santa Monica neighborhood, the new 77-room Ambrose is quickly becoming a favorite boutique hideaway for CEOs who are tired of the megahotel experience and just want a relaxing place to hang their coats (repeat guests are given their own fitness room locker) and unwind. The Ambrose's unique architecture blends the Arts and Crafts movement with soothing Asian influences -- a tranquil Japanese garden, a koi pond, trickling fountains, beautiful artwork, and a profusion of dark woods and mossy palates. The majority of the guest rooms are on the small side -- if you're not satisfied with the elbow room, feel free to ask for another -- but are luxuriously appointed with Matteo Italian bedding, Frette cotton kimonos and bath linens, oversize goose-down pillows, and surround-sound CD-DVD music systems. Studio rooms are the largest and come with a large private deck with a fireplace and partial ocean views. It's the many complimentary amenities that really sold me on the Ambrose, though (a strategy I wish more hotels would follow): underground parking with direct elevator access, wireless Internet access, access to the community computer, breakfast provided by local gourmet Celestino Drago, a 24-hour fitness room filled with top-of-the-line equipment, and even shuttle service around Santa Monica via the hotel's cute-as-all-get-out London taxi (trust me, you'll love this car). Other perks include a 24-hour in-room dining menu (again a la Drago), Aveda bath products, organic minibar offerings, and one-on-one Pilates training available on-call. With rack rates starting at a very reasonable $165, book a room fast while it's still a bargain.
Peninsula Beverly Hills
The Peninsula is one of L.A.'s two or three finest hotels (a group that includes the Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel). This stellar hotel -- like its sister Peninsula properties in exotic locales like Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bangkok -- has risen above the rest by making ultra service its hallmark. Set at Beverly Hills's main crossroads, this gardenlike oasis is impeccable in every respect (although laid-back types will surely consider it too formal).The refined air begins the moment you enter the marbled lobby and continues through the gardenlike grounds. Special features in the large, lavish, European-styled guest rooms include controls for everything -- lighting, climate, DO NOT DISTURB sign -- beside the luxurious Frette-made bed, an extralarge work desk, an oversize marble bathroom with soaking tub and separate shower, and round-the-clock personal valets; the 16 private villa suites, ensconced within lush gardens, also boast gas fireplaces, kitchens, CD players, and individual security systems. Sure, rooms are ultraexpensive, but a unique 24-hour check-in/check-out policy -- which allows you to keep your room for a full 24 hours, no matter what time you check in -- means you get your money's worth.Belvedere is L.A.'s premier hotel dining room; breakfast is a tradition among CAA agents (whose office is across the street) and their thespian clients (insiders order the nowhere-on-the-menu banana-stuffed Brioche French Toast), and Sunday brunch is the best in town. The mahogany-paneled bar is also popular among the power suits, while the English Garden-style Living Room pours L.A.'s best high tea. The cutting-edge Peninsula Spa is a day-spa-worthy of a visit even if you don't stay at the hotel.Facilities: Restaurant; The Roof Garden cafe for casual dining; The Club Bar lounge; rooftop heated lap pool and Jacuzzi; state-of-the-art fitness center; terrific full-service spa w/hydrotherapy features; concierge; courtesy Rolls Royce within 5-mile radius; business center; salon; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; laundry service; dry-cleaning service; 24-hr. check-in/check-out.
