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Continental Airlines Flights from Cincinnati (CVG) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Continental Airlines, which operates 5 non-stop flights from Cincinnati (CVG) to Los Angeles (LAX) departing between 8:55am and 8:56pm on select days of the week. Usually a Boeing 757 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Cincinnati, OH to Los Angeles, CA is 4 hours and 53 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Universal Studios Hollywood & CityWalk
Believing that filmmaking itself is a bona fide attraction, Universal Studios began offering tours to the public in 1964. The concept worked: Today Universal is more than just one of the largest movie studios in the world -- it's one of the largest amusement parks as well. By integrating shows and rides with behind-the-scenes presentations on movie-making, Universal created a new genre of theme park, stimulating a number of clone and competitor parks.The main attraction continues to be the Studio Tour, a 1-hour guided tram ride around the company's 420 acres. En route you pass stars' dressing rooms and production offices before visiting famous back-lot sets that include an eerily familiar Old West town, a clean New York City street, the famous town square from the Back to the Future films, and newer sets such as Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, Jurassic Park III, and The Grinch. Along the way, the tram encounters several staged "disasters," which I won't divulge here lest I ruin the surprise (they're all very tame). Though the wait to board might appear long, don't be discouraged -- each tram carries several hundred people and departures are frequent, so the line moves quickly.Other attractions are more typical of high-tech theme-park fare, but all have a film-oriented slant. The newest ride, Revenge of the Mummy, is a super-high-tech indoor roller coaster that's enhanced with animatronics, motion picture technology, and lots of really creepy Warrior Mummies that drop down and scare the crap out of you. Back to the Future is a virtual-reality ride within a bucking simulation chamber (similar to Star Tours at Disneyland). You're a guest in Doc Brown's lab and get caught up in a high-speed chase in a time-traveling DeLorean through a million years (try to count how many times Biff says "butthead"). Jurassic Park -- The Ride is short in duration but long on dinosaur animatronics; riders in jungle boats float through a world of five-story-tall T-rexes and airborne raptors that culminates in a pitch-dark vertical drop with a splash ending. Terminator 2: 3D is a high-tech cyberwar show that combines live action along with triple-screen 3-D technology, explosions, spraying mists, and laser fire (Arnold prevails, of course). Shrek 4D is one of the park's best attractions, a multisensory animated show that combines 3-D effects, a humorous storyline, and "surprise" special effects -- the flying dragon chase is wild.There are also several live shows performing daily. Waterworld is an entertaining, fast-paced outdoor theater presentation (and far better than the film that inspired it) featuring stunts and special effects performed on and around a small man-made lagoon (most performances are sold out, so arrive at the theater at least 15 minutes before the show time listed in the handout park map). In Backdraft, guests move from theater to theater amid realistic ruptured fuel lines, melting metal, and scorching warehouse scenes. Spider-Man Rocks! is a high-energy rock 'n' roll musical with lots of song, dance, acrobatics, loud noises, and pyrotechnics. Animal Planet Live! stars trained monkeys, pigs, hawks, and other animals doing various entertaining tricks (well, most of the time). Tip: Straight ahead of the park's main entrance on Main Street is the TV Audience Ticket Booth, where you can obtain free tickets to join the audience for any TV shows that are taping during your visit (subject to availability).Universal Studios is an exciting place for kids and teens, but just as in any theme park, lines can be brutally long; the wait for a 5-minute ride can sometimes last more than an hour. In summer, the stifling Valley heat can dog you all day. To avoid the crowds, try not to visit on weekends, school vacations, and Japanese holidays. If you're willing to pay extra money to save the hassle of standing in line, the park offers a "Front of Line" pass with -- obviously -- front-of-the-line privileges, as well as VIP passes (essentially private tours). You can also save time standing in line by purchasing and printing your tickets online. Log onto the website for more information.Located just outside the gate of Universal Studios Hollywood is Universal CityWalk (tel. 818/622-4455; www.citywalkhollywood.com), Universal Studio's version of Downtown Disney, complete with throngs of bored-looking teens. If you have any money left from the amusement park, you can spend it at this three-block-long pedestrian promenade crammed thick with flashy name-brand stores (Billabong, Fossil, Skechers, Vans), dorky nightclubs (Blues at B. B. King's, Howl at the Moon dueling piano bar, Rumba Room Latin dance club), chain restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe, Daily Grill, Jerry's Famous Deli), a six-story 3-D IMAX theater, an 18-screen cinema, a 6,200-seat amphitheater, NASCAR virtual racing, and even a bowling alley (Take that, Disney!). Entrance to CityWalk is free; it's open until 9pm on weekdays and until midnight Friday and Saturday. Tip: The sushi at the Wasabi at Citywalk restaurant (tel. 818/622-7224) was surprisingly good and very reasonably priced.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Completed in September 2002 at a cost of $163 million and built to last 500 years, this ultra-contemporary cathedral is one of L.A.'s newest architectural treasures and the third-largest cathedral in the world. It was designed by award-winning Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo and features a 20,000-square-foot plaza, more than 6,000 crypts and niches (making it the largest crypt mausoleum in the U.S.), Mission-style colonnades, biblically inspired gardens, and numerous artworks created by world-acclaimed artists. While most Angelinos admit that the exterior of this austere, sand-colored structure is rather uninspiring and uninviting (the church doors don't face the street, but rather a private plaza in back surrounded by fortresslike walls), the view from the inside is breathtaking: Soaring heights, 12,000 panes of translucent alabaster, and larger-than-life tapestries lining the walls create an awe-inspiring sense of magnificence and serenity. The bronze doors, created by sculptor Robert Graham, pay homage to Ghiberti's bronze baptistery door in Florence. The cathedral now serves as the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of L.A.
L.A. Central Library
This is one of L.A.'s early architectural achievements and the third-largest library in the United States. The city rallied to save the library when arson nearly destroyed it in 1986; the triumphant restoration has returned much of its original splendor. Working in the early 1920s, architect Bertram G. Goodhue employed the Egyptian motifs and materials popularized by the discovery of King Tut's tomb, and combined them with a more modern use of concrete block to great effect. Walking tours are the best way to explore this old beauty; they're led Monday through Friday at 12:30pm, Saturday at 11am and 2pm, and Sunday at 2pm. Warning: Parking in this area can involve a heroic effort. Try visiting on the weekend and using the Flower Street parking entrance; the library will validate your ticket, and you can escape for only $2.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Los Angeles area, including:
Hotel Bel-Air
Spread over 12 luxuriant garden acres, this stunning Mission-style hotel is one of the most beautiful, romantic, exclusive, and all-around impressive hotels not just in L.A., but in all of California. This opulent early-20th-century castle wins a never-ending stream of praise for its faultless service, luxurious accommodations, and magical ambience. The parklike grounds -- rich with ancient trees, fragrant flowers, bubbling fountains, playful statuary, and swan-dotted ponds -- are enchanting, and the welcoming, richly traditional public rooms are filled with fine antiques. Rooms, villas, and garden suites are individually decorated but equally stunning; some have Jacuzzis, many have private patios and wood-burning fireplaces, but all feature romantic country French decor.The hotel is a natural for honeymooners and other celebrants, but families might be put off by the Bel-Air's relative formality, which is geared to the jet set, CEO types, and ladies who lunch. Even if you don't stay here, you might consider brunch, lunch, or dinner at the highly regarded and ultraromantic restaurant or on the woodsy outdoor terrace, or drinks at the cozy bar.
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
Part of the $615 million Hollywood & Highland project to restore Hollywood to the glory of its heyday, the Renaissance Hollywood opened in late 2001. The hotel now serves as Oscar-night headquarters for the frenzy of participants and paparazzi attending the Academy Awards in the Kodak Theater next door. Despite its high profile, the hotel is principally a convention property and not quite as elite or elegant as the media hype might have you believe. Nonetheless, its commitment to the history of the area infuses it with far more personality than most chain hotels. Wood-paneled headboards and Technicolor furniture (think The Jetsons meets Ikea) paint guest rooms as swinging '50s bachelor pads. Rooms on the seventh floor and up offer truly impressive views. One-third look toward the Pacific Ocean, one-third face the skyline of Downtown L.A., and one-third take in the lush Hollywood Hills (yes, you can see the sign).The hotel's location makes getting around on foot unusually easy in a town where most destinations require navigating L.A.'s notorious freeway system. Sightseeing is virtually unavoidable since the hotel shares the same block as two of the city's most famous landmarks -- the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The Hollywood Bowl is less than a mile away (check with the concierge about shuttle service), and the subway stops under the hotel complex, offering access to Universal Studios and destinations farther afield.
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.
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