Archive for the 'Los Angeles' Category
Thanksgiving travel predicted to be up this year at LAX, down at ONT
November 20, 2009 9:11am
Here we go. Today begins the 10-day stretch known in some circles as the “Thanksgiving holiday travel period,” so brace yourselves for lines, lines, lines.
At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), passenger volumes between today and Nov. 29 are predicted to be 1.1% higher than they were in 2008. Airport officials expect to see 1.49 million passengers at this major hub.
By contrast, L.A./Ontario International Airport (ONT) is anticipated to see fewer travelers, with a passenger volume that may be 8.8% less than it was in 2008. That translates to 123,500 travelers expected in the coming 10-day period.
Today is expected to be one of the busiest at both airports, as are Wednesday and Sunday, Nov. 29. Many airlines are forecasting that flights will be 80% to 100% booked, according to Los Angeles World Airports in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Timing’s good, says Virgin America CEO as airline launches Fort Lauderdale service (with $99 sale fares)
November 18, 2009 10:42am
A few months ago, after Virgin America announced plans to add Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to its route map (with twice-daily nonstop flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles), Chief Executive David Cush was “cautiously optimistic” about the state of fall travel.
How’s he feeling about the timing of the launch right now, as he is, this morning, aboard one of the inaugural flights of the new service?
“The timing of this route is very good. South Florida is a warm-weather destination that does very well in the first quarter,” he said. “While we are excited about Fort Lauderdale as a destination, we are also pleased that it is giving our network a bit more seasonal balance — a warm-weather destination. While first quarter is the weakest quarter for most routes, it is the strongest for Florida.”
And yes, he’s enjoying the first flight, which is laden with WiFi and cocktails, though he added, “not as much as some of the other guests, if you know what I mean.” And the fun continues after landing in Florida (at 3:15 p.m. EST), where passengers will receive “a champagne-soaked red carpet runway welcome” by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson, according to a news release.
Those of us who aren’t part of the party can celebrate by — how else? — shopping. To mark the official addition of its 10th destination, Virgin America has launched a 24-hour “Go Golden” sale, which ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. PST. Read the rest of this entry »
Queen Mary to update restaurants; two-week December closure for Sir Winston’s
November 17, 2009 2:35pm
The Queen Mary’s signature upscale restaurant, Sir Winston’s, is about to go under the knife. Planned updates to the restaurant named for Winston Churchill follow a recent change in management for the popular tourist attraction.
We can expect the Old World classics on the menu, such as beef Wellington and rack of lamb, to receive “a more contemporary interpretation” as well as an emphasis on local, seasonal produce, according to a statement by Delaware North Cos. Parks & Resorts, which took over management of the Queen Mary in late September.
Menu and restaurant-décor changes are scheduled to be implemented by Dec. 21. As such, Sir Winston’s will close on Sunday, Dec. 6 and reopen on Monday, Dec. 21.
At the helm of the transition is Larry Banares, who was the executive chef at the Queen Mary over 17 years ago, and returned in October to serve as executive chef for all of the ship’s restaurants. Read the rest of this entry »
Leonid meteor shower 2009 to peak early Tuesday morning
November 16, 2009 12:34pm
Sky-watchers in North America can expect to see up to 30 meteors hourly tonight as the annual Leonid meteor shower peaks in the wee hours of Tuesday, Nov. 17. Earth will cross the first meteor-producing stream on this date starting at around 1 a.m. PST, experts predict.
This shower, consisting of debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, may not be as grand as the Perseids of this past summer (a recent year’s meteor is pictured above, in Joshua Tree National Park), but the show should still be worth watching.
And it’ll be unusual. “A remarkable feature of this year’s shower is that Leonids will appear to be shooting almost directly out of the planet Mars,” said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office on a NASA blog.
Your best vantage point is a remote, dark place. That means that, yes, you’d do well to pack up your warmest sleeping bag and camp out in the desert or mountains. In the past, Los Angeles Times staff members have recommended Joshua Tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Mount Piños. Read the rest of this entry »
Google gives free Wi-Fi to holiday travelers at dozens of U.S. airports
November 10, 2009 12:10am
Got Wi-Fi? You do now. In the spirit of giving, Google announced today, Nov. 10, that it is offering free Wi-Fi at more than 40 airports across the country during the holiday season.
Southern Californians will be pleased to hear that Bob Hope Airport (BUR) in Burbank and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are on the list of those with free terminal-wide Wi-Fi. Among other airports in the promotion are those serving San Jose, Seattle, Boston, Baltimore, Houston, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis and Charlotte, N.C.
For travelers who think that all airports should offer free Wi-Fi, there’s more good news: Bob Hope Airport plans to continue offering free Wi-Fi indefinitely, according to Google.
This ought to take the sting out of crowded airports and potentially delayed flights during the busy holiday season.
When: Nov. 10 through Jan. 15
Tip: Fly on Virgin America over the holidays to get free Wi-Fi in the sky as well. Google partnered with the airline voted Best Domestic Airline in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2008 and 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards, and announced in October that it would be offering free inflight Wi-Fi during the same holiday period.
Pay it forward: Those who do take advantage of the free Internet will have the ability to make a charitable donation to one of three organizations. Google will match the donations made across all the networks, up to $250,000, and the airport network that generates the highest amount per passenger by Jan. 1, 2010 will receive $15,000 to donate to the local charity of its choice.
More info: FreeHolidayWiFi.com
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
Photo: A Southwest Airlines jet takes off above Bob Hope Airport in Burbank in April 2008. Credit: Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times
Two California luxury hotels added to AAA’s 2010 Five Diamond Award list
November 6, 2009 2:45pm
Open less than a year, the Resort at Pelican Hill in Orange County like all hotels, has struggled against the tides of a beleaguered economy. But that doesn’t mean it can’t take a great compliment. The luxury coastal property is one of two California resorts that have danced into the exclusive ranks of AAA’s just-released Five Diamond Award list for 2010. [Corrected at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 6: An earlier version of this post said the Resort at Pelican Hill is south of Laguna Beach. It is north of Laguna Beach.]
California, with 20 five-diamond hotels, also added the opulent Grand del Mar in San Diego to its coffers.
The new Golden State additions join the company of some real longtimers, like the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, which has populated the list for 24 consecutive years, and the Peninsula Beverly Hills, with 17 consecutive years under its belt.
Six Flags Magic Mountain to add family coaster for 2010
November 3, 2009 6:26pm
Six Flags Magic Mountain will add its 17th roller coaster in 2010, bringing the Valencia amusement park into a tie for the most coasters in the world, officials said.
Scheduled to open in early summer 2010, the family coaster will be located in the northwest corner of the park between the looping Déjà Vu coaster and the Johnny Rockets Shakes and Fries food stand.
The steel coaster moves Magic Mountain into a statistical tie with Ohio’s Cedar Point for the coveted title of “roller coaster capital of the world,” according to Roller Coaster Database.
Oyster Hotel Reviews does L.A.: See thousands of photos and insider reports from L.A.’s best hotels
November 3, 2009 3:53pm
The still-new Oyster Hotel Reviews that launched earlier this year has opened up a new category of Los Angeles hotels on their website. It’s a feather in their cap that Oyster reviews hotels without taking comps or incentives, but it’s their bounty of gorgeous hotel photos and insider content that keeps me coming back to their site. As you can imagine, I was happy when they added Los Angeles to their Caribbean-heavy lineup.
Here’s a website where travelers can get an inside peek at some of Los Angeles’ most-talked-about hotels before they slap down their credit card. Users are able to search hotels by category, price, rating and special amenities like “swim up bar at pool ” or “pets allowed.” Oyster roundup lists provide a great way to ogle the insides of a hotel and get a full review, whether you’re shopping for a room right now, or daydreaming for next year.
The luxe Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Terranea Resort and Shutters on the Beach are on the list of Best Luxury Hotels in Los Angeles, and the Chateau Marmont, Hollywood Roosevelt and the Beverly Hilton are three L.A. hotels that made the short list of hotels from Hotels with Hollywood History in Los Angeles. (Apparently, Oyster has a loose definition of Los Angeles since some hotels have addresses in Greater L.A. like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.)
Don’t worry, not all hotels in the L.A. section have big price tags. There are also Best Value Hotels and Kid-Friendly Hotels.
Halloween treat: Find haunted houses and events with MapQuest
October 28, 2009 8:52am
If you’re not leaving town to stay in a haunted hotel, and the idea of going to a theme park is even scarier than a chainsaw-wielding pig, check out what kind of Halloween events are taking place close to home. MapQuest teamed up with HauntWorld to add Halloween-themed events to its maps. Since L.A. was a little thin, I also checked Las Vegas, San Diego and elsewhere in California to see what was going on within driving distance of L.A.
How to find the ghosts on the map:
1. Go to MapQuest.com
2. Make sure it’s displaying the city you want to look up.
3. Look to the right-hand side of the page. You will see a vertical bar with icons like “H” for Holiday Inns, a coffee cup for coffeehouses, a gas pump for gas stations, etc. On that same scroll bar will be a ghost. Click on the ghost and you will see the map become populated with ghost icons that take you to info about local haunted houses.
4. To see more ghost options, click on the zoom-out feature on the left side of the page noted by the minus sign.
Caveat: Unfortunately there are not as many Halloween events as one would find on our guide to L.A.’s Halloween Events 2009. But it looks as if HauntWorld is open to users adding events.
More info: MapQuest Blog
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Image: A MapQuest screenshot of the Haunted House tool at play on MapQuest. Credit: Courtesy of MapQuest]
My terror-filled night as a chainsaw-wielding killer pig at Universal Studios
October 25, 2009 8:31am
Wearing a pig mask and dressed in a flowing red satin cloak, I crouched behind a pine tree as I watched my prey approach.
I gripped the chainsaw tight in my hand and yanked on the ripcord, the deafening roar splitting the silence of the forest.
Like a sprinter, I sprung from the woods and raced toward the road, revving the motor.
The sightseers on the tour bus retreated in horrified unison. Women screeched, men cursed, girls cowered, boys shuddered.
I swung my weapon wildly, slicing and jabbing at the terrified tourists with maniacal menace.
The acrid smell of muffler fumes drenched the air as I trudged back to my hiding place to prepare for my next attack — my mission accomplished.
