Los Angeles Overview
'Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.' - Frank Lloyd Wright
Is LA a figment of its own imagination?
Starlit and moonstruck, LA beguiles scores of curious tourists, hopeful starlets and wannabe rock gods every day. But there's a lot more to it than the siren call of fame and fortune. It's a thriving, multilayered city filled with world-class everything: museums, music, food, architecture, gardens.
Although often gridlocked by traffic, LA moves to a rhythm all of its own. A vortex of creative energy spawns a never-ending stream of movies, inventions and trends. Hollywood and Disneyland are givens, but LA's hidden enclaves have a surprising subtlety and flavour which flout the stereotypes.
Currency in Los Angeles
Notes in United States
American banknotes (bills) often confuse visitors: they're all the same size and the same colour. Be especially careful not to hand over too much cash, and always check your change carefully. Be careful not to accept incomplete or severely torn notes, as they can be refused; small rips are usually not a problem. Bills come in denominations of 1, 2 (rare), 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars.
Coins in United States
Coins come in 1 (penny), 5 (nickel), 10 (dime), 25 (quarter) cent and 50 cent denominations; there is also a dollar coin.
Preferred Form of Payment in Los Angeles
If you can't use your credit card in the US then you probably can't use it anywhere. ATMs are hard to miss, well networked and offer an even cheaper option if your card is set up to use them. Otherwise travellers cheques are almost as good as cash; you'll save yourself hassle and expense if they are in US dollars.
Changing Your Money in Los Angeles
Major credit and debit cards, including the Visa Cash Passport Card, are widely accepted. You can also access your bank account using US ATMs which are ubiquitous. Travellers cheques are easily converted to cash at any bank. You'll probably need to take your passport along to prove your identity.
Money Tips
If you camp or stay in hostels, catch buses and cook your own food, you could feasibly explore the country on around 50 USD a day. Staying in motels and eating at modest cafes will mean you'll hit the 100 USD mark, and enjoying the convenience of a rental car will push your daily budget up to 150 USD.
Using a Telephone in Los Angeles
For directory assistance in the US, dial 411. For the operator, dial 0. For the international operator, dial 00. Pay-phone calls within LA cost a minimum of 0.35 USD, and costs go up with distance - call the operator for rates. Don't accept the operator's offer to put your call through as this incurs a pesky surcharge. The 800, 866, 877 and 888 area codes are toll-free within the US but beware 900 numbers as these charge premium rates.
Many businesses use letters instead of numbers for their telephone numbers to make it snappy and memorable - the letters correlate with the letters on the number pad.
For long-distance and international calls, it's best to obtain a prepaid phonecard sold at convenience stores and supermarkets. Read the fine print for hidden charges; a 0.30 USD or 0.50 USD connecting fee for pay phone calls is normal. Some phones also allow the use of credit cards.
Using a Mobile Phone in Los Angeles
The only foreign phones that will work in the USA are tri-band models, operating on GSM 1900 as well GSM 900/1800. If you have a GSM tri-band phone, check with your service provider about using it in the USA, and expect your calls to be more expensive than using your home network. Your mobile phone number stays the same, and callers at home will be connected to your phone automatically.
Alternatively, buy a prepaid SIM chip for the US and install it into your tri-band phone. This gives you a local phone number, voice mail and, usually, lower rates.
Doing Business in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the largest business, financial and industrial centre on the West Coast and has a host of advocacy and outreach programs designed to make doing business there as smooth and successful as possible. Some useful resource centres include the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (tel: 888-452-3321), the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (tel: 213-580-7500) and the Los Angeles Business Council (tel: 310-475-4574).
Los Angeles International Airport houses The Travel Right Café in Terminal 4 Departures, which has laptop and internet connection and mobile phone services. Fax and photocopying is available at the ICE Currency Exchange booth on the Arrivals level of the TBI Terminal, as well as on the Departures level of Terminal 3. There is a meeting room in Terminal 3, provided by Alaska Airlines (tel: 310 342 4435), and one in Terminal 1, provided by US Airways (tel: 310 417 2054). The Hilton Los Angeles Airport (tel: 310 410 4000) provides meeting rooms as well as a 24-hour fully equipped business centre, as do many hotels. There is also the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is an impressive complex designed to host trade shows, conferences and exhibitions.
The business district (officially called the Financial District) in Downtown Los Angeles is roughly bounded by 2nd and 6th Sts, and by Figueroa and Hill Sts.
Media in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is hyper-charged with media of all kinds. If you feel deprived by having only 14 free television stations, the cable TV menu will keep your remote busy. While the venerable LA Times dominates newsprint with a daily circulation of 850,000, the Spanish-language daily La Opinión doesn't do too badly either - attracting over 100,000 readers. A substantial number of LA's three dozen or so radio stations also serve the city's thriving non-English-speaking populations.
