Remote Bag Check-in at LAX

by Iva Skoch on

In an effort to ease congestion and help travelers, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is experimenting with remote bag check-in, at locations around the city. The month-old program is apparently working well, and they’re adding locations.

The service, provided by BAGS, Inc., includes getting airline boarding passes and bag check in, for up to two bags, for between $10-15 per person. At the check-in locations, shuttle bus service ($6 round trip) is available to take you right to LAX. You can then proceed through security and right to your gate.

Check-in locations include the Van Nuys FlyAway bus terminal in the San Fernando Valley, the Union Station FlyAway bus stop at Patsaouras Transit Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center. They hope to expand the program to major hotels as well.

Unfortunately, it’s only available to U.S. destinations at this time, and the airlines are limited to major U.S. carriers.

If this does expand to hotels and other locations, this would be a good way of avoiding nightmarish check-in lines, although you’re still stuck in security lines.

Wallpaper* City Guides

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just when you start to sleep on Wallpaper* they go and make their debut in the publishing world with these nice little City Guides. Their reason being, after 10 years in the game uncovering the best new design and urban travel spots globally, packaging that decade of experience into well-thought out yet simple guide books was only obviously. They make it clear that the traveler’s time is as important as their own and they don’t waste it chucking in massive quantities. It’s about quality and they very best. The first 20 were published this past September and another 20 will be published every six months after that. Current titles include Mexico City, Los Angeles, NYC, Madrid, Bangkok and Stockholm to name only a few.

The books can be purchased at Phaidon. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Stay tuned for the rest in 2007!

One Hundred Very Angry U.S. Cities

by Adrienne Wilson on

Why this list of angry U.S. cities makes me laugh – I don’t know? Could it be that Orlando, the very home of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Mickey Mouse ranks number one for some bizarre reason? Maybe it’s because my city (Tampa, FL) ranks 12 and the near by St. Petersburg, FL comes in second? So my first question is this – what’s up with all the anger Florida?

World Hum points readers to a fine piece from Men’s Health focusing on 100 very angry U.S. cities. The ranking was based off factors like percentage of men with high blood pressure, FBI rates of aggravated assaults, Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers on workplace deaths from assaults and other violence in addition to road rage. Whew! With all those ugly factors and Orlando placing tops on the anger totem, some of you may be a little afraid to see where your place of residence ranks. Others may not be so surprised.

Los Angeles Maps

by Erik Olsen on

I have a rather bittersweet relationship with Los Angeles. On the one had, having lived there for most of my life, I feel like I know what the city has to offer culturally/historically, and I have always felt the town comes up wanting. To me, LA is a one industry town: TV/Film and if you are only mildly interested in these two things…or haven’t dedicated your lief to them…then you might not find LA the most inspiring place. That’s how I feel. But then again, living here in New York, I’m always hearing people bash the city, and more often than not this comes from people who either haven’t visited it, or have gone, but only saw Hollywood Boulevard, Disneyland (not even in LA!) and other tourist hot spots. To these people, I vigorously defend LA and protest that there’s much there to see and experience. See, I’m kinda mixed up?

All this is to direct you for the moment to an interesting resource I stumbled upon that shows lovely old historical maps of the City of Angels. I spent some time gazing at these beauties and found that they reveal much about how the city has developed and matured. Maps are often a great way to understand a place: how it was settled, how it developed, how people might have thought differently about it. these maps, if even in a small way, accomplish that. Kinda cool to check out if you’re from there (like Neil and myself) or not.

Tongdang Thai Kitchen – Brentwood, CA

by Adrienne Wilson on

There is no shortage of Thai restaurants in Los Angeles. In fact, there is an overabundance of places tucked in here and there, and around the corner from almost any neighborhood in the city. To taste test them all is a feat I can only dream to accomplish one day, but for now I cling to my favorites and venture out to a new one when the right opportunity presents itself. My most recent sampling comes from Tongdang Thai Kitchen located in Brentwood. While the food didn’t knock my socks off I wouldn’t not recommend it to someone in the area with a taste for Asian cuisine.

I ordered the Red Pineapple Curry with Chicken (pictured to the right) which was affordable, tasty and felt like a pretty healthy choice. The interior smelled of an assortment of Thai aroma and dishes making their way from the server’s hands to the tables that ordered them. Brightly colored in red and gold, spacious, open and highly welcoming the atmosphere is a huge plus for this Thai spot. The staff is super polite and will even teach you a bit of the language if you throw out a word or two. Overall, a nice place to fill up after raiding the shops in Brentwood.

Tongdang is located at 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, CA 90049. Ph. 310-820-3200. Hours of operation are 11:30 AM to 10 PM daily.