49th Annual RBMS Preconference Travel Information

Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, 1961
Changing Times: Los Angeles in Photographs, 1920-1990
UCLA Library Department of Special Collections

Note: There is another Luxe Hotel in nearby Beverly Hills, on Rodeo Drive. The Preconference hotel is the Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard (in Bel Air); 11461 W. Sunset Blvd; Los Angeles, CA 90049.

If you are coming to Southern California only for RBMS, you will find it most convenient to fly in and out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). If you are staying on for ALA, you may want to consider using John Wayne Airport (JWA) in Orange County, nearer to the Anaheim Convention Center. An open-jaw itinerary, arriving at LAX and departing from JWA, is the best solution in this case.

RBMS buses to the ALA Conference (SOLD OUT):
Buses will depart promptly from the Luxe Hotel at 1:45 p.m. and from the Angeleno Hotel at 2:00 p.m. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow time for the driver to store your luggage (gratuity has been included in the cost of your ticket). It will take approximately 2-2.5 hours to get to Anaheim. Passengers will be dropped off at the Anaheim Convention Center where ALA Shuttles will be available to bring you to your conference hotel.

If you are taking one of the Friday afternoon tours and need to get to Anaheim from your Preconference hotel, you will need to take a commercial shuttle to Los Angeles Airport and catch another shuttle from there to your destination. See below under “Commercial shuttles”; these companies only run to or from airports. IMPORTANT: YOU NEED TO MAKE A RESERVATION FOR THE SHUTTLE FROM YOUR RBMS HOTEL TO LAX. Taxi rides directly to Anaheim may take an hour and a half and are likely to be cost-prohibitive.

How to get to the Preconference accommodations from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Aviatrix Ruth Elder with arms outstretched
in front of her plane, California, circa 1927
Changing Times: Los Angeles in Photographs, 1920-1990
UCLA Library Department of Special Collections

LAX is about 30-60 minutes drive south of the Preconference hotels, depending on traffic; both hotels and airport are located near the 405 (San Diego) Freeway. For travel between LAX and the hotels, the following choices are available.

• The Luxe Hotel shuttle
  This service is by reservation only and is a good option for pre-arranged small groups going to the Luxe. The fare from LAX is $86 for up to 4 people (tip included). Contact the hotel at (310) 476-6571 and tell the agent you are with RBMS. Return to the airport (also by reservation) costs $57.60 for up to 4 people (tip included). Hotel vans for up to 7 people can be reserved at $122 (from LAX) and $114 (return), tip included.

• Taxis: fares to the Preconference accommodations may range from $35 to $50, depending on traffic.

• Commercial shuttles
  Commercial shuttles are the recommended choice for those staying at either the hotels or the UCLA residence halls. Two shuttle companies have the monopoly at LAX and both leave LAX from the stops marked with orange signs reading Shared Ride Vans just outside the terminal building. SuperShuttle does not require a reservation: simply see the representative at the marked stop and you will be routed to an appropriate van. (You will probably have to wait until enough passengers arrive to fill the van going to your general area.) The fare for this shared van is $16 apiece plus tip. Prime Time Shuttle does require a reservation, and as a consequence there should be little wait; the fare for a shared van is $17 plus tip.
  
  Both of these shuttle companies offer private vans for groups of 7 or 9 passengers at reduced rates, by reservation only. Return to LAX from the hotels or the dorms via shuttle requires a reservation which can be made electronically or by telephone.
  

  
  
  • SuperShuttle: (310) 782-6600 or (800) BLUE VAN (258-3826)
  • Prime Time Shuttle: (310) 536-7922 or (800) RED-VANS (733-8267)
  
  An additional alternative, Xpress Shuttle, offers priority to customers holding advance reservations, and does not "free call" while inside LAX. Xpress Shuttle's one way, Shared Ride fare between LAX and the LUXE Hotel is $18 per person. They offer 'Business Class' (up to three passengers) Direct Transfer Service between LAX and the LUXE Hotel for a one way fare of $45 (plus driver gratuity). Passengers depart from the sidewalk in front of the Baggage Claim Arrival area of each terminal (like a private car, limousine or taxi).

• Buses: a strenuous alternative, but still a safe and sure way to get to your accommodations. A three-leg process, total travel time up to one and one half hours.


1. Catch the LAX FlyAway bus to Westwood (Beware: FlyAways also depart for Van Nuys and Union Station.)
   These buses stop just outside the airport terminal at locations marked with green signs reading "FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans". Fare to Westwood is $4, and buses leave the airport approximately every half-hour from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.; however, evening arrivals may miss the connecting bus (see step 3 below).
2. The bus will drop you in Westwood Village, just south of UCLA, at the intersection of Kinross and Weyburn. To get to your connecting bus, walk east on Kinross two blocks and south on Westwood one block, to the bus stop on the east side of the intersection of Westwood and Lindbrook.
3. Catch the 761 bus (Pacoima) northbound. (It is also called the Rapid.) The Rapid runs from 5:48 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. only; fare $1.25. NOTE: after 9:15 p.m. this route is handled by the 233 bus, which runs once an hour only.
   • For the hotels: After about 15 minutes of travel, get off the bus just after it turns right off of Sunset Boulevard onto Church Ln., at the 405 Freeway underpass. The conference hotels are located on either side of Church Ln. at this intersection.
   • For the UCLA residence halls: After about 10 minutes of travel, get off the bus at the Bellagio Rd. stop. This is one stop before the Preconference hotel . Cross Sunset Blvd. and walk southeast along Bellagio Rd. to the dorms.


To return to LAX, catch the 761 bus in the other direction.
• The stop is adjacent to the Luxe Hotel, on Church Ln.; the bus will be coming from the north. At the time of writing these instructions, there was no sign at the bus stop for the 761, but there was a sign for the Rapid.
• From the residence halls, walk Bellagio Rd. northwest to Sunset Blvd. and catch the east-bound bus on the near side of the street.

Tell the driver you are going to the FlyAway terminal, which will be a two blocks walk from the stop on Westwood Boulevard. The FlyAway bus will take you to LAX.

Traffic and billboards along commercial strip of
Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim, Calif., 1966
Changing Times: Los Angeles in Photographs, 1920-1990
UCLA Library Department of Special Collections

How to get to your accommodations from other Southern California airports

• John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) lies at some distance from the RBMS Preconference, but is the airport of choice for ALA Conference attendees. Unless you rent a car, the only practical way of getting between SNA and the RBMS Preconference hotels or dorms is by commercial shuttle or taxi. Here are some sample rates, exclusive of tips.


• SuperShuttle: shared van, up to 7 passengers: $77 for the first rider and $9 for each additional. Up to 9 passengers (by reservation only): $142.
  
• Prime Time Shuttle: shared van: $27 (by reservation). Private van, up to 7 passengers: $79 (by reservation). Exclusive private van, up to 9 passengers: $94 (by reservation).
• Xpress Shuttle one way, Shared Ride Van fare between SNA and the LUXE Hotel is $75 for the first person. One way, Business Class (up to three passengers), Direct Service fare between LAX and the Luxe Hotel is $97.
• Other shuttle companies serving SNA are listed at http://www.ocair.com/groundtransport/shuttles.htm
  
• Taxi fares from SNA to the RBMS Preconference might run around $140.

• Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is some distance from either conference. Because of high ground transportation costs it should only be considered if you find a substantial saving in plane fare.

TRANSPORTATION DURING AND AFTER THE PRECONFERENCE

RBMS will provide free transportation to and from the following Preconference events:

• Workshop, Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO) for Rare Books and Manuscripts on Tuesday, June 24 (by pre-registration)
• Reception at the Getty Center on Thursday, June 26

General Transportation Notes
Well-heeled Preconference attendees will probably prefer to use taxis for any independent run-outs. However, the Metro bus line 761 (otherwise known as the "Rapid") runs along Church Ln., right next to the hotels, and provides quick and cheap ($1.25 each way) access to UCLA, Westwood Village, and the Getty Museum. For the Getty, pick up the bus at the "Rapid" sign on the east side of Church Ln. and go north one stop. For UCLA and Westwood, board at the "Rapid" stop next to the Luxe Hotel on Church. Debark at Hilgard or Westholme for UCLA's Young Research Library and Special Collections; or continue to Le Conte Ave. at the north end of Westwood's commercial and restaurant district. Click here for a map and timetable. (Note that line 761 is replaced by line 233 in the late evening, which runs the same route but only departs once an hour.)

At UCLA, a free shuttle runs the perimeter of the campus and gives access to Westwood Village on the south. The driver can tell you which stop is closest to your destination on campus.