Los Angeles: Tips

Pimp your ride Renting a car is essential. Join the car culture – and ease traffic-induced road rage – by spending a little more on comforts like a sunroof, power windows, and a CD player. Most of the 30-plus car-rental companies serving LAX have free shuttles running from the airport terminals to their nearby branches.

Get free Tonight Show tickets Every day, a limited number of Priority Seating passes for the upcoming week's Tonight Show tapings are handed out, free, to Universal Studios guests on a first-come-first-served basis (the only other place to obtain tickets is at the NBC Tonight Show box office).

Rise early for the Rose Parade Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade has taken place on New Year's Day for over a century; curbside viewing is welcomed on a first-come basis, but get there early – some people start camping out at noon on Dec. 31.