Tuesday Travel Ticker: Sneak peek at 'Hobbit' plane

Tuesday Travel Ticker: Sneak peek at ‘Hobbit’ plane

The Pacific Surfliner cruises through San Clemente. Reservations are a must beginning today and through the Thanksgiving weekend.

By Chris Erskine

Nov. 20, 2012 12 AM PT

LAX says plane spotters and Tolkien enthusiasts will be able to catch a glimpse of the Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER aircraft that has been turned into a giant billboard for the upcoming movie, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” The plane touches down Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. The viewpoint will be the Observation Deck at LAX’s Encounter Restaurant. The flight typically lands between 1:20 and 2 p.m., the airport says. The Observation Deck is free, but usual parking rates apply . . . Note that Pacific Surfliner trains (San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara-Los Angeles and San Diego) will require reservations beginning today (Tuesday) through Monday. Go to AmtrakCalifornia.com for reservations . . . . Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes celebrates the season with a tree lighting Dec. 2, from 5–6:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public . . . . Beverly Hills’ first-ever full-scale, public ice rink opens Dec. 1, in front of the Beverly Hills City Hall building on Crescent Drive between north and south Santa Monica Boulevards. It will operate from noon till 9 p.m. (10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) through Jan. 6. Skate rental and admission is $15; $11 for 12 and younger. Sessions last an hour. Go to lovebeverlyhills.com for the schedule . . . . Florida’s Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is bringing back its Skype calls to Santa or personal tuck-ins, through Dec. 21. The Skype service is available to non-guests. For info, call (866) 912-3224 . . . . Solvang’s Julefest presents “The Community Nativity Pageant,” a staged presentation of the Nativity story featuring live animals, musical accompaniment, shepherds and narration by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. The family friendly event is free, with two shows Dec. 15, at 5 and 7 p.m. Info, www.solvangusa.com . . . . The International Assn. of Golf Tour Operators has voted Monterey County as 2013’s top North American golf destination . . . . Travel quote of the day: “A good holiday is one spent among people whose notions of time are vaguer than yours.” (English writer John Boynton Priestley)

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chris.erskine@latimes.com

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Chris Erskine

Chris Erskine is a nationally known humor columnist and editor who retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2020. Previously he wrote for the Sports, Travel and Saturday sections and edited with the paper’s features staff. As an editor, he has been a part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams at The Times (for his graphics work on the Northridge quake and the North Hollywood bank robbery). He is best known to readers for his weekly humor pieces on life in suburban Los Angeles. His latest book, “Daditude,” released in 2018, is a collection of his favorite Times columns on fatherhood. He has written two other books, “Man of the House” and “Surviving Suburbia,” which reached the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. The Chicago native has also worked for papers in New Orleans and Miami.

Tuesday Travel Ticker: Sneak peek at ‘Hobbit’ plane

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