Itinerary: LAX Layover

Oh, the stress of flying! Even if you don’t weep hysterically before a flight, you still probably dash in and out of Los Angeles International Airport without noticing all the cool architecture and cosmic lighting effects the huge complex has to offer. Although LAX officials don’t exactly encourage casual visits (“We’re always very busy here”), improvements in recent years are luring Angelenos to the airport and its surrounding neighborhoods. It’s amazing how much fun can be had when you’re not facing a nonstop flight to Hong Kong.

Friday

Wait until dark on Friday to really experience architect Ted Tokio Tanaka’s shimmering glass pylons (at the intersection of Sepulveda and Century boulevards and along Century), which were completed just before the Democratic National Convention. Already becoming an iconic symbol of L.A., the 11 pylons range from 25 to 60 feet high and the 15 pylons at the intersection are 100 feet high and form a circle.

Already the $15-million pylons are being referred to as an “electric Stonehenge” by locals. It takes three hours for the Paul Tzanetopoulos-designed lights to go through their 300 variations. This curated art piece will remain on the sequence schedule until next August when LAX chooses another lighting artist. Tanaka chose the graduated pylon heights to mimic takeoffs and the colors to represent the diversity of Los Angeles. The lights can be best viewed from a small plaza behind the airport administration building.

Dinner at the retrofitted Encounter Restaurant and Bar (209 World Way, [310] 215-5151) will set you back $25 to $30 for delectable Pacific Rim food, but the view from the spacey 1961 building in the middle of LAX is worth the price. The Disney Imagineering folks redesigned the inside in 1996 to resemble a space George Jetson would love: bright colors, huge lava lamps. There’s an observation deck on the roof--a great place to get a view of the modern LAX control tower designed by Siegel Diamond Architecture.

Saturday

Drive west on Manchester Avenue from Lincoln Boulevard to discover a neighborhood that time forgot. Check out the late ‘50s pinkish-beige Westchester High School (7400 W. Manchester Ave.). Resembling a huge hamburger joint, the high school looks like something out of “Grease.”

The 1960s residential ranch-style architecture on the hilly Playa del Rey streets toward the beach has resisted 21st century remodeling mania quite well, thank you. Residents claim they don’t even hear the jet noise.

Head south on Vista del Mar to Dockweiler State Beach. It’s great fun to sit on the beach while huge jets fly overhead. Watch for pieces of falling aircraft, though. Dockweiler Beach’s 4-mile stretch offers catamaran launches, picnic areas and a 118-site campground. Follow Vista del Mar down to one of the best (last?) vegetarian restaurants in the area. The Naked Garden (424 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, [310] 372-2504) is a bright, cozy place. Owner-chef Francois R. Galipeau’s wholesome sauteed medley of white beans, kale, garlic and lemon is an appetizer, but ample enough for a lunch entree.

Sunday

Just a few minutes from LAX is The Lakes at El Segundo (400 S. Sepulveda Blvd. [310] 322-0202), a nine-hole public golf course. This “executive” course (short, with a few long holes) has Ladies PGA tour regular Jennifer Jones as head pro. The course has only pull carts, but the driving range is fun. A bucket of 35 balls sets you back $3.50, but 105 balls is only $7. You do the math.