Travel advice for solo female - LA and Palm Springs in March

[chimichangaz]

I'm going to a conference in Palm Springs at the beginning of March, and I'm after some advice on actually getting to PS from LAX, plus ideas of things I could do in LA at either end of the conference. I posted on the travel board just after booking, to ask for advice on getting to/from Palm Springs; most advice was to drive but I'm not really keen on that, any other ideas welcomed.

I fly into LAX on Saturday 29 Feb, arriving early afternoon. I need to be in Palm Springs the next day for conference registration in the afternoon. The conference then finishes on the Friday (not much going on that day) and my flight home is on Sunday late afternoon from LAX. I am thinking of spending a bit of time in LA on the Saturday afternoon/evening before travelling to PS on the Sunday. Initially I thought about travelling to PS on the Saturday but I think I'll do it on the Sunday to give me a bit of a breather, and some time in LA.

I'm not keen on driving in LA on my own; I've been looking at getting a shuttle from LAX to a hotel to stay overnight on the Saturday, and I then need to work out how to get to PS on the Sunday. There might be an opportunity to share a car, or I could look at public transport (although people didn't think that was a great idea when I asked on here before...).

So, advice on travelling between LA and PS would be fab - and also ideas on what to do in LA as a solo female traveller. I like shopping, not bothered about theme parks etc, would be nice to do a bit of 'touristy' stuff (tours, famous places/landmarks etc) to make the most of my trip. Many thanks (hopefully in advance of excellent advice!).

I can’t help you with public transport between LA and PS, sorry.
If you appreciate art, architecture and amazing views, check out the Getty Museum. The infinity mirror rooms at The Broad are also a must-visit, and the ‘Urban Light’ installation outside LACMA.
You might be able to squeeze in a studio tour. Choose the Warner Bros one if you like Friends, Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls etc...
If you like walking, then hike Runyon Canyon (good views of the Hollywood sign) or Griffith Park (also good views of the sign and the bonus of the Griffith Observatory).
If you’d rather see the beach or people watch, head to Santa Monica or Venice Beach.

We stayed in Huntington Beach and drove to PS the next day. Traffic in LA was crazy.

There are companies such as Xpress who do shuttles.

I know Amtrak has a Service from Union to PS but I don’t know on what days. There’s also a Texas Eagle service to Chicago that runs through.

In my experience public transport isn't as widely available where you are going as you would think. Everything revolves around driving your own car. Once you leave L.A. the roads are much less busy and easy to drive on.

Rome2Rio suggests these options. It looks as if there is a bus...

United Airlines flies direct from LAX to Palm Springs and it takes about an hour. Driving could take forever - roads are brilliant once you’re outside LA but getting out is the problem and it can be very stressful.

I would fly and use taxis to be honest.

American Eagle are another possible option by air between LAX and Palm Springs.

As you only have one day in LAX I would go to the Beverley Center shopping mall or The Grove. The La Brea tarpits are not all that far from there either.

(Warner Bros studios tours only operate Monday - Friday).

Thanks all - really helpful tips and advice. Wasn't aware of the United Airlines flights so will have a look at that. The bus option looks good too. I've got onto the FB group now for the conference so am also seeing if anyone can car share..