LAX

I've just spent the last day and half at an airport by LAX recovering from my flight over from Perth. It feels so good to be back in California. It is colder here than I thought it would be. I had to wear a jacket last night.

I don't have a car, so I have been walking, taking buses, or taxis.

I am staying on one of the large hotels on Century Blvd between the I-405 and the airport. I discovered quite by accident that the Manhattan Beach Merchants Association runs a free shuttle service between the Century Blvd hotels and the Manhattan Beach shopping areas. It is a cute little tram that runs every 30 minutes. It is free, and the driver only asks for tips. So I caught the shuttle over to Manhattan Beach and had dinner. What a great little service! There is nothing around the hotels, except a couple of fast food outlets and a nudie club.

The shuttle is called The Ocean Express. Click here for a brochure. If you find yourself with a long layover at LAX, then take this shuttle to downtown Manhattan Beach and have a blast!

I had to catch a taxi this morning since I had all my luggage with me. I went down to the lobby , and as I was walking out the door of the hotel with my one bag, this doorman rushes up to me and starts to try to grab my bag out of my hand. I refused and told him I could handle it.

The doorman seemed quite upset. Now I'm a big guy, 6-3, 210 pounds, and strong. I am carrying one bag that is not too heavy or large. I don't need help. And most important, I didn't WANT help. And I sure as hell didn't want to have to pay someone $2 to carry my bag 5 feet.

I told the doorman I needed a cab. He called and one minute later a cab pulled up. As I was getting seated, the doorman leaned in and demanded the driver give him a $3 "tip". The driver told the doorman to go to hell.

The driver turned out to be a pretty cool guy. He is from Ethiopia and moved to LA 15 years ago. He told me that the demand from the doorman for $3 was illegal. He said that cab drivers could not survive if they had to pay $3 to someone every time they picked up a fare. He was mad as hell. He showed me a letter from the City of Los Angeles Taxi regulation department informing the drivers that demands for "tips" from hotel staff is illegal and they should refuse to pay.

I agree. This is BS. The doorman didn't do a damn thing for anyone. He is just being greedy. That $3 is going to be paid by the passenger somewhere along the line. So I called the hotel manager and registered a complaint about the doorman's demands. I also wrote a quick letter to the taxi board and the hotel. I hope that asshole gets fired.