Business Contacts
Mobile phone hire: Try USA phone rental 800 964 2468 or International phone rental 888 802 9518.
Car hire: Enterprise www.enterprise.com or toll free 1 800 736 8222 or reservations@enterprise.com.

Office rental: Search Office Space www.searchofficespace.com, e-mail info@sos-america.com or call toll free 1 888 411 7161.

Secretarial services: Dial-A-Secretary services have two locations in Manhattan on 212 348 9575 and 212 348 8982.

Excursions
L.A. Tours (tel: 800 881 7715, email: gerald@latours.net) operates regularly scheduled tours of the city. Plush shuttle buses (27 passengers maximum) pick up riders from major hotels for morning or afternoon tours of Sunset Strip, the movie studios, Farmers Market, Hollywood, homes of the stars, and other attractions. Great if you're interested in downtown or want to spend your time exploring the beaches and shopping in Santa Monica. Tours vary in length from a half day to a full day and cost $42 to $58 for adults. Advance reservations are required. If you want the classic Hollywood walking tour, Red Line Tours (tel: 323 402 1074; www.redlinetours.com) offers daily sightseeing expeditions to all the famous (and infamous) landmarks in Hollywood. Their unique audio system allows customers to hear the tour guide even over the city noise. Trips depart from the Stella Adler Academy and Theatres (6773 Hollywood Blvd.) at 10am, noon, 2pm, and 4pm, seven days a week.

Local press
The main newspaper for Los Angeles is the LA Times; several free local papers are also available and can be a valuable source of what's happening in the city: LA Weekly and LA City Beat – both of which publish new editions each Thursday.