TRAVEL EXECUTIVE SWEETS

ALL THOSE things you’ve heard about the City of Angels are true: Los Angeles is the city of loony tunes, the massive mecca of bizarre happenings. But, it’s also the cultural capital and financial magnet of the earthquake-ridden West Coast. And, like it or not, almost everyone is forced to go there at some point in time.

There are right times and wrong times to be posted in Los Angeles on business, but November, fortunately, is one of the best. You’ve just missed the peak smog season – the thickest brown aura usually hangs over the city between April and September. And you’ll be too early for the fog season, which lasts from December through March. Sometimes the heavy fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean compleieiy shuts down los Angeles Interna-tional Airport. The absolutely worst days to fly into Los Angeles, though, are those at the beginning, middle or end of any of the major holidays. Los Angeles International is physically smaller than Dallas/ Fort Worth Regional Airport and is considerably more prone to congestion, confusion and chaos.

The sheer size of the city and its suburbs -464 square miles-can be intimidating. Nothing is close to anything, even by Texas standards. Los Angeles could easily be called the City of Wheels; you’ll really need a car to get around. If you rent one, choose only an unlimited mileage package. If all of your business dealings will be within walking distance of your hotel and you won’t have time for sightseeing, skip the rented car and take an Airport Service express bus for less than $3 to your lodging. Angelenos and veteran travelers consider Los Angeles taxis an expensive last resort; but at roughly a dollar a mile, you can make it to downtown Los Angeles or to Beverly Hills from the airport on $21, plus tip.

If you manage to get out of the Los Angeles airport without getting killed or permanently detained, your next hassles include finding your hotel and hoping they havent sofa your room to a conventioneer from Tulsa. Los Angeles hotels stay crowded all year, so reserve your lodging as early as possible, “guarantee” your arrival with a credit card number and reconfirm your reservation shortly before taking off from D/FW.

Los Angeles has an excellent selection of fine hotels. Many, in fact, are breathtaking – with maximum one-night prices fit for a king who has just fled his country with the national treasury. Your main worry, however, is location: Be sure your lodging is close to your business destination, unless you have a generous taxi allowance.

Any of these eight hotels will make you feel especially welcome in Los Angeles:

The Beverly Hills Hotel. 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 276-2251. Singles: $79 to $144, doubles: $89 to $163, suites and bungalows: $206 to $986. Remember the movie California Suite? This is the hotel. If you can’t stay here, at least try to stop for a drink or two at the world-famous Polo Lounge. The Beverly Hills has been a hangout for the rich and famous for at least 40 years. If you’re meeting an impressionable client or customer from outside of the Los Angeles area, arrange to have him page you pool-side. The 325 rooms feature a tropical motif, and reservations usually must be made at least a month in advance.

Beverly Hilton Hotel. 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 274-7777. Singles: $87 to $93, doubles: $99 to $115. The Beverly Hilton is a good standby for quick business trips. When all the other hotels are booked, this one often can find you a room. The higher priced accommodations overlook the pool terrace and Olympic-sized swimming pool, but all of the 634 rooms are comfortably furnished, and the hotel is conveniently located in the center of Beverly Hills.

Beverly Wilshire Hotel. 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 1-800-421-4354. The accommodations here start at $115 and go up to $160 for a single. Junior suites are $190, and the elegant town house suites ($300 to $700) are particularly popular with celebrities and wealthy foreigners visiting royalty. The setting is palatial Old-World charm at its best: iron gates, a cobblestone road, massive arches, balconies, bay windows and winding stairways. The comforts are first class even in the lowest priced rooms, and a broad range of convenient services is available. Reservations should be made at least two weeks in advance.

The Biltmore Hotel. 515 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, 1-800-421-0156. Singles: $65 to $97, doubles: $80 to $112. Opened in 1923, the 1000-room Biltmore is the grande dame of Los Angeles’ luxury hotels. But its elegance has not faded: The Biltmore has had a $30-million face-lift, and the new rooms with high ceilings feel spacious.

Century Plaza Hotel. 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, (213) 277-2000. Singles: $88 to $104, doubles: $103 to $119, suites: from $225 a night. This 20-story deluxe hotel has 800 rooms with everything you need, including radios, clocks and a telephone in the bathroom for those uncomfortable times when business and nature call at the same moment. Also featured are a putting green, at least six places to drink and dine, and a reservation desk for major airlines and car rental firms.

Hotel Bel-Air. 701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles, (213) 472-1211. Singles and doubles: $85 to $140, one- and two-bedroom suites: $175 to $350 a night. While wheeling and dealing in posh Bel Air, this is the place to stay – but only if you can get a reservation; call at least a month in advance. The 70 rooms are situated in a lush tropical setting ringed by the Santa Monica hills. The Spanish architecture helps create a relaxed, secluded atmosphere.

L’Ermitage. 9291 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, (213) 278-3344. If security and privacy are important to your business trip, check into L’Ermitage, a small hotel de grande classe that offers suites only. The executive town suites range from $145 to $195. Or lay out a staggering $765 a night for a three-bedroom town house with a piano. Many amenities – from overnight shoeshines to complimentary limousine service around Beverly Hills – are included in the tariff. L’Ermitage is more European than any other hotel in Los Angeles and is popular with business travelers who have first-rate expense allowances. Reservations should be made at least one to two weeks in advance.

Los Angeles Bonaventure Hotel. 404 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, (213)624-1000. Singles: $80 to $96, doubles: $95 to $111. The Bonaventure is a spectacular monument to glass and futuristic architecture, equipped with 1,500 rooms and dining choices that range from Jewish to Japanese. The glass elevators and floor-to-ceiling windows in each room offer breathtaking views of Tinseltown. The Bonaventure is centrally located in downtown Los Angeles and is at least worth a sightseeing trip if you can’t stay there.

Along with the dirtiest air, Los Angeles has the most taco stands west of anywhere. But the rest of its cuisine, like its suburbs, seems to sprawl to all corners of the earth. Your business trip can be a dining delight, especially if the company is picking up the tab. And knowing the way to some of Los Angeles’ finer restaurants may help you get the final ink on some big-commission contracts.

The West Coast is, of course, a favorite invasion point for inscrutable immigrants and businessmen from the Far East, so you can expect the City of Angels to be a melting pot of savory Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese food. But Angel-enos as well as veteran travelers seem to take pride in the city’s premier French and Italian restaurants: Some are rated among the best in the nation. Los Angeles’ continental fare also has some good – and expensive – highlights. Nevertheless, whatever your dining decision may be, make your reservations early (for the most popular restaurants, before you leave Dallas). And ask in advance which credit cards are accepted. Some establishments honor cash only, and few business clients will be thrilled to help you walk the check or wash the restaurant’s dishes.

Some of our favorites include:

El Padrino. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 275-4282. If you’re staying at or near the Beverly Wilshire, this is a good spot for a luncheon meeting. The “Early California” setting is comfortable, and El Padrino’s tasty but unexotic continental menu will satisfy without detracting from the negotiations at hand.

Jean Leon’s La Scala. 9455 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 275-0579. If the stars aren’t out tonight at Ma Maison, dine tomorrow at La Scala. Chef Emilio’s Italian cuisine and owner Leon’s wine selections are favorites among such regulars as Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood and Jacqueline Bisset. And the pleasant, comfortably elegant ambiance helps make La Scala one of Los Angeles’ most popular “see-and-be-seen” restaurants.

Le St. Germaine. 5955 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 467-1108. Even though Le St. Germaine has established itself as an “in” spot for both lunch and dinner, it retains its French country restaurant charm. For a change of pace, try the rabbit.

L’Orangerie. 903 North La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 652-9770. Haute cuisine at its finest makes L’Orangerie a high point of Los Angeles’ famous “Restaurant Row.”

Ma Maison. 8368 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 655-1991. Here’s a French restaurant so pompous that its telephone number is unlisted. Still, it’s the perfect spot for rubbernecking while enjoying good food. At some of the nearby tables you may spot recognizable TV and movie stars – at least some of the ones who haven’t been scared into hiding because of Los Angeles’ recent crime wave.

Matteo’s. 2321 Westwood Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 475-4521. If good pasta is as important as being in the same room with a few celebrities, try this west side hangout. The calamari is excellent.

The Palm. 9001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 550-8811. Rumor has it that the Palm has the best steaks west of Dallas and the best lobster west of Bar Harbor, Maine – and the original Palm in New York. It is especially popular at lunch, but if your body clock is still in Dallas, the dinner specials begin at 4 p.m. The atmosphere may be sawdust-on-thefloor casual, but the check will not be cheap.

Peppone. 11628 Barrington Court, West Los Angeles, (213) 476-7379. Located in fashionable Brentwood, Peppone’s excellent, seafood-oriented Italian cuisine is in steady demand. You may have to reserve your booth two to four weeks in advance. Once you get in, try the cioppino (a rich fish soup), the scampi diavolo or the fettuccine with wild Italian mushrooms.

Scandia. 9040 W. Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 272-9521. Scandia remains a Los Angeles institution, despite a drop in its social standing. Its Scandinavian dishes, however, are first-rate, and reservations are a necessity. For the brightest atmosphere, day or night, request a table in the Belle Terrace. The Skaal Room however, is traditionally more popular with businessmen. Its dark, masculine decor includes oversized leather chairs and a raised fireplace. Scandia’s chef is famous for his Danish sole. For lunch or lighter dinner fare, try the smorrebrod, open-faced Danish sandwiches.

The Tower, Occidental Center, 32nd floor, 1150 S. Olive St., downtown, (213) 746-1825. Try this subtly elegant French restaurant after dark for its zillion-light view of the Los Angeles skyline and for its tendency to prepare dinner better than lunch. The seafood and the daily specials are particularly popular.

If, however, at the crucial moment in a business negotiation, you offer free dining after the signing and then your mind goes absolutely blank on restaurant names, try to remember La Cienega Boulevard. Los Angeles’ “Restaurant Row” is actually in West Hollywood: La Cienega runs between Sunset Boulevard and Wilshire. The fare along the Row ranges from superb beef at Lawry’s The Prime Rib, to some of the West Coast’s best food from India at Gitanjali.

Now that you’ve landed the big deal,spent the expense money and high-rolledone night too many on your own creditcards, you may feel your roots calling,”Take off, take off before California fallsinto the sea.” The departure times thatseem most logical, however, are the worstones for leaving Los Angeles InternationalAirport. The bad hours to fly out are from7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10p.m., seven days a week. Especially avoidflights scheduled to depart between 8 a.m.and 9 a.m. So many planes try to leaveduring that hour that the taxiways andrunways resemble the Los Angeles Freeway, and aggravating delays are common.Save the frustration for tomorrow, whenthe boss shakes your hand and announcesyour immediate promotion – to branchmanager in Fargo, N.D.