Heading to LA for the AAJA Convention? Check this out! — UPDATED

UPDATE: The AAJA Convention Blog is on Tumblr. Check it out for regular updates.

The 21st Annual AAJA Convention: Back to the Future begins in  Los Angeles this week.

Here’s some tips to help you get the most out of the experience.

A cheap way from LAX to the Convention hotel

Here’s a handy tip from Kevin Leung of the Los Angeles Times:

Consider taking the FlyAway bus to Union Station in downtown and then
taking the Red Line subway to the Renaissance (Hollywood & Highland
station). It’s cheaper ($7 for bus + $1.50 for subway) than taking a
shuttle and probably faster (you are not being driven all over L.A. to
drop off other passengers).

The bus stops are just outside the baggage area. Make sure you take the
one to Union Station; there are separate buses to UCLA, Van Nuys and
Irvine. They run 24 hours.

The Red Line runs approximately 5 a.m. to midnight.

Plan out your convention

A full schedule can be found here.

It’s not all work in LA

Check out this handy guide from the AAJA-Los Angeles chapter. The guide offers information on popular dining and night spots, recreation areas and events happening during the week.

Be generous!

Check out the highlights of this year’s silent auction. A bottle of champagne from Robin Leach’s collection? Oh yeah!

Get connected with social media

Twitter

Mark your AAJA Convention posts with the hashtag #aaja.

Here are some Twitter users to follow while you’re at convention:

@aajajcamp — J Camp, a multicultural high school journalism workshop, is currently in session through Wednesday at Loyola Marymount University. Athima Chansanchai (@TimaMedia), AAJA Seattle’s National Board Representative, is J Camp trainer this year.

@aajavoices — Check out AAJA Voices, the convention’s student news project, directed by AAJA Seattle member and Seattle Times reporter Marian Liu (@marianliu).  AAJA Seattle student member Peter Sessum (@petersessum) is on this year’s Voices Staff.

@aajaseattle — AAJA Seattle’s Twitter feed.

@aajala — Follow the AAJA- Los Angeles chapter, who is hosting this year’s convention.

@aaja — the official Twitter stream for AAJA National.

Foursquare

Get the latest things to do while you’re at convention by adding AAJA to your Foursquare friends list.

Facebook

Official Convention Facebook Group

AAJA Voices Facebook page

Want a great convention experience?

Be a rockstar! [Thanks to the 10,000 Words blog]