I was thinking of the more unusual languages... like last year I got into a cab, and told him where I wanted to go, and it wasn't until we started driving off did I start to worry about his strong Russian accent. Then realised when he got lost, that he was relying on a really old street directory. No Sat-Nav - it has been a while since I got into an AUS cab that didn't have one.

It might be messy trying to organise a rental car later, but I really recommend getting a taxi (because you could just hop in one as soon as you walk out the terminal, and hop straight out at the hotel), unless your flight gets in really early. Otherwise, be aware that you will need to find where the car rental place is, get to it, get yourself processed and paid, then you get driven to the lot (the rental cars are about 5-10 minutes off-site), and you'll need to study the route to Pasadena beforehand so you don't get lost, and see where you can park your car so you don't have to walk far.

It reminds me a bit of my first Botcon, arriving just in time for pre-reg pickup, standing in line with my bag, all scruffy from almost a day of travelling.
I don't envy you... I'd have so much adrenalin in my system trying to race to the customising class, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands from shaking to properly cut, paint and construct the toy...
Should be fun.