22 replies to this topic

[birdistheword]

I'm gonna be in L.A. for six days, but according to priceline and a bunch of other places I looked, if I rent a car the whole time I'm there, it's gonna be $400+, more than my plane ticket. I was under the assumption that a car was the ONLY way to get around, but what about the limited bus/train service? Is there at least public transport to or from LAX that's reliable? I know people with cars, but they'll be working and needing their car on weekdays, I'm wondering if there's a way I can piece together a few car rental days with buses, trains, etc. into something reasonable.

[no magnets]

yes, you can pick up a green line from lax over to the blue line and take it north to downtown. everyone busts on LA for being a car-centric town, but i've found trains to be a fairly decent mode of public transit. the county also has an extensive bus system. i don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to do 2-3 days with a car and another 2-3 using just buses and trains.

[birdistheword]

yes, you can pick up a green line from lax over to the blue line and take it north to downtown. everyone busts on LA for being a car-centric town, but i've found trains to be a fairly decent mode of public transit. the county also has an extensive bus system. i don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to do 2-3 days with a car and another 2-3 using just buses and trains.

Awesome. Yeah, that's what I was thinking - on the one hand, EVERYONE says it's a car town, but years ago, when I read this article about the documentary on Arthur Kane, the NY Dolls bassist that died soon after they reunited, it painted a sad portrait of his life post-Dolls...one detail I distinctly remember is him living in L.A. and taking the bus to work everyday. It was a long, crappy bus ride, but then again, half my CTA trips are long and crappy.

[theremin]

note for the future. If you're coming from Chicago, fly Jet Blue to Long Beach ($200) and rent a car there. MUCH cheaper.

[birdistheword]

note for the future.

If you're coming from Chicago, fly Jet Blue to Long Beach ($200) and rent a car there. MUCH cheaper.

BRILLIANT. Definitely will remember that.

[musicgurl]

You might want to check out Kayak.com, they are a travel site and they're prices on car rentals and flights are usually way cheaper than the other sites.

[Origin]

http://www.metro.net/default.asp

LA has a bus system, so you can get around. It's just sometimes unreliable (be prepared to wait) and filled with undesirables. But it's not the worst way to go if you can save a couple hundred.

They have a train system that runs from almost the airport up to Hollywood and north hollywood. You have to take a 5 minute shuttle from the airport to reach it.

Where (neighborhood) are you staying?

There's also super shuttle to get from the airport, but that'll cost you $40 one way, so it might be cost prohibative.

Really to enjoy LA you need a car. That's why it's so god damned expensive. Bastards.

[velocity]

Your hotel may have a free shuttle to/from the airport, so find out if that'll be a workaround on those two days at least. As a CA native, it's interesting to note this is the first time I've heard they have trains down there!

[DrAftershave]

be prepared to have no bus/train service to and from the valley after midnight to five in the morning. i don't know if you need to be in the valley, but it's quite limited for service once those hours hit. there are still east/west lines during those hours.

[nobodies]

Is it possible to rent a scooter or maybe even a bike? I've only been to L.A. once, and I don't remember whether it was bike friendly or not (but I was also drunk most of the time).

[birdistheword]

Is it possible to rent a scooter or maybe even a bike? I've only been to L.A. once, and I don't remember whether it was bike friendly or not (but I was also drunk most of the time).

Thought about that but considering the distances I have to cover and other logistics, a bike wouldn't be a good idea on this trip.

[birdistheword]

http://www.metro.net/default.asp

LA has a bus system, so you can get around. It's just sometimes unreliable (be prepared to wait) and filled with undesirables. But it's not the worst way to go if you can save a couple hundred.

They have a train system that runs from almost the airport up to Hollywood and north hollywood. You have to take a 5 minute shuttle from the airport to reach it.

Where (neighborhood) are you staying?

There's also super shuttle to get from the airport, but that'll cost you $40 one way, so it might be cost prohibative.

Really to enjoy LA you need a car. That's why it's so god damned expensive. Bastards.

Not sure what the neighborhood is called. The city address is still "Los Angeles" and its around the general Northwest side. I don't think it's that far from UCLA/Westwood.

[fffffffff]

As a CA native, it's interesting to note this is the first time I've heard they have trains down there!

god, didn't you see SPEED.

[Origin]

http://www.metro.net/default.asp

LA has a bus system, so you can get around. It's just sometimes unreliable (be prepared to wait) and filled with undesirables. But it's not the worst way to go if you can save a couple hundred.

They have a train system that runs from almost the airport up to Hollywood and north hollywood. You have to take a 5 minute shuttle from the airport to reach it.

Where (neighborhood) are you staying?

There's also super shuttle to get from the airport, but that'll cost you $40 one way, so it might be cost prohibative.

Really to enjoy LA you need a car. That's why it's so god damned expensive. Bastards.

Not sure what the neighborhood is called. The city address is still "Los Angeles" and its around the general Northwest side. I don't think it's that far from UCLA/Westwood.

Then the train wont cut it. You'll need to take busses to get from the airport.
http://socaltranspor...luateButton.y=0

Starting at LAX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ride Flyaway Westwood( FLYAWAY WESTWOOD) heading south
From: WORLD WAY NORTH/TOM BRADLEY TERMINAL Lv: 10:01AM
To: KINROSS AV/WEYBURN PL(NW corner) Ar: 10:45AM
Pay $4.00
Ride Metro Rapid 761 (PACOIMA) heading north
From: WESTWOOD PLZ/LINDBROOK DR(SE corner) Lv: 11:04AM
To: HILGARD AV/WESTHOLME AV(SE corner) Ar: 11:12AM
Pay $1.25, Monthly Pass: $62.00, (EZ Pass accepted)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ending at UCLA - HILGARD TERMINAL
Total cash fare = $5.25
Trip time is about 1 hour and 11 minutes.
Trip distance is about 15.06 miles.
*Driving cost: is about $8.15 (based on AAA's formula at 54.1 cents/mile)

You might want to find out the exact address where your going. That Metra website will help you coordinate which buses to take.

[Freddie Freelance]

Westwood area's hell for biking, too many really busy streets meet each other at odd angles, but the buses should run all night around there.

[Origin]

I saw this driving around today.

$99 a week rental car.
310 839 3700
http://www.99rentacar.com
I can't vouch for this company as I found via advertisement.

[case quarter]

[velocity]

As a CA native, it's interesting to note this is the first time I've heard they have trains down there!

god, didn't you see SPEED.

Parts of it. That was LA?

[birdistheword]

As a CA native, it's interesting to note this is the first time I've heard they have trains down there!

god, didn't you see SPEED.

Parts of it. That was LA?

Yeah, but to be fair, that bus zipped through the L.A. freeways at 50 mph with barely a traffic jam in sight, so Speed wouldn't have been a credible source of information.

[Dead Billy]

yes, you can pick up a green line from lax over to the blue line and take it north to downtown. everyone busts on LA for being a car-centric town, but i've found trains to be a fairly decent mode of public transit. the county also has an extensive bus system. i don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to do 2-3 days with a car and another 2-3 using just buses and trains.

Awesome. Yeah, that's what I was thinking - on the one hand, EVERYONE says it's a car town, but years ago, when I read this article about the documentary on Arthur Kane, the NY Dolls bassist that died soon after they reunited, it painted a sad portrait of his life post-Dolls...one detail I distinctly remember is him living in L.A. and taking the bus to work everyday. It was a long, crappy bus ride, but then again, half my CTA trips are long and crappy.

I'm not sure what's sad about that...I would consider that Vince Neil and Bret Michaels have had way more tragic post rock star lives. Kane was gainfully employed doing something that wasn't a sleazy reality show and he wasn't pouring huge amounts of his income into the pockets of Big Oil. Good for him.