Los Angeles, California - Getting Around

Get around

Los Angeles' massive sprawl and dysfunctional public transportation makes getting around rather painful, especially during weekends when service can be more erratic. The only rational way of getting around is to rent a car, in which case you'll get a crash course in the complex freeway system and, if you're "lucky," a taste of the notorious traffic jams.

By bus

The L.A. bus system [1] is extensive but takes a little bit to learn. The website www.mta.net or 1-800-COMMUTE are the best way to plan trips in advance. Once you have the hang of it - you can get anywhere during the day. If you have a bike - you can get anywhere within an hour and without the headache and stress. Many Angelenos rely on the bus as their primary mode of transportation. Within the central area (from Los Angeles/Downtown|Downtown to the coast, below Sunset Blvd and above Interstate 10) the buses are frequent and ubiquitous enough to get around without a schedule. If possible the best busses to take are the Rapids. They have fewer stops and cut through the traffic well. The best routes for getting across town (east-west) are the #2 Local or #302 Limited on Sunset Blvd, the #4 Local, #304 Limited, or #704 Rapid on Santa Monica Boulevard, the #20 Local, #720 Rapid, or #920 Rapid Express on Wilshire Boulevard, and the #33 Local or #333 Limited on Venice Boulevard. Some travelers recommend checking night schedules; bus service (but not rail service) runs 24 hours but many routes change and have extremely reduced frequency in the late hours. However, schedules have little resemblance to the actual frequency or times when the buses run. Fares are currently $1.25 per boarding (no transfers) or $5 for a day pass (also good on Metro Rail); you can buy both from any Metro Rail station or Metro bus driver. Bring a street map in case an MTA bus changes its route to make up for lost time (an unfortunately frequent and unpredictable occurrence).

By rail

The Metro Rail [2] subway and light rail system has grown considerably over the past 15 years and is increasingly useful in getting around. A single trip fare good for one direction on one line costs $1.25 and can be purchased from the vending machines at the stations. Alternatively, you can avail of a $5/day pass (good until 3AM the next day), a $17/week pass or $62/month pass which allows unlimited access. The day pass can be purchased through the vending machines or the buses, while passes for longer durations can be obtained from Metro Customer Centers scattered around the city or on the MTA website. Be aware that the Metro Rail system stops at 1AM and starts again at 4AM.

Rail lines were designed with ward-level politics in mind, rather than transportation needs, and the route structure is rather bizarre. Many popular tourist destinations require multiple transfers, and often involving buses. For example, a twenty-five mile trip from Pasadena to LAX airport involves travel on four lines and a shuttle bus and takes well over two hours. A pending U-shaped extension to the Gold Line will make it possible to make a six-mile trip from Sierra Madre to East LA in 75 minutes, about the same as it would take to walk.

For other routes subway and light rail can be a good option with travel from North Hollywood to Long Beach possible in about 45 minutes. Additionally, despite its shortfalls, public transportation is often preferable to the gridlock that occurs on LA-area streets and highways. Several of the lines are mechanically unreliable and bus service is often used to cover parts of the route when the trains are not working. Locals recommend that you verify that the trains are running *before* buying for your ticket.

The rail is operated by the same agency as the bus system, so their maps include the rail lines. The fare structure is also the same as for the bus system. The Metro works on a 'trust' system: you buy your tickets from machines, then get on and ride... no turnstiles, no barriers. However, do not even think about entering the system without a valid ticket or pass; Metro police are part of the L.A. Sheriff's Department who randomly check for valid tickets on the trains or platforms, and the penalty for not being able to show a valid ticket is $250 and up to 48 hours of community service. If you ride several times chances are you will be asked to show your ticket at least once. Be careful - if your trip involves more than one line, you have to either buy separate tickets for each line or use the Day Pass.

The Metro Rail system is composed of 2 subway lines and 3 light rail lines:

• Red Line, a subway that runs from Los Angeles/Downtown|Downtown (Union Station) to the Hollywood area, then on into the San Fernando Valley. From there (North Hollywood Station) you can take the Orange Line (Busway system) to the west end of the valley.
• Purple Line, a subway that runs from Los Angeles/Downtown|Downtown (Union Station) to the Mid-Wilshire area, also known as Koreatown.
• Blue Line, a light rail line that runs from a subway connection with the Red and Purple Lines Downtown at 7th and Figueroa Streets at street level or higher (with some interesting views) through South Los Angeles, southward to Long Beach.
• Gold Line, a light rail line that runs from a subway connection with the Red and Purple Lines at Los Angeles/Downtown|Downtown's Union Station northeast to Pasadena.
• Green Line, a light rail line that runs from the South Bay (near LAX) east to the city of Norwalk (California)|Norwalk along Interstate 105, connecting with the Blue Line at Rosa Parks Station in Los Angeles/South central|Watts.

Also often included in the Metro Rail system:

• Orange Line, a busway across the San Fernando Valley, using special sleek articulated "bus-trains" on rubber tires.

Attractions that are easily reached via the rail system include: Universal Studios and Universal CityWalk, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theater and Hollywood/Highland Plaza, Thai Town, Griffith Park and the Griffith Observatory (via a brief bus transfer on Vermont), Koreatown, the Wiltern Theater, Westlake, Downtown (including the Financial District, Disney Hall, City Hall, Broadway, Union Station, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, the Convention Center, and the Staples Center), Old Town Pasadena, the Watts Towers, LAX (via a free shuttle bus at Aviation Station), downtown Long Beach, and, via a frequent shuttle bus from downtown Long Beach, the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Distinct from the Metro is the Metrolink [3] commuter railroad system, whose city terminus is Union Station. This commuter rail system reaches as far as Ventura, Lancaster (California)|Lancaster, San Bernardino, and Oceanside (northern San Diego County), but has several severe limitations for the visitor — notably, most lines are shut down on weekends, and stops service to the suburbs very early in the evenings during the week, although very limited Amtrak services run on the Orange County and Ventura County lines even when regular Metrolink trains don't. Last but not least, your Metro Day Pass isn't valid on Metrolink, so you'll need to buy separate tickets, which aren't cheap: a one-way from Union Station to Anaheim will set you back $6.75, although return and weekend discounts are available. Like the Metro Rail, the Metrolink uses the honor system where no barriers are required to enter the system, and random inspections to ensure that every passenger is in possession of a valid ticket are conducted often. You can use cash or credit card to purchase tickets.

By car

In order to fully experience LA, you need to bring or rent a private car. Really. Few attractions are easily served by rail or bus. Traffic is busy by US standards, but visitors used to driving in most of the world will not find it especially bad, and if you want to experience L.A., you need to get a car. Some of the most interesting parts of town are nearly impossible to reach via public transportation. For example, if you want to visit Malibu, any beach cities other than Santa Monica and Venice, the Korean Friendship Bell (with views of the port), the Chinese communities in the San Gabriel Valley, or any part of Orange County, you are strongly advised to travel by car. There are also many spectacular natural areas surrounding the L.A. metropolitan area that you can only reach by car. See the article about Driving in Los Angeles County for more information. If you are mostly going to be between the ocean and downtown, drive on arterial streets such as Wilshire Blvd. and Sunset Blvd. to get around instead of the freeways. This not a way of avoiding traffic but a way to see more of the city's sights and lessen the chance of getting lost by taking the wrong exits on the freeway.

If you are going to be driving around, make sure you have access to extensive street and freeway maps, a Thomas Bros Guide [4] (a large spiral-bound street atlas), AAA [5] offers good free maps to members from any state, or a car with an onboard navigation system. (One map in particular from AAA that even locals find useful is a pocket guide to the area's extensive freeway system.)

The freeways in L.A. can be confusing and overwhelming, and typically the speed of the freeway during the non-rush hours is much higher (75 to 85mph) than the speed limit (65mph). Los Angelinos and southern Californians in general are used to cruising at speeds of 80mph or more if no police officer is in obvious sight. L.A. in particular, being plagued by traffic jams, follows a general rule of "floor it to capacity" which means, one must drive as fast as allowed by current traffic conditions. (Of course, this is an ideology, not a suggestion.) For this, freeways will usually be packed and yet cars will be moving at high speeds virtually inches away from other. This behavior, of course, can lead to multiple-vehicle chain reaction car crashes when a driver leading the race finds himself braking abruptly. Drivers not familiar with the area, including visitors from Mexico, who are not used to high speed city highways tend to forget this and find themselves in the way of drivers who just want to reach their destination as soon as possible.

If you have two or more people in your vehicle, regardless of your purpose, you may use the "Carpool Only" lanes (some require 3 people, but these will be clearly marked). There's also lots of construction work going around since the beginning of 2004 (especially late at night), so watch out for that too. Listening to a radio station is helpful for any long trip through L.A. since most stations regularly disseminate traffic information during the daylight hours. KNX 1070 AM and KFWB 980 AM are the most frequent and cover the metropolitan area, including Orange and Ventura counties and the Inland Empire. Note that freeways are sometimes broadcast by the segment name (i.e. Santa Monica Freeway) in addition to their route number (I-10). Proper freeway names can also change depending on these segments (I-10, for example, contains both the Santa Monica and San Bernardino Freeways.) Be wary of certain interchanges, especially the East L.A. Interchange and the loops in Downtown L.A. Although these are well signed, they can still be confusing. When receiving directions or traffic reports, keep in mind that both locals and traffic reports will refer to highway numbers with the definitive article (e.g. "the 10" instead of "I-10").

Although L.A.'s traffic jams are legendary, the freeway grid provides for an effective movement of traffic and a variety of alternatives. Be sure to have an alternative route planned out in advance; many freeways run parallel to each other and serve as viable alternatives, especially in long-distance trips! Traffic accident reports on the radio will give the name of the freeway interchange or cross-street. Traffic is often so far away that you won't be affected even on the same freeway and direction. If possible, use a passenger as your navigator. You may also check SigAlert [6] for current traffic information before your trip. If you are traveling more than 10 or 15 miles on the freeway network, ask a local for the best route at that time of day.