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Old 08-17-2010, 02:47 AM
 
274 posts, read 1,212,819 times
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Okay so I am having my 2 cousins(16 and 21) to stay from the uk and i intend to drop them at the local metro each morning(gold line) so they can be independent and explore LA- the usual spots;santa monica,hollywood,union station etc

My question is- is it safe for two tourists' to be on it- maybe later in the evening?I am guessing it is as millions must use it but have not been on it. My husband is aghast and thinks i should taxi them round( which they will not expect at all) and now i am questioning my " they will be fine- they are from london" approach to this travel situation. Neither of them drive.

I am guessing they can just buy a day pass for the metro and buses combined.

Can anyone advise who actually uses the metro if this is what i think- a perfectly sensible idea?
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Old 08-17-2010, 06:39 AM
 
Location: Southern California
2,037 posts, read 2,147,531 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Londonteacher View Post
Okay so I am having my 2 cousins(16 and 21) to stay from the uk and i intend to drop them at the local metro each morning(gold line) so they can be independent and explore LA- the usual spots;santa monica,hollywood,union station etc

My question is- is it safe for two tourists' to be on it- maybe later in the evening?I am guessing it is as millions must use it but have not been on it. My husband is aghast and thinks i should taxi them round( which they will not expect at all) and now i am questioning my " they will be fine- they are from london" approach to this travel situation. Neither of them drive.

I am guessing they can just buy a day pass for the metro and buses combined. Can anyone advise who actually uses the metro if this is what i think- a perfectly sensible idea?
Before they get here, why don't you take a ride that you would have them go on and then you can judge for yourself just how safe it is or if you would even want them exposed to it. To me, because this area is so spread out... taking mass transit just takes too long to get from point A to B and I know I would want to spend as much time at the fun spots than riding to get there. And I happen to agree with your husband on this. Good luck.
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Old 08-17-2010, 07:29 AM
 
274 posts, read 1,212,819 times
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good idea but i have a small baby so wish to avoid this and also taxiing people all day- after driving my husband to work so i can have the car for the day to start with.

It will only be a small number of routes they will take- gold line to union station, then onto santa monica.

It is only 20 mins from pasadena to union station which is fast- to us a journey of 1 hour to get anywhere is reasonable coming from london where this is the norm.

i just wonder about the safety?
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Old 08-17-2010, 07:44 AM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,658,855 times
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Assuming they have some basic street smarts, they should be fine. If you do it at home, you can do it here. Teenagers in LA take public transportation all the time. I also happen to think it's a great way to experience the city. (statistically they're probably even safer on there than in a car, for that matter)
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Old 08-17-2010, 08:47 AM
 
11 posts, read 44,181 times
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It depends on which areas of LA they will be visiting. I personally have never considered taking the bus at night because it isn't very safe and I am generally pretty relaxed about that sort of thing. They would definitely look out of place on a bus at night in many areas. I suggest letting them take the bus during the day and then using taxi's at night.
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Old 08-17-2010, 09:48 AM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,130,409 times
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if they will be going to santa monica, the metro day pass won't work on the big blue bus express line that goes direct via the 10 to santa monica with no stops. i wouldn't even bother with the other buses because that's 16 miles on side streets to the coast.
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Old 08-17-2010, 01:52 PM
 
Location: London.
587 posts, read 1,463,399 times
Reputation: 424
Quote:
Originally Posted by Londonteacher View Post
Okay so I am having my 2 cousins(16 and 21) to stay from the uk and i intend to drop them at the local metro each morning(gold line) so they can be independent and explore LA- the usual spots;santa monica,hollywood,union station etc

My question is- is it safe for two tourists' to be on it- maybe later in the evening?I am guessing it is as millions must use it but have not been on it. My husband is aghast and thinks i should taxi them round( which they will not expect at all) and now i am questioning my " they will be fine- they are from london" approach to this travel situation. Neither of them drive.

I am guessing they can just buy a day pass for the metro and buses combined.

Can anyone advise who actually uses the metro if this is what i think- a perfectly sensible idea?
If one of them is 21, they should be fine. Just make sure they stay away from downtown LA at night and to keep an eye on their belongings. It's so easy to get distracted when you are somewhere new and excited.

You didn't say if they were male or female.
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Old 08-17-2010, 05:00 PM
 
Location: CITY OF ANGELS AND CONSTANT DANGER
5,408 posts, read 12,636,655 times
Reputation: 2270
they will be fine.

there are too many generalizations here.

the bus is not dangerous at night. there are SOME dangerous neighborhoods (to the east and south). but as a whole, no, the bus system at night is not dangerous.

i have riden the 720 rapid from end to end arriving in east LA at 11pm. no problem at all. its a bunch of people getting home from their restaurant and service jobs on the west side. thats the bus. stuff does happen(rarely), but for the most part you can ride the bus without incident. the only incident i have had is when two thugs were going back and forth on the back of the bus. i was cuaght in the middle of them. they didnt start fighting, but one was challenging the other to get off the bus. if that is the stuff you are afraid of, the solution there would be, dont look like a thug, dont ride in the back of the bus.

further, the trains are safer and more patrolled by fare cops and regular cops. certain lines and sections of the rails have more colorful riders, but for the most part trains, at all hours of the day and night they are safe.

i ride the blue line daily. some would consider that the most dangerous line. it goes from downtown south, through south central, florence, compton and into long beach. ive never really seen any incident occur. sure there is this one big slob of a girl that gets on stinking up the train, and some looney homeless people, but its not bad at all. everyday i see tourists on there as well. french, russian, australian, chilean. all on the blue line.

the red line coming from hollywood is also pretty safe. at all hours. ive caught a train after a show as late as 1AM. no incidents at all. with many many more tourists.

they should be fine as long as they use common sense.

and i do agree that it is a great way to see what LA really is like.
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Old 08-17-2010, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Mt Washington: NELA
1,162 posts, read 3,229,266 times
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There are five Metro stations downtown (not counting Chick Hearn and Chinatown). Union Station is absolutely safe, as is Olvera Street if they want to grab a bite at La Golondrina and people-watch (a favorite pastime of my wife and I). And downtown to Hollywood on Metro is very fast. The Gold Line crawls along to Pasadena and downtown, but Old Town Pas is nice, and a stop at Mission Station (they have a farmer's market Thursday nights) is a nice break. You can while away some time window-shopping, eating, etc. Lots of stuff going on along the route. I would recommend Angel's Flight (Pershing Square Station/subway) if there is a concert going on (they are free all summer up at Cal Plaza).

I've been on the line just shy of midnight and seen teens riding the train. I have yet to feel endangered, or fear for someone else's safety. And I've take the train hundreds of times.

Home | Grand Performances

Pershing Square—Downtown Stage Summer Concerts (http://www.whiteskymedia.com/clientprojects/pershingsquare/events/downtownStage/downtownStageConcerts.php - broken link)
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Old 08-17-2010, 07:05 PM
 
4,803 posts, read 10,144,736 times
Reputation: 2785
They'll be fine. Teens take public transportation in L.A all the time. They just have to have street smarts(watching where they are, watch money etc) just like any large city
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