Visiting the city using public transit? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: how much, homes, transfer)

[cyrusjul]

Hello I am visiting Los Angeles for a couple of days. I want to take the trains and rail lines in the city. I am from NYC and I really hate driving. I am currently staying with a friend in Pasadena and I can borrow her car. But I don't want to take it all the way to the city. So I rather take the Orange line? Is there free parking at this station (Sierra Madre Villa)? How much is it to take these trains and do I buy a ticket pass like in NYC? What attraction within walking distances you think I should check out within these stops in Los Angeles or close by the city? Does the Orange line comes very often, aswell as the other lines in the system, or is it half and hour wait? Can I take all these lines with free transfer? Are there any lines and stops I should avoid? Is it safe at night to come back in the Orange Line? I will love to try visiting the city without the use of the car and with public transportation options. Please let me know anything you know and these walkable attractions. I want to enjoy the city! Can't wait.

[CESpeed]

I know Nick is going to slam me, but my advice is to use the car. L.A.'s public transit system is not good. There are several threads defending and rejecting public transit.

[Castro Viejo]

Originally Posted by cyrusjul

Hello I am visiting Los Angeles for a couple of days. I want to take the trains and rail lines in the city. I am from NYC and I really hate driving. I am currently staying with a friend in Pasadena and I can borrow her car. But I don't want to take it all the way to the city. So I rather take the Orange line? Is there free parking at this station (Sierra Madre Villa)? How much is it to take these trains and do I buy a ticket pass like in NYC? What attraction within walking distances you think I should check out within these stops in Los Angeles or close by the city? Does the Orange line comes very often, aswell as the other lines in the system, or is it half and hour wait? Can I take all these lines with free transfer? Are there any lines and stops I should avoid? Is it safe at night to come back in the Orange Line? I will love to try visiting the city without the use of the car and with public transportation options. Please let me know anything you know and these walkable attractions. I want to enjoy the city! Can't wait.

I wouldn't recommend it. The LA subway is unpredictable and some parts can be quite dicey.

When I first moved to LA from New York City, I had the notion of trying out the public transit system because that's what I was used to in my hometown. To say the least, a few trips and I decided to be part of the LA smog machine with my car in traffic jams. I'd rather that than riding the subway. It's just too unreliable.

[cyrusjul]

What do you mean Public Transit is not good? I rather not deal with the car, since I have to be stuck in traffic, parking, gas, etc. How slow is the transit system? If is 10 to 15 minute wait, that is fine with me. Or what is the problem?

I have been warned about taking the blue line and the green line, for safety reasons, but what about the orange line and the red line? Don't they both go thru some decent neighborhoods and attractions that I can visit?

[BRinSM]

The line that goes to Pasadena is actually the Gold Line. Also, you certainly can visit the city via bus and rail. Most attractions can be visited using just a few bus lines and rail lines. First, to get from Pasadena to LA, you'll take the Gold Line to Union Station (the main commuter train station in LA). From there, you can access Chinatown and Olvera Street (the original neighborhood in LA). The rest of downtown is fairly uninteresing unless you enjoy walking around looking at high rises. From Union Station, you can hop on the Red Line (Subway) and head either to Hollywood or the Mid Wilshire area. If you head to Hollywood, you can take the train up to Universal Studios and spend time there. Hollywood proper also had two stations, the majority of the sites are off of the Hollywood/Highland station. Another cool place is the Griffith Park Observatory. You can exit the Vermont/Sunset station and from there hop on the a shuttle that will take you up to the observatory (definitely worth seeing). Once back downtown, you can take the Purple Line (subway) and get off at the last station (Wilshire/Western). From there hop on a Wilshire bus (20/720/920) and head west. I would exit at Fairfax and check out the tarpits and also walk up to 3rd st and check out the farmer's market and the grove. Go back down to Wishire and hop on the bus, then go to Beverly Hills. Rodeo Dr. and the surrounding streets are filled with super high end boutiques and worth taking a look at. Get back on the WIlshire bus, then take it all the way to Santa Monica. Here you can shop at the 3rd St (different 3rd st.) Promenade and walk up the pier. You may also want to see the Venice boardwalk while you're at the beach. Then, you'll get back on the Wilshire bus and take it back downtown and hop on the Gold Line back to Pasadena. ALl of this can be done with a $5 daily pass. I wouldn't try to do all of these activities in one day, but they can easily be broken up and spread out over multiple days.

[BRinSM]

a couple other things, all the lines that I mentioned come arrive every 5-15 minutes up until after the evening rush hour. Also, if you feel like using the Blue or Green lines for whatever reason (like if you wanted to go see Long Beach which is pretty cool) they do go through some of the more rough neighborhoods in LA, but I've used both more times than I can count and have never had any issues.

[nickdahammer]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

I know Nick is going to slam me, but my advice is to use the car. L.A.'s public transit system is not good. There are several threads defending and rejecting public transit.

Naw I won't slam ya, though I have taken the rail component of the MTA system many, many times and love it. Granted, you won't see alot of scenery on the Hollywood Subway, but the Gold Line is actually pretty interesting ride from downtown to Pasadena. I bought my home years before while the line was in the planning stages, making sure it was close to a station.

Best decision I ever made. I also work downtown, so no-brainer. Luckily, I love hitting Chinatown and hanging out downtown, not to mention Old Town Pasadena. Homes have higher value is close to rail- all the realtors tout it.

Whenever I travel I NEVER drive. I can't afford it, and I DRIVE here! Some vacation that would be. I'm going to Boston in a couple of months and, even though I have relatives there, I'm taking transit all the way. And the subway platforms here are HUGE and the stations are clean.

Long story short: yes, you can see alot here via rail. Though you will have to find another way to see things like the Westside stuff, like the Getty, or Santa Monica, etc. The beach won't be hooked via rail for another, what 5-10 years (Expo Line)?

MTA lists a bunch of destinations adjacent to the rail system @ metro.net | Transit Services and Information for Los Angeles County
.

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by cyrusjul

What do you mean Public Transit is not good? I rather not deal with the car, since I have to be stuck in traffic, parking, gas, etc. How slow is the transit system? If is 10 to 15 minute wait, that is fine with me. Or what is the problem?

I have been warned about taking the blue line and the green line, for safety reasons, but what about the orange line and the red line? Don't they both go thru some decent neighborhoods and attractions that I can visit?

The Blue and Green Lines are safe. But there's nothing touristy at all along the Green line. There are only two stops worth making on the Blue line, the Staples Center and Long Beach. The rest are designed for locals. The buses how long the wait is depends on which line you are trying to take. Sometimes they don't show at all, then the bus behind it is really crowded and they may pass you up. It's easy to get lost (get on wrong bus) and the bus drivers aren't helpful.

[nickdahammer]

Originally Posted by cyrusjul

What do you mean Public Transit is not good? I rather not deal with the car, since I have to be stuck in traffic, parking, gas, etc. How slow is the transit system? If is 10 to 15 minute wait, that is fine with me. Or what is the problem?

I have been warned about taking the blue line and the green line, for safety reasons, but what about the orange line and the red line? Don't they both go thru some decent neighborhoods and attractions that I can visit?

They ALL go through places where you can go and where millions of other commuters have gone. I have taken all these lines- the Blue Line for two years, even during the riots (they shut the system down for a couple of days). I lived in Long Beach, worked downtown L.A. People in Los Angeles have one thing in common: they want to MOVE and will do just about anything to avoid traffic.

The Green Line doesn't really help me. When I have to fly out of LAX, I take the Flyaway bus from Union Station (round trip is $8). All I do is catch the Gold Line train to downtown, hop on the Flyaway bus and get to LAX in about 20 minutes. That's it! No SuperShuttle, no taxi, no parking hassle, no Parking Lot A or C. We've got a small, but perfectly decent rail system. We paid for it- let's use the damn thing.

I don't take the busses anymore- I stopped when the rail took over the route, so I cannot attest to their current state. I DID take the Broadway/Spring bus (#45) for a few months and, yes it was crowded (it was during rush hour after all- what do you expect?) and smelly but it got me to work and home.

Hell, my wife and I took the Blue Line to the Watts Towers, it was great!

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by cyrusjul

Hello I am visiting Los Angeles for a couple of days. I want to take the trains and rail lines in the city. I am from NYC and I really hate driving. I am currently staying with a friend in Pasadena and I can borrow her car. But I don't want to take it all the way to the city. So I rather take the Orange line? Is there free parking at this station (Sierra Madre Villa)? How much is it to take these trains and do I buy a ticket pass like in NYC? What attraction within walking distances you think I should check out within these stops in Los Angeles or close by the city? Does the Orange line comes very often, aswell as the other lines in the system, or is it half and hour wait? Can I take all these lines with free transfer? Are there any lines and stops I should avoid? Is it safe at night to come back in the Orange Line? I will love to try visiting the city without the use of the car and with public transportation options. Please let me know anything you know and these walkable attractions. I want to enjoy the city! Can't wait.

If you are staying in Pasadena you are very close to San Marino and can easily drive to Huntington Gardens,one of the best places to see.

Huntington Botanical Gardens


Once you take the Gold Line downtown the Dash shuttle bus can easily take you to Little Tokyo,Chinatown and the museums at Exposition Park. This only runs on weekdays.

http://www.ladottransit.com/dash/rou...n/downtown.pdf

DASH Routes