So living in LA car-free really requires patience (San Diego, Long Beach: car rental, 2015)

[Chicano3000X]

You can blame the past folks of the west side for that.

Idiots voted against transit, and new folks like you are paying for that poor decision..

[jm1982]

Yeah true, the subway could of been built years ago but homeowners sued to halt any progress, and are continuing to sue.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by PDF

So you prefer the suburbs, basically. Walkable ones at that.

Miracle Mile, Larchmont Village are two good ones that aren't suburbs.

[PDF]

And just more complaints I have is that the Red line and other train lines/buses in the Metro system seem to have delays much more than it should, and also that the riding etiquette on Metro is very poor. But it's the West Coast.

I suppose I just expected my car-free experience LA to be different. Of course not easy compared to other cities with better transit, but better than I've experienced.

I went years in Florida without learning how to drive when I probably should have, and I have generally been a really strong supporter of public transit in general. But taking public transit in LA just frustrates me to no end. Parts of it are good, but it definitely wasn't what I was hoping for.

Now I know what all those telling me to get a car in LA from the get-go were talking about.

[John23]

As a lifelong LA resident, I would say, car free life is very, very, very difficult long term (past a year or two).

-I went to the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts yesterday for a magic show. I think one of the appeals of LA (and OC) is the sunday drive. A lot of things you aren't going to enjoy if you don't have a car.

There are so many streets, and neighborhoods to see with a car. There is much more variety in LA and OC than the east coast. The metro here is nice, but it'll just whiz on past it.

Call me weird, I like driving by home depots, malls. Restaurants you may not know about. Everything here is structured around cars. And with the weather....sunshine 320 days a year or something, you need a car.

Also, walking is really hit and miss, depending on where you are. The streets in orange county are pretty long and wide, not designed for much walking. Like the area around Disneyland. I think the LA metro will always be 20 years behind most cities. The metro was never the first option.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by John23

As a lifelong LA resident, I would say, car free life is very, very, very difficult long term (past a year or two).

-I went to the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts yesterday for a magic show. I think one of the appeals of LA (and OC) is the sunday drive. A lot of things you aren't going to enjoy if you don't have a car.

There are so many streets, and neighborhoods to see with a car. There is much more variety in LA and OC than the east coast. The metro here is nice, but it'll just whiz on past it.

Call me weird, I like driving by home depots, malls. Restaurants you may not know about. Everything here is structured around cars. And with the weather....sunshine 320 days a year or something, you need a car.

Also, walking is really hit and miss, depending on where you are. The streets in orange county are pretty long and wide, not designed for much walking. Like the area around Disneyland. I think the LA metro will always be 20 years behind most cities. The metro was never the first option.

Actually for a long time, it was.

Call me weird, I like driving by home depots, malls. Restaurants you may not know about. Everything here is structured around cars. And with the weather....sunshine 320 days a year or something, you need a car.

Unless I have a convertible, the last thing I want to do on a beautiful, sunny day is sit in the car. Los Angeles' nearly perfect weather is what gives it an advantage in walkability over cities that are generally though of as more pedestrian friendly.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by John23

As a lifelong LA resident, I would say, car free life is very, very, very difficult long term (past a year or two).

-I went to the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts yesterday for a magic show. I think one of the appeals of LA (and OC) is the sunday drive. A lot of things you aren't going to enjoy if you don't have a car.

There are so many streets, and neighborhoods to see with a car. There is much more variety in LA and OC than the east coast. The metro here is nice, but it'll just whiz on past it.

Call me weird, I like driving by home depots, malls. Restaurants you may not know about. Everything here is structured around cars. And with the weather....sunshine 320 days a year or something, you need a car.

Also, walking is really hit and miss, depending on where you are. The streets in orange county are pretty long and wide, not designed for much walking. Like the area around Disneyland. I think the LA metro will always be 20 years behind most cities. The metro was never the first option.

As a lifelong resident, I'll give the other view. Not everyone goes out of their way to unusual areas. I've had a car since I could drive, and I've never driven anywhere outside of LA county. Ventura twice for work related stuff. No South Bay (once or twice), no Long Beach. The neighborhood I live in now, everything I need is walkable (this applies to much of West LA, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Koreatown, Downtown, even parts of Santa Monica).

I wouldn't waste leisure time driving around neighborhoods for no reason. True, some unusual ethnic cuisine may only be reachable by car, but a variant of it will be walking or bus distance.

The only reason I personally hesitate to give up a car is work. If you solely rely on public transit, depending on your field, your access to jobs can get very limited or very frustrating (like 3 transfers and 3 hours). Everything is you don't need a car for here.

[John23]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

As a lifelong resident, I'll give the other view. Not everyone goes out of their way to unusual areas. I've had a car since I could drive, and I've never driven anywhere outside of LA county. Ventura twice for work related stuff. No South Bay (once or twice), no Long Beach. The neighborhood I live in now, everything I need is walkable (this applies to much of West LA, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Koreatown, Downtown, even parts of Santa Monica).

I wouldn't waste leisure time driving around neighborhoods for no reason. True, some unusual ethnic cuisine may only be reachable by car, but a variant of it will be walking or bus distance.

The only reason I personally hesitate to give up a car is work. If you solely rely on public transit, depending on your field, your access to jobs can get very limited or very frustrating (like 3 transfers and 3 hours). Everything is you don't need a car for here.

What about driving on pch on a summmer weekend? There are tons of places to drive leisurely in LA.

-What about seeing new places open up? Christmas time is also a good time to drive around.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by John23

What about driving on pch on a summmer weekend? There are tons of places to drive leisurely in LA.

-What about seeing new places open up? Christmas time is also a good time to drive around.

I have to say that driving on PCH on a summer weekend is probably one of the most quintessentially "LA" things to do.

However you by no means need to own a car to do it - Zip Car is becoming more and more prevalent in Los Angeles. Maybe it is because their regional headquarters are just down the street on Cahuenga, but it seems like they are rapidly expanding operation in Hollywood. Wouldn't surprise me if Weho, Westwood, DTLA and Santa Monica are experiencing the same.

Personally I think the best way to see Los Angeles and get to know it is on foot or on the bus. You miss way too much at 35 miles per hour.

[disgruntled la native]

^Yes, Zipcar has been prevalent for years in Westwood and has a presence in Santa Monica and WeHo.

Exactly. If you just want to drive down PCH for a thrill once in a while, or must check out some out of reach mall, you can either rely on friends with cars or Zipcar.

I remember taking the 720 and 704 for the first times (Wilshire and Santa Monica respectively), streets I have driven on thousands of times. Since I was on the bus and not focused on the road, I really witnessed neighborhoods and establishments I always ignored. Public transit opened me up to hole in the wall amazing eateries in West LA I passed by 5000 times.