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 | Los Angeles Transportation | Tips 1 - 10 of 305 |  |
 | |  |  | Buses: Going Around Los Angeles by Bus and Train | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
They say that you need a car to get around L.A. That's not entirely true. L.A. has a fine public transportation system and you can go to many tourist attractions either by bus or by light rail train.
If you already have your itinerary, you can go to the travel planner at www.mta.net (Metropolitan Transportation Authority's web site). Enter your starting and ending addresses (and some other information) and the travel planner will give you directions on when and where to go, what bus to take, how much to pay, and whether to take a transfer. The web site will also tell you where you can buy tokens or passes. Who knows? With the above information, you may decide to rent a car after all. :-)
From Downtown L.A., you can reach the following destinations by taking one ride: Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica, Beverly Center, Hollywood Blvd., Universal Studios, Long Beach, etc.
Day passes costing $3 are now available. You can get them when you board any MTA bus or at any MTA ticket dispenser. With a day pass, you can ride MTA's buses and trains for the whole day. You may still have to add a quarter or two, however, if you take MTA's longer routes like the route going to Disneyland. Leave a Comment Theme: BusWebsite: www.mta.net
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| | | | Buses: DASH Shuttle Bus | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
If you want to explore Downtown L.A., you'll find the DASH shuttle buses very useful. There are weekday and weekend routes. Fare is 25 cents. You may ask for a transfer which you can use on another DASH route.
The weekday Route C, which loops between Chinatown and the Financial District., takes you to many interesting places including the Central Public Library, Macy's Plaza, Jewelry District, Pershing Square, Museum of Contemporary Art, Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, City Hall, Union Station, Olvera Street, and, of course, Chinatown.
You may use the weekday Route F to go to Exposition Park where the Rose Garden, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California Science Center/IMAX Theatre, L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and others are located.
The weekend Route DD (Downtown Discovery) is an expanded version of Route C. It is a nice way to tour Downtown L.A. during weekends.
Feel free to get off the bus if you want to explore on foot a place that catches your fancy. You can always take the next DASH bus to continue your tour. You'll have to pay 25 cents every time you board the DASH bus, however. Transfers are good for another route only (that is, not on the same route).
For the complete routes and schedules, maps, and other information, please check out www.ladottransit.com. Leave a Comment Theme: BusWebsite: www.ladottransit.com
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| | | | Metro: Yes, Virginia, There is a Subway in LA! | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Los Angeles subway system is clean, efficient, and a great bargain. For $1.35 you can go anywhere on the route (one-way; you can use 90-cent tokens as well), and for twice that you can pretty much ride around all day. Tickets are on the honor system. I've been checked pretty often, usually around the big tourist spots (Hollywood, etc.). If you're caught without a fare you usually get a warning but the fine is over $200.
If you're staying in Downtown LA or Hollywood, the subway is particularly easy to use. It starts at North Hollywood, home of an arts-and-theatre community, then stops at Universal Studios, Hollywood & Highland (near Chinese theatre), Hollywood & Vine (Pantages theatre), several more stops, then 7th & Metro (heart of Downtown's financial district), Pershing Square (near Grand Central Market, Biltmore, & more), Civic Center (for the Music Center & new Cathedral), and finally Union Station (a monument unto itself. and close to Chinatown, Olvera Street).
At Union Station you can transfer to the Gold Line which goes to Pasadena. At 7th & Metro, you can transfer to the Blue Line which goes to Long Beach and also meets the Green Line, which goes to LAX.
Staying downtown, you're really at the centerpoint of all public transit in LA. It's about the only place you could stay without a car.
One final note: docent tours of the art at each station are offered. Check www.mta.net/metroart for details. Each station was commissioned by a different artist, and they are all treats. Leave a Comment Theme: Subway/MetroWebsite: www.mta.net
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| | | | Driving: Renting a car | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The attractions in Los Angeles are very spread out, unlike New York, Chicago or Washington DC where most of the sights that visitors want to see are in the central area or easily reachable by public transportation. LA has a limited metro and buses but you will want to rent a car to get around LA.
My most recent rental in April 2007 was $16.95 per day from Avis booked via Hotwire for a full size since I wanted to guarantee I would get a 4 door car. When I got to Avis, I asked them for the most gas efficient 4 door they had and got a Hyundai. I drove over 900 miles on this trip so I was glad we didn't have anything bigger.
Although I have used Priceline and Hotwire, they usually don't have enough of a savings for me to make it worth getting a nonrefundable car rental, you can check Bidding For Travel to see what the going rates are.
Most of the big car rental agencies have a location at LAX, other places to look include Expedia , Travelocity and Side Step. Unless you are booking through Priceline or Hotwire, car rentals are usually cancellable.
I have used Dollar, Hertz, Avis and Alamo and all of them have been fine. All of the car rental locations are offsite at LAX requiring a short ride in a shuttle bus which you can pick up outside the baggage claim area.
A lot of the vehicles at LAX are larger vehicles such as vans and SUVs, a couple of times they've upgraded me, the first time it was a welcome upgrade to a van since we had 4-5 people traveling but the 2nd time I really wanted an intermediate car and they upgraded me first to a small SUV and then when I asked for something smaller I got a PT Cruiser which I did eventually get used to although it didn't get very good gas mileage. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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