Metro, Los Angeles

It's a good option to take the Flyaway Bus that goes to Union Station, eventually to arrive at the Greyhound near downtown. From the airport, go on the lower arrivals area and look for the green "FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans" signs.

After this, go inside of the station a few steps away after you stop. Go downstairs to take the Red line subway for about 4 min and exit the 7th/Metro stop, which is 3 stops away. Then, go up to the street again and take the MTA 60 bus from 7th St and Flower. You should be on that bus for just 6-10 min until you get to the station by 7th/Decatur (close to the major street Santa Fe).

Do try to do this in the daytime. I'd say at 7:30 PM at the latest. Walk with confidence in this area. Check website for updates on the Flyaway bus and also check mta.net for info on the MTA 60.

The duration of the entire trip should be about 1-1/2 hours, all depending on traffic and connections. One-way cost for this should be just $6.50 ($4 for the Flyway, $1.50 for Red Line trip and $1.50 for the 60 bus trip).

For your Los Angeles trip, you may want to get a tap card, if you're skipping the car and trying public transportation. OK, I know, yet another card to put in the wallet! Metro has decided that paper passes are just way too evil and it wants to go green with the tap (Nevermind , a majority still get a paper one-way or other ticket).

The tap card is tracked when a passenger enters a bus or rail entrance and taps a device that senses the card. The effectiveness of the tap is debatable as far as the green issue and true worth is concerned. It's great if you are local and use the Metro frequently per month. Also, if you will be in the LA. area for an extended time and don't want to worry about having the exact amount of change. For someone like me not using Metro everyday, I don't feel the need to get it and one-way it a few times per travel.

You can get the tap card in advance, at taptogo.net. This way, you'll have it in your hands. You can also obtain a Tap card at Union Station's Metro Customer center by the Patasouras Plaza on the low level (expect a considerable as I often see many people there waiting on service)or at the pass center along Wilshire Blvd (at La Brea), along with other locations.

People(including VTers) love to regularly bash Los Angeles for having "no public transit". Or, they maintain public transit is only used by the old, infirm, poor, homeless and crazy.

A. Not true
B. Most of the naysayers have never even been on the subway

The sheer land size of Los Angeles makes it difficult to transverse by public transit or to even put transit in place. But, if you leave out the Westside and beaches, the city is fairly well-served. Overall, the system is more dependable and extensive than I've seen in Seattle, San Diego, Philadelphia...and, dare I say it, Chicago.

LA has the second largest bus fleet in America, and the second busiest light rail(after Boston's green line). By contrast, the Red Line subway, with it's limited range, ranks 9th.

But, for many visitors, the Red Line is a godsend. Top tourist destinations such as Universal City, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese, Downtown LA, and Pasadena are all connected via the Red Line and connecting light rail.

Sure, you're going to want to rent a car for the beaches and Malibu, Disneyland....maybe even for Beverly Hills. But don't believe the naysayers. Los Angeles is not the car crazy city it used to be. Residents are fed up with long traffic delays and insufferable commutes. I own a car, but use the Red Line weekly for all trips to Downtown shows, clubs, Disney Hall, Koreatown, Pasadena, Chinatown and Olvera Street. 40% of the residents of my neighborhood don't even own cars.

Los Angeles public transit still lacks for a city of its size, but it's getting there. No pun intended.

Red Line: Every 10 minutes during peak hours. Every 20 minutes off peak and weekends. Runs from 4:AM until 12:AM roughly, and until 3AM Fridays and Saturdays.

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Created as the 1991 as the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) in 1991 after acquiring over 200 miles of track from the BNSF and the Union Pacific Railroad Road at the cost of millions of dollars. It has been serving so many communities along the way and helped creat a safe environment to travel to and from work.

We decided to venture out on a weekend to Union Station and bought a Family Four Pack, which is $29 for a family of four to travel to and from your destination you choose. We boarded at the Lancaster Station and secured our car in the provided parking lot. I was dismayed at the condition of the station, it was very dirty. Other stations we stopped on the way were not dirty. I have complained, so we will see. I will say the train was clean and we felt very safe. We just relaxed and enjoyed our trip. One thing about the trains running into Los Angeles are very old tracks, so the view is not always the most pleasant since it runs through the most industrial part of the cities or the very old parts. So just keep an opened mind.

I will tell you, some lady at the train station tried to hustle us for a ticket, but since we had an extra ticket we gave it anyway to her son and she kept wanting more, but we left it at that. So beware of that. Please check the web site for any more information since schedules may change.

Make sure to get yourself a schedule once you arrive to know what times of departure and what platform you need to be at especially at Union Station. Union Station does have eletronic signs of platform destinations, but get a schedule so you know the times.

Lancaster Station
44812 N. Sierra Highway
Lancaster, CA 93534

DIRECTIONS
From 14 Fwy. Southbound, exit Ave. I. Go East to Sierra Hwy. Go South on Sierra Hwy. From 14 Fwy. North, exit 20th St. West. Go North on 20th St. to Ave. J. Go East on J to Sierra Hwy. Go North on Sierra.

Lancaster Station Vicinity Map

PARKING
Approximately 140 parking spaces

AMENITIES
Public phones

BOARDING INFORMATION
If using Santa Clarita Transit 795, please wait at bus stop on Sierra Hwy in front of the station

CONNECTING TRANSIT
Santa Clarita Transit
Antelope Valley Transit Authority*
Amtrak ThruWay Bus
Eastern Sierra Transit Authority

This was my first time using the Metro Rail above and below grade system.

It worked well during my stay. I used it to travel between Union Station, Pasadena and the Wilshire central corridor. I also used it to connect to local buses and the FlyAway bus (highly recommended).

From Union Station to Pasadena (Gold Line) it is about 35 minutes travel time.

Pasadena to Mid-Wilshire I connected back through Union Station to the Purple Line.
****IMPORTANT: THE PURPLE LINE DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY SIGNAGE IN UNION STATION SINCE IT SHARES TRACKS WITH THE RED LINE. SO JUST HEAD TOWARDS THE RED LINE!!****

***Also IMPORTANT: make sure to wait near where other people are standing. Some of the platforms are long (specifically in the Subway) so the trains do not fill-up the entire area. I almost missed a train because I was alone far forward of the actual train!!***

My recommendation would be Pasadena, you can take the Gold Line an be in downtown Los Angeles in 20 minutes. From Downtown you have access to red line _ to go to Hollywood - Blue Line to go to Long Beach. Buses go everywhere including Orange County. I live in the heart of the city and rarely drive it is a misconspection that you cannot get around without a car. Look at:

http://www.metro.net/index.asp

Unless you want to go further to Orange County or Ventura county you would have to take Metro Link. Pasadena is a nice community, lots of hotels, tree lined streets beautiful neighborhood, good restaurants (Old Towne) and a few B&B's etc.

The metro trains makes it easy to get around and does connect to several attractions. The trains are much more frequent than the bus. It may be best to substitute buses with a taxi instead.

A day pass on the train is now $5. Now although there is no ticket agent at the train station there is a machine where you will buy your passes. You can also get them at some hotels. There is no turnstyle at the station. However, the sheriff might come on the train to see if you paid your fare. If you do not show the ticket then I believe the fine is $700. It may be best not to risk it.

The Metro Red line is a great way to make stops in downtown and to go to popular destinations in the county- such as Hollywoods, West, North and the original "Ho" area. A major stop on the Red line is Union Station, which is most eastern.

NOTE BELOW!

*From Union Station, there is the option of take the newly defined Purple Line which follows the Red Line route to Wilshire/Vermont stop, THEN heads to a few more Wilshire stops, ending at Western. The RED line, instead, veers off to stops towards Hollywood, eventually to Universal Studios and North Hollywood.

Make sure that when leaving from the Union station stop (or from major stops like Civic Center, Pershing Square, 7th/Metro stops and Westlake/MacArthur Park), that you look to see if the running train will make a trip to Wilshire/ Western (this is the PURPLE line route!) or if it goes all the way to North Hollywood with other stops in between (RED line route!). Know your RED from PURPLE and vice versa! So many get confused with this! I did in the beginning of all this Metro madness!

SEE MAPS:

RED
http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/red_line.htm

PURPLE
http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/purple_line.htm

Check out the map on the website for all Metro Lines!

Photo of artwork by Robert Gil de Montes (1992)