can you get around LA without a car?

[julieannbabe]

just wondering.

if you could get by with doing tour buses and cabs instead?

thanks.

 

[Danibelle]

just wondering.

if you could get by with doing tour buses and cabs instead?

thanks.

I used to live out there and would say not really. LA spreads out and doesn't really have a great public transportation system. Many of the tourist sites are not right next to each other and you would have huge cab fares. There is light rail but it doesn't go everywhere. I would budget for a rental car.

 

[OTVSP]

You can but it takes so long with transfers and traffic that I would say, don't waste your time. Rent a car.

 

[woody73]

just wondering. . . if you could get by with doing tour buses and cabs instead?

Depends where you're going, how much time you have, and how much you're willing to spend.

Woody

 

[julieannboo]

if i do hire a car in La - i will need a satnav - are they fairly easy to use - just punch in the address and away you go?

also if i want to go from LA to Disney - will it give me the option of choosing a carpool only route?

thanks,

 

[woody73]

Julieann: as others have mentioned, the best way to get around L.A. is by car. But I see that you are from London. Unless you are experienced driving on the right-hand side of the road, I would not recommend learning to do so in L.A.

Tell us where you want to go, and perhaps people can offer some transportation options.

Woody

 

[julieannbabe]

Julieann: as others have mentioned, the best way to get around L.A. is by car. But I see that you are from London. Unless you are experienced driving on the right-hand side of the road, I would not recommend learning to do so in L.A.

Tell us where you want to go, and perhaps people can offer some transportation options.

Woody

thanks woody. i appreciate it.

hollywood walk of fame
rodeo drive
santa monica/venice beach
forest lawn hollywood
griffith park
old town pasadena
disneyland
wiltshire blvd
paramount studios
farmers market/grove

obviously we won't get to see/do everything but this is a rough outline.

 

[dfriia]

I don't know if you can get everywhere on your list by public transit in LA... But I spent a week in LA a few years ago and other than a late night taxi into downtown from LAX, I bought a weekly pass and never got in a car again for the rest of the week. Now I didn't go to Disneyland, but I bet if I had asked at the hotel they would have set me up with a ride on a shuttle bus of some kind. LA has a metro website that allows you to find a time/route/schedule and cost for trips between any 2 addresses and I found it works quite well. You might try the Metro Trip Planner for the places you want to travel between and see what you think. I quite enjoyed my time in LA without a car. Even the rush hour return to LAX with 3 transfers!
http://www.metro.net/

 

[woody73]

As dfriia says, it's possible to go to many places in L.A. using public transportation.

The LAX FlyAway Bus is a relatively new service offering bus service to/from the airport. FlyAway Bus

Julieann: where do you plan to stay, and for how long? We need a starting point for your sightseeing.

Woody

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

just wondering.

if you could get by with doing tour buses and cabs instead?

thanks.

Karen was out here a few weeks ago and used public transportation to get around LA. Here's her thread talking about it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2653850

 

[Sherry E]

thanks woody. i appreciate it.

hollywood walk of fame
rodeo drive
santa monica/venice beach
forest lawn hollywood
griffith park
old town pasadena
disneyland
wiltshire blvd
paramount studios
farmers market/grove

obviously we won't get to see/do everything but this is a rough outline.

You can easily get to Farmers Market/The Grove from Wilshire & Fairfax, just by going up Fairfax to Third Street (which is where Farmers Market is located). That bus trip is super easy and fast. It's actually even walkable (I do it all the time), but in the interest of saving time you may want to catch a bus.

You can also keep going up Fairfax from there to Melrose (where Paramount is) and Hollywood Blvd.

And it's super easy to get to Beverly Hills/Rode Drive just by staying on Wilshire Blvd. and heading west from that Fairfax intersection. It's not far at all. From Beverly Hills, you can continue on down Wilshire to Santa Monica. If you go the opposite way (east) on Wilshire, you can see LACMA and The Tar Pits, too (if that interests you).

Paramount is on Melrose. You can get to Melrose from Fairfax again (Melrose is a couple of major streets north of Third Street, and Hollywood is about 3 or 4 major streets north of Melrose, if you take the Fairfax route). But then you have to turn east on Melrose, I believe, and travel down Melrose quite a ways before hitting Paramount.

Anyway, I just mentioned the places that are easy to access from Wilshire and Fairfax. The layout is pretty easy if you just kind of remember those 2 streets as major thoroughfares to get you where you need to go.

As for Griffith Park, Forest Lawn and Pasadena, those are further away (especially Pasadena), and will require more time and planning, I think.

 

[julieannboo]

As dfriia says, it's possible to go to many places in L.A. using public transportation.

Julieann: where do you plan to stay, and for how long? We need a starting point for your sightseeing.

Woody

thanks - 5 nights on sunset blvd.

 

[woody73]

From Sunset Blvd., you can take Bus #2 or #302 to make many connections.

Ask a bus driver for a L.A. Metro "15-Minute" map. It will show you all the places you can go on the buses and subways that operate every 15 minutes or less throughout the day.

I've included a link for you to get an idea, but the printed map is much easier to follow.

Woody

 

[julieannboo]

thanks - i am ever so grateful.

 

[woody73]

thanks - i am ever so grateful.

Have a terrific time in L.A.

Woody

 

[julieannboo]

i have booked a hotel on sunset plaza - but i am thinking that if i don't get a car is the holiday inn in north highland avenue - (6 min walk from hollywood blvd) better location wise?

thanks.

 

[woody73]

Julieann: I'm not sure if one hotel is nicer than the other. But based on location, and without a car, I would choose the one on Highland near Hollywood Blvd. It's close to the Hollywood & Highland Center.

The H&H Center has shops, restaurants, the Kodak Theater (where last night's Academy Awards were held), Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Across the street is the El Capitan theatre and Disney's Soda Fountain.

It's also a major public transportation hub, with a Metro subway station downstairs. Tour buses leave from there too. You could take the Metro Red Line north to Universal Studios and City Walk, or south to downtown L.A.

Woody

 

[julieannbabe]

thanks woody.

My Dad said last night that he would take turns in driving - if we get a hire car.

don't know what to do woody!

he driving that bad in LA? even if we just drove locally?

 

[woody73]

As others have said, the best way to see L.A. is by car.

If your dad is willing to share the driving, I think hiring a car is the way to go.

Woody

 

[julieannbabe]

As others have said, the best way to see L.A. is by car.

If your dad is willing to share the driving, I think hiring a car is the way to go.

Woody

thanks for all your advice xx