los angeles bus 445

[Cruisin' Chick]

I've been following this thread with great interest, as I also posted a question earlier about public transportation. I'm so impressed with the amount of information and patience shown by those of you who live near LA. I don't know about rayz, but I'm learning a lot. I'll not be using the bus or rail system on this trip, even though it seemed like a good idea at the start. I'll either rent a car or pick one place and take a taxi. I feel better about staying near the airport (Sheraton Gateway- $83/night on Hotwire) too. I realize now that LA is very different from the other port cities I've visited.

 

Actually my mil is a big fan of the Orange Line, but then she takes that between Van Nuys and Woodland Hills. It's one thing if you're familiar with an area, but another if you're visiting for the first time.

[LUCY55]

Information from locals is very valuable. Thanks you guys!! It is very easy to make assumptions from past experiences in other cities. Public transportation in some cities (Minneapolis comes to mind) is excellent. Other cities--not so great. Thanks for all the info!

[Jana White]

I am LA born and raised. I have traveled all over the world and used public transportation in practically ever major city. I will even admit to using public transportion in LA when I was in college many years ago. There was no other choice for me then. I also enjoy staying downtown in a new city and getting a feel. HOWEVER, the other locals on this thread are absolutely correct in all that they say. Los Angeles is not your typical major city with a downtown feeling, public transportation is not at all convenient and often unsafe. Our suburbs are our downtown and in our LA area, we have WONDERFUL suburbs!!!! There are many cities in Europe, Rome, Paris, Hamburg are examples, where I would not stay near the major train stations, it is not safe. Steve, I know you have rightfully given up on Rayz, just wanted to show support.

[Little London]

I have been reading all the points that people have made regarding staying or not staying in and around LAX, but can anybody help me.My husband, two friends and myself are flying out to LA on January 3rd from England and want to see Hollywood on 4th January before picking up the cruise 5th January. Do we stay in Santa Monica? and if so, how much would a cab or limo cost from the airport and to the cruise pier?

[Bruin Steve]

I have been reading all the points that people have made regarding staying or not staying in and around LAX, but can anybody help me.My husband, two friends and myself are flying out to LA on January 3rd from England and want to see Hollywood on 4th January before picking up the cruise 5th January. Do we stay in Santa Monica? and if so, how much would a cab or limo cost from the airport and to the cruise pier?

 

Right offhand, I couldn't tell you the price for a cab or limo...Since I live here, I usually just drive myself...The other consideration is to take a "Shuttle"...There are several shuttle companies who service the area: SuperShuttle, Prime Time Shuttle, Road Runner Shuttle and others...you can look them up on the internet and e-mail them for quotes on a "dedicated" van (meaning you don't share with other riders...plenty of room for four of you plus luggage)...

 

Personally, I would stay in Santa Monica...the town is very popular among British expatriates...What I've heard is that it reminds Brits of England's seaside holiday towns...

 

If you won't have a rental car, you can arrange for a tour to Hollywood for that in-between day that will pick you up at your hotel...

 

You really don't have to spend that long in Hollywood to get the feel of the place...and Santa Monica is far nicer for an evening stroll or as restaurant town...

 

Santa Monica has hotels that range from the extremely expensive all the way down to the very reasonable...There are several threads on this board where both have been discussed...You want a hotel that puts you close to the Pier, the Third Street Promenade and Ocean Avenue/Palisades Park...

 

Good luck...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I agree that Hollywood really won't take too much time to explore. Apart from checking out the names on the Walk of Fame, comparing handprints outside Mann's Graumann's Chinese Theater, and the like, there's not much else, imo. You probably won't see any celebrities. You're more likely to see them doing normal stuff, running errands in Brentwood, hanging out in a bookstore in the suburbs in the Valley, dining on La Cienega.

 

If you check out the various threads here, you'll get the idea that Los Angeles is very widespread. Many different kinds of neighborhoods (some ritzy, others dangerous, and many very normal). I've lived a half century here :eek: and I haven't seen all of it.

[critterchick]

We are relatively young people who like to experience the real atmosphere of the places that we visit. We just do not want to go to a hotel and then just go to sleep and have breakfast the next morning after sleeping in before taking a cab to the port. I think a 3-4 hour morning visit to Hollywood is very possible even including a 1 hour trolley tour and then a one and one-half hour trip to the port via blue line and cab. We might be a little tired but we then have 8 days on a cruise ship to relax. Doing nothing much before this cruise would be boring. Let us experience what LA has to offer in this short but possibly very exciting time period. Bet ya we'll have a blast.

 

Let me pile on from my office (why aren't I working?) in downtown LA. The Wilshire Grand is a perfectly nice business hotel. Think lots of business people in dark suits and ties, even in 2007. Downtown LA is office workers, shows at Disney Hall, the Music Center or Staples Center, and that's about it. That's the "real atmosphere" of downtown Los Angeles - boring as hell:rolleyes: .

 

If you want to see Hollywood, stay there. There are a couple of hotels that you could search for on CC or Tripadvisor and get an idea of what they're like. If you want to experience the beach culture, stay along the coast, somewhere from Santa Monica south to Redondo Beach or in Long Beach, where there are reasonable hotels and plenty of fun, quintessential SoCal things to do and see.

 

As far as personal safety, IMHO the Red Line west/north is fine during the day. The Blue Line during rush hour is fine, but very crowded & you will be carrying plenty of luggage, I'm sure. But as BruinSteve said, the Blue Line will not take you to the port - you'll be 20 minutes away on a really crowded street with all your luggage and cabs won't just be waiting to take you to the pier - you'll probably have to walk several blocks to a hotel schlepping all your stuff.

 

Check out the prices for Super Shuttle and Prime Time Shuttle - they may be quite reasonable, and you will have an easier time getting where you want to go with all your stuff.

 

As for your original question regarding the 445 bus: If you do stay at the Wilshire Grand, you can pick it up one block from your hotel at 7th & Flower and it's an "express" bus, meaning that it will go on the freeway, with not too many stops. It tends not to be crowded if you're going against rush hour traffic, so you should have plenty of room for your luggage, and the park & ride at Beacon is only a long block from the entrance to the pier. I've only ridden it once, from SP to downtown. I had to wait an hour because the prior bus was subjected to an armed robbery. Really.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Hey rayz!

Let me just jump in on this thread, as it sounds like you are from the UK or Australia or something like that...

LA is very different than any other major city in the US...

So, I get that you are young and cool, and able to take public transport in other cities...

But, I'm also not sure based on what you are saying here, (especially wanting to "experience" LA or whatever) that you really "get" LA...

That being said...

If you are really young and cool, then you don't want to "stay" downtown...

Boring, and it's not really "Los Angeles"...

You could do it, it's "okay", but except for a few recent "gentrified" hotels or nightclubs, there really is no benefit to staying there...

a little more details on what you want to do and experience would help...

There are a lot of areas that you could stay in, and have some relatively good public transport to the pier...

I would do a "search" on my name, and in general, depending on what you want to do...

Santa Monica area, Venice Beach, could be really cool and fun for you, or a couple of cool hotels in the Hollywood area...

It all depends on what you are looking for, and what you want to do (see those areas I mentioned above, you can walk around, see alot of things, and get some kind of transport for your cruise)...

Let me (us) know what you are thinking about and looking for...

I just would not recommend downtown as that will be "boring" and not really convenient...

There are plenty of good places that I can recommend in all of the areas and possibilities above...

CJW;)

PS Are there any specific movies or TV shows that you love? As I could recommend areas to see those locations?

[Little London]

Thank you both Bruin Steve and Cruisin' Chick for your useful comments, all I have to do now is find a hotel in Santa Monica.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I think there's been some good suggestions in the West Coast forum about Santa Monica hotels. I like to check out hotel info on tripadvisor.com (taking some of the comments with a grain of salt).

[metroriderla]

Shocked. :eek:

 

 

Rayz, hope you stayed downtown and got to port via public transit. If you decided to listen to these folks, I'm sorry, next time you can experience the real L.A. (I promise you wont get mugged, raped, killed, or bored to death... contrary to what these fine fine Angelenos will have you believe about their city).

 

I really worry about this future of this city. It looks like due to popular opinion we will all be doomed to waste our existences choking on our own exhaust fumes which unfortunately won't be getting us to our sterile suburban existence faster than our own two feet (but god forbid we use them... we might get attacked by GANGS!! Or whatever other nightmare the news media claims is preying on the sacred lives of wealthy white folk.)

 

Hope you all enjoy your cruises. Watch out, I've read about a growing number of on-board rapes and other crimes... let's hope cruise ships don't go the way of the Blue Line! Just avoid the "bad part" of the cruise ship I suppose.

 

MetroRiderLA - The Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Shocked.

Hey metroriderla (otherwise known as Fred C.)...

You shouldn't be shocked if you actually bothered to read around these boards for a while and pay attention to what this is for...

Recommending the best options for pre and post cruise visits.

Nice first post.

We'll see if you actually come back and try to offer people some constructive information, or if you're just doing a one time "drive by"

posting to advertise your blog.:confused:

 

Rayz, hope you stayed downtown and got to port via public transit.

Perhaps if you wanted to be really constructive here, you could give Rayz a detailed plan of how to stay in the hotel downtown, get there from the airport, what to do in their time frame, where to eat, and how to get to the port all with a cruise-load's worth of luggage they have to carry around?

Sure it's easy if you're running around on your bike with only a backpack, but try to help out here in a post or pre cruise stay framework...

That would be a lot more helpful than just, essentially, saying downtown is cool I hope you stayed there.

If you decided to listen to these folks, I'm sorry, next time you can experience the real L.A. (I promise you wont get mugged, raped, killed, or bored to death... contrary to what these fine fine Angelenos will have you believe about their city).

Uhmm, first of all you can't "promise" any of this to anyone, on any visit in any city. Especially when they don't know their way around.

And yes, downtown CAN be especially boring, if you are there at the wrong time at night, and you don't have a car and aren't in a convenient spot. Again, if you want to help the OPs out with some specific game plans, please add some constructive advice to that they know what to do and where to do it conveniently for their trip...

I really worry about this future of this city. It looks like due to popular opinion we will all be doomed to waste our existences choking on our own exhaust fumes which unfortunately won't be getting us to our sterile suburban existence faster than our own two feet (but god forbid we use them... we might get attacked by GANGS!! Or whatever other nightmare the news media claims is preying on the sacred lives of wealthy white folk.)

I'm not worried about it, it's a great city, with lots of options.

I'm going to ignore your pseudo/political/rant/agenda here, and also let you know that your comment above is somewhat racist/predjudiced...

(It works both ways don't you know;))

Hope you all enjoy your cruises. Watch out, I've read about a growing number of on-board rapes and other crimes... let's hope cruise ships don't go the way of the Blue Line! Just avoid the "bad part" of the cruise ship I suppose.

At any rate, if you want to join in here constructively on this board feel free...

It'd be great if you want to add some specific ways and routes for people to take public transportation to and from ports, hotels, airports, sights etc. with luggage in hand.

I personally have recommended and helped plan people taking the Red Line or whatever, or trips here without renting a car.

It does happen, it just depends on a question by question scenario and what each person is looking for pre or post cruise.

I'd love to see you actively take part here, and offer some specific constructive information.

Thanks in advance.

CJW:)

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Little London, do some searches on the board here, BruinSteve and I have given quite a few recommendations on Santa Monica area hotels, and there are also a few reviews...

CJW:)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Goodness, I'll have to get our newbie together with my mil, who'll take the Orange Line even on the hottest of our Valley days. But then, she's lived in Los Angeles county for over 50 years now, including near downtown. I imagine she'll even be shaking her head over actually staying downtown when one is about to take a cruise.

 

Will have to take a look at your blog sometime when I'm not about to get into my little sedan to go to a PTA meeting six miles away from here. I just hope I give out more practical information to our out-of-towners than your rhetoric above. Like, cheers.

 

Love,

An honest-to-goodness Val.

[TwitchOR]

do you mean that walking across the street from the metro stop to the wilshire grand is unsafe? seems like this is only a 40 or 50 yard walk at best. are you saying that the downtown area is really that bad. many posters say that the airport area is dangerous especially the inglewood area. others do not like hollywood although there are many attactions there. I am beginning to get the feeling that most of LA is unsafe other than santa monica and beverly hills where hotels cost more than 200-300 Is LA really that bad or is this an exageration?

 

Just a thought. If you want to have a tour of LA - downtown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills - most cruise ships offer one on the day you get off the ship. Your flight has to be after 3:00 pm. I did this last year, it cost about $50. It was a very safe way to see LA, and we were told lots of interesting stuff about LA.

 

I have no opinion on how safe LA is, but reading these messages has made me think twice about staying in Hollywood for a post cruise week in May. I may go for Santa Monica instead.

 

Jean

[rayz]

Hi Rayz is back from a wonderful trip like I said it would , my plan worked out great please people, do not listen to LA bashers on this site. if you are under 50 or so and in reasonably good shape and enjoy seeing cities independently do something like what my wife and I did We took Flyaway bus to Union Station then short subway ride to front of Wilshire Grand This is NOT a dangerous area at all as others have said. 75.00 for splendid clean room and no airport plane noise. took evening red line to Hollywood for Holly Trolley tour to see clubs and other attractions. For one dollar each we had a private tour that lasted 30-40 minutes as there was nobody else on the trolley and the trolley security guy was very friendly. 16-18 minutes back to hotel and there were no dangers to be found. After good nights sleep we went back to Hollywood for 3-4 hours the next morning and did a walking tour of the area, walk of fame etc. Highlight was getting to hold a real Oscar, make a short speech and have your picture taken all at the small Academy Awards museum/show at the Highland Complex. I thought this was great and got some fantastic memories on film. Back to hotel after small snack/coffee and then took blue line to Long Beach Transit Mall . Saw Staples Center. LA convention Center, Watts Tower and several parks and hospitals on the way. Only took 50 minutes and then a 14 min cab to ship for about 18 dollars. Had lunch on ship at 1:20 PM.

 

Listen to me. My plan worked out really well and I have never been to LA before. Do not try this unless you want to experience the real feel of the city and are in reasonably good shape to walk around a few miles. After the cruise we saw the airport area which was not nearly as interesting and was very busy, noisy and somewhat chaotic. This area was quite far away from Santa Monica which was a nice place to spend a few hours. We went through here after the cruise and also saw Malibu, Bel-Air, UCLA, Brentwood and Beverly Hills.

 

The subway(red line) and train(blue line) did NOT seem unsafe and we did see security guards in plain view at a few stops.If you have traveled on subways before in other cities this form of transportation is quite safe, convenient,inexpensive and reasonably fast. Perfect to see Hollywood, Downtown LA, and then shoot down to Long Beach. We had a blast.

[rayz]

Rayz here and I am still alive after doing my trip as planned. It ws a great visit and I am glad I did it my way and did not listen to others who seem to be afraid of their own city. Plan worked out perfectly and was a lot of fun. No dangers to be seen anywhere in Downtown LA or Hollywood. Great to be close to red line and blue line. Do this if you really want to experience LA at a grass roots level but take your running shoes, a good map, and a digital camera as there are many great spots for pictures.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Just typed a reply and poof, got the white screen. So I'll try again:

 

I'm glad, really, that you had a good time. But I can't in good conscience recommend to anyone unfamiliar with LA that they stay in downtown LA. You were lucky. Sometimes people do stay the night without getting attacked -- I even condo-sitted for a couple on their honeymoon about 17 years ago who live around Flower and 9th, but I was extremely uncomfortable with taking their poodle out for a walk at midnight.

 

None of the Angelenos who posted warnings on this thread are LA bashers. I think Steve, Curt and the others love the city. It's just that we understand that there are areas that are unsafe. You took chances. But we don't want anyone to get the idea that downtown LA is your typical downtown area that you can walk around in, jump on a bus. There are more interesting and safe areas to spend time before and after a cruise.

[Cruisin' Chick]

And now it's time to watch 24, which shows some really bad things happening in LA every year...and those are truly fictional bad events.

[rayz]

I'm sorry but I really do not consider myself lucky in any way whatsoever. We were just two of literally hundreds of people walking around downtown LA and Hollywood that night and the next morning. Most people were quite friendly and a couple even personally directed us to the proper lobby of the hotel (Wilshire Grand). I think some people in LA are just a little too afraid/paranoid about their own town. There were even more people, mostly younger people, walking around Hollywood and using the red line after midnight. Even small groups of young women who did not seem to be afraid of anything out there. Don't believe everything you read or see on TV. We kept our eyes open and had a general plan arranged after studying a few maps. Only moment that I was even remotely startled was after a man asked me if he could buy a cigarette from me. A polite "no, I do not smoke" sent him on his way quickly. A few homeless people on the subway looked harmless. No big deal. Security cameras all over the place. Of course I realize that we traveled as a couple and I am a fairly tall and athletic looking man. Not likely to be a good target. Do not be afraid of LA in these areas. I really think that as a tourists traveling in at least a group of two or three, you should not have to worry.

[rayz]

listen I have traveled to many other cities in the world which are not much different than LA I do not consider myself lucky. there were thousands of "lucky" people out there that night.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

We were just two of literally hundreds of people walking around downtown LA and Hollywood that night and the next morning. Most people were quite friendly and a couple even personally directed us to the proper lobby of the hotel (Wilshire Grand). There were even more people, mostly younger people, walking around Hollywood and using the red line after midnight.

I think that was me dude!;)

Only moment that I was even remotely startled was after a man asked me if he could buy a cigarette from me. A polite "no, I do not smoke" sent him on his way quickly.

I am SO laughing out loud!:D

Uhmmm, that's a typical LA thing, and maybe again...

I think that was me dude!

A few homeless people on the subway looked harmless. Do not be afraid of LA in these areas. I really think that as a tourists traveling in at least a group of two or three, you should not have to worry.

rayz, please, please, please, when you have two seconds or two minutes...

It would be SUPREMELY helpful, if you could do your own thread, something like...

Report/Review Los Angeles Downtown/Hollywood...

And present all of the details of the trip, the public transport (and if you are from Australia or UK or whatever - how it compared to the transport in those cities)...

How did you get from the airport to your hotel, to Hollywood, to the cruise and back with public transport, etc.

It would all be tremendously helpful (and oh yeah, what did you love or not love in LA as a UK/Australian - sorry still just trying to place the accent through the postings:o )...

Anyway, I wuld love to hear all about your trip, and you would help many non -LA future Cruise Critic posters!

Thanks in advance...

CJW;)

[Bruin Steve]

I am typically amazed by the people on these boards who haave visited a city once in their lives and think they know it better than the natives...

 

What has continued to confound me about Ray is that he convinced himself he knew LA better than the natives even before he had even visited once...

 

And now that he has visitied, he has convinced himself that his experience confirms and proves that he was entirely right...and all of the natives were wrong...

 

Of course, most of us know that merely not getting mugged or killed, only being accosted by bums for cigarettes and seeing security guards on trains does NOT prove that everything is perfectly safe...Not any more than one random bad experience proves that everything is bad...

 

But, Ray, you still missed the much larger point...

You made certain choices insisting you were going to see the "real" Los Angeles...I am sorry again to tell you that you missed on this account...the "real" Los Angeles is still NOT living Downtown (or even visiting Downtown)...The "real" Los Angeles is NOT taking public transportation...the "Real" Los Angeles is certainly not getting up and out of your Downtown hotel by 7 am to get up to that early morning walking tour of Hollywood...

 

If you wanted the "real" Los Angeles, you would have rented a CAR...You would have paid high prices to live on the West Side...and you certainly wouldn't have tried to buzz through life at high speed with limited schedule...

 

I am still trying to figure out how you fit in everything you claim with getting in on Friday night, eating lunch on the ship at 1:50 and a short post-cruise before flying out that day???

 

Quote: "After the cruise we saw the airport area which was not nearly as interesting and was very busy, noisy and somewhat chaotic. This area was quite far away from Santa Monica which was a nice place to spend a few hours. We went through here after the cruise and also saw Malibu, Bel-Air, UCLA, Brentwood and Beverly Hills."

 

I take it you "saw" all these places from the air :)

 

Or the same way you claim to have "seen" Staples, the Convention Center and the Watts Towers--from the windxow on that high speed train line...

 

It is truly sad that you popped into our fair city, saw only what you stubborly deemed to be appropriate and now attempt to convince others that you have got it all figured out...

 

To everyone else: DO NOT LISTEN TO RAY!!!

 

Greater Los Angeles is one of the largest and greatest cities in the world...there are many things here worth seeing (and Downtown isn't very high on the list)...And this is not a city to visit at 70 miles an hour from the window of a train...or at 7 in the morning on a weekend...

 

You SHOULD stay in Santa Monica...Why? Because the place to be in the evening is taking a leisure stroll out on the Third Street Promenade...and enjoying the Sunset over the Pacific Ocean from Palisades Park...

 

You SHOULD stay for as long as you can...Why? So you can spend an entire afternoon at the Getty...or devote a day to going down to Disneyland or off to tour Universal Studios (followed by a night strolling CityWalk)...

 

You MIGHT want to visit Hollywood...but the short visit to Graumann's Chinese and the footprints and the "Stars" should be followed by shopping on Melrose or some time at the Grove...

 

You should visit Venice Beach...or bicycle down through the Marina...

 

Malibu? Trust me (I grew up there) is not much if you "see it" from a bus...Have dinner at Gladstone's or Duke's or at Paradise Cove...and have a walk on the actual beach...

 

Want the "Real" LA? Well, there is no one "real" LA, but youmight try lunch at Canter's on Fairfax...(I'm not even going to suggest tourists try for the Hollenbeck Burrito at Manuel's El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights)...or stroll around Old Pasadena (maybe visit the Huntington...or the Rose Bowl)...

 

Don't do what Ray did...and if you do, certainly don't convince yourself you did everything right...

I will bet Ray stayed in Downtown but somehow didn't eat at the Original Pantry...or even, maybe Phillipe's...I'll guess his view of Downtown was everything between his hotel lobby and the train station...oh. yeah...maybe a Polaroid of Staples from the train window...

[critterchick]

First two tries poofed; watch this post in triplicate now...

 

Rayz, I'm glad you had a good time, but I'm also sorry you missed out on the "real" LA experience as Bruin Steve so excellently pointed out. The only points with which I disagree are (1) that you were in danger taking the Red & Blue lines and (2) that you have to spend a fortune to see the "real" LA.

A couple of other quibbles with your recap: one does not need to be under 50 to have a good time here. There are plenty of us who are still active even at the advanced age required for AARP membership. Also, other than dancing at the clubs (if you did that), nothing you did even qualifies as active in my book - how about rollerblading or biking on the beach? Did you really get a workout seeing a bunch of buildings (hospitals????) from the inside of a subway car?

As for the groups of young women who weren't afraid of anything, well we were all young at the expense of common sense once.

You really only had time to hit one neighborhood, Hollywood, so I still don't understand why you stayed downtown since you didn't see any of the real sights there - not Disney Hall, Olvera Street, the other sights Bruin Steve listed, etc. I bet you missed Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Hollywood, too.

Peace out.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I'll take your Original Pantry, and Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles...

and raise you an Apple Pan!

Now you all made me hungry, I gotta go eat...

Maybe I'll run downtown and get me a Tommy's...;)

CJW