Getting Around

The sheer scale of LA - its detractors call it "nineteen suburbs in search of a city" - means that it really is difficult to get around without a car. Even though the traffic is often bumper-to-bumper, the freeways are the only way to cover long distances quickly. If you're driving yourself, avoid traveling at rush hours and phone ahead for directions whenever possible. Otherwise, try to relax on the fastest alternative, express buses.

Some people are surprised to find sidewalks in LA, let alone pedestrians, but within districts such as downtown, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and central Hollywood, walking is the best way to explore..

Hampered by construction scandals and budget cuts, LA's long-anticipated Metrorail train system was envisioned to cover the whole of Los Angeles County, but is currently made up of only three lines, each distinguished by color. Centering on the Seventh Street Metro Center Station, the Red Line stretches from Union Station through Hollywood to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. The Green Line goes from Hawthorne to Norwalk along the Century Freeway, and the most complete route, the Blue Line , connects downtown through Watts to the Pacific Transit Mall in Long Beach. Tickets cost $1.35, or 75¢ at night from 9pm-5am, and trains run every five to fifteen minutes (and more infrequently at night).

Car-less Angelenos are still most well served, however, with buses, most of which are run by the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA or "Metro"), still sometimes abbreviated to its old name, the RTD. For information, phone 213/626-4455 or 1-800/COMMUTE, or show up in person at 515 S Flower St, downtown (level C of Arco Plaza; Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm), 5301 Wilshire Blvd (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), or 6249 Hollywood Blvd (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm). Buses on the major arteries between downtown and the coast run roughly every fifteen minutes between 5am and 2am; other routes, and the all-night services along the major thoroughfares, are less frequent. At night, be careful not to get stranded alone downtown waiting for a connection.

The standard single fare is $1.35; transfers cost 25¢ more, but must be made within an hour; express buses , and any others using the freeway, are $1.85 up to $3.85. A monthly pass costs $42, slightly more to include express buses, with weekly passes for $11 and a student pass for $30. Smaller DASH buses run five routes around downtown, and a Hollywood service weekdays and Saturdays (25¢ flat fare).

You'll be hard pressed to find an available taxi cruising the streets, so call ahead; among the more reliable companies are the Independent Cab Co. (tel 1-800/521-8294), LA Taxi (tel 1-800/200-1085) and United Independent Taxi (tel 1-800/411-0303). Fares include a base charge of around $2; add $1.60 per mile and tack on another $2.50 if you're getting picked up from LAX.

From downtown to:
Burbank Studios #96
Exposition Park #38, #81
Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale #90, #91
Huntington Library #79, #379
LAX #42, #439
Long Beach #60
Orange County, Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland #460 (express)
Pasadena #401, #402
San Fernando Valley #424, #425, #522
San Pedro #445, #446, #447 (all express), transfer to LADOT #142 for Catalina terminal
Santa Monica #20, #22, #320, #322, #434 (express)
Venice #33, #333, #436 (express)

To and from downtown:
Along Hollywood Blvd #1
Along Melrose Ave #10, #11
Along Santa Monica Blvd #4, #304
Along Sunset Blvd #2, #3, #302
Along Wilshire Blvd #20, #21, #22, #320 (limited stops, but faster than #20)

From LAX to:
Downtown #42, #439
Getty Center/San Fernando Valley #561
Hollywood #220 (then transfer to #4 at Santa Monica Blvd)
Long Beach #232
San Pedro #225
West Hollywood #22

Cycling in LA may sound perverse, but there are great coastal bike paths between Santa Monica and Redondo Beach, and nice routes at the Orange County coastline, Griffith Park and Pasadena. More disturbingly, the LA River route is only intended for daring cyclists who don't mind the sight of broken glass, mounds of trash and grim industrial vistas.