LA without a car?

[+ azdr0710]

sounds like you can make it without a car if you stay in the central (old) Hollywood area....the subway line goes from there (Hollywood and Highland station) up to Universal City.....and I'd certainly look for a good tour company that will no doubt pick you up in Hollywood and take you around to all the usual Beverly Hills/Hollywood tourist stuff with narration.....Hollywood to West Hollywood is not far and a cab/Uber is appropriate for that, considering traffic and parking.....

[Reluctant Daddy]

Sounds somewhat doable between Uber, public transit and tours. Thanks all. Need to do some homework on the details.

[+ deej]

Los Angeles is a "real city." It's just not an old 19th century European-style city, as NY & Chicago are.

 

Yes, compared to those older cities Los Angeles is still developing.

[+ WilliamM]

I spent my last trip to LA just in Malibu. It may be possible without a car, but extremely frustrating especially if you want to visit Topanga Canyon. A lot of uber trips, for sure. What about getting from LAX to and from Malibu?

[Tonyko]

Is it possible to get to all of the touristy sites (Universal, Grauman's, etc.) without driving in LA?

It's possibe. (just like it's possible the next Mrs. Tom Cruise will not own flats)

 

You will be infinately happer with a car, even IF you choose to walk from The Chinese into WeHo etc or from WeHo to Sunset Plaza etc leave yourself the OPTION. And you may awake and decide you wanna drive thru the Bev Hills flats and see where Lucy (or the Menedez Bros) lived, or see S.Monica and Malibu that day. (do NOT take the 405 btw, go over Topanga Canyon The first time you reach the final hill and clear the top with the whole pacific ocean down before you it's breathtaking Even on the RARE occasions the freeway is wide open, I STILL always go that way.

*and Angelinos may come down on me for this so ima prepped lol, BUT as stated LA in NOT a public transportation town, most EVERYONE has cars, even on the most limited of incomes. It's not a luxury but a neccessity. You have to be fairly hard off to not have a car. Sooooo the folk who use the bus, particularly late at night, are oft NOT the kind of folk you'd wanna have a drink with. (I know from whence I spent many a night on the 420 - no pun - into the valley, I'd wait at S Monica Bl and Highland with some types I actually prayed WEREN'T waiting for the bus cause then I'd be trapped with them.

Get the car.

[mike carey]

Ok, now for the opinion of a non-car-in-LA novice - I've hired cars there before - I don't plan to go to places like Disneyland or KBF, rather I'll be staying in WeHo and maybe going to downtown for some of the things to see there, and I plan to use transit. (I've checked it out and a day pass is $7 using their smart card.) I can see it will take time but I'm up for that. (I also want to force myself to walk my 10,000 steps a day but that's a separate issue!) The cost of renting a car and the cost of parking in the hotel adds up, so I'll use taxis where I need to get somewhere quickly (no smart phone so no Uber). If I really need a car I'll rent one from a city location for the time I need rather than at the airport for my whole stay. My flight arrives at 8pm so I'll get a taxi from the airport (maybe a shuttle if I can work one out before I get there). If my plan turns out to be an abject failure I'll report back and give my transit card and any funds left on it to anyone who wants it!

 

I'll be back there later in the year and on that trip want to go to Las Vegas and Palm Springs and perhaps as far as Phoenix, so rather than flights and transit and whatever other form of transport is needed I'll probably rent a car for a couple of weeks and drive it all, so I'm not a transit fanatic. Or then maybe I am....

[Rod Hagen]

Haven't used it myself, but, yes, UBER.

[borgerback]

Couple other 'tourist' suggestions, two of which would require a car:

1. Visit Griffith Park Observatory. Great views of Downtown LA, iconic from the movies (Rebel Without a Cause, anyone??). Probably need your own car for this.

2. HAVE A DRINK at Wolfgang Puck's WP24, on top of the LA Live Tower; do it at or near sunset, stay until the lights come up. Tower is south enough of the rest of the LA skyscrapers that you get a good view; enter through the Ritz Carlton.

3. HAVE A TOMMY'S CHILI CHEESEBURGER at Beverly and Rampart, just west of Downtown. Iconic, and more 'secret' than In - n - Out (Although you need to have one of those, too). Not the best neighborhood, not the worst; but I've been at 2:30 am with a crowd of lowriders and felt completely safe. Probably need your own car for this.

4. EAT DINNER at Dan Tana's, on Santa Monica Blvd., just west of Boy's Town in WeHo. Get the veal marsala, with spaghetti bolognese on the side. Best italian meal I've ever had, including Chicago, New York, and Italy . . .

 

I second the motion on Lowe's in Hollywood. If you do that, walk across Hollywood Blvd to The Roosevelt Hotel and have a custom cocktail at the Library Bar (the smallest of the three bars in the hotel). Maybe plan to have a rental car - which I think can be had right from Lowe's, for a day or two; then do the tour/walk/public transport thing . . .

 

Oh, sorry, ONE more food place - Palms Thai in little Thaitown. FANTASTIC, and if you are lucky, Thai Elvis will be signing that night. If he is, there will be a long wait. Wait anyway - he's worth it. He dresses like fat Elvis, looks like thin Elvis, but if you close your eyes, he sounds JUST LIKE the King. Red Line stop is right at the restaurant.

[seaboy4hire]

I'm not from SoCal, and I prefer having a car. It's a lot easier than waiting for public transport. It's probably safer too. I'm not talking about the actual vehicle. But waiting around in mostly deserted subway or bus stops late at night in Chicago or NYC can't be safe.

 

I take the el at all times of the day and night and have rode multiple lines at different times and have never felt unsafe. Maybe people with these unsafe thoughts should stay in their safe places and stay wrapped up in their bubble wrap.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Ps I've also done the subway in NYC and a bus or two and again never felt unsafe.

[+ Charlie]

Disneyland is 25 miles away from LA, in Orange County. Sort of like going from Manhattan to, oh, Westfield, New Jersey.

Except that you can take a train from Penn Station to the nice little station in the center of Westfield.

[seaboy4hire]

I once took the bus from long beach to knotts berry farm. Took just over an hour I think. Wasnt a bad ride.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[+ quoththeraven]

Ps I've also done the subway in NYC and a bus or two and again never felt unsafe.

 

I've never been to Chicago, but I agree with Greg about NYC. I've gotten back to NJ after midnight via public transit, including subway and walking because the Lex Ave line ends at City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge, not WTC, where PATH is, and worried more about whether I was walking in the right direction. I also took the subway from Grand Central to Grand Concourse in the Bronx (i.e., through the South Bronx) late at night in the mid-70s,which I suspect some on the forum will consider foolhardy. (My friend and her German shepherd met me at the subway stop.)

[+ deej]

I take the el at all times of the day and night and have rode multiple lines at different times and have never felt unsafe.

 

Same here. I'd add DC.

 

I lived without a car for close to 15 years (think about it: 15 years with no car payment, insurance, or maintenance) in the DC area, the NYC area, and Chicago. I've flown into cities where people told me "oh, you'll HAVE to rent a car!" only to find, on arrival, shuttle services or whatever that would have made a car unnecessary. People who habitually drive don't notice them.

 

When I moved to the LA area I finally broke down and bought a car. It was just finally necessary.

[Tigger]

I take the el at all times of the day and night and have rode multiple lines at different times and have never felt unsafe. Maybe people with these unsafe thoughts should stay in their safe places and stay wrapped up in their bubble wrap.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Ps I've also done the subway in NYC and a bus or two and again never felt unsafe.

 

I'm glad you always feel safe. Of course we don't know whether your feelings or mine are a more true reflection of actual reality. I'll never forget a headline I encountered years ago in Chicago. An innocent young woman was beheaded by a drug gang. According to the story her only fault was she accidentally accepted a date with another guy involved in drugs. Now I know people aren't beheaded on the streets of Chicago every day. But I can't remember the last time anyone was beheaded in Iowa.

[Kenny]

Except that you can take a train from Penn Station to the nice little station in the center of Westfield.

And you can take two different trains (MetroLink or Amtrak) from downtown LA to the center of Anaheim. Westfield, Anaheim -- then what?

[Kenny]

Haven't used it myself, but, yes, UBER.

Ah, Uber -- an urban union-buster that transfers the cost of business from the employer to the employee. What a great company!

[stop]

Ah, Uber -- an urban union-buster that transfers the cost of business from the employer to the employee. What a great company!

 

it's interesting that so many people think that UBER is the devil. Cab companies are run essentially the same way that UBER does. the difference is with UBER there is a dispatch computer platform that distributes the work evenly vs a system set up to reward preferred cab drivers. There are 3 large cab companies in the US that own virtually all of the smaller companies. Drivers for cab companies are independent contracors not employees. They are required to pay for insurance through the cab company at the rate set by the cab company.

 

there are exceptions to this with single drivers that lease a cab medallion from a company and run their own leased business or the few lucky ones that's own their own medallion. Is uber perfect no, do there need to be changes sure but ther have been more deaths, injuries and rapes dne by cab drivers then the instances with Uber.

[+ deej]

I'm glad you always feel safe. Of course we don't know whether your feelings or mine are a more true reflection of actual reality. I'll never forget a headline I encountered years ago in Chicago. An innocent young woman was beheaded by a drug gang. According to the story her only fault was she accidentally accepted a date with another guy involved in drugs. Now I know people aren't beheaded on the streets of Chicago every day. But I can't remember the last time anyone was beheaded in Iowa.

 

Your story telling is lacking.

 

How does a woman getting beheaded for dating a drug dealer on the streets of Chicago equate to safety on public transit?

 

And I'm not sure how Iowa plays into it but if that's where you feel safe you should probably stay there.

 

Your logic here is a little "you insult my wife I kill your neighbor's dog".

[seaboy4hire]

I'm glad you always feel safe. Of course we don't know whether your feelings or mine are a more true reflection of actual reality. I'll never forget a headline I encountered years ago in Chicago. An innocent young woman was beheaded by a drug gang. According to the story her only fault was she accidentally accepted a date with another guy involved in drugs. Now I know people aren't beheaded on the streets of Chicago every day. But I can't remember the last time anyone was beheaded in Iowa.

 

Dating a drug dealer has zero to do with public transport. Yes I am a fanboy of this crazy city. Its felt like home since I first visited in 2002. Yes the city has its issues like any major city but for me it's the people that make the city such an awesome place. Now lets get back on topic, how to get around to LA tourist sights without a car.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[rvwnsd]

I'm glad you always feel safe. Of course we don't know whether your feelings or mine are a more true reflection of actual reality. I'll never forget a headline I encountered years ago in Chicago. An innocent young woman was beheaded by a drug gang. According to the story her only fault was she accidentally accepted a date with another guy involved in drugs. Now I know people aren't beheaded on the streets of Chicago every day. But I can't remember the last time anyone was beheaded in Iowa.

I grew up in the City of Chicago in the 1970's, attended college and worked there in the 1980's and worked/lived there in the 1990's until moving to Southern California in 2000. The entire time, I took CTA and never felt unsafe. Granted, I did not take it through the Stateway Gardens housing project and I didn't date a drug dealer/gang leader, but I did take it through the Near Northwest Side (not a particularly savory area at the time), Uptown (ditto), and River North (tritto: this was before gentrification). The difference between Chicago/NYC/San Francisco and LA is that people from all walks of life take public transit in the former and they really don't in the latter.

 

To answer the original question, if you stay in Hollywood you can easily take the Red Line subway to Downtown LA and Studio City. Uber will get pricey if you rely on it instead of a car, but car rental, gasoline, and parking add up, too.

[Marlfox]

I suppose it depends on how long you're going to be there. I was there for four days in October and managed to see a lot without a car. Stayed close to Grauman's. Day one took a tour of stars homes, Santa Monica and Venice, the Observatory, the Hollywood sign, markets and similar touristy sites. Day two took the subway to Universal Studios. Day three walked down Santa Monica Boulevarde and back Sunset Boulevarde. Then took the subway to the historic area near Union Station. Day four took a Uber to the Getty Museum and a taxi back. Uber was cheaper and the driver, an out of work actor, was cuter. No doubt there's a lot more to see, but having regard to the time we were there, being carless wasn't a problem.

[Tigger]

Your story telling is lacking.

 

How does a woman getting beheaded for dating a drug dealer on the streets of Chicago equate to safety on public transit?

 

And I'm not sure how Iowa plays into it but if that's where you feel safe you should probably stay there.

 

Your logic here is a little "you insult my wife I kill your neighbor's dog".

 

Not quite, deej.Public transit ingresses are in Chicago neighborhoods-where else could they be. Many Chicago neighborhoods are unsafe. On the whole most neighborhoods in for example Iowa City or Des Moines are safer than many Chicago neighborhoods.

 

All I'm saying is that I'd rather have my own car with climate control than having to wait around in what could be a dangerous area at odd hours of the day or night or wait in the freezing cold or steaming summer heat.

[LADoug1]

Couple other 'tourist' suggestions, two of which would require a car:

1. Visit Griffith Park Observatory. Great views of Downtown LA, iconic from the movies (Rebel Without a Cause, anyone??). Probably need your own car for this.

2. HAVE A DRINK at Wolfgang Puck's WP24, on top of the LA Live Tower; do it at or near sunset, stay until the lights come up. Tower is south enough of the rest of the LA skyscrapers that you get a good view; enter through the Ritz Carlton.

3. HAVE A TOMMY'S CHILI CHEESEBURGER at Beverly and Rampart, just west of Downtown. Iconic, and more 'secret' than In - n - Out (Although you need to have one of those, too). Not the best neighborhood, not the worst; but I've been at 2:30 am with a crowd of lowriders and felt completely safe. Probably need your own car for this.

4. EAT DINNER at Dan Tana's, on Santa Monica Blvd., just west of Boy's Town in WeHo. Get the veal marsala, with spaghetti bolognese on the side. Best italian meal I've ever had, including Chicago, New York, and Italy . . .

 

I second the motion on Lowe's in Hollywood. If you do that, walk across Hollywood Blvd to The Roosevelt Hotel and have a custom cocktail at the Library Bar (the smallest of the three bars in the hotel). Maybe plan to have a rental car - which I think can be had right from Lowe's, for a day or two; then do the tour/walk/public transport thing . . .

 

Oh, sorry, ONE more food place - Palms Thai in little Thaitown. FANTASTIC, and if you are lucky, Thai Elvis will be signing that night. If he is, there will be a long wait. Wait anyway - he's worth it. He dresses like fat Elvis, looks like thin Elvis, but if you close your eyes, he sounds JUST LIKE the King. Red Line stop is right at the restaurant.

 

Also have a meal at Musso Frank on Hollywood Blvd. Oldest and most elegant restaurant in Hollywood and old Hollywood at its finest. Make a reservation. Closed Sun/Mon.

[Kenny]

it's interesting that so many people think that UBER is the devil. Cab companies are run essentially the same way that UBER does. the difference is with UBER there is a dispatch computer platform that distributes the work evenly vs a system set up to reward preferred cab drivers. There are 3 large cab companies in the US that own virtually all of the smaller companies. Drivers for cab companies are independent contracors not employees. They are required to pay for insurance through the cab company at the rate set by the cab company.

 

there are exceptions to this with single drivers that lease a cab medallion from a company and run their own leased business or the few lucky ones that's own their own medallion. Is uber perfect no, do there need to be changes sure but ther have been more deaths, injuries and rapes dne by cab drivers then the instances with Uber.

 

Cab drivers may need private insurance, but they don't pay the direct costs of vehicles, maintenance, etc. NYC's cabs, interestingly, last fall launched their own app, Arro, which seems to be working well. Most popular feature: no "surge pricing" during rush hour or after events.

[Kenny]

Also have a meal at Musso Frank on Hollywood Blvd. Oldest and most elegant restaurant in Hollywood and old Hollywood at its finest. Make a reservation. Closed Sun/Mon.

And have a martini if it's dinner, or flannel cakes if it's breakfast.