Originally Posted by
bzcat
How long are you going to be in Japan? Metro HQ garage (east of Union Station) is $6 a day. But it could add up if you are in Japan for a long time. So it might be worth your while to take public transport from Long Beach to Union Station and then take Amtrak to SAN instead of driving to Union Station.
On your return, from LAX to Long Beach, you can take the Green line to Blue line. I like this idea better because the "G" shuttle to Green line station runs every 10 minutes so you don't have to wait very long.
But if you want to leave your car at Union Station, FlyAway is pretty straight forward when you come back. The bus will take I-105 and I-110 HOT lane all the way to Downtown LA so it goes pretty fast. The only catch is that the bus only leaves every 30 minutes so depending on your arrival time, it may involve a bit of waiting at LAX curb side.
I'll only be gone 5-6 nights. However, I'm probably going to head to San Diego directly from work, which is out in the IE. While there is a Metrolink Station literally at my office, it doesn't run in the correct direction.
I think there's one afternoon train running back into Union Station, but the first one heading east isn't until 115pm.
$6/day for MTA parking is pretty cheap versus LAX options which are pricier and sketchier (like Airport 405 parking).
I'd be willing to put up with some logistics on the way to SD but on the return, I want to land and get to work ASAP (trying not to take a PTO day). It seems my most economical option may be to give up the train idea and just rent a car in LB in the am, go to work, and drive to SD and drop it off. Then rent a car at LAX on the return. I live in Downtown LB so I have Hertz, Avis and Budget across the street.
I priced them out and it seems cheaper to drop off in SD versus to Union Station (which are only Hertz and Budget). Flyaway on return at 30 min intervals doesn't sound too bad but I've read some here and on Yelp about full buses?