jackal

Hi, Shareholder et. al--

I'm planning to do a similar trip.

I will be dropping off my Thrifty rental car early morning -- perhaps 4 a.m. -- and need to get to Union Station to catch the 6:05 Pacific Surfliner to San Diego for the day. As a railfan, I'd rather ride the subway system than take buses (even though I have done the entirety of L.A.'s MTA rail system).

Using the MTA's R/G/B (heh) line timetables -- and assuming the trains aren't too late -- I've found that, in order to arrive at Union Station with an acceptable minute margin to catch the Surfliner requires the following:

BEST OPTION:
Depart Aviation Blvd. (Green Line) by 4:28 a.m
Arrive Union Station at 5:34 a.m.

LAST MINUTE OPTION (before I cancel returning my rental car or take a cab)
Depart Aviation Blvd. 4:43 a.m.
Arrive Union Station 5:59 a.m

Again, these transit times are assuming none of the trains are sufficiently late to make me miss my transfers. I'd of course prefer to catch the 4:28 Green Line so that if one is late, I'll still be able to catch the following trains and make it in by 5:44, 5:49, or at the latest, 5:59.

My real question and reason for posting is: how long do I need to allow after dropping my rental car off to make it to the Aviation Blvd. station by 4:20 or so? Maps.google.com shows the Thrifty office is about 1.3 miles from the Green Line station. I guess I could walk it, maybe in about 15-20 minutes. Or, if they're open, would the Thrifty shuttle drop me off there? (Anyone familiar with that location's operating policies and procedures?)

Shareholder, based on your experience here, do you think this trip is doable? Should I allow myself even more time than I've given myself? Is this whole idea nuts? ;-)

TIA,
Jackal