will be staying at el segundo hilton garden inn which i believe is spitting distance from the city train system

id like to make a visit to olvera st , most likely sat morning , would a train ride be easy and safe ? never used the train in the usa

or would driving be easier ? hows parking ?

thank you

The train should be safe enough, however, parking and traffic aren't that bad in downtown LA on a Saturday so if you have a car, simply for convenience sake I'd drive.

BZCat will be along soon I'm sure and they are quite the expert on public transportation around LA.

You can take the Metro but be advised that you need to switch train 2 times so it might be easier to just drive.

Buy a "Day Pass" on your TAP card - this is very important! LA's Metro does not have free transfers and unlimited rides like London's tube (or any major Metro system that I know of for that matter). Each time you switch lines, you have to pay another $1.50. So if you buy single ride fares, you will end up paying $4.50 one way or $9 round trip. If you buy a day pass, you can ride for $5 all day. After visiting Olvera St, you can take the Metro to Hollywood or Pasadena for no extra costs.

Directions:
From Hilton Garden Inn (which is located AT the Mariposa train station), take the Green line towards Norwalk.
Transfer to Blue line at Willowbrook station (you need to exit the Green line station and enter the Blue line station on a different level) - You need to TAP your card at the pylon when you enter the Blue line station even if you have Day Pass
Take Blue line towards 7th Street Metro Center.
Transfer to Red or Purple line at 7th Street Metro Center (go down stairs, no need to exit the station) - You need to TAP your card at the pylon when you enter the Red/Purple line level
Take Red or Purple line towards Union Station.
Exit Union Station front entrance. Olvera Street is across the street.

If you are driving, Union Station happens to be the nearest public parking... Although there are privately operated parking lots nearby as well.

Couldn't the OP just take the FlyAway Bus from LAX to Union station?
Shuttle from Hilton Gardens, then bus to Union Station. Rinse and repeat.
I believe it is only $7 one way.


HP

Green line runs every 10 minutes. The OP can see the train coming from his hotel room

The shuttle ride to LAX T1 will take 15 minutes minimum. And the wait for FlyAway which runs every 30 minutes, and then another 30 minutes to circle around the airport is time wasted. He would be at Union Station before FlyAway even left LAX.

All very true...but you also have to make 2 transfers AFTER the Green line route.
Green Line-Blue Line-Red Line.
And with the time and distance, isn't it really a wash?

HP

parking can often be a challenge in chinatown (which is adjacent to olvera street) on weekends.

considering how small olvera is, it makes sense to plan a visit as part of a larger day plan that makes good use of a metro day pass, as bzcat suggested.

It's a wash if you are starting at LAX. It' won't be if you start at Mariposa Station where Hilton Garden Inn is located. There won't be very long wait for Blue line or Red/Purple line.

As an L.A. native and museum/history afficianado, I have to ask...

Why in the world do you want to visit Olvera St.?

It's a bad romanticized imitation of a Mexican mercado, stuffed with overpriced tourista junk with a few dated historical signs and exhibits. The most interesting buildings there are closed to the public, and many don't have links to Hispanic culture...from the Italian hall (an immigrant social club) to the opium dens of the original L.A. Chinatown. You'll only learn about the real place (as opposed to tourista) if you get a pre-arranged tour from one of the park rangers, which is pretty much limited to school and professional groups.

There are all sorts of more interesting things for visitors in Downtown Los Angeles... Like Angel's Flight, Grand Central Market, the new Central Library (w/ its amazing escalator), Santee Alley in the fashion district, Phillipe's, etc.

yeah i was wondering if its worth the visit..i will look up those places you mention

Indeed

If I were making this trip, I would skip the last transfer, get off the Blue Line at 7th St/Metro Center, and walk the remaining ~1 mile to Olvera Street. Along the way you will pass almost all of the above (except Santee Alley) and consequently see about 85% of downtown, in just that one short walk. You could stop by the library, Peshing Square, walk up Bunker Hill and through Little Tokyo before you reach Olvera (and Phillipe's is just around the corner)

First off, I'd call that walk a bit more than one mile... And if he's already buying a transit day pass, he can bound from station to station along the red line...and the Gold Line to Little Tokyo.

Google says 1.7/1.8 mi walking--okay, a bit more than one mile

However, if you go the right way, there's something to see on almost every block. It would hit many of the attractions you mentioned. I wouldn't bother with the subway within downtown if I was just strolling around (as opposed to needing to be somewhere or make a connection in Union Station/carrying luggage)

Just for the sake of posterity--the closest metro stop to Little Tokyo is the Civic Center stop on the Red Line. The Gold Line goes east toward Pasadena

And, in the other direction to the south and east, to East Los Angeles via Little Tokyo.

Nice! Didn't know that opened