Help with Staples Hours and transit
 

Hi guys,

I need a little help !

We booked a Basketball game at Staples Center (Clippers x Orlando) in December 03th (we arrive in LA from Brazil this day).

The game begins 07:30 PM and our Hotel is Residence Inn LA Redondo Beach - 2420 Marine Ave.

The questions:

- What hours we have to arrive at Staples ? 7PM is a good hour ?

- What time we have to leave the hotel and don't get stuck at traffic ? (I think this is the most important thing) :confused:

- Car or public transportation from our hotel ? And if is car, I think it's better buy the parking tickets in advance, I'm right ?

Thank you so much !!

Flavio

I would plan on leaving between 5 and 5:30 from the hotel. If you arrive a little early in downtown, there's plenty to walk around and kill time at near Staples. If you're renting a car as part of your visit, then drive, I wouldn't rely on a taxi or car service at that hour of the afternoon/early evening.

OP, just to clarify, you will certainly be stuck in heavy, stop-and-go traffic during this drive. Google says it would take 21 minutes without traffic (a condition that almost never exists). Leaving at 5 PM will give you ample time to crawl towards downtown LA on your choice of thoroughly clogged freeways. If you have a traffic-aware GPS, you should check current conditions to pick the less bad of the two logical routes.

On the bright side, you'll be going the opposite direction of the heaviest traffic. This route will be busy your way, too, but probably less than the other way.

Thank you guys.

Yes, we'll rent a car (big road trip).

ok - car is the best option.

Before the game begins, which usually happens on stadium? Pre warming for the game ?

We'll use the GPS (waze or co-pilot) to choose the best route.

Thank you for the Google Maps.

No, don't get parking in advance. There is plenty of parking outside of Staples Center. It is usually only around $20 right across the street. You could find cheaper ones further away if you are willing to walk. But beware of the ones that tried to scam newbies. They will be like $35 and really far away... the guy in front will have signs saying event parking and with a flag waving you in like you are supposed to obey him.

@Need,

thank you ! In advance (via AXS site) is U$ 25,00....if I find cheaper it's better.

Additional info...

If you are renting a car for your visit, make sure it has a Fastrak transponder. If you rent from a major company (e.g. Hertz, Avis, Enterprise etc) your rental car probably has the transponder. But make sure it is there on the windshield before you drive off.

From Redondo Beach, you can use the Express toll lane and reach Downtown LA in about 35 minutes in rush hour. If you use the regular lanes on the 105 and 110 freeway, it will take you at least 90 minutes.

https://www.metroexpresslanes.net/en/home/index.shtml

Ah, that's information I might have shared with OP had I known about it! I guess that explains the mysterious glowing thing mounted to the windshield of the last car I rented at LAX.

How do car rental companies generally charge for this? My guess is "ginormous markup", but I could be wrong. :)

It shows up on the credit card you used to rent the car a month later. Although if you are 3 people in the car, the charge is usually $0.

Thank you so much for that info.

The company is Hertz. And if the car miss the transponder ? Just ask to give me one ?

Thank you, very useful information.^

All the cars based at Hertz LAX should have the transponder already but someone may have done a one-way rental and return a non-LAX car (e.g. from Las Vegas), which will not have the transponder. If you get one without transponder, just ask them to switch the car for you.

^

Thanks.

One more noob question....LOL....the exit is the same for entry: the ------- line ?

EDIT: whe are 3 people (couple + daughter)

AND OT: this is a good match ? Clippers x Orlando ....I never saw (only in TV) a NBA game....I think it's a great experience.


Tks.

Exit? You mean at Staples Center? You can enter and exit any door you want at Staples Center.

3 people = most likely you can use the Express Lane for free (or very cheap like $0.50).

The game will be fun experience for your entire family. Clippers will be a good team this year and you should have a good time.

Sorry...

I mean exit from Express Lane is the same dashed line used for entry, correct ?

I remember 2 yrs ago, first time driving in MIA back from Orlando and I didn't know where is permitted to exit the express lane....

Thank you.

You aren't allowed to cross solid double lane separator lines. When you can enter and exit the express lane, the solid double line changes to a single, dashed line:
https://www.metroexpresslanes.net/en...oster_w650.jpg

Here's a link to the page from which I copied that image. It explains the whole system.

Your hotel is right by a Green Line station. You can get from there to Staples Center via the Green and the Silver lines in less than an hour.

Thank you.

Yesterday I read that and saw the videos....I was in doubt about the exit...now all is clear. Thank you !^

I'll take a look in this option too.

Thank you.

The Green Line is a light rail line. The Silver Line is a Metro Liner bus rapid transit line which runs on the I-110 high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. The transfer point is at the Harbor Freeway Station.

Check the timetables through the linked pages to make sure that this works for you in both directions before deciding to go this route.

Thank you !

I was browsing through the site now and I think it's a great choice. We arrive from Brazil in the morning (12h+ flight) and the jet lag is big.

I was thinking now and avoid driving this day its a better option for me....

I need understand the fares. In our case, 3 people, better buy the $5 card tap ? I understood with this card it's possible to transfer between lines (green to silver)....is that correct ?

Or it's better pay for the individual fare in the bus / metro ?

And....how long is the game ??? 2 or 3 hours ?

Sorry another question: this area (redondo beach station) it's safe to arrive with wife and daughter late night ? ( I'm brazilian and for me all USA area is safe....but I know all the big cities have areas we need avoid)

You need a TAP card, but you don't need to buy a $5 pass. By the time you are here in December, Metro would have rolled out the new fare system (starts Sept 15, 2014). The fare will be $2.50 each way if you take Green Line to Silver Line, or $1.75 each way if you take Green Line to Blue Line. The day pass will be $7 and you don't need it.

Silver Line is a BRT that runs in the Express Lane on the 110 freeway. Coming from Brazil, I think you should be familiar with BRT - it's a bus that operates kind of like a train with dedicated stations.

Green Line and Blue Line are light rail metro.

The area by your hotel is very safe and you will not have any problem. Here are the steps from Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Resi...d34.043018!3e3

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to the ticket machine and choose buy new TAP card
2. Find the button that says add money to your TAP card
3. Select $5
4. Put in $6 cash or swipe your credit card ($1 for the card, $5 in stored value)
5. Collect your TAP card - now repeat Steps 1-5 two more times for your wife and daughter. Everyone needs their own TAP card so you need to have $18 in cash or a credit card that works.
6. TAP the card on the pylon to enter the station - it will deduct $1.75 from the balance of the card. You do not need to TAP to exit.

This is what they look like: http://la.streetsblog.org/wp-content..._turnstile.jpg


7a. If you decide to take the Silve Line BRT, get off the Green Line at Harbor Freeway station. Walk downstairs to the BRT Station and wait for the Silver Line. You have to tap when you get on the bus - it will deduct $0.75 from your card.
8a. Get off the bus at Figueroa Street and Olympic Blvd, right in front of Staples Center.

7b. If you decide to take the Blue Line, get off the Green Line at Willow Brook Station. Walk downstairs to the Blue Line Station. Make sure you tap your card before you enter the Blue Line Station - no money will be deducted from your card if you transfer within 2 hours from when you first tapped in.
8b. Get off the Blue Line at Pico Station (Flower St and Pico Blvd), it is one block from Staples Center. Most people getting off at that time will be headed towards Staples Center so just follow them.

To get back to Redondo Beach after the game, do the reverse as above, except the Silver Line bus stop is one block away on Flower Street and Pico Blvd (basically the same place as the Blue Line Station but different side of Flower Street).

If you decide to take the Blue Line back, make sure you board the Blue Line, and not the Expo Line. Those two lines share the same platform at Pico Station - Look for the destination sign - it should say Long Beach, not Culver City.

Taking the Metro to Staples is very simple and easy walk so give it a try. The most difficult part is actually buying the TAP card... the ticket machine is only in English and Spanish and the menus are needlessly complicated. Every time I use the Green Line, I end up helping tourists buy TAP card and load the correct money/pass on the card.

Just beware of the Silver Line schedule at night. It runs every 40 minutes. Use Nextbus (nextbus.com) to determine which line is coming first when you leave Staples Center. In the inbound direction the Silver Line will probably be the better alternative because it is much faster than the Blue Line.

@bzcat

^ Thank you so much for your awesome post !

I'm from Rio (but I live now in another city) and familiar with the "tap to pay" system in Metro and Bus, but Metro system in Rio is very small and the transfer between lines and buses is different from USA system.

Another difference here is: we can go and buy a single ride or double ride without need to buy a card to tap.

So for us, what we have to understand is what to buy, the fares and transfers fares, to do the right thing and pay the correct fare.

Your photo with the entrance (pylon) to the metro is very similar from Rio...we call here: roleta (PT-BR).

Thank you for your time and all the information you provided us.

@calwatch, ^

Thank you !! I'll bookmark the site to monitory the hours.

@all,

Last year (December too) we pass 10 days in NYC and I read a lot about the metro system, but in the first night we lose ourselves (take the wrong way) but after the second day and with the help of Google Maps, we use the system without many problems. The only problem was to understand where the right side to enter the system....:D

I wouldn't want to be on the silver or green line at that time of night after a Clippers game. Stick to driving, seriously.

Why ? Very crowded ?

I wouldn't subject my wife and daughter to public transit in that part of LA at night if I had access to a perfectly good rental car.

Understood. Thank you.

I wouldn't have any problem taking the Metro back to Redondo Beach at 10:30 PM. It is still a very busy hour on the Metro. The Blue Line to Green Line transfer station is near Compton, which is not the nicest part of time but honestly, if you stay inside the Metro station, there is really nothing to worry about. There is no part of LA as dangerous as any favela in Rio.

But if you already have rental car, it does make the trip back to the hotel faster, so it is something to consider.

Personally, I never drive to Staples Center for any event in the evening because of the traffic (I always take the Metro) but in your case, the three of you will spend about $18 on Metro tickets, which almost pays for parking (starts around $20) so consider the time/cost factor.

I will consider the car if I deal with the jet lag otherwise Metro / Bus.

It's the best solution.

About safety, unfortunately, I have to agree with you (about Rio and favela).

If anyone here ask me about safety in Rio, I would say: always be careful with your devices, cameras and money, no matter if you are in Copacabana, Leblon or near any "favela"area (normally tourists don't reach the "favelas" and here I don't talk about the tourist trap tour to see "favelas" like Rocinha).

Another thing about Brazil and "favelas". Here "favela" is a pejorative name (the boring thing in our days: the speech of the politically correct).

In these days the correct name is "comunidade" (community) because the majority of people who living there are people who working hard to live your lives (waiters, maids, housekeepers, drivers, doorman etc).

The bad guys are the minority. The big problem is the violence caused by the traffic / dealer of drugs.

Actually we have in Rio (started 1 or 2 years before World Cup and preparing for Olympic Games) one program to the community, call UPP (Unidade de Policia Pacificadora) = Pacification Police Unit. This program runs in the most dangerous "favelas" and reduce the violence caused by the drugs.

But the problem here is much much deeper than this.....problems that has been accumulating for many years.

And one note: in the past (long past) was safe for locals guys around "favelas", because the traffic dealers don't want the police around to investigate robbery and similar crimes....

And, as I said before, as a Brazilian, my feeling is the USA is a safe country.

Sorry for the OT (and errors in my English), but is good talk about something I think isn't so clear for foreign and tourists.

But, we have good things here too !!

Thank you !!

LA metro is incredibly safe and there is nothing to worry about.

however, the blue line train will be super crowded right after a game. and more often than not, your blue line train will arrive at rosa parks station just after your green line train leaves, forcing you to wait for the next one.

L.A. County Sheriff's Department not meeting Metro policing goals ...
http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhal...724-story.html
Jul 23, 2014 - Audit says Sheriff's Department goals to reduce crime on Metro lines aren't ... Violent crime statistics reported to the FBI were as much as 22% ...

I'm not saying the OP and family are likely to be victims, but they have access to a perfectly good rental car and I would recommend using that over taking the light rail through some of the sketchier parts of LA at night after a basketball game especially with a transfer. No offense, but tourists tend to stand out and if a thug wanted to target somebody, guess who they're going to target.

Agree with you. It's true.

NO cars at Hertz LAX have FasTrak. They do not offer it.

As a born & raised Angelino, I would advise to steer clear of the Green line & Blue line at night...especially a tourist. I don't care where they are from the areas that these two lines travel through are the worst in L.A...especially the transfer point between the two.

First of all, my recommendation was for the Green and the Silver lines.

Secondly, very little crime is reported on all these rapid transit lines.

Any way to get?

Really? I guess a murder does not count as crime. You don't have a clue. http://ktla.com/2014/08/27/2-women-a...metro-station/

Why don't you spend some time reading Yelp reviews of the lines...and what people encounter to inform yourself.

The reason why Hertz does not offer FasTrak at LAX is hardly anyone would ever use it (I can't comment about other rental agencies at LAX but I am a very frequent poster in the Hertz forum and Hertz LAX is my home station...I rent there a lot). We only have two, rather short, pay lanes in Los Angeles County (BOTH of which are former carpool lanes). The 110 from just north of the 405 to just south of the 10 freeway. And the 10 freeway east of Downtown Los Angeles to about El Monte. Hardly worth the trouble getting it if you are just going to one event. Just add 20 minutes to your trip...one way. STAY OUT of the FasTrak lanes or you will get a $30 ticket charged to your credit card. My friend who rented from Hertz LAX in December 2013 got one 3 months later...

The 105 freeway from the 405 to the 110 may end up being the busier part of your route. I have driven that many times at rush hour. Not pretty. The 91 freeway to the 110 may be a better route for you.

IF you must have one, here's their details. https://www.metroexpresslanes.net/en/faq/fastrak.shtml

By your logic, tourists should avoid the Hollywood Walk of Fame which had two homicides in the past year and another one fifteen months ago.

Crime stats show that crime rate on Metro buses and trains is much lower than in surrounding neighborhoods.
Yelp's anecdotes do not make reliable statistical data.

Whether or not the green, blue, or silver lines are safe isn't so much the issue to me as it basically comes down to this question:

If you can afford C/J/F (have a rental car), why would you subject yourself to E- (LA public transit at night in the sketchier parts of LA)? If the OP were going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and wanted to take the shuttle from West LA, I wouldn't even blink an eye.

Consider the possibility that OP has just arrived from a long flight originating in South America and has never driven on the Los Angeles freeways.