ozstamps

Thanks Jackal .. seems like a tough one for us to get pre-paid for, out at airport area.

I guess if we tender correct change as per rates FlyinHawaiian qoted, we should be fine?

Glern

ozstamps

Here's a tip. Time was against us for Getty.

Instead we took bus 42 from the Bus Station at back of Sheraton Gateway, Renaissance and Four Points LAX to downtown.

$1.25 each in cash for an hour ride.

Great fun for us.

Got off on Broadway at 5th, and some incredibly cheap shopping - indeed we needed to buy an extra suitcase ($12.99!) to put it all in and check thru to SYD.

Only caucasians on the bus or the shopping area pretty much, but a great afternoon!

Thanks for the tips .. we'll do Getty next time using them.

AnotherFlyBoy18

Everyone
I am staying at the Radisson LAX next month and was wondering what is the best way to get to Universal Studios without a hire car?
Obviously nothing to expensive like taking a cab, but looking for recommendations as in shuttles etc..
Thanks

jackal

Quickest, simplest, and most comfortable would probably to take the Radisson's shuttle to Terminal 1 (well, any of the terminals, really--just go to the Green section out on the transportation island) and catch an LAX FlyAway motorcoach to Union Station and then take the Red Line from there to Universal City. Total cost would be $8.25 per person each way.

A cheaper alternative that's almost as fast would be to walk over to the LAX bus center (a ten-minute walk from the Radisson; if walking is an issue, you can take the Radisson's shuttle to an airport terminal and then LAX shuttle bus C to the bus center) and take Metro Express Line 439 to Union Station and connect to the Red Line to Universal City. Total cost would be $3.10 per person each way (consider the $5 day pass for savings on the round trip). You can also do Metro Local Line 42/42A and follow the same directions (and save 60 cents), but if you have a choice, the Express makes fewer stops, stays on the freeway longer, and avoids some of the slightly seedier parts of Southcentral. (Note you can get off 42 at a couple different places and walk to nearby Metro stations, such as getting off at Broadway and 5th, which is one block from the Pershing Square station, saving a few minutes of transit time. For that matter, you can get off 439 at 7th St/Metro Center and connect to the Red Line there, too.)

You can do it wholly by rail, too. Take the Radisson's shuttle over to T1 (or any terminal) and catch LAX shuttle bus G from the Blue area on the transportation island. Take that to Aviation Station and board a Green Line train. Take that to Rosa Parks station and connect to a Blue Line train headed towards downtown. Transfer to a Red Line train at 7th Street/Metro Center and take that to Universal City. From the time you board the LAX shuttle bus, it should take about two hours, which might actually be faster than any of the bus options (depending on the bus schedules). It also might be cheaper: you might be able to get through the entire rail system for a single $1.25 ticket, making it for $2.50 round trip--half the price of a day pass. (However, I'm not 100% clear whether you need a new ticket each time you transfer to a new rail line or just to transfer to a different bus line--if you do, then you'd need to buy three tickets each direction, in which case a day pass is cheaper.)

You can also take a slightly more direct route (avoiding going all the way northeast to Union Station) using connecting buses from LAX to the Red Line at Hollywood/Highland. However, there is no direct service from LAX to Hollywood/Highland, so you'd need to connect to another bus at some point, and waiting at a street corner bus stop isn't usually as pleasant (or safe) as it is at a major transit center. Besides, the time savings isn't significant (and can actually be nonexistent, depending on connecting bus schedules). However, if you want to see some of those options, I'd recommend trying these directions at Google Transit and playing around with your departure date and time.

sethlit

I've been desperately looking for a one way LAX to SEA for Nov. 8th. Every non-stop is above $200. I've been watching Virgin and AA. It's a shame when SEA to LAX on AA is only $80! Any tips, hints, tricks? Thanks guys.

Seth

sethlit

Okay so I've found much cheaper options flying back to SEA from SNA. However I'll be staying in Torrence. My friend will be driving me. If my potential flight is 8:00AM, would traffic be an issue? Anyone with this commute experience? Thanks.

Seth

iapetus

I'm assuming that this will be sometime during the week, not the weekend? Even though I rarely (if ever) travel this route, I can say that the answer is almost assuredly yes, as the most direct route to the airport from your friend's place is along I-405. That is a train wreck of a highway. The only mitigating factor might be the fact that you're kinda going against traffic, but I don't really know how much that'll help on this particular highway.

iapetus

I'd been wondering all year when the gold line extension would finally open. The LA Times is reporting that that day is November 15th.

kenish

Have you checked Long Beach (LGB)? Much closer to Torrance and flights to SEA on AS and I believe B9.

Nick90274

SNA is very easy to get in and out of so if you got there by 7 am you should be fine for your flight. However, the 405 in on a weekday morning is a nightmare. I'd say leave by six at the latest as you'll beat most of the traffic. No traffic it's about 45 minutes to SNA from Torrance and traffic shouldn't get too bad on the 405 until about 7 so you'll be fine but your friend is going to sit in the wonderful traffic the whole way back.

iluv2fly

What's the best way - without renting a car - to get from LAX to BH/WH?

How much would a taxi cost? Car service? Public trasportation?

This would probably be late (~midnight).

Thanks in advance!

FlyinHawaiian

There's no public transportation options that make any sense that time of night. A taxi would be about $50, I would think. A cheaper option would be a shared ride van like SupperShuttle which is around $15-$20, I think.

UAORDFLYER

My wife is taking her first business trip into LAX next Wednesday afternoon, she has never traveled before, and she won't have a rental car. Outside of a taxi (she doesn't want to take any type of train), are there any other options to get to Hollywood?

If I she does have to cab it can anyone give me a guess of how much it will cost her and how long it will take?

Thanks!

ORDinaryPax

Getting around LA without a car is a pain in the a**. (Then again, even with a car it isn't very fun.) If taxis and public transit are out of the question, that really only leaves the airport shuttle services like SuperShuttle. The fare to Hollywood should in the $20 to $25 range, compared with a cab fare upwards of $50. The trade-off is that she may have to circle the airport a few times while they pick up more pax, and she may have to take a very roundabout way to her destination to drop off the other pax.

If the company is paying, why not take a cab?

starlanet

Cab costs around $60 I think.
^In my own experience the blue van is my choice
http://www.supershuttle.com/

They're reliable, and last time I was in LA it was $16 (from West Hollywood to LAX). I didn't even have to call them, I booked a ride from their website and without calling them, they were right on time. I was the first passenger, then a couple and a lady, it was a short and nice ride (you can be sure they won't do a tour as some cabs do).