FlyinHawaiian

Just want to make sure you know that LA County USC Medical Center is not part of USC's campus which is just southwest of Downtown LA. County USC is southeast, near East Los Angeles, a few miles away.

The LAX Flyaway bus from LAX to Union Station is a pretty good option. Union Station to County USC would be about a 15 minute drive, even with the possible rush hour traffic (and driving from East LA to LAX on a Friday afternoon is more often then not a miserable experience).

hungarianhc

Yep - this I know... Hey if she can get out there, even better! I can leave the med center for a little bit so as long as she can get close, that's a big help to me. I just don't have time to go round trip all the way to LAX. So if anyone has advice on the cheapest / fastest way to just get her CLOSE, that would be great! Thanks!

mlshanks

I'd start with giving them directions to catch the FlyAway Bus to Union Station...then let them step inside the station and ask the folks manning the MTA desk on the floor of the E. rotunda just off off Patsouris Bus PLaza what the easiest bus to catch to get to USC Medical Center...(give them the nearest street address, it's a good sized complex)

I know there are a half-dozen MTA routes plus at least one DASH route that goes between the station and the medical center, but I'm not familiar enough w/ the locations of all the bus stops around the station to know which would be the easiest connection.

RatedChitown

Hello everyone!

I have a question about the L.A region. I'm going to Pasadena California at the end of August for the Power Morphicon convention. I have decided to fly into LAX via Southwest or AA.

I have been told Pasadena is about 30 minutes away or so. What is the best way to get from LAX to Pasadena?

Should I rent a car? For some odd reason I'm a little nervous about driving in another state I have never been to

Also, I would like to spend a little time in L.A tourist spots. So maybe I could stay in L.A and make my way over to Pasadena for the convention and back??

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk, RatedChitown. There is a forum dedicated to Los Angeles, therefore I'll move your thread to the Los Angeles forum for discussion.
Enjoy your time in Southern California.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

FlyinHawaiian

I live in Pasadena and drive to/from LAX quite often.

First, it's possible to get from LAX to Pasadena without your own car, but there's no perfect (IMO) solution.

The most convenient would be a taxi, which would cost close to $80-100, including tip.

Next would be a shared van such as SupperShuttle or Prime Time, which would be cheaper, but could involve some waiting, cramped seating, and lots of stops before your hotel.

One can take the LAX Flyaway Bus from LAX to Union Station and then take the Gold Line (light rail) but that would involve some schlepping of bags, especially from the Gold Line to your hotel.

If you rent a car, the are a few routes that I take, depending on the time of day and weather. Sometimes, the most direct way (105 to the 110 for you locals) isn't the best when you factor in rush hour traffic or rain.

In general, one will need a car and a good freeway map to travel in LA, especially if you plan on going to more than one location.

Let us know which of these sounds the most likely you will choose and we can take it from there.

gregas

Huh, I always assumed that you were in HI...

I have also had good experiences with ATLS car service (google them). The cost is about the same as a taxi (sometimes less), it's a fixed fee and their cars are nicer than taxis.

This can be a nightmare because they will drive around the entire airport picking people up and then drive all over creation dropping people off.


I think that the 105 to the 110 is really the best route for a visitor. There are other clever ways (see the open scenes of LA Story), but they can get pretty confusing. However, you really, really, really don't want arrive right at rush hour.

Agreed. And don't worry about driving around here. It's no worse than most major cities and better than some (SF and NYC spring to mind).

Swissaire

Option 1. )

Car Rental/ Freeway driving:

Take the Nr. 105 to Nr. 110 North. This Freeway cuts through the City ( Downtown ) of Los Angeles, and continues on becoming the Pasadena Fwy. Considering the time to rent your vehicle and start driving, this would take roughly one-hour in the best of traffic.

A clean car with AC, of course is the best way to see the sights you have on your list, and listen to a CD, rather than someone blabbing on an old microphone in front of a tired tour bus.

Option 2. )

Metropolitan Transit Authority-Los Angeles:

The connections (4) including DTLA mimic the 105-110 Fwy drive. The train shuttles are colour coded, and you arrive in Pasadena on the graffittied Gold Line. Sometime.

Not reccommended, but for those blessed with time, patience, and perhaps a lobotomy, attached is a link:
http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php

Option 3. )

Shuttle Vans:

Depending upon where you are staying, there are van shuttles ( share vans ) directly from LAX that will take you to Pasadena. The cost is the same as a Taxi: However the wait might be very lengthy.

smartinez

Rent a car unless you are absolutely sure you are doing NOTHING but the convention. Pasadena is actually a very nice town for restaurants and cute stores. If you are not in the mood to drive around, just take the taxi, hire car, or flyaway bus/gold line to and from the airport as others have mentioned. You will find plenty of places to eat and spend your money in Pasadena all in a centralized district.

But if you want to see anything in LA, or venture out of Pasadena after the convention, you will need car. No question about it. Even with a car, I might make Pasadena my home base and go touring from there. There is really no reason to stay in downtown LA or Hollywood, you will have to fight the traffic to the convention, and then you'll still not be where you want to be. Believe me, there is no "center" of LA that's convenient to everything.

The streets and freeways are very well marked, and traffic is not any worse than any major city. A GPS is a great investment for a nervous driver.

crabbing

since you mentioned that you might fly SW, consider flying into burbank, which is much closer. from there you can rent a car, take a cab, or ride the metrolink downtown and catch the gold line at union station.

if you're staying anywhere close to the pasadena convention center, you might never need a car as most of the interesting sights are within walking distance or reachable by the gold line or the pasadena ARTS bus.

buckeyefanflyer

When I went to the Rose Bowl this year, I had a car but drove to Union Station and took the MTA Gold train to Pasadena. The traffic was terrible all over LA during the holidays but may not be so bad now especially in Pasadena.

RatedChitown

I thought about that. The only thing holding that up is the fact that SW doesn't have a non stop into Burbank and I really don't like connections. However I may do just that and bypass LAX altogether.


Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll starting booking my flight around mid June. Right now I think I will make home base in Pasadena so now I need to find a hotel there. The official hotel for the convention is the Sheraton. But I want to find something just a little cheaper than $109 a night.

darthbimmer

You'll have to decide which is worse -- making a flight connection, or the extra driving in LA. Driving in LA is not particularly hard compared to driving in other major metros such as NYC, DC, Chicago, Boston, etc.

Also, consider that BUR airport is very small. Some consider that a plus as it's easier to navigate than LAX. For example, you can walk between the terminal and most car rental lots. But others think it's maddeningly cramped and has too few restaurants/shops for when you're waiting for your outbound flight.

I don't think you'll find a lower price unless you book a cheapo motel or use a bidding site such as P/L. When I visit Pasadena I usually stay at the Courtyard, and I usually pay around 139-159.

smartinez

One problem with going in and out of Burbank is that if there is a problem there are very few options. LAX is a hassle, but in a jam, you'll have lots of options.

That's an excellent rate. To get the conf hotel means convenience, and that's worth something. If that's a conference rate I'd book it now. You can almost always cancel even at the last minute if you find something better.

iapetus

Agreed with the other posters -- this is a pretty good deal. Unless you get a great deal through something like Priceline, you're likely to wind up relatively far from the convention. But there's no harm in looking!

And, unlike FlyinHawaiian, I think the FlyAway/Gold line option is very convenient. () You can get off at either the Del Mar station or the Memorial Park station, provided you're willing to walk 3 blocks or so with your bags. But if you want to explore beyond Pasadena, California, you're likely to want a car.