5 Tips For Getting Around L.A.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger
There’s a misnomer about traveling to Los Angeles and that is that you always need to rent a car.
But that’s not necessarily the case and here’s why, as I point out in this blog post. And you may even be able to avoid those notorious freeways.
1.) Live Like Locals – Don’t Leave ‘The Bubble’
A lot of locals never leave “the bubble” of where they live and work and if possible during your trip, do the same. If your business is downtown, or Hollywood, Santa Monica (or better yet, where I live in the South Bay), stay here and play here. If you’re visiting and want to see several areas, then break up your hotel stays to those different areas.
2.) Move Around The City To Different Hotels
If you’re visiting and want to see several areas, then break up your hotel stays to those different areas.
3.) Use Your Feet
I know, it sounds strange to walk in Los Angeles, but it’s not an impossibility in L.A. Calculate how long you it may take you to walk vs. driving in congested traffic in, say downtown, Hollywood or Santa Monica.
4.) Use The Buses & Metro
Few people have been more critical of L.A.’s public transportation system than me – the train stops an mile short of the airport and they are building another one that will do the same thing! – but you can use it to your advantage in certain areas of the city.
The Metro actually works pretty good in downtown LA and up to Hollywood. It now even goes all the way to Santa Monica. And speaking of Santa Monica, the Big Blue Bus is an excellent way to get around town. They go all over the place and reliable.
Here in the South Bay we have Beach Cities Transit that goes from the Redondo Beach Riviera Village all the way (eventually) to LAX. For a buck. Since few people in the South Bay use it, I like to refer to it as the “dollar taxi.”
5.) Lyft & Uber
Drivers for these companies are all over Los Angeles so no matter where you are, it’s easy to get one, usually within two to five minutes. Ten at the most. Just be aware that the distances are huge from one place to another in Los Angeles, and the fares (and surge rates) can run the bill up to $20-40 or more. Tip: Do the shared ride; this can reduce the bill by more than 50% in some cases.
So there you go – how to get around Los Angeles without renting a car. You can come down to the South Bay and buy me a few beers for the rental car money I’m saving you!
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