My daughter will be in Los Angeles (Burbank) next fall doing internships for college. She may need to travel from Burbank to some of the locations of the firms. Culver City, Studio City, Santa Monica, etc. We live in New York. She wants to bring her car (a cross country drive!) because she is told that the LA buses and trains are horribly unreliable.
2007-04-10 09:10:09 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Los Angeles
Well, Studio City should not be a problem, but I am not aware of a Bus going kind of directly from Burbank to Santa Monica (or it's kind of on the way neighbor Culver City) without going all the way to the downtown area of L.A. (there definitely are no trains or subways there). A car might be faster. The route, however, should be pretty safe during normal working hours...I think I would prefer a car....It would take forever on a bus...
2007-04-10 09:27:36 · answer #1 · answered by Paris Hilton 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry to see that many people have rated the LA transit system as either unsafe or unreliable. I have a very differant outlook on the service. Keeping in mind that Southern California is the largest metropolitan area in the country bar none, I find the bus and rail system to be really great with ever improving routes and schedules. The MTA in Los Angeles has both bus and rail lines covering every part of the city and at a fare of only $3.00 for an all day pass. In addition, several other municipal opperators serve various sections of the metro area. You mentioned, Culver city and Santa Monica, both of which have municipal city provided transit systems as well as being serviced by the primary MTA system. I think all are quite safe as well. Additionally, Metrolink regional rail can take a person to any of the five nehiboring counties. Nearly all buses and subways can accomadate bikes as well if a persons commute needs are better served that way. All in all LA has a great set up and some of the best prices anywhere!
2007-04-10 21:37:24 · answer #2 · answered by Roaddogg 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
She'll definitely need a car in Los Angeles.
MTA buses are notoriously slow and time consuming. And the train is very limited. There's no train service to Santa Monica, Culver City, or Studio City, for instance. And Metrolink only stops by Burbank a couple times a day. To be blunt, public transportation in L.A. is not ideal for a worker on a tight schedule.
The only city with New York style mass transit in California (argurably, the entire West Coast) is San Francisco, and it's 400 miles to the north of L.A. Certainly, I wouldn't move to anywhere in Southern California without a vehicle.
2007-04-10 16:40:44 · answer #3 · answered by SFdude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Public transportation in LA is "safe," unless she'll be taking the Blue Line to Long Beach, which goes through the most dangerous neighborhoods in Southern California: Watts, Compton, etc.
That said, getting around LA without a car is not a viable option, except for those who are too poor to afford a car. It takes hours upon hours to take what would otherwise be a simple trip. From Burbank, it'll probably take an hour to get to Culver City, two hours to get to Santa Monica, and so on. It's nothing like New York, where you can hop on a subway anytime you want, and you'll get where you need to go in 15 minutes.
If your daughter really doesn't want to take a cross-country drive, she should check with the company to discuss her options, which may include a company car. If that's not an option, perhaps she can sell her car in New York and buy/lease another one in LA, depending on how much money she'd get for the old car.
2007-04-10 21:26:46 · answer #4 · answered by MoeTheBartender 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Bring her car. The public transport system is inefficient and time consuming. For short jaunts within Santa Monica, for example, a bus is ok, but to get from Burbank to Santa Monica? It'll take hours. In CA a car is a necessity because everything is spread out. My husband rides a special "fast" business commuter bus to work, and to go 13 miles = 45-60 minutes
2007-04-10 16:22:19 · answer #5 · answered by Violet Pearl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the public transit in Los Angeles is very safe the LA county
sheriff deputies even place undercover officers on their buses
as well as the trains, if you plan according you can get
to anyway in Los Angeles. Santa Monica by transit
Burbank now even has their own bus line one of their lines
go to the North Hollywood Red Line station.
where you can then take the Red Line to Vermont/Wilshire
and then if you are going to Santa Monica hop on the 720
(in fact starting in June of this year Metro is going to start
a Rapid express line (faster service to Santa Monica)
from Vermont and Wilshire
(yes you can also take Metrolink as another option
your metrolink ticket/pass is honored by all the other
transit agencies (Culver city, Metro, Torrance, etc *expect* Santa Monica
so if she went that route she would have pay on the Santa Monica #10 into Santa Monica
(to get to Culver city, Metrolink to Union station, then
Metro 33 Venice route (it goes parts of Culver city
but if she brought her car she would have worry about parking., and meters etc
2007-04-11 11:52:15 · answer #6 · answered by mobilemark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She will need a car. The company may require her to have a car to continue her internship. If they are expecting her at a certain location, she can't depend on the bus. It would be reasonable for her (being from out of town and all that) to ask the company if there will be a company car/van she can use (maybe sharing with other interns) to get to the various location.
In any case, she is safer in a car in Los Angeles. I transported my car coast to coast for $850 because I didn't want to drive. If you figure in the hotel cost, and fuel cost, driving cross country is expensive. If she will only be there for the Fall, maybe explore options with the firm first.
2007-04-10 19:11:06 · answer #7 · answered by averagebear 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OML Get her a car. Culver City and Santa Monica are TOO FAR from Burbank with MTA. I have had to do it for a couple years. Don't punish her.
2007-04-11 23:02:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bring the car. This is LA, baby. It isn't NY, which is relatively compact. LA is 457 squre miles, and you need a car. Violet said it best. It's not a matter of being reliable and safe, it's a matter of being slow and inefficient. LA's just too big for a bus system to work well, and doesn't have a good rail system in place. Bring the car, take a week to drive, and enjoy the road trip.
2007-04-10 18:21:08 · answer #9 · answered by Capt. Obvious 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
CAR NEEDED. LA transportation is horrible. Even that new line that's supposed to be all great takes forever to go a few miles. It's not worth it. Just have her drive cross country.
2007-04-11 18:39:57 · answer #10 · answered by xx. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋