Getting around


Photo of a drawing by Wendy Bos
LA is very big compared to a lot of other cities (see picture below). There’s not 1 center, it’s a sprawling city and you can’t just walk from one activity to another. Driving from Downtown (business center) to Pasadena can take at least 20 to 30 minutes for instance, depending on the traffic. And driving from Venice to Hollywood can take around 40 minutes. Public transport is not widely available, connections aren’t always convenient and it’s relatively expensive. Renting a car is therefore highly recommended! It is not very expensive and gasoline is (still) cheap.

Also recommended is taking a data bundle for your smartphone if you're from out of the US, as apps like Google Maps, Lyft and Uber are crucial to find your way in LA.



Picture: the outlines of the City of LA placed over the map of South England by Brittany Martin (https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/blog/how-does-los-angeles-size-up-to-other-cities-082316)




LAX

Los Angeles has one big airport (LAX) and a smaller one in Burbank. If you arrive on LAX there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Recently all sharing rides (that is Lyft, Uber and all similar services) picking up people from the airport are located at 1 central spot. You can take a shuttle bus from your arrival hall to the pick up. However, this system doesn't work very well (yet) and the lines for the shuttles and available cars are often long.
Taxis are currently allowed to pick-up at three different places. Check Fly LAX for the most up to date information.

Car rentals

Even if you were planning on traveling through California with an RV or van, I highly recommend renting a car for the time you will be in LA. Check out companies such as Budget, Avis or Hertz, all of which are located at the airport and have shuttle services to and from the airport.
- Budget: 9775 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (https://www.budget.com)
- Avis: 9217 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (https://www.avis.com)
- Hertz: 9000 Airport Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (https://www.hertz.com)
Before you book a car, think about how many drivers you want to register and if your insurance covers a rental (most of the times they do). This saves you the surprise of these questions at the desk, which can cause you to spend money unnecessarily.

Apps

Another way of getting around is using apps like Lyft or Uber. They work like taxi's but are more affordable (in LA) and are really easy to use. You can choose for a shared ride option if you want to save money. 

Both Uber and Lyft also offer electric scooter rentals, which can be found on every corner of the street in a lot of neighborhoods in LA (Santa Monica, Venice, Downtown LA, Hollywood, Los Feliz, and others). If you've got a helmet, I recommend to use it! Drive save and don't expect people to see you or give you the right of way.

Public transport

There is a metro system in LA, but it's not the most efficient (not comparable to New York, London, Paris, etc.). To ride the metro or busses, buy a TAP card and load your balance at one of the vending machines at every station.

I also have a pdf version of my LA guide available :) And don't forget to subscribe on this blog by clicking the 'subscribe' button on the top of my homepage.

Thanks!

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