LA without a car

[aaronS]

So i'm trying to plan a trip to LA at the end of august and i really dont want to have to rent a car since i'm under 25 they'll bump up the rates at a minimum $25 a day plus they'll make me buy the extra insurance another $30 bucks a day. I thought about zipcar but i'm not really sure if that'll be cheaper or what.

I'll be staying in echo park.

Would i be able to get by without a car for a week and not be stuck around there?

how could i get from lax to echo park?

anything good to do around there?

any help, advice, suggestions, greatly appreciated.

[yupsterism]

So i'm trying to plan a trip to LA at the end of august and i really dont want to have to rent a car since i'm under 25 they'll bump up the rates at a minimum $25 a day plus they'll make me buy the extra insurance another $30 bucks a day. I thought about zipcar but i'm not really sure if that'll be cheaper or what.

I'll be staying in echo park.

Would i be able to get by without a car for a week and not be stuck around there?

how could i get from lax to echo park?

anything good to do around there?

any help, advice, suggestions, greatly appreciated.

fastest way to get to echo park from lax is probably the cab especially if you carry tons of stuff with you. cab should be about 50 bucks give or take.

if you take a bus, you'd take this (metro.net):

from bradley terminal, take flyaway union station to patsaouras plaza/ bus bay 9

then take metro rapid 704 from cesar chavez/ vignes st head west to sunset blvd/ alvarado st. seriously dont take a bus. it takes about 1-1/2 hrs. if you come in late at night, the bus almost never comes.

or take the train (http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/rail_map.pdf)

green line from lax. then take the green line north to 7th st. then take the red line to vermont/ sunset. you can cab from there to echo park.

srsly, just take a cab from lax.

where exactly in echo park youre staying at? where do you plan to visit? the bus service is alright but the bus doesnt run as often late at night. you'll end up cabbing anyway.

[azn8oi]

sell your shitty wayfarers and use the money for one day of car rental.

[dizzhizz]

no car = no life in la

[Scais]

^ da troof

[stadsvandringar]

LA sucks ass without a car. Do yourself a favor and spring for it. Does LA even have zipcars? I thought that was just the east coast and SF.

[Appleseed]

Impossible.

Seriously tho-

LAX to Echo Park by cab is closer to $70, one way. Flyaway is way better. $3 to Union Station (30-45min), $5 cab ride to Echo Park. Yupsterism is halftruth, no offense.

Downtown used to have Zipcars, but since the company got bought, you now have to pick them up at USC.

Fastest, is yes, a cab; but you're staying in EP, which means you're staying with friends, so ask them to get off their asses an pick you up.

[yupsterism]

Impossible.

Seriously tho-

LAX to Echo Park by cab is closer to $70, one way. Flyaway is way better. $3 to Union Station (30-45min), $5 cab ride to Echo Park. Yupsterism is halftruth, no offense.

Downtown used to have Zipcars, but since the company got bought, you now have to pick them up at USC.

Fastest, is yes, a cab; but you're staying in EP, which means you're staying with friends, so ask them to get off their asses an pick you up.

damn, 70 bucks now? oh well, i'd still rather cab than haul ass with tons of luggage on me. if i carry only a backpack and a carry on, i'd do public transportation.

[azn8oi]

eh it's not that bad. appleseed is a nice guy. he spits truth.

op should still sell his shitty wayfarers though.

[englandmj7]

Impossible.

Seriously tho-

LAX to Echo Park by cab is closer to $70, one way. Flyaway is way better. $3 to Union Station (30-45min), $5 cab ride to Echo Park. Yupsterism is halftruth, no offense.

Downtown used to have Zipcars, but since the company got bought, you now have to pick them up at USC.

Fastest, is yes, a cab; but you're staying in EP, which means you're staying with friends, so ask them to get off their asses an pick you up.

Truth.

damn, 70 bucks now? oh well, i'd still rather cab than haul ass with tons of luggage on me. if i carry only a backpack and a carry on, i'd do public transportation.

"Now"? Do you know how far of a haul that shit is? It costs $45 just to get to my place in south BH; and that is with low traffic. Cost the same 5 years ago too.

imo Echo Park is a pretty shitty place to be without a car, but that plans on how much city-wide sightseeing you plan to do. There is plenty to do/eat/drink around Silverlake / Los Feliz / Echo Park, and obviously Downtown is a stone's throw away.

Why can't your friends pick you up? Friends don't let friends take expensive cab rides from LAX.......if you can swing that, pocket the $70, throw in an extra little bit and rent a car for two of the days you are there. Use those days to check out more distant places in the city.

Or you maybe you can rent a scooter or some shit? I've never looked into that.....

[yupsterism]

"Now"? Do you know how far of a haul that shit is? It costs $45 just to get to my place in south BH; and that is with low traffic. Cost the same 5 years ago too.

yes i know how far that is. i worked half a mile from lax. i commuted from beverly hills. i hang in echo park/ silverlake almost every night.

one time i picked up my friend from lax to his place in silverlake. basically drove the entire 10>405>105>110 loop. thats a 50 mile drive right there. never asked for gas money but we usually take turns driving to the airport.

i heard flat rate cab services used to be about 50 bucks. it was yellow cab or something. some friends did that.

a slightly cheaper option is to take the super shuttle. you might have to wait about 30-45 mins till you get one. the service isnt so bad. but costs about $25-ish.

[aaronS]

I'm just gunna be sleeping at their house basically they work like all day everyday so i'm kinda on my own. I won't have more than a backpack and a small duffel. so i could probably do the public transportation to their place.

basically I wanna just do normal types of stuff: go out to eat, go out at night, go to the beach, I'd also like to do some skating. anyone recommend any decent parks??

i really dont get the wayfarer comments over and over. the only pair i own were five bucks from a street vendor

[englandmj7]

yes i know how far that is. i worked half a mile from lax. i commuted from beverly hills. i hang in echo park/ silverlake almost every night.

one time i picked up my friend from lax to his place in silverlake. basically drove the entire 10>405>105>110 loop. thats a 50 mile drive right there. never asked for gas money but we usually take turns driving to the airport.

i heard flat rate cab services used to be about 50 bucks. it was yellow cab or something. some friends did that.

a slightly cheaper option is to take the super shuttle. you might have to wait about 30-45 mins till you get one. the service isnt so bad. but costs about $25-ish.

I can't remember there ever being a flat rate cab, but I do know they recently raised the minimum to $17, which really blows dick because when I fly out from LAX, I always park my car for free in this certain part of Playa Del Rey/Westchester that's literally 1.2 miles from the airport. Motherfuckers.

I'm just gunna be sleeping at their house basically they work like all day everyday so i'm kinda on my own. I won't have more than a backpack and a small duffel. so i could probably do the public transportation to their place.

basically I wanna just do normal types of stuff: go out to eat, go out at night, go to the beach, I'd also like to do some skating. anyone recommend any decent parks??

i really dont get the wayfarer comments over and over. the only pair i own were five bucks from a street vendor

Dunno shit about skate parks, the guys at Brooklyn Projects (an Echo Park skateshop) could probably give you some Quick advice over the phone:

(213) 483-0322

If you have a bike around there and are cool with riding decent distances, you can check out a fair bit in the area. I'm not extremely knowledgeable on Echo Park, but I know Silverlake/Los Feliz like the back of my hand. Lots of dive bars, small concert venues, excellent Mexican food close by. Downtown you've got the Fashion District (Santee Alley), Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Dodgers games, Grand Central Market.

This is a somewhat broad map of the downtown:

http://golosangeles.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=golosangeles&cdn=travel&tm=39&f=20&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.usc.edu/dept/geography/la_walking_tour/

[bouwnt]

just a heads up - on my recent trip to LA i had the same issue. however, i rented with enterprise and they didn't charge any additional fees for insurance/under 25. you have to shop around for the good deals but they're out there. for a week's trip unlimited mileage, i paid a bit under $200 for a pretty nice vehicle.

[Appleseed]

They used to have flat-rate fees to Downtown (and a few other destinations) from LAX. 4 years ago it was $38. I had to take a cab in January and it had bumped up to $52. I don't know what is now, but I could see them having raised rates since then. Of course, Echo Park is not in the Downtown boundary, so the flat rate wouldn't apply anyways.

If you can't bum a ride, the LAX Flyaway bus + a short cab is the way I'd go.

[lexerone]

I'm just gunna be sleeping at their house basically they work like all day everyday so i'm kinda on my own. I won't have more than a backpack and a small duffel. so i could probably do the public transportation to their place.

basically I wanna just do normal types of stuff: go out to eat, go out at night, go to the beach, I'd also like to do some skating. anyone recommend any decent parks??

i really dont get the wayfarer comments over and over. the only pair i own were five bucks from a street vendor

Basically youre pretty close to everything, but if you had a car for at least a few days you could probably see more stuff....

IMO you could just check out melrose (or fairfax whatever) for some shopping if youre into that stuff. Silverlake is good for nightlife. Santa Monica is chill for beach/shopping (3rd St Promenade) Not a lot there, but its cool to walk around i guess. Check out a Dodger game, you can see all us drunk mexicans get rowdy its pretty fun. Skatepark wise, you'd definitely need a car just because a lot of the parks are in the valleys or suburbs of LA. I can name a few that are like 20 minutes away from EP. Then again, everythings like 20 minutes away in LA depending on the day:)

[yupsterism]

everythings like 20 minutes away in LA depending on the day:)

hehe, direct quote from clueless i see?

aaron, how long are you gonna be in LA btw? if i were still in LA, i'd probably be able to show you places at night.

echo park

- concert

* the echo

* echoplex

* jensen reccenter

- food

* brite spot (kinda lame)

* taco zone

* pho cafe

* rambutan thai

* ghetto dog outside the echo

- bar

* short stop (bar, wednesdays are hipster night called awesometown)

* barragan

* little joy

downtown

- food

* R 23 (sushi)

* haru ulala (japanese)

* frying fish (sushi)

- bar

* golden gophers

* la cita

silverlake:

- concert

* spaceland (21+ always)

- bar

* red lion tavern

* cha cha lounge

* akbar (gay bar)

- food

* blair's (expensive restaurant, but delish)

* cliff's edge (brunch, expensive but great)

* the kitchen (food, dinner)

* madame matise (food, brunch)

* millie's restaurant

* cafe intelligentsia

* don felix peruvian food

* dusty's (expensive brunch, but good)

* gingergrass

los feliz

- food

* alcove (brunch)

* home restaurant

* fred 62's (overrated, expensive, mediocre)

* square one (brunch)

* tropicalia brazilian grill

hollywood/ wilshire area/ beverly

- food

* cafe 101 (chocolate brownie waffle + ice cream)

* roscoe's house of chicken and waffle (MUST go there)

* california chicken cafe

- concert

* el rey

* knitting factory

* music box (henry fonda)

* hollywood bowl

- bar (you need more girls than guys in your group to get in. parking is a bitch)

* cinespace (tuesdays scenesters + steve aoki night, avoid that)

* jimmy's lounge

* 86

* LAX

* play (shit)

* the bar (shit)

* teddy's

* king king

* beauty bar

* the room

- movie

* hollywood forever (saturday night film screening at the cemetery. super awesome, $10 entrance. picnic and byob)

-shop

* american rag

* buffalo exchange

west hollywood/ beverly hills

- concert

* troubadour

- food

* taste restaurant (amazing dinner)

* mastros (good steak house)

* lawry's (i like this steak house more)

* wokcano

* cafe flore

* toast (so so)

* bread bar

* news room cafe

* breadbar (overpriced)

* 3rd stop

* the abbey (gets really gay at night)

- shopping

* shopping in this area is wild. lots of high end stuff on melrose pl/ la cienega, robertson/ beverly

* apc, theory, marc jacobs, alexander mcqueen etc etc a couple streets north of my old place.

* high end shopping on wilshire/ rodeo

* opening ceremony (la cienega/ oakwood)

* h lorenzo on robertson

* gay bars, gay people sprawling around

skate

- there's a little skate area at USC on vermont/ hoover. you might get a ticket at points.

- there's a skate park in santa monica beach too i think.

i'll edit the post if i can think of more stuff.

[creeper]

la with no car is a big no-no

[aaronS]

we have our flight booked but we can cancel at anytime since we are still deciding. if we go we'd be there 13-18th of august.

anyone know anything about renting a vespa? someone mentioned it to me but i couldn't find anything online.

So far best deal for a car is gunna cost around $400 at the cheapest. If thats the best we find i doubt we'll go if a car is a necessity. but as of right now we're still undecided.

[yupsterism]

i dont see the big deal with not having a car if you're only visiting.

yes, if you live here, it'd be a disaster not having a car. everyone in LA is insecure when his/ her car is in the shop.

if you're visiting, it's almost the same as visiting other cities except the bus and train system are not reliable at night. other than that, you'd still take time taking the public transportation and walking.

LA is huge, but all the places of interest are just a long strip from the beach to downtown, bounded by wilshire blvd and franklin blvd. basically you just need to know where you're going. if youre not hungover and if you wake up early enough you get to spend each day doing productive things.

here's a 12minute bus + train map

http://metro.net/riding_metro/maps/12min_map_eng.pdf

the metro rapid is very reliable during the day. faster than local metros. you just need to make sure you get home before it gets late. plus, majority of places are bounded between beverly blvd and santa monica anyway.

personally, i'd never even consider waste time around hollywood/ highland during the day any day. filled with tourists and there really is nothing to do. all there is is amoeba + arclight. and thats on sunset/ wilcox.

if you wanna go out to bars at night, i think the best bar scenes are in the los feliz/ silverlake/ echo park triangle. sure it's filled with hipsters but definitely not as douchy as santa monica and hollywood bars. plus, you can always cab at night and split the cab right. .

the problem happens when you go to concerts. almost always you have to hitch a ride or get a cab. i used to go to shows 3 nights a week average and it's impossible to do that w/o a car.

or you can rent a bike and bike around the area. some people actually bike when they go to bars. it's kinda retarded to bike home drunk but they probably think that that's cool.

[homeboy]

sell your shitty wayfarers and use the money for one day of car rental.

Lmao! True. Everything in LA and SoCal is decentralized so a car is an absolute must or you might as well not cancel your trip and not pay the city a visit.

[AstroWolf]

so your cool with not getting laid AT ALL.

[yupsterism]

i forgot to mention you can also use Not For Tourists for stuff to do in LA (some stores on there are not updated)

since i have nothing better to do, i made map a public map of stuff to do in LA. >>

if anybody wanna collaborate and add more stuff lemme know. especially cuz i rarely went over the west of 405 and south of wilshire boundary

p/s-there's also little radio summer camp every sunday. it's quite fun. live music + drinks + kiddie pools. http://littleradio.com/

[aaronS]

i'm going with my girlfriend so i'm not to worried about la chicks.

we finalized our tickets so i'll be there from august 13-18.

thanks for everyone who has been helpful. for the people who haven't is it really worth your time to post.

[AstroWolf]

If you bring up LA your going to get a mixed bag. if you think some of the posts in this thread have been annoying wait till you have to actually deal with anyone out there.

[mike lowrey]

if you're visiting, it's almost the same as visiting other cities

..except its nothing like a majority of other big cities. that makes absolutely no sense at all. compare it to new york, tokyo, london, san francisco, paris, whatever, and its very different in terms of infrastructure.

public transport is nothing compared to ny or sf, and distances are bigger (most likely, depending on what you want to see) as the city is far more scattered. getting around without a car is simply a pain in the ass, whereas in many other big cities I'd never even consider renting a car.

[aaronS]

how about we change the topic from if you need a car in la or not too:

What are the must see places? best beach (i prefer secluded quiet kinda places)? etc.

[yupsterism]

dunno about beaches. and i dunno what kind of stuff you really wanna go see. do you wanna spend time doing all the really touristy stuff or do alternative stuff ya know. if you can be more specific into what you're really wanna do, it's easier to help.

*the getty a few miles north of ucla on the 405 (definitely will need a car)

*griffith observatory up on the hills of los feliz. you can see the hollywood sign but not the best view.

*downtown standard roof top during the day. i think there's a pool party every sunday.

*venice beach boardwalk is alright. lots of people most of the time. there's a little skate area there.

*rodeo drive is kinda fun to shop around.

*universal studios but i dunno if you're into that.

*lacma/ la brea tar pit are cool. try to go in the evening cuz they installed hundreds of postlamps

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2008/02/lacmas_light_sh.php

*disneyland is pretty far (in anaheim)

*hollywood forever screening saturday evenings. show up early.

*east melrose has gothic/ emo/ scenester/ hollywoody/ douchy kind of stores.

*west melrose is more up scale

[premiumsqueezed]

how about we change the topic from if you need a car in la or not too:

What are the must see places? best beach (i prefer secluded quiet kinda places)? etc.

If you're more worried about seclusion, Playa Del Rey is a really vacant beach area, at least to my memory. Problem is, it is far from quiet. Planes from LAX fly over the beach frequently.

[englandmj7]

If you're more worried about seclusion, Playa Del Rey is a really vacant beach area, at least to my memory. Problem is, it is far from quiet. Planes from LAX fly over the beach frequently.

I lived on the beach in Playa for 4 1/2 years. Infinitely quieter than Santa Monica/Venice/Manhattan/Hermosa, but it's most certainly not 'secluded'.........

If you want secluded, drive up to some of the northern parts of Malibu. Spend part of the day on the beach, and the rest hiking around there. Some beautiful spots.