Los Angeles: Getting there & around

Orientation

Most first-time visitors to LA are instantly overwhelmed by its size and sprawl. Unlike other metropolises, LA is a decentralised hodgepodge with no single, clearly defined hub. It helps to know that what is commonly referred to as 'LA' is really 'LA County', a conglomeration of 88 cities of which LA is just one. The heart of the city of Los Angeles is Downtown, about 19km (12mi) east of the ocean and hemmed in by the I-10, I-5 and US 101 freeways.

East LA, a Latino-dominated area, edges against Downtown, as do the historically African-American neighbourhoods of South Central. Most areas of interest to visitors are west of Downtown LA, including Hollywood and the epicentre of gay and lesbian culture, West Hollywood. Farther west is rich-and-famous territory: Bel Air, Brentwood and Beverly Hills. Hugging the northern coast are the posh beach towns of Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica. Farther south along the coast are Venice, followed by the international airport, the South Bay communities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, upmarket Palos Verdes, and the port towns of San Pedro and Long Beach. The Hollywood Hills, part of the Santa Monica Mountains, are a physical and (some might say) ideological separation between Los Angeles 'proper' and the San Fernando Valley, which extends to the northern boundary of LA County. This quintessential suburbia is characterised by faceless strip malls and major TV and movie studios. South of LA County is Orange County, home of Disneyland, and another necklace of beach towns ranging from rad to ritzy, including Huntington Beach (aka Surf City USA) and Mediterranean-flavoured Laguna Beach.

Getting There

• bus

  Greyhound buses serve LA from cities all over North America. The main LA depot is in a seedy part of Downtown, although the station is reasonably safe inside. Still, avoid arriving after dark unless someone is there to meet you with a car. Other LA-area Greyhound stations are found in Hollywood, Pasadena, Long Beach and Anaheim.

  Megabus, which conducts all of its ticket sales and reservations online (www.megabus.com), is another cheap, reliable transport option to consider, with express services to Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco and more. Coaches leave from Union Station, behind the Amtrak Terminal building.

• car

  The LA area is a web of highways and byways, so if you have your own wheels, there are always several routes to choose from. From San Francisco and Northern California the fastest route is six hours via the always boring - and in summer miserably hot - I-5. The alternative is the US 101, a curvy and picturesque eight-hour route. The most scenic - and slowest - route is via the Pacific Coast Hwy (PCH or Hwy 1), a 10-hour trip. The downside to this road is its susceptibility to fog, especially in summer. From San Diego and other points south, I-5 is the obvious route. If you're coming in to LA from Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon, take the I-15 to the I-10, then head west to Downtown and beyond.

• train

  Amtrak, the national rail system, operates several trains to and from Los Angeles. The main station is Union Station, an impressive art deco depot one block from El Pueblo in Downtown LA. From Seattle and San Francisco, the Coast Starlight operates several times weekly in each direction. There is also regular service from LA to Phoenix, New Orleans and points beyond, as well as several trains daily to and from San Diego, including the sleek Pacific Surfliner .

• plane

  A major travel hub for the Pacific Rim region, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the third busiest airport in the world. It's right on the coast south of Venice Beach and north of Manhattan Beach. If you can, try to avoid LAX gridlock by flying into one of these regional airports: Bob Hope Airport (BUR), in the San Ferdinando Valley, about 25km (15mi) northwest of Downtown; Long Beach Airport (LGB), about 40km (25mi) south; John Wayne Airport (SNA), about 65km (40mi) southeast in Santa Ana, Orange County; and Ontario International Airport (ONT), about 65km (40mi) east. With all these options, finding a flight or connection to just about anywhere on the continent is never a problem. Departure tax is included in the ticket price.

  Public transport from LAX can be unbearably slow, but at least it's cheap. From outside any terminal catch the free shuttle bus C to the LAX Transit Center, where you can swap to a city bus. Free shuttles also run to the Metro Aviation Station, where you can catch a Green Line train headed in the direction of Redondo or Norwalk. For Downtown LA, hop on the Green Line, then connect to the Blue Line at the Imperial/Wilmington station. If you're headed for Disneyland, consider the Airport Bus, which makes the trip hourly or, in peak times, half-hourly. Buses also serve the area's regional airports.

  If you're not the public transport type, door-to-door shuttle buses will drop you at your destination: they're quicker than the bus and cheaper than a taxi (unless there's three or more in your group.) All major car rental agencies have desks at or near any of the LA area airports, although rates tend to be the most competitive at LAX.

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Getting Around

• bus

  Although LA is definitely built for cars, it is possible to get around on public transport. Main public bus operators include: Metro, which goes most places; Big Blue Bus, which serves the West LA area; Culver City Bus, which does Culver City and the Westside; and DASH, operating within local communities, including Hollywood and Downtown.

• car

  LA sprawls over such a huge area that, unless time is no factor or money is extremely tight, you're going to want to spend some time behind the wheel of a car. Despite the sheer volume of traffic, the city isn't hard to navigate if you stick to the major arterials and avoid rush hours. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of LA streets, grab a copy of the Thomas Guides map book.

• walking

  Tell an Angeleno, 'I'll just walk' and they're bound to try talking you out of it. Unlike other American cities, LA was built horizontally rather than vertically, and all but a few strips were developed with motorists, rather than pedestrians, in mind. If you hate to see all those sidewalks going to waste, sections of Downtown, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and central Hollywood are walkable - once you've driven or caught a bus there.

• taxi

  Unlike New York or Chicago, LA isn't a place you can just thrust your arm out and expect to hail a taxi. Except for those lined up outside airports, train stations, bus stations and major hotels, cabbies respond to phone calls rather than hand waves.

• underground rail

  Metro Rail's Red Line subway runs between Downtown's Union Station and North Hollywood via Hollywood and Universal Studios. The light-rail Blue Line goes from Union Station to Long Beach, Norwalk and Redondo Beach.

• Disabled Travellers

  Public buildings are required by law to be wheelchair accessible and to have special restroom facilities. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (tel: 800 266 6883; www.metro.net) and the Big Blue Bus company of Santa Monica (tel: 310 451 5444, www.bigbluebus.com) are among the companies operating a fleet of wheelchair-accessible buses. Car rental companies can supply hand-controlled vehicles, but you must book them well in advance.

  Larger hotels have suites for disabled guests. Telephone companies can provide relay operators for the hearing impaired; call 800 735 2922 (voice) or 800 735 2929 (TDD/TTY). Many banks provide ATM instructions in Braille, and audible crossing signals and dropped curbs are common at busier roadway intersections.

  Major airlines, Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains allow service animals and often sell two-for-one packages when attendants of seriously disabled passengers are required. Ask when making your reservation that assistance with connecting flights be available. (Note: Airlines must accept wheelchairs as checked baggage and have an onboard chair available, though some advance notice may be required, especially on smaller aircraft.)

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