By Rail
The Los Angeles area's Metro Rail subway/elevated light rail system opened its first line in the 1990s. This is a considerably amount of time -approximately 100 years- from when the nation's two other largest cities opened their lines; New York City in the 1880s, and Chicago in the 1890s. As such, the Los Angeles local train system has nowhere to go but up, and the system has been expanding over the past 20 years or so. (http://www.mta.net)
Many neighborhoods and sightseeing destinations can be reached using the Metro, including downtown, Koreatown, Los Feliz, Hollywood, North Hollywood, Chinatown, Pasadena, and Long Beach. Public transportation is preferable, when possible, to the gridlock that often occurs on Los Angeles area freeways and streets.
A single-trip fare valid on one line in one direction costs $1.50 no transfers and can be purchased from ticket vending machines located in the stations. Alternatively, a day pass valid until 3 a.m. the next day costs $5; a weekly pass running Sunday to Saturday costs $20, and a monthly pass costs $75. Passes allow unlimited access on Metro bus and rail lines. Day passes can be purchased through ticket vending machines in stations on buses, day passes can be purchased only using a reusable TAP card, and weekly and monthly passes on TAP cards can be obtained online or at Metro Customer Centers. (http://www.metro.net/ridi...) The main one is at Union Station. Metrorail and metrobus services can be used with the passes a few express bus routes require payment of additional fare except for pass users. Route maps are available online and in stations. (http://www.metro.net/ridi...)
Metro fare payment works on a proof-of-payment system. There are turnstiles in the subway stations and some light rail stations. Passengers using a TAP card must tap the turnstile to have a valid fare. Passengers using paper one-day passes can walk through the turnstiles as they are currently unlocked, but there are plans to lock at least some of the stations. However, tickets or passes must be purchased before entering boarding zones; there, Metro police randomly check for valid tickets on the trains or platforms, even if people did not board any train. The penalty for not being able to show a valid ticket is $250 and up to 48 h of community service.
Unlike many cities whose local train systems allow free transfers between rail lines when the lines converge, trips that involve multiple lines or transfers in L.A. require separate tickets for each line. A better option will simply be to purchase a day, weekly, or monthly pass for travel on all the lines. Passes can be more cost effective than several single-ride tickets.
Metro Rail/Transitway Lines:
Red Line,
a subway that runs from Downtown Union Station to the Hollywood area, then to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. This route shares track with the Purple Line for about half of its length; when boarding a subway train, check its destination signs to make sure you are on the right train. Station display signs should also provide information about the destination of the train you are boarding. Trains run on average every 12 minutes daytime, becoming less frequent in the evening.Purple Line,
a subway that runs from Downtown Union Station to Koreatown. This route shares track with the Red Line for most of its length; when boarding a subway train, check its destination signs to make sure you are on the right train. Note that the Purple Line trains outside of rush hour are only two cars in length and will not fill the length of the station. There are tunnel signs to help guide you to where the train will stop.Blue Line,
a light rail line that runs from Downtown 7th Street/Metro Center Station through South Los Angeles to Long Beach.Gold Line
a light rail line that runs from East LA through Chinatown and Northeast Los Angeles to Pasadena.Green Line
a light rail line that runs from the South Bay near LAX east to the city of Norwalk along Interstate 105.Orange Line,
a transitway across the San Fernando Valley from North Hollywood to Warner Center Woodland Hills, using sleek articulated "bus-trains" on rubber tires.Silver Line
a transitway from El Monte to Artesia using "bus-trains" on rubber tires. A surchage is to be paid on this route. must be purchased for this route.Note that Metro operating hours and timetables vary fom one line to another. (http://www.metro.net/ridi...)
There is currently no direct rail connection between Downtown Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport LAX, but a free shuttle from the Metro Green Line Aviation/LAX Station to terminals is available. Los Angeles World Airports LAWA operates the much more convenient and direct LAX FlyAway shuttle every 30 min between Union Station and airport terminals. (http://www.lawa.org/welco...)
One should not confuse Metro with Metrolink, the commuter rail system. Metrolink, centered at Union Station in Los Angeles, is a region train network that shuffles passengers from city to suburb to suburb to suburb. The system reaches as far as Ventura, Lancaster, San Bernardino, and Oceanside northern San Diego County, but runs limited service at night and on weekends. Metrolink does not accept Metro passes and thus requires the purchase of a separate ticket. Metrolink, like Metro, uses the honor system, where no barriers are required to enter the system, but frequent random inspections are used to ensure that every passenger has a valid ticket. If a passenger is found without a valid ticket, the fine is $250, with 48 hours of community service. Metrolink tickets are honored as a day pass on Metrorail and Metrobus. (http://www.metrolinktrains.com)
By car
Los Angeles is notorious for its traffic conditions, and its freeway system can get extremely clogged at times. Still, automobile travel is the easiest way to see parts of the region. Many major car rental companies are located at LAX.
Many natural areas surrounding the LA metropolitan area can be reached only by car. See the article about Driving in Los Angeles County for more information. If you are going to be driving, make sure that you have access to extensive street and freeway maps or a GPS navigation system or you may get lost on the spaghetti map of freeways.
The freeways can be confusing for visitors. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with your chosen route prior to setting out on your trip and pay attention to traffic and road signs. "Carpool Only" lanes may be entered with two or more occupants in a vehicle.
Listening to a radio station is helpful for any long trip through LA since most stations regularly disseminate traffic information during the daylight hours. KNX 1070 AM and KFWB 980 AM are the most frequent and cover the metropolitan area, including Orange and Ventura counties and the Inland Empire.
Although LA's traffic jams are legendary, the freeway grid provides for an effective movement of traffic and a variety of alternatives. Be sure to have an alternative route planned out in advance; many freeways run parallel to one another and serve as viable alternatives, especially in long-distance trips. If possible, use a passenger as your navigator. You may also check SigAlert (http://www.sigalert.com/m...) or TrafficReport (http://www.trafficreport....) for current traffic information before your trip.
As for driving on the street grid, most cities in the Greater Los Angeles Area also called Southland have well-maintained streets, but streets within the city of Los Angeles itself tend to have a lot of cracks and potholes the city government spends about half of its annual budget on law enforcement, which leaves little for street maintenance. Wilshire Boulevard is particularly notorious for extremely bumpy conditions and requires extreme caution to avoid destroying the suspension of one's vehicle. The city government has installed sensor loops on most major streets and publishes real-time traffic speed maps online. (http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/).
Also, most California cities have dedicated left-turn traffic lights at major intersections, allowing for so-called "protected" left turns, but most Los Angeles intersections do not have them, so they operate under the rule where one must yield to opposing traffic and turn only when it is safe. Some Los Angeles streets are so congested that it is impossible to turn until the traffic light reaches the yellow caution phase.
Therefore, it is customary in Los Angeles for as many as two or three vehicles to creep into the middle of such intersections in order to turn against opposing traffic on a yellow light. If you are a first-time visitor, you may find yourself being honked at by other drivers or honking at other drivers until you become accustomed to this.
Driving around downtown is especially frustrating to deal with. Even when there are not a large number of vehicles present, drivers still tend to go slower in this area because of the numerous turns and exits.
Another frustration of driving in downtown Los Angeles is the very expensive cost of parking there. Many downtown hotels and many hotels outside of downtown such as in high-density areas like LAX, Hollywood and Century City have parking garages, but will charge you exorbitant daily parking fees. Even worse, they may have only valet parking, meaning you will be expected to also tip the valet. If you plan to bring or rent a car to drive around Los Angeles, consider looking for hotels that have free parking or at least reasonable fees for self-parking garages.
Many Los Angeles intersections have red light enforcement cameras, linked to sensor loops which are energized about a third of a second after the traffic light turns red. You will know the camera activated when it flashes its strobe light at you to obtain a clear view of your face which is required along with a picture of the license plate to issue a ticket under California law. These intersections are sometimes marked in advance by signs and should be approached carefully to avoid a fine.