Rolling on the Metro

L.A. Bus and Train Lines

Ride your bike and ride for free on Thursday! Just carry your bike or helmet on any bus or train for a free ride on bike to work day (May 14, 2009).

If you haven't ridden the bus or train, have been too shy to try it, or simply want to find a good use for the bicycle collecting dust in your garage, try riding to work tomorrow. If you do, you could be entered to win fabulous prizes (in this context, fabulous prizes include, but are not limited to, electric bicycles).

Never ridden your bike in Los Angeles before? Here is some help with planning your route:

• Detailed map from MTA (PDF)


• Wikipedia list of Los Angeles bike paths

And finally, here are some frequently asked questions about riding your bicycle:

1. Do I have to wear a helmet?
   
   While you won't get a ticket if you are an adult for not wearing your helmet, you are crazy if you don't.


2. Can I ride on the sidewalk?
   
   You can ride on the sidewalk in Los Angeles, as long as you are not endangering pedestrians.


3. What if there isn't a bike lane?
   
   Cyclists call it "Taking a Lane" when you ride so that a car must leave the lane in order to pass you. This is legal, and encouraged by many bike riders. Don't be afraid - you have a right to be in the lane - although if it is rush hour, it might be a bit terrifying.


4. How do I put my bike on the bus?
   
   It can be scary the first time, but if you are taking your bike on the bus, it needs to go on the bus rack in front (note: these are sometimes full, and not available on all busses).
   
   If you are the first one with a bike, lower the rack by squeezing the handle. Load your bike into one of the slots, and lift the securing bar. It is a good idea to let your driver know your stop when you board the bus. If you are the last one with a bike, make sure you put the bike rack back up before riding off!

If you're interested in more information about riding your bicycle in Los Angeles, or advocating for future bike routes, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has information for LA City, while Metro has information and planning sessions for bikeways covering all of LA County.

Frank 'N Hank's

Metro Bus 207 - Western Ave/5th Street

Tucked away behind the classic Cocktails sign on Western Blvd. is a little dive bar where the drinks are cold, the people are friendly, and the lights are dark. Local watering holes should all be like this.

Cheap beer and drinks?
Check.

Kitschy drink glasses?
Check.

Christmas lights?
Check.

Red vinyl?
Check.

Regulars playing pool in the back?
Check.

Flashy dart board in the middle of the action?
Check

Jukebox with everything from Jimmy Buffet, to Abba¹, to No Doubt?
Check.

Bus stops nearby² so that you don't have to worry about parking or a DUI?
Check and check.

A big screen TV in the corner plays sports when there is a game on and Jeopardy when there is nothing else to watch. Frank 'n Hank's bartender, Snow, will remember your favorite drink (and pour it strong), help you find something to eat (no bar food here, not even peanuts), warn you about parking in the lot next door (not a problem when you take the bus), and walk out for a cigarette break with the rest of the regulars.

There isn’t a theme to the bar or the customers. Come in your work clothes or wearing jeans and a t-shirt. You can walk in with twenty bucks and walk out a few drinks and a few hours happier. There aren't many places in LA where you can do that.

¹If you select Dancing Queen, prepare to be teased mercilessly by the regulars.

²Local busses stop right at the corner, or walk a few blocks south to Wilshire/Western for the subway or the rapid 720

"The last of America's great rail stations"

Metro Red Line – Union Station

If you are going to travel through downtown Los Angeles without a car, you will inevitably end up at Union Station. The MTA Red/Purple Line and Gold Line converge here, sandwiched between Amtrak and Amtrak’s Metrolink trains, and topped with a connection to almost every major bus line in the Los Angeles area.

It is all covered by a beautiful, Dutch Colonial Revival Style/Streamline Moderne/Mission Revival style station (translation: Danish Steampunk Pueblo), also known as the last of America's great rail stations. The building screams Welcome to LA from the bottom of its terra cotta tile to the tips of its towering palm trees.

Built in 1939, Union Station has seen its way through the heyday of the Santa Fe Railroad, and managed to survive the advent of the freeways, when many Los Angeles rail lines and public transportation resources were paved over to make way for the automobile. But when the Red Line came, passengers began to outnumber pigeons once again.

As a traveler, there are two very good things to know when you arrive:

1. When you come, give yourself some extra time. While smaller than its fellow Union Stations, Los Angeles Union Station is still quite daunting, with lots to see, inside and out.


2. The trains here really do leave on time. To help you remember this, the entrance provides your choice of timepiece: Sundial or Clocktower.

When waiting for your ride, you can take shelter in the large waiting room, or walk outside to one of the two enclosed garden patios. The building is beautiful, but the atmosphere is often subdued once you leave the platforms. Venture outside and across the street, and you can even enjoy Olvera Street’s shopping, history and culture.

At Union Station you can ride:

Trains:

Amtrak
Metrolink, Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle…and connections to other lines (via bus) on Amtrak’s Thruway Motorcoach Service

Metrolink
91 Line, Orange County Line, Riverside Line, San Bernardino Line, Antelope Valley Line, Ventura County Line

MTA
Red Line (subway), Purple Line (subway), Gold Line (light rail)

Buses:

Gateway Transit Center (Patsaouras Transit Plaza)
FlyAway Bus (direct route to LAX!), Metro Local: 33, 333, Metro Express: 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 740, 745, 940, Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785, City of Santa Clarita Transit: 794, LADOT DASH: D (Weekdays Only), Bunker Hill Shuttle, LADOT Commuter Express: 430, 534, Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10, Torrance Transit: 1, 2, Metro Local: 40, 42, 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 92, 94, 378, Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 770, 794, LADOT DASH: Lincoln Heights / Chinatown, LADOT DASH: B (Weekdays Only), DD (Weekends Only)

El Monte Busway
Foothill Transit: 481, 493, 497, 498, 499, 699, Silver Streak, Metro Express: 484, 485, 487, 489, 490

It is a bit complicated. There are many reasons for these separate transportation resources, but the biggest and best reason is: Los Angeles is large and, largely, flat. Different counties, cities, and jurisdictions often have different bus lines and transportation interests. The land of freeways is fragmented, even when it comes to our public transportation.

Nat’l Park

Metro Rapid 704 – Bundy Drive

So, you ask me, how does it feel to be a national hero, to have your home transformed into a National Park and people worshipping the sidewalks you walk down?

Good, I say. It feels pretty darn good.

That’s right. My home, or at least the adjacent traffic triangle, has been declared an official Islands of LA Nat’l Park.

But, you might ask, what is an Islands of LA Nat’l Park?

Well, according to the art project, Islands of LA, little traffic islands have been declared National Parks as "a symbol of the treasure of everyday urbanism in our unique democracy". Their artistic antics are designed to, like most urban art, provide the inspiration for discussion and an examination of how we use the materials – or, in this case, public spaces – and encourage interaction. The Islands of LA designation was announced with the placement of commemorative signs, such as the one gracing my park, at 200 different traffic islands across LA.

Alongside their Islands of LA project, they have also participated in Newtown’s Hugely Tiny Festival with a little traffic island float, placed signs encouraging art and passed out mini-postcards of Traffic Island.

The oddities surrounding my little park (fenced in to keep out you pesky humans!) have been the subject of other public art stunts in the past, including Heavy Trash’s Stair to Park project.

I’m just glad to finally get the recognition I so clearly deserve.

Next stop, commemorative coins.

The price of being a Trojan in Bruin Territory

Rapid 761 - Westwood/Lindbrook

'Twas the night Bruin beat Trojan, and all through Westwood
Massive parties were brewing, tonight's bash would be good.

Pennants and flags hung from balconies with care
from beach to Coliseum, to our teams we swear.

So the parties commenced, students drinking 'till two
And then heading home, with more liquor to consume.

And I'm sure that the ten was a colorful sight;
Overfilled cars pulled over by black-and-whites.

On the eve of AIDs Day, with the Philippines stuck,
Our educated in LA were busy running amuck.

(Look on the bright side, one of my friends stated:
Their cheers were clever, and condom related.)

Dia de los Muertos

Red Line - Union Station

Welcome.

It's the day of the dead.

There will be music and light. Dancing and food. Confetti and cheap souvenirs.

I'm like most Los Angelinos. There are certain areas of the city which I grew up visiting before I was old enough to appreciate them. Certain places where the annual field trips became so routine in elementary school that it no longer seemed an adventure to travel there.

Olvera Street is one of those places.

So I went back to re-discover it on the day of re-discovery and remembrance.

The outside courtyards were more beautiful than I remembered.

(This was probably at least partially due to the contribution of an abnormally warm and clear November day.)

And the streets were more of an adventure.

Between the pueblo and the bricks the temperature dropped about ten degrees. If you ignore the touristas stumbling through their Spanish, you could pick up on the Spanish in the air - store talk and singing, complaints and directions.

Trees and grapevines shade the street. One row of stalls smells of leather. One row smells of jalapenos. Everywhere are hand-written signs advertising: Mexican Jumping Beans, Candy Skulls, Piggy Banks, Leather Purses.

Plus there was a donkey and plenty of colorful sombreros. It's like Tijuana, but cleaner, with no traffic or chickens in the road.

Behind the shopping and haggling, the colors and crepe paper, the history of this area, the history of L.A., waits for you to notice.

This is still an educational field trip in disguise.

The original bell from the Los Angeles Mission.

A shrine honoring the life of Christine Sterling, the founder of Olvera Street.

Listen. Her bones are dancing down the street.