If you are going to compare our system to the ones in London and NYC, arguably the most extensive systems on the planet, of course it is going to come off poorly. It is still a very good system, and is only getting better. And to blame slow and late buses on the west side on the Metro system is silly. The cars aren’t moving either, and all buses have air conditioning, and it usually even works these days.
As for who is riding the bus, who cares? I don’t mind sitting next to a brown person. I am more annoyed by the often white homeless schizophrenic who hasn’t bathed or had a change of clothes in a month, and is rambling on and on at the top of his lungs about the second coming of Jesus.
Blame for congestion on the west side can be laid at the doorstep of city councilmen who never saw a development project they didn’t like.
Again, the subway to the sea and to a lesser extent the Expo line is the solution, and it will now be funded, thanks to measure R.
If I’m not mistaken Clifton’s was used for the location where Ray’s ex and her stepkids ate in last week’s episode–unless there’s also one in Detroit decorated the same way. I went there once and would recommend it for the experience. The food is basic and simple, but pretty good IIRC. Much better than you would believe if you saw that episode.
There used to be several more of them around town. NYC had the automats, and LA had Clifton’s.
And the NIMBY’s who never met a train they did like.
FWIW, remarkably considering the economic conditions of even last November, we did vote in another half-cent sales tax for transit projects. Even more amazing, a recent poll showed continuing solid support. So, yeah, it will get better, although probably not soon enough to help out the OP.
Regarding the transit system, the Blue LIne in particular runs through some of the most notoriously unsafe neighborhoods and communities, like Compton and the rest of South Central. I’m not going to recommend that you stroll around these areas after dark, but don’t be afraid to take the train that goes through there, which you could conceivably do if you wanted to go to Long Beach*. The rail lines are very well policed; I’ve ridden the Blue and Green Lines extensively at all hours and have never seen anything that made me feel unsafe. You may talk to locals who tell you not to go to Exposition Park (where the Natural History Museum is), or even Olvera Street because they think gangs and muggers are prowling anywhere within four miles of City Hall, but they’re just paranoid.
I suppose the best answer to this is to ask why anyone would want to go running around like that, all in one day, in any city. OK, we’ll assume we’re talking about a night game and leave the baseball out of the calculation. I could spend most of a day at the Getty, which would pretty much rule out the beach. Or I could spend the day at the beach, which, conversely, rules out the Getty. I’ve never been to New York but I’m sure I could spend many hours, if not days, at the Guggenheim and the Met. What would be the point of dropping in at the beach for, what, two hours and thirteen 1/2 minutes, when what you really want is just a lazy, open-ended day at the beach. Granted, being in Santa Monica or Venice, it would not be good planning on my part to insist on lunch at La Golondrina, fourteen miles inland downtown. But there are scores of restaurants in Santa Monica and Venice from which I could choose for any budget. Admittedly, I would not be able to easily go to “the” restaurant of the moment if I’m at the beach and the restaurant is downtown. But I could still find something good close to where I am.
Unless the OP’s a train nut, I wouldn’t recommend riding the trains just to do so; a train’s a train. But if s/he’s interested at all in seeing Hollywood, there are three Red Line stations in Hollywood, near Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Musso & Frank’s Grill, and the Roosevelt Hotel. You should not miss Musso & Frank’s if you like classic martini bars run by staff who look old enough to have refused to serve John Barrymore just one more drink. Some say the martini was invented here, although Northern Californians are apt to nominate Martinez as the forcing ground. Hollywood Boulevard is still rather kitschy mainly because of the cheap souvenirs proffered everywhere along its length, but otherwise it’s been cleaned up a lot. There’s a lot of movie related history there; perhaps mostly in the area bars and restaurants that were popular hangouts in the glory days, and mostly still very much worth your time and money.
The Norton Simon Museum is well worth riding to the end of the Gold Line for.
For tourist locations I spent a few early morning ours in Griffith Park and I went partly up Mt. Hollywood from the Observatory. This was a Monday so the observatory was closed. The cool weather while I was there was convenient.
The Getty’s collection of art wasn’t as impressive as most major museums I’ve been in but the building was absolutely spectacular. If all modernist architecture came out looking that nice there wouldn’t be the periodic threads here complaining about it (the Disney Center still looks like crap, though).
I went to Mann’s Chinese Theater because someone else was demanding that we go to it and while there we stopped for a movie just for the novelty of seeing the building and getting to watch a movie there.
I spent a bit of time shopping in Chinatown and Little Tokyo for things that are inconvenient to get where I am. Little Tokyo was a bit inconvenient to get to since it seems to be two blocks and all of the maps I had directing me to it showed it as two blocks over from that.
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles was not a convenient place for breakfast. I went there to eat before going up to Griffith Park and found out they didn’t open for over an hour. 8:30am is half way to lunch, not the time for breakfast. I did go back once I was finished at the park.
And LA does have the worst traffic problem of any large city I’ve been in. It’s the only time I’ve seen freeways packed to standstill on Sunday afternoon and that was considered “normal”.
On the grand food tour I ate at a fun Korean Barbecue place called Soot Bull Jeep, a French restaurant called Taix, a ramen place in Little Tokyo, and a Thai place I can’t recall the name of in Thaitown.
Is that anything like Uncle Darrow’s on the corner of Washington and Lincoln (also Marina Del Rey).
Uncle Darrow’s has AMAZING food.
There’s a Korean owned Japanese food and sushi place in La Brea calledSake House. It’s more of a bar/hangout place with different types of food. Great atmosphere and good food with a bunch of soju based drinks.
There’s also whale watching and trips to Catalina Island if you’re interested in stuff like that.
Half a block from the Yamaha shop, right? North side of Washington? I don’t remember if I ever ate there. Might’ve had an oyster po’ boy once.
No, Uncle Darrow’s is a Cajun/Creole place. Aunt Kizzy’s is more of a soul food place. The first time I went there I had fried chicken, mac’n’cheese, ham hocks and black-eyed peas, collard greens, and I think hushpuppies and cornbread were involved. Man, it was good! I ate so much I was in pain when I left. Only time that’s ever happened. There were leftovers, of course; but it was so tasty I got into the ‘one… more… bite…’ thing.
You know there’s Dinah’s off the 405 at Centinela. Good, but no comparison to Aunt Kizzy’s.
I’ve never seen Dinah’s but I always see that bright sign for Aunt Kizzy’s and it has been calling me for quite some time. One of these days I’ll have to try it out. Further down that street is Wacky Wok, which has some great Chinese food (not the mushy buffet style stuff you get at Panda Express).
Also thought about going to Killer Shrimp but I’m not sure I’m ready to try a “killer shrimp” just yet
I was thinking of saying this, too, before you went there, but I thought I might be shouted off the board because so many here were raving about the Getty.
I feel about the same (but isn’t the Disney post-modernist?) You know the history of what happened at first when the put the Disney up, don’t you?
Did your friend know beforehand that they show only the crappiest movies at the Chinese?
The food there is pretty over-rated. There are places near Griffith that open early and are much better.
Hah, Taix!
Sounds pretty good to me, considering how little time you had, and you were coming here with limited knowledge.
…What did you think of Taix? That place always makes me laugh, for some reason.
If someone liked neo-classical then they’d be in heaven (and at the very least I think it’s nice to look at). I got the impression that they had put their efforts into getting a few high profile pieces and the rest of the collection suffered as a result.
Hey, I saw District 9 there and liked it so they had to get at least one good movie.
I can honestly say it was the best French food I’ve ever had, but then I’ve had terrible luck with French restaurants in the past.
The place itself seemed like an artifact of better days that was holding on by its fingernails. On the other hand I went to dinner there at 8pm Sunday evening and they had trouble fitting us in so people must like it…
I did go back once I was finished at the park.
