LA downtown at night, FlyBus to LAX, etc.
 

Hi, I'm thinking about attending a LA Phil concert and then heading to Union Station to take the bus for LAX.

There are a few things that concern me.

(1) I'll need to walk from the concert hall to Union Station. How safe is downtown at that hour? It looks like I'll be cutting through Little Tokyo, where I have been in the past, so it seems that I should be ok, but I'm not sure if there are blocks I should avoid.

(2) Has anyone used the FlyBus (think that's what it's called) before? The webpage says it takes 30-50 minutes. Would it take closer to 30 minutes at that time?

Thanks!

Generally the area south of the freeway is safer, so if you are going to walk, stay on a street like Temple Street and then cross over the freeway on Los Angeles Street, which should place you right at Union Station.

The other alternative is to take the metro system, the Civic Center stop is close by Disney Hall and you go one stop to Union Station on either the red or purple line. Here are their schedules:

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bu...images/802.pdf

Los Angeles is a car city, unlike New York which is a public transportation city. You'll find most of the streets in LA pretty deserted at that time of night.

I'd suggest an alternative and this is to take a taxi. If too many people are waiting for a taxi outside Disney Hall, then walk a couple of blocks south on Olive Street to the Omni Hotel and try for a taxi there.

Good luck and enjoy your concert!

go metro! The Flyaway bus takes about 30 min, but you may have a wait. If you arrive at the terminal at 10:35pm and the 10;30 has just departed, you'll be waiting until 11pm for the next one, plus the 30 min on the bus.

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I should just take a cab to the airport if I go with this. I haven't bought the ticket yet. The problem with the Metro for LAX is that I have a tight schedule and it requires a switch of lines as well as a shuttle, so it seems that it will take too much time. LA is just not very public transportation friendly.

The Metro is not a good choice between downtown and LAX, especially at night. Even waiting for the Flyaway, it will be faster and safer. You could also take a cab to Union Station if you don't feel comfortable walking.

Thanks, I've abandoned this. For one thing, the concert ticket would have been over $100, and I didn't feel inclined to go, as my main objective is to visit the concert hall.

So I'll now try for a daytime concert.

Hi, 111op, that's a wise decision.

I'd suggest that you think of spending at least a weekend in LA. Driving on the weekends is not that bad and then you can also go and see other things such as the Getty Museum or the Norton Simon Museum. Or attend something else at the Ahmanson.

Downtown LA just isn't that great for tourists.

Thanks. I've been to Pasadena and Norton Simon.

LA just seems impossible without a car! I'd like to go to the Getty eventually.

I had to make this trip for a reason, and I guess my objective is just to get it done. I've been traveling a lot lately, so I'm thinking it's actually best to fly in and out quickly.