Michelle

I will be vacationing in San Diego in March and have tix to see the Lakers on a Friday night. I will have a rental car but have heard about the issues of driving in LA. We are thinking about taking the Amtrak or Greyhound into LA but we are concerned about the safety of the stations at 11pm when it is time to return back to San Diego. Also, how far is it from these stations to the Staples Center?

michelle

I wouldn't chance it! Drive yourself and allow plenty of time...anything can happen! All it would take is a late train to throw you off schedule.

Russ

The Amtrak station (Union Station) is slightly to the northeast of downtown LA and Staples is just south of it. It is too far to walk, but should be a relatively cheap cab ride, which is what I would suggest.

There is also the option of taking the Metro, you can pick up the red line (which takes you to Union Station) at 7th and Figueroa, which is 4 long city blocks north of Staples.

I've been at Union Station late at night and it is very safe. Not sure about the Metro station, however. The LA Metro is very new and very nice... I'm sure it is plenty safe as there might be others from the game walking to the station with you, but I just can't tell you with any authority.

Driving from SD to LA on a Friday night... out of the question. It will take you forever. Amtrak is a nice option if the timetable works out for you. Good luck, enjoy the game!

Russ

Oops.. it seems Michelle's and my posts were done simultaneously and after reading her advice, I thought I better clarify mine a bit.

I do not mean to infer that driving is NOT an option, of course it is an option. It will just take you a lot of time to make the trip because of the typical Friday rush hour, combined with the traffic of SD'ers leaving for weekend entertainment in LA, and Angelinos leaving for weekend entertainment in SD.

Without traffic, I would estimate the drive to take about two hours to get from SD to Staples. With traffic, the travel time might be doubled. It is not a "nasty" type commute.. it is an easy route, a straight shot. The problem is that you will be having a lot of company on the road with you, luck notwithstanding! Cheers! Russ

Go anybody but

Why go to all the bother. The Lakers are absolutely pitiful this season. Couldn't happen to a "Classier" group of fat out of shape thugs (Shaq) and pretty boys (Rick Fox) They lost again tonight and will have a hard time even making the playoffs. Do you really want to drive 2.5 hours each way, spend $25 to park, spend $8 for a beer and still see them underachieve??????

Renee

Fair-weather fans aside, Laker games are a lot of fun. Enjoy. If you drive, consider coming to LA around 2 or 3 pm. You could spend sometime downtown before the game (Olvera Street, Grand Central Market, museums etc). Parking is only 25 bucks if you need to leave your car practically on top of Staples. The area is very safe at night. It is easy to fine parking lots for 10 bucks a couple blocks away.

Renea

LA is NOT known for its public transportation. I recommend driving. It's really not that bad. Actually, the freeway can be kind of fun if you avoid high-traffic times. My parents live in San Diego and I live in LA, so I make the trek all the time. It'll take a little under 2 hours door to door during non-traffic hours. Avoid the freeways from 7:30-9:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm. I recommend you just plan a day in LA. There's so much to do here. Regarding safety,I work in an office building one block from Staples and the area is very safe. Especially when there is a game going on because there are so many people and police officers running around. As a female I have never had a problem.

merrymice

What ever you do.. do not take Greyhound. The terminal is in a very unpleasent area of town and should only be used if you have prearranged for someone to pick you up. With that said the public transport in LA is getting better, but moving around at night can be difficult (if not dangerous)if you do not know the downtown area. The metro should be safe with all the people from the game around. I work one block from staples center. I think it would be fun to take an early Amtrak and have lunch/dinner at Olvera Street, walk to Little Tokyo, see the downtown sights and watch a game. If the game ends at 11pm you might see if you can get a hotel downtown for night. This seems alittle late to be heading back to San Diego. Do not do too much walking around downtown at night! Stay with the crowds and you should be fine. Have a good trip. If you do drive, park a couple of blocks from staples, it will save you alot of money.

Renea

LA is NOT known for its public transportation. I recommend driving. It's really not that bad. Actually, the freeway can be kind of fun if you avoid high-traffic times. My parents live in San Diego and I live in LA, so I make the trek all the time. It'll take a little under 2 hours door to door during non-traffic hours. Avoid the freeways from 7:30-9:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm. I recommend you just plan a day in LA. There's so much to do here. Regarding safety,I work in an office building one block from Staples and the area is very safe. Especially when there is a game going on because there are so many people and police officers running around. As a female I have never had a problem.

LA

NBA games do not last til 11PM - the lakers have a 7:30 game time on weekdays and 6PM on Sundays. Assuming you are going on a week night - you will be out of Staples before 10PM - I would head south - you'd be back in SD by midnight since Staples is right off the freeway.