cferrb

Do you got to events at the Rose Bowl, and if so, how do you get there? How close does the Metro get to the stadium and how efficient are the shuttles at getting you to and from the Metro or downtown (Old Town) Pasadena? Have you used the Metro otherwise in Los Angeles and what is your impression of it. (New Yorkers, please don't laugh. I know your system is waaaay superior.)

rkkwan

I ride the Metro all the time - buses and subway.

Issue #1 with the trains: lack of frequency. Some lines can be every 20 minutes off-peak, and you know it is not a lot of fun when you get to a station and just miss a train. Print out the schedule!

Issue #2: no free (or even paid) transfer between rides. Especially between Purple and Red line trains, but that's the official policy.

Issue #3: the red-line subway has really depressing interior lighting.

Renegade

Went to Metro's site at: http://www.metro.net/index.asp

Their trip planner says:

You are traveling on Thursday and Leaving at 10:00AM . Fare class: Regular. Max walk: 1/3 Mile. Mode: ANY.

Tip: Click on a location to view on the map.



Starting at SHERATON - LAX

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ride Flyaway Union Station (UNION STATION) heading east
From: WORLD WY S/TERMINAL 8 Lv: 10:02AM
To: PATSAOURAS PLAZA/BUS BAY 9 Ar: 10:50AM
Pay $7.00, (EZ Pass accepted)
Ride Metro Rail Gold Line ( PASADENA - SIERRA MADRE VILLA STA) heading north
From: UNION STATION Lv: 11:01AM
To: MEMORIAL PARK STATION Ar: 11:22AM
Pay $1.25 + $0.30 for Transfer., Monthly Pass: $62.00, (EZ Pass accepted)
Ride Pasadena Arts 51( LINDA VISTA AVE - ART CENTER) heading north
From: RAYMOND AV/HOLLY ST(NE corner) Lv: 12:11PM
To: SECO ST/ARROYO BLVD(NW corner) Ar: 12:19PM
Use Transfer or Media , (EZ Pass accepted)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ending at ROSE BOWL
Total cash fare = $8.55
Trip time is about 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Trip distance is about 31.23 miles.
*Driving cost: is about $16.90 (based on AAA's formula at 54.1 cents/mile)

Thoughts anyone?

Renegade

Also, consider that this would eliminate one day's cost of car rental plus the $40? cost of parking.

Surfergirl

Cost very much depends on how many are going with you. If you are 3 or 4 going, it is generally more economical to drive and park at Parson's building, then take the free shuttle to and from the Rose Bowl. In our Prius from WLA(about 20 miles). $3.00 return trip, plus $6 or $8 to park. Divide that by 2, cost is $5.00 per person; 4 people: $2.50 per person.

Renegade, you forgot, once finished with the Rose Bowl, you need to get back FROM the Rose Bowl (as much fun as it might be to spend the night there!), so that would be $17.10 per person from LAX.

Next: Time issues. Trip time you say is 2 hours 17 minutes, one way. By car or shuttle bus, 45 minutes to an hour, one way (depending on traffic).

I love taking the Metro, but it is very expensive (IMO), is not frequent, their passes are ridiculous (they have one day passes for $5.00, but make it virtually impossible for a tourist to get one!). Not to mention most of the lines go absolutely nowhere. Not even very close to LA Live and Staples!

tennislvr1

another vote for renting a car...gives you alot more freedom to do other things. Park at Parsons like surfergirl said and enjoy some time in Old Town Pasadena which is around the corner.

Enjoy! You'll have a great time at the bowl. Bring WARM clothes because once the sun goes down its super cold.

rkkwan

The FlyAway bus departs Arrival Level Terminal 1 at 10:00a, and then it will make stops at each terminal. It is hard to tell what time it will actually depart airport, as it depends on traffic around the terminal, how many people getting on the bus, and how much luggage those people have. Also, you pay for the ticket at the ticket booth at Union Station after you arrive, and there's usually just one guy working there. So, make sure you sit as close to the front as possible, and be the first one to get off the bus and walk left towards the booth.

Otherwise, you could stand in line there for 15 minutes to pay for the bus trip.

And travel time depends on traffic. While the bus uses the carpool lane for most of its way, it still have to deal with traffic in downtown L.A., and often the driver will detour to avoid the traffic. Therefore, you cannot be sure what time you get to Union Station.

mlgb

You won't be parking at Parsons for $6. At least according to the website it's $28 or $30.

Game Day Shuttles

The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi Shuttle:

On January 1, free shuttle buses will be provided courtesy of Citi and are available at Parsons, at the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Holly Street, in Pasadena. The shuttle runs continuously from 10 a.m. until approximately two hours after the end of the game.

There is a $30 charge per car at Parsons on game day. Reserved parking at Parsons can also be purchased in advance by visiting Parsons’ web site at www.ParPark.com for a discounted price of $28 or by calling 626-440-2844. Overnight parking is also available for $56 and bus parking is available for $175.

Did I read where you were staying? You might call the hotel and ask if they are participating in a bus program.

I think I would take the Metro, myself. If you stay in Downtown LA you will have direct access to the Red/Gold Line without needing to use the Flyaway busses.

Jean

I second mlgb's suggestion of checking with the LAX Sheraton about a charter bus to the game. On another thread here, a Bama fan found that the LAX Hilton was offering bus transport for $40 per person. That's the way to go unless you are a group. If you are a group of, say, four, then you'll want to cost out the options to decide what makes sense.

We're USC fans, and we've attended many games at the Rose Bowl. For the last four games, we've driven to Union Station and taken the Gold Line to Memorial Park station. From there, we've either waited for the shuttle or walked to the stadium (about 2 miles, mostly downhill). The shuttle is efficiently run but overwhelmed, so the line is long but moves quickly. The line after the game seems worse, and we usually walk back.

Renegade

First, thank you to all of you helping here. Very much appreciated. I had previously emailed the Sheraton Gateway LAX about transportation, and this was their reply:

There is a company that provide transportation to the game bus pick you up at 1pm and they bring back to hotel after the game is over the cost is $65.00 per person round trip if you decided to book it I need credit card number and will be non refundable
Best regards
Albert concierge desk

Certainly I would want to leave in the morning, and not at 1 pm, and would not want to pay $130 for two of us. Already paying $95 each for the tailgate party.

At $89/night the Sheraton Gateway LAX is hard to beat. I will check the downtown hotels with shuttle though, for easy access to the metro.

Renegade

How about the Super Shuttle?

Total - From the Airport
First Guest $29.00
Additional Guests (over 3 years) $9.00
Total $38.00

Total - To the Airport
First Guest $29.00
Additional Guests (over 3 years) $9.00
Total $38.00
Grand Total: $76.00

Then using the free shuttle to the Sheraton?

mlgb

Downtown hotels don't offer free shuttles to the airport if that's what you are asking, but you can use the Flyaway to Union Station, then a taxi , DASH Bus or tranfer to the Red Line.

Jean

No, not the Red Line. If you go to Union Station on the Flyaway, look for the Gold Line metro station inside the train station. It's the Gold Line that goes to Pasadena.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/ma...rolink_map.pdf

(mlbg, the OP is staying at the Sheraton Gateway at LAX which does offer free shuttle service to/from the airport.)

Cali

I personally don't find the $65 per person for the bus to the game to be a bad price. It sure beats fighting the traffic and finding a parking place anywhere near the Rose Bowl. I do agree you might want to go earlier. Is this for the Rose Bowl game or the BCS game? I think the BCS starts much later than the Rose Bowl game, at least it did last time we went. The Rose Bowl game usually starts about 2 PM so the 1PM time sounds very late.

Jean

Kick-off for the BCS game is 5:30 p.m. Calif. time, 8:30 p.m. ET.

I'm not sure I'd want to get there much before noon, although there will be people who have spent the night before in RVs near the stadium. The organized/corporate tailgates will be at the "front" of the stadium (closest to Pasadena), and the individual tailgates will be spread over the 18-hole golf course behind the stadium. (The course also doubles as a parking lot.) If you're not attending a specific tailgate, you'll need to bring your own food. There will be porta-potties throughout both areas outside the stadium, and lines will be long.

Some advice: Go to the stadium entrance gates at least an hour before kick-off. Security and ticket-check take a lot of time, and getting through the tunnels to your seats is very slow. (We missed the entire 1st quarter of a USC/UCLA game one year.) Go to the restroom before you go to your seats. A mid-game pit-stop will take a lot of time. Take seat cushions. Unless you have ticket connections or paid a lot, you'll likely be sitting on aluminum benches. Food available inside the stadium is pretty good.

Renegade

Cali - bus to the game is not an option as we must be at tailgate party at 1 pm. It is for the BCS.

Jean - We are going to the Texas Exes tailgate party, which begins entry at 1pm and serving at 1:30 pm, so food is not an issue. I don't mind getting there earlier than noon if there's something to do, such as "old town." I'd prefer just to be set up and ready. Thank you for the advice about getting to the stadium entrance gates at least an hour before kick-off, restrooms and cushions. Also, thank you for the advice on the LAX Hilton. I'll check on it. Finally, thank you for the advice on the Gold Line. How is the walk back uphill? I'll check on options to Union Station.

Jean

You could stroll around Old Town Pasadena a bit before heading to the stadium. Colorado Boulevard is two blocks south of the Memorial Park station of the Gold Line. You'll find loads of shops and restaurants and a lively street scene. The Parsons Building parking lot where the shuttle departs is two blocks north of Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks Avenue and North Pasadena Avenue. For the last several years, the buses have loaded on North Pasadena Avenue, but the line has stretched toward Fair Oaks.

If you go to maps.google.com, search "Parsons Building Pasadena CA" or "100 West Walnut Street Pasadena CA." You'll find the metro station (blue icon) on Holly Street (east) and the Rose Bowl (northwest) of Parsons.

"How is the walk back uphill?" I may not be the right person to ask because I love to walk, but I'm 58 and I don't think it's difficult. (Wear walking shoes!) My experiences have been after USC/UCLA and Rose Bowl games, and there have been hundreds of people walking. The first several blocks are in a neighborhood of beautiful older homes including the Gamble House. On the google map, look for Rosemont Avenue from the Rose Bowl, then right on Orange Grove, left on Walnut.

http://www.gamblehouse.org/index.html

Cali

I would go early and wander around Old Town Pasadena and then go to the Parson's Bldg. and take the shuttle, if the line isn't too long (it was when we went to the BCS at the Rose Bowl). We walked to the game (from Old Town Area) and back and it wasn't bad. A lot of people were walking with us and it jusr didn't seem that bad walking with a group of people. Have a great time!!

cferrb

Based on my experience at the Rose Bowl in October, I might even be at the gates more than an hour ahead of time. We were in Section 27 (one of the end zones) and it took forever to get in there. Heed the advice about using the restroom before going in, and consider having a small container of hand sanitizer. The water runs out in the sinks near the port-a-potties.

Have fun at the game, and I hope you enjoy Pasadena.

dogoftroy

I am a native Southern Californian, and a USC graduate. I made a google map for those who want good information on getting to the Rose Bowl via Metro rail. I have also included great spots to view the Rose Parade from.

Happy New Year!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...7826aa0326793d