Cjar

Emcash - It was a good thought to go with cabs, but honestly any other route the cabbie knows is also known by 8 thousand other L.A.ites trying to avoid traffic too. : )

suze

Los Angeles is one of the few places I absolutely 100% would definitely want a rental car. It's a city founded around car transportation. I was born & raised there.

If your friends only took taxis, they must not have gone much of anywhere or be rich. It would cost a fortunate to go from central downtown, to Fairfax, to Melrose, to Beverly Hills, to Hollywood, out to Santa Monica, Venice, Mar Vista, etc.

emcash

Thanks everyone ! renting the car- I do appreciate all the advice- it was very helpful!!

travelgourmet

They have made some efforts in recent years like the metro , but its range and accessibility is nowhere near what public transport is in other cities.

The problem in LA is the distances involved less than the transit network. Given the incredibly low levels of density, and somewhat distributed nature of development, LA is unlikely to have any sort of practical public transit system for visitors anytime in the near future.

But, FWIW, more people ride public transit on LA's system than ride the MBTA (Boston's system). Yes, sheer population drives it a lot, but interesting nonetheless.