I am planning a quick 4 day weekend in LA in April. I have reservations at the Valadon Hotel in West Hollywood. I primarily picked this hotel in order to be able to walk to the nightlife on Santa Monica Blvd. (The Abbey, Here etc.) and not have to worry about driving back after a few drinks. My question is if I plan on spending a relaxing weekend, checking out Hollywood, downtown pasadena and beverly hills would I be able to do this using bus/metro? I'm willing to rent a car if I need to but would rather not. Keep in mind I have lived in NYC and London and don't mind a healthy walk and buses/subway. Is this possible or would it make for a long and frustrating weekend?

One of the thinnest books ever written was "LA without a car". It's probably "possible" to get from W Hollywood to Pasadena by bus although I doubt it's the most practical use of your time. Personally, I'd rent car so you won't be frustrated.

Many moons ago three of us drove cross country because one of us was moving to San Fran. Afterwards, two of us then travelled all through CA w/o a car. LA was impossible w/o a car. Although we did get to some places, we spent most of our time and countless buses to get anywhere without a car. It is about the worst place to been without a car. You may be used to walking, but it's not like walking in NY, chicago, etc. It's miles and miles, and highways and highways (where you cant walk). Unless there's a major change in transportation there, it's not a walking town.

Very easy to do. Buy a day pass, it's $3.00 and good for any MTA bus/subway ALL DAY till 4 a.m. the next day (available on any bus as you enter you must have $3 exact). On Santa Monica the main bus route is the 4/304 east(304 being the express, same route, less stops). Takes you to the subway station where you can head North to Hollywood/Highland (graumman's chinese, walk of fame etc, Pantages theater in case you want to see Wicked, Kodak theater). The redline to Union Station goes downtown (Olvera St. chinatown etc). Union Station connects to the gold line that takes you to Pasadena. If you take SM blvd bus to Fairfax you can catch the 217/780 (south) (before the subway station) to The Grove/Farmers Mkt/LACMA/peterson museum. If you catch the 217 going North, it will also take you to Hollywood/Highland and there is a redline subway stop there. Take the SM bus going West and you end up in Beverly hills, it goes all the way to the beach in Santa Monica. If you're on Wilshire blvd, the 720 is the fastest bus going from east, downtown, to west the beach. Remember your pass will allow you to ride them all. Go to mta.net for more info and take a look at the subway map and routes for 304 and 720, very easy to maneuver, especially if you're used to using bus/rail systems.

While technically LA does have public transit - it's not really within the meaning of the act.

In NYC there is a vast network of buses and subways that run 24/7 - and during rush hours the trains run as close together as they will fit (3//4 minutes) and buses arrive every 4 or 5 minutes. The system carries more than 200 million riders a month.

LA is nothing like this - waits are often excrutiatingly long - and there are many places you sinply can;t get to. Really - renting a car is the only way to avoid wasting vast amounts of time.

It is now possible to get to Pasadena and many points between by light rail line or Metro Rapid service. As travis suggests, check the schedules on mta.net and see if it works out for you. One thing to be aware of is that weekend service is not as frequent.

Those who haven't used the transit system in a while need a refresher course.