Train from Galesburg to Los Angeles questions
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Oh I don't care to do Hollywood both times. I would guess after the cruise.
If we go to San Pedro right on Saturday I don't know what we would do there all day.
As far as some of the LA attractions, we have done the Disney type of things there so that isn't something we want to do. I know there are probably things I am not thinking of.
If we go to San Pedro right on Saturday I don't know what we would do there all day.
As far as some of the LA attractions, we have done the Disney type of things there so that isn't something we want to do. I know there are probably things I am not thinking of.
There isn't that much to do in San Pedro, since you are getting in at 8:15 in the morning. If you take the Amtrak Thruway, it doesn't leave until 2:50 pm anyway.
However, I'm not sure if there is enough interesting in downtown Hollywood to keep you entertained going and coming. It would be easy to fill the day at Hollywood on your arrival day by taking the Red Line over there and back, and using the Amtrak Thruway bus to get to San Pedro later in the day. Heck, actually go see a movie at the Chinese or the El Capitan. That half day or so would pretty much exhaust the charms of downtown Hollywood (unless you find panhandlers charming). It would be a reasonable place to base for other tours, though.
Los Angeles is truly huge and diverse, with beaches, mountains, hiking, great museums (the Getty, for instance) and tons of other stuff. It isn't a one-trick pony like Orlando and theme partks. Get a tour book, or even just look up Los Angeles at TripAdvisor. Figure out what you want to do. For instance, if you wanted to do a studio tour, you can get one at Warners without the theme park hype at Universal. With that said, at least the tour at Universal is through a working studio, which Universal Florida emphatically is not. But neither of them is in Hollywood.
And with your party being split up, having to coordinate between the train station, the port, and the airport, rent a car. At least the leg of your trip when you actually intend to do stuff in Southern Cal. Seriously. You are making your life a whole lot more complicated by doing without one. It wouldn't be bad if it was just you, the train station, the port and whatever it is you wanted to do, but throw your daughter and the airport into the mix, and you are just making things hard without a car.
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So very true, and just about anything else one could think of.
Other than parking a rental car that is costing $ for a week in San Pedro while one is on a cruise, I would agree.
Yeah, but they can probably do a one-way rental from Enterprise from either LAX or a downtown location ("We'll pick you up!" quoth Enterprise) near LAUS, and return the car in San Pedro where there is an Enterprise location. Or the other way around, rent in San Pedro and return to LAX or downtown if the sightseeing was on the return.
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Yes, it takes about less than a half day to explore famous Hollywood. LA is a huge place for you to explore. Despite I've been living in CA for 20 years (since birth), I still haven't explore them all. What about Venice Beach? I've heard it's a good place to explore, esp. on the pier over Pacific Ocean (no, it doesn't reach Eric's house in Hawaii).
Have you driven the expressways in and around Chicago? If you have, LA is not a lot different in driving style from Chicago. If you can drive in Chicago, you can certainly drive in LA.
There is stuff to do, the Chinese Theater forecourt (the famous cement signatures), Hollywood Wax Museum, whatever they have at the Kodak Theater (current home of the Oscars). Actually see a movie at one of the movie palaces (Chinese and the El Capitan across the street). Watch the "superhero" characters who hang out in the area (and charge for pictures) and mooch off tourists (it ain't Disneyland). Look at the "Walk of Fame" stars. But not enough for 2 days worth. A half day. Throw in seeing a movie and maybe a day. Oh, and a cemetary that is supposed to be pretty cool (has silent film stars in it, and was purportedly the inspiration for "Six Feet Under"). Maybe you can catch a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. A long but not impossible walk, and there are buses that run up Highland.
Downtown Hollywood is not where the entertainment industry is based, nor are most of the studios there (Paramount is, and there is another physical studio that leases out to various production companies--"Hollywood Center" studios, I think it used to be called. Neither is open to the public). Hollywood today is basically a relatively a low rent district for the hungry and aspiring. I don't think it is worth 2 days. But you can pick up various tours there easily, and there is often is someone handing out free tickets to television tapings (but how would you get to the studio where they're shooting at without a car?) so it isn't an unreasonable place to stay.
I repeat, what kinds of things do you want to do? Studio tours, see the "stars" homes, watch a tv taping, go to the beach, try to spot stars (hint, they aren't hanging around Hollywood and Highland unless they are handing out the Oscars), shop? LA is huge and spread out. If you don't have a car, you are going to want to be sure to be in an area that has what you want. If you want to do studio tours, it isn't a bad place to be -- you can take the Red Line straight to Universal, and you can catch a Metro bus to get to Warners in Burbank on Barham Blvd. Those two are just over Cahuenga Pass from Hollywood, only about 5 or 6 miles away.
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Well we finally found a hotel called the Sunrise Hotel in San Pedro. It is across from the harbor and has complimentary shuttle to the cruise line. I think it will be around $17 each for my daughter and friend (Supershuttle from LAX). Now we have to figure out what to do between eight in the morning and arriving in San Pedro around noon. Any ideas? Anything fairly close to the Union Station. So what is the best way for us to get to San Pedro from Union Station? I know I kind of asked that before but we are narrowing it down.
Next is figuring out the attractions for the day we come in from the cruise. Hotel for that night also.
Next is figuring out the attractions for the day we come in from the cruise. Hotel for that night also.
Youll want to walk around the first sight of Los Angeles which is a cross the street, has craft markets and food joints,China town is also next to this and a couple of blocks away from the station is Phillipes, home of fantastic breakfasts and inventor of the French Dip sandwich which is delicious!People come from far and near to eat here, its like a deli mixed with a diner, you line up @ the counter and order, they whip out the chow and you eat and enjoy! Also Union Station itself is beautiful and youll enjoy looking around the station, dont let some of the people that hang out there freak you out, its very busy and very safe! The fast food joints arent that great here, expensive for what you get too! You can check your luggage with the guy (one is friendly/one isnt!)
@ the Checked luggag room for $3! Enjoy the area, lots of movies/tv shows etc. made here!
There's a nice magic shop there.
There are the La Brea Tar Pits that aren't far from Hollywood. There's the LA County museum of Art next door to that. Across the street and down a block is the Petersen's Auto Museum. Both Getty Museums are cool but you need reservations to go to the one in Malibu. Both are free although parking is somewhere around $8 or so.
If you like baseball and the Dodgers are in town, the stadium is only a couple miles from Union Station. We caught a bus a few blocks away in Chinatown and were only on it about 5 minutes. Nosebleed seats were $12 or so I think.
Dan--who lives about 100 miles from LA but goes in on the train a couple times a year.
Cheapest with luggage is probably still the Amtrak Thruway bus, but again the first one does not leave until 2:50 pm. OTher than that, SuperShuttle (probably more a lot more expensive than the regular airport version), a cab (I don't know, but well north of $60 certainly). Or you could take the Flyaway bus from LAUS right to LAX for $7 each, meet your daughter there, and take the SuperShuttle with them to San Pedro. Which would probably STILL be cheaper than a cab or SuperShuttle from LAUS itself to San Pedro.
Other than that for hanging around Union Station, breakfast at Philippes, 2 blocks north. Lunch at Philippes (double dipped French Dip with Bleu Cheese. Yum). Check out Olvera Street (original settlement of the town of El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula -- The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the (River) Porciuncula. Otherwise known as "LA"), which is literally right across the street (Alameda) from Union Station. Get Mexican tschokes there. Walk up to Chinatown. Just sit in the big, comfy, formerly leather now naugahdye, chairs in Union Station's waiting room and admire at the ornamental ceiling and huge chandeliers. LA Union Station is a beautiful piece of architecture that has somehow avoided been torn down or massively screwed up. Enjoy the gardens in the North and South Patios off the waiting room.
Have you checked out the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza or Doubletree in San Pedro, both of which seem to be a big favorites on the cruisecritics west coast departure board -- which you are posting on.
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Rumpled - It would take us four hours to get to San Pedro? Yes we did check the hotels you mentioned. Seemed kind of pricy when we have to pay for one and a half rooms. What is LAUS?
What is Chinatown like in LA? We have been to the one in NYC.
Youll want to walk around the first sight of Los Angeles which is a cross the street - Walk around the first sight of LA? Huh?
What is Chinatown like in LA? We have been to the one in NYC.
Youll want to walk around the first sight of Los Angeles which is a cross the street - Walk around the first sight of LA? Huh?
Yes, the traffic is as advertised in LA, sometimes unbelievable especially from the airport!LAUS is Union Station, China town is sort of a China town, there are Chinese businesses and resturants etc. and Chinese signs with real Chinese-Americans walking around! Its definitely not San Francisco or Vancouver or even NYC! The first sight of LA is a Mexican village (Olivera Street is in front of the Station and to the right)with craft markets, resturants and sopposedly the first house in LA that you can tour for free! Still wonder why you want to stay in San Pedro, pricey hotels and not much goes on there?
You should consider staying downtown for sure, some pretty good deals there if you research!
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We are just staying in San Pedro so we can be close to the cruise terminal the next morning. That is JUST before the cruise.
Now after the cruise, we are open on places to stay.
I was wondering about that Mexican village. Would anything be open early in the morning? Of course we are headed to Mexico on the cruise so maybe I shouldn't go there. LOL
How often does the Flyway leave?
Now after the cruise, we are open on places to stay.
I was wondering about that Mexican village. Would anything be open early in the morning? Of course we are headed to Mexico on the cruise so maybe I shouldn't go there. LOL
How often does the Flyway leave?
It is scheduled to leave every 30 minutes. Sometimes runs late, what with traffic.
Early in morning there will a few restaurants and some stands open. If I were you, I'd go up to Philippes for breakfast, then come back through Olvera Street. When you're done with breakfast, things should be opening at Olvera Street. All this stuff is pretty close together right by Union Station.
LAUS is the commonly used acronym for Los Angeles Union Station. Another one you will see here is LAUPT, its old official acronym (Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal).
I think the other poster meant "site", not "sight". Olvera Street and Plaza is the site of original, founding settlement of LA.
The FlyAway bus leaves every 1/2 hour from the transit plaza at the rear of Union Station (other end of the boarding tunnel from the station proper).
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At the airport, there isn't a central location for the shuttles. LAX is arranged with mulitple terminals around a big, one-way horseshoe drive ("World Way"). The Flyaway bus makes a loop, stopping at each of the terminals. Delta is in Terminal 5, the second terminal after rounding the "base" of the horseshoe, the Tom Bradley International Terminal between Terminals 3 & 4.
Attached is a link to an LAX terminal map, which should make things clearer.
http://www.iflylax.com/lax_map0.html
BTW - it drops off on the upper ("Departures") level and picks up on the lower ("Arrivals") level. So if for some reason you take it back to Union Station, you won't catch it the same place it dropped you off. Also, you'll probably want to go downstairs to Baggage Claim to meet your daughter.
Here is a link with info on FlyAway buses
http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=292
How long it takes depends on traffic. 30 -50 minutes depending on the time of day (and day of the week). It uses carpool lanes once it clears downtown.
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The Blue Line subway runs from downtown LA to Long Beach; it does not run to San Pedro, though Long Beach and San Pedro are adjacent. There is probably a Metro or Long Beach Transit bus running between Long Beach and San Pedro, though you would do better to take either the Thruway or a Metro bus from Union Station to San Pedro.
Just reading this thread. Sorry if I am repeating info which has already been posted.
Last year I rode the SWC into and out of L.A. for cruises.
Since I am not used to riding on public transportation and it seemed like a nightmare for me to figure out:
I found the most easy transportation to get me where I wanted to go was Primetime shuttle, there is also the Supershuttle.
If you call them they can give you quotes on your pickup and dropoff points and you can make reservations.
First two cruises, I arrived at Union Station at 8:15am, Primetime picked me up and took me to our hotel by LAX. I think it was about $32 for myself. For our cruise the next morning we took Primetime to the Pier, I believe it was $64 for the 4 of us. We were picked up at 11:00am and arrived at the terminal early, it might take an hour but I'm not sure if it's that long of a drive. We stayed at the Embassy Suites LAX south, it's a lovely hotel with an indoor pool. Evening reception with snacks and a complimentary good breakfast. My favorite but nothing else to do around there.
In December, my son and I took the Flyaway bus from Union Station to LAX. The cost was $7 per person. We got off by the airlines my parents were flying in on. Of course we had to wait for them and not much you have access to at the airport since you don't have a ticket.
All of us then took Primetime shuttle to our hotel in San Pedro, took the hotels free shuttle to the cruise the next morning.
In San Pedro, we stayed at the Vagabond Inn, not much around there, we just lounged and watched movies. Kind of boring. If you go to the CruiseCritic message boards, there is a bunch of info on there. A bunch of people use Priceline for staying a the Crowne Plaza, seems there is more to do around there?
Coming back from the cruises:
I took Primetime shuttle directly to Union Station from the cruise port, I believe it was $64 for me alone. I have been dropped of as early as 10am. It's a long day waiting for the train at 6:45pm. After visiting Mexico, Olvera street is a repeat of Mexican goods and food but it is something to do. I just drop my luggage at parcel check for the day. I have never ventured further than Olvera Steet. I just read a book, buy a magazine or people watch. I do buy bottled water for the train ride.
In June, after our cruise, we did Disneyland. Once again, had Primetime pick us up at port and take us to our Disneyland hotel. When we were through with that, I took a cab to the Anahiem Station ($10) and boarded the Pacific Surfliner to L.A Union Station, I think that ticket was fairly cheap.
On the train: At Albuquerque, if you have an hour there, this is what I do. I try and make sure I won't be in the dining car at Albuquerque. I get off and find an iced coffee! I found a place in the city's bus station which is about a block to the right of the train station. You walk to the front of station and to the street, turn right, walk past a set of street lights and the building is on your right. There is an espresso place in there, coffee was good. She had some food items.
It's a good short walk to stretch your legs but not to far so you won't miss the train. But I do just go and pick up the coffee and head back to the train. I am paranoid about it leaving me.
I love eating breakfast in the dining car on our way in to L.A. It's early, 5am to 6am but it's great. I know I'm on vacation when I start seeing palm trees!
I get up at 4am to get a shower in before breakfast, last train trip that night, I grabbed a couple of bath towels in the shower for the next morning. Glad I did, there weren't any left.
Hope this helps. Have a great time
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