Los Angeles travel

July 4, 2007 11:22 PM

How do I get from LAX to the Hollywood Bowl cheaply and quickly? Where should we stay?

We'll be flying to LAX this weekend and we need to get to the Hollywood Bowl. Taking a cab would be insanely expensive (I assume), I tried the Metro trip planner and come up with a two hour long route and we're not old enough to rent a car.

Also, we want to stay near the Hollywood Bowl cheaply and hopefully near fun stuff and the shuttle service to the Bowl (10801 Ventura Blvd or 6801 Hollywood Blvd). But we're not that picky. Cheap is important though.

posted by thehmmhmm to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

I'm not recommending this but you can cut the time and inconvenience down a bit by taking the fly away bus from LAX to Westwood. The bus will end up on Gayley and you'll then have to walk through the village to Le Conte and catch the 2. That'll get you to 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Doing this with luggage will not be fun.
posted by rdr at 11:55 PM on July 4, 2007

You can also take the flyaway bus (pdf, sorry) to Union Station. From there, you can get on the red line to Hollywood and Highland. Lots of fun things to do there, restaurants, bars, Kodak theater, Grauman's chinese theater, etc. You can walk to the bowl from there (I've done it, it's not bad) or I know there is a bus or shuttle that goes there as well.

No ideas on where to stay though. Have fun! :)
posted by mileena at 12:17 AM on July 5, 2007

When you land in LAX there are a bunch of shuttle companies like Super Shuttle or the Airporter that will take you anywhere you want to go. I don't know exactly how much it would be to the Bowl but probably around $30 each. Check the airport website for the names of the companies and see what kind of deal you can get. If you are going to a chain hotel they usually give you a better price. No law that you have to stay at that hotel ;)
posted by fshgrl at 12:35 AM on July 5, 2007

When are you coming in, and on what day?

If you're going to The Decemberists/LA Phil show on the 7th (you lucky dogs!), the Bowl shuttle can pick you up at Hollywood/Highland, which is a major intersection that you can access by taking the LAX-Union Station FlyAway bus, then take the Red Line subway from Union Station to the Hollywood/Highland stop. The Bowl shuttle is free, by the way, when you show your Red Line ticket! The trip planner says LAX-Hollywood/Highland should take between 60-90 minutes, not two hours, and it's $4.00 with the free shuttle.

As far as where to stay, there are actually quite a few hostels in the area you're heading to (that link is for hostel listings for all of LA; the Hollywood-located ones say so pretty prominently). It would be cheaper than almost anything else I can think of - a few on there even offer free airport pickups! - and most tout their proximity to a Red Line stop. Also, because you'd be on the Red Line, you'd be able to get downtown and check that stuff out too - and some hostels will even pick you up at the airport!

A warning, though: check the hostel's check-in policies first; they might only let you stay if you're an out-of-state, non-Californian college student or foreigner.
posted by mdonley at 1:07 AM on July 5, 2007

This hostel has a special rate ($13) through SuperShuttle, and will refund half of it if you stay 2-3 days. It's quite close to the Hollywood/Highland Bowl shuttle stop, as well as the red line metro train. You would also be within an easy walk to the amazing Amoeba Records. I have not stayed at this hostel, but you can't beat the location.
posted by Methylviolet at 1:49 AM on July 5, 2007

That is, I suggest you take SuperShuttle to the hostel, drop off your stuff, then walk to the Hwood/Hland shuttle stop.
posted by Methylviolet at 1:56 AM on July 5, 2007

Might be worth you checking out places to stay in Burbank which is only a few mins up the 101 and Barham from the bowl. Safari Inn on W.Olive is super, though not terribly cheap.
posted by humuhumu at 9:18 AM on July 5, 2007

Taking a cab would be insanely expensive

yes and no. a yellow cab would in deed run you close to 70 bucks but you might be able to rent a limo (aka a town car, not stretch) for around 50 plus tip (I'd suggest 10). they will pick you up right at the airport. split it by two and you have roughly the cost of a super shuttle, which will make a bazillion stops, probably reak and be just a plain pain in the hershey highway. (I took a super shuttle to silverlake once and they charged 30. it took two hours.)
posted by krautland at 11:28 AM on July 5, 2007

I also suggest the Orchid, which is directly behind Hollywood and Highland. The rooms have kitchens, which helps make a trip less spendy. It's value depends on how cheap you want to be and how many people you can share the suite with.

Keep in mind that you can take the Red Line to Hollywood and Highland from a lot of locations. But is does not run 24 hours, so keep that in mind if you plan to party late.
posted by Mozzie at 11:33 AM on July 5, 2007