OT: Public Transportation in LA? Questions for LA area folks.

[jerseycow6]

Okay, this is slightly OT, but also somewhat related to visiting AGPLA. I'm trying to figure out how in the world to get to AGPLA using public transportation.

Tomorrow, my dad is willing to let me travel into the city with him when he goes to work. Yes, I told him my plan to apply for a job there, and he responded positively to my logic. What better place for me to work than somewhere where I already know tons about the products? I just hope I get the gig...

Anyway, I never really needed to drive when I lived around Philly- Jersey, Philly, and NYC have great public transportation that works together a lot of the time- I could take buses from Philly to New York and just about anywhere in between if I wanted to. My college campus also had a lot of public transportation. But since I'm new here, I'm having difficulty navigating LA's public transportation websites, let alone figuring out how to connect from Downey's city line.

So, are any Southern California folks familiar with the public transportation in LA? (I'm also used to walking a lot in cities, so that's no problem)

Also, I have a few relatives who keep stressing how unsafe pretty much all of the LA and Long Beach areas are. Is it that much worse compared to Philly?

It may be a little naiive to think that if you just smile and are nice to people and know when to keep to yourself, people will be nice to you and/or leave you alone, but that's always been my experience. I mean, I've met my share of creepy people, and if they talk to me, I'm just nice and make sure to give them what used to be my character's name at work instead of my real name so nobody creepy can stalk me or something. I'm not stupid, and I know to watch out for myself. But, in general, people are usually nice. One man who lived on the street even offered to help me practice for my chess competitions by playing in the park outside Christ Church after work. I guess my question is, if I'm nice or just mind my own business, can things really be as bad as my one relative worries?

Also, I've been told things not to wear in the city: red/navy blue bandannas, bandannas in general, miscellaneous sports teams... these shouldn't be problems since I plan on being dressed fairly professionally. (this still bugs me since in my area, you're just considered a weird farm kid if you're wearing a bandanna, or a coal cracker like my old family members, who still refer to a bandanna as a "babushka" and I'm ****ed that I can't safely wear what I want to as long as I'm not hurting anybody) Anyway, is there anything else I should probably know about this place that I might not be aware of?

Sorry for the long post... I guess I have lots of questions.

[GreyMyst]

Do you have AIM or something?

I moved her to LA about 5 years ago and went through the culture shock you are feeling. I live in almost the same area, so I know I can help some. It'd just be alot easier and more private in AIM or something. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Explaining some of those involve adult issues too, so I don't think it's good to do it here.

If you don't have an IM programs I can just PM you but AIM, Yahoo, MSN or something is easier for me, LOL. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have all of them, so just PM me with your name. I'll be one for liek the next 4 hours because I'm fixing some computers and I have to babysit them.

[jerseycow6]

Good point. My sn is ILUVPSU06.

[thepidget]

I've been familiar with the LA area my entire life, and some things about it are good, and some are bad (just like it would be in any other large city). When I used to travel outside of California (this was after the Los Angeles riots), I would tell people I was from LA, and they would just give me these shocked and pitiful looks, like they couldn't believe I lived in such a "dangerous" city.

I grew up in Koreatown, which is sort of mid-LA, and although it isn't the safest area ever, I used to walk alone there as a child and never had any problems. There are also other areas of LA which could be considered "scary," like downtown LA and South Central, but I've been to those areas several times before and also never had any problems. My mom takes the subway and bus in downtown LA everyday to get to work, and she says she never feels afraid. Sometimes I feel as though people can overreact to or exaggerate what they see in the news. But of course, if you don't feel safe in a certain area, don't go there at all or bring a friend or family member to go with you. Also, it depends on what you're used to seeing. If you've lived in a small town all your life, LA might be a big shock to you. But if you're already from a big city, then you might adjust more easily.

As for public transportation...well, the Metro buses are pretty bad at keeping on schedule (unless you're riding along Wilshire Boulevard). And of course you might run into some creepy people on the bus, but most of the time, the folks on it are just regular people like you and me. I've ridden the LA buses for MANY years (both the Metro and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus) and it's NOT really creepy people who are a big problem--rather, it's horrible LA traffic and overcrowded seats. The Metro buses can also be pretty dirty, while the Big Blue Buses are much cleaner and more comfortable. And if you can help it, don't ride during rush hour (meaning mid-mornings and late afternoons).

If you're going to be by yourself, I would say the "safest" places to visit would be areas in West LA, like Santa Monica and Westwood. These are also among the more affluent parts of LA.

As an LA native, I would tell you that the best thing you can do here is just use plain common sense. Don't walk alone at night, and walk with a friend if you're in a place you don't feel safe. Don't carry expensive things out in the open (cameras, etc.) just in case. Do mind your own business and be polite. Carry a cell phone with you in case something happens. I love LA and I want you to know that we do have a lot of friendly, good people here. All of my closest friends were either born here or moved here while they were very young, and they are terrific people. BTW, the Grove shopping area feels extremely safe--I've been there numerous times, even before AGPLA opened, so I don't think you'll have anything to worry about while you're there.

Sorry this was so long. [img]frown.gif[/img] PM me if you have any more questions!

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ May 24, 2006 05:52 PM: Message edited by: thepidget ]</font>