Rotary International and Los Angeles Area Transportation

Los Angeles, the capital of the automobile and freeway is also rapidly becoming the capital of really good mass rapid transportation. Rotarians coming to the 2008 Convention will have a chance to sample the joys of moving faster than a speeding car on one of several systems, all of them inexpensive. Here are some examples:

For starters, there is the LA FlyAway connecting all eight of Los Angeles International
Airport terminals directly to Los Angeles Union Station, which is a very short taxi ride to all of the official hotels in the downtown Los Angeles area. The 24 hour a day every half hour departures make this US $3.00 one way trip a delightful way to enter Los Angeles. Local bus service and taxis are also available from the airport to the various hotels.

The Transportation pass offered on the Host Events Forms is a particularly good bargain, because it allows travel on all DASH routes as well as all the subway and light rail lines of LA Metro. - - - DASH has 6 bus lines running all over downtown Los Angeles including the Convention Center, with every ten minute service. - - - LA Metro has 6 lines which also operate on frequent intervals going to such exotic destinations as Long Beach, Pasadena, and Hollywood. There is a stop a block from the Convention Center and several stops in downtown LA. - - - The transportation information booth in the Convention Center looks out on both the Dash and Metro stops, and our hosts there will answer all questions about the systems.

Finally, greater Los Angeles Rotarians have the option of riding the lines above to and from the Convention Center, or using Metrolink’s 6 lines from outlying areas. Buying a Metrolink ticket also includes the use of DASH and LA Metro lines. Finally, from San Diego or Santa Barbara, Amtrak provides frequent service.

So the word should be: You don’t need a car and you don’t need to solve the freeway maze to get around beautifully in Southern California.