Im an architect from Ireland who will be in LA in a couple of weeks and want to visit some buildings there. I am backpacking and have no car or drivers licence. Is it feasible to get around LA on public transport? if not will taxis cost the earth to get to some of these places. On the hit list are:
Hollyhock house
Ennis Brown house
la miniatura
Schindler House
Moneo Cathederal
Can anyone who lives there or knows the story please fill me in on how out of the way these places are? cheers for the advice
you can't get to Ennis Brown easily via public transportation but should definitely go while it's under construction and fairly accessible; it's not far from Hollyhock. Getting to La Miniatura can be done via light rail and a long walk but it may not be worth it because it's very inaccessible and there's not much to look at from the public street
i did travel LA with bus long time ago, i remember the theory is, wherever u stay and want to get to any places, always go to downtown first then switch buses.
it was a great experiences cos it passes through the heart of east LA where ppl do not normally drive inside there.
however, u can only go to 1 or 2 places each day by bus and when u comes back, u always have to come back to downtown LA first and at nights is kind of deserted and not a rite place for ppl who look like a tourist. i'm an asian and sort of blend in with the minority while waiting at the bus stop if u know what i mean.
btw...if you're gonna spend the taxi fare to go to the ennis brown, might as well take a side trip to neutra's lovell health house (not far)...not sure though if it's open to the public this time but might be worth checking out...
and riding sunset blvd. (bus or car) from the east to the west is a great way to see l.a.
log onto mta.net and plug in where you are and where you want to go. It is a pretty awesome system. Log on and use the system at different times, as they will suggest using different buses/trains.
off the top of my head, I'd start at union station (after having visited the cathedral, disney hall, sciarc, central market of LA, caltrans, grand central market of LA, Neutras Hall of records). From Union station, take the gold like to pasadena. Check out the Art Center South Campus (get off at Fillmore). Either get back on the Gold line and go into old town Pasadena or walk up to it. Ask for "Castle Green". See the Norton Simon, you can probably walk from there to "The Gamble House" -- worth seeing. The La Miniatura is just a 5 minute walk from the Gamble. The 50 bus takes you from old town to the Art Center Hillside Campus (also worth seeing). It will also probably go by the Gamble or the Rose Bowl (also walking distance to La Miniatura).
Anyway, get back on the gold line and head back to Union Station. Walk outside and catch the 302. Get off in Los Feliz (or stop in Silverlake and check out the Neutra). Catch the 780 heading north on vermont. Look in front of the bus. You will see the Ennis Brown directly ahead of you. As soon as the bus starts to turn, get off and head up into the hills, looking for the house. Also hit the staircases in the area, as they are really cool. Go back to sunset, catch the 302 again. Get off around the church of Scientology. just to the north is the Hollyhock house, on its own hill. You could also walk this, as it is a short distance.
I'd then take the 206 heading south on normandie or the 754 heading south on vermont. (The 700 series buses are the really cool ones). Get off at Santa Monica Blvd. Get on the 304 heading west. In west Hollywood get off around Kings road and walk to Schindler house.
You are only getting started at this point. The ride will only cost you $3 for the day.
I'd probably stay on the 302 at some point and head up to the Getty or take it all the way to the sea. Then try to sneak in the Eames house (I hear they are friendly) or check out Rustic canyon.
Hi guys thanks alot for that. it sounds do-able with buses and a few taxis. looking forward to it. mldr ive been travelling for 8 months now and any irish whiskey i may have had is well well gone by now!!
Hey mdler, that sounds cool. i should be there on the 30th of this month for a few days , my email is [email protected] if you have any suggestions when where to meet. we could get some LA irish whiskeys in.
i think mdler should be your tour guide in LA!
You will recieve thoughtfull insight about the places your visiting, with the added bonus of slapstick comedy and possible molestations
More do-able than the crazy walk mentioned above: if you're walking around downtown to see Disney, Caltrans, Moneo, you might as well see the Bradbury Bldg. (amazing inside, was in Blade Runner), Broadway Arcade, the main Train Station, Water & Power bldg., the big Nuetra-designed govt. bldg. (forgot the name), Bonaventure Hotel, Standard Downtown Hotel, SCIArc, COOP Himmelblau's new school (in progress), new California Endowment bldg., Maltzan Skid Row Housing, among other things down there...
Jun 4, 07 3:37 am ·
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Visiting LA bldgs with no car.
Hi,
Im an architect from Ireland who will be in LA in a couple of weeks and want to visit some buildings there. I am backpacking and have no car or drivers licence. Is it feasible to get around LA on public transport? if not will taxis cost the earth to get to some of these places. On the hit list are:
Hollyhock house
Ennis Brown house
la miniatura
Schindler House
Moneo Cathederal
Can anyone who lives there or knows the story please fill me in on how out of the way these places are? cheers for the advice
You can see the Moneo Cathedral, the Disney Concert Hall, and Morphosis' Caltrans HQ in one stop. They're all a few blocks from each other downtown.
when are you going to be in LA??? sounds like you need a tour guide. I give tours in exchange for good Irish whiskey
and then from downtown you can take the redline to hollywood and sunset and walk up hill to the hollyhock
you can get to the Hollyhock house by subway from downtown
then take a sunset blvd bus or santa monica blvd bus and head west to the schindler house (possibly a 2-3 hour bus trip)
you can't get to Ennis Brown easily via public transportation but should definitely go while it's under construction and fairly accessible; it's not far from Hollyhock. Getting to La Miniatura can be done via light rail and a long walk but it may not be worth it because it's very inaccessible and there's not much to look at from the public street
the cab ride from hollyhock to ennis brown will probably cost you around 10-15 dollars one way...
If you do the Moneo Catherdral, Disney Concert Hall, and CalTrans building, you may as well stop by the Museum of Contemporary Art .
i did travel LA with bus long time ago, i remember the theory is, wherever u stay and want to get to any places, always go to downtown first then switch buses.
it was a great experiences cos it passes through the heart of east LA where ppl do not normally drive inside there.
however, u can only go to 1 or 2 places each day by bus and when u comes back, u always have to come back to downtown LA first and at nights is kind of deserted and not a rite place for ppl who look like a tourist. i'm an asian and sort of blend in with the minority while waiting at the bus stop if u know what i mean.
btw...if you're gonna spend the taxi fare to go to the ennis brown, might as well take a side trip to neutra's lovell health house (not far)...not sure though if it's open to the public this time but might be worth checking out...
and riding sunset blvd. (bus or car) from the east to the west is a great way to see l.a.
one more...
after you see schindler's house, walk to melrose blvd., take a bus east and stop at cesar pelli's pacific design center...
the bus along sunset is a great ride, takes you from downtown to the beach in less then 2 hours. did that the second day I was in LA...
otherwise take up mdler on the tour guide offer.
log onto mta.net and plug in where you are and where you want to go. It is a pretty awesome system. Log on and use the system at different times, as they will suggest using different buses/trains.
Check route map here:
http://www.mta.net/images/System_Map.pdf
off the top of my head, I'd start at union station (after having visited the cathedral, disney hall, sciarc, central market of LA, caltrans, grand central market of LA, Neutras Hall of records). From Union station, take the gold like to pasadena. Check out the Art Center South Campus (get off at Fillmore). Either get back on the Gold line and go into old town Pasadena or walk up to it. Ask for "Castle Green". See the Norton Simon, you can probably walk from there to "The Gamble House" -- worth seeing. The La Miniatura is just a 5 minute walk from the Gamble. The 50 bus takes you from old town to the Art Center Hillside Campus (also worth seeing). It will also probably go by the Gamble or the Rose Bowl (also walking distance to La Miniatura).
Anyway, get back on the gold line and head back to Union Station. Walk outside and catch the 302. Get off in Los Feliz (or stop in Silverlake and check out the Neutra). Catch the 780 heading north on vermont. Look in front of the bus. You will see the Ennis Brown directly ahead of you. As soon as the bus starts to turn, get off and head up into the hills, looking for the house. Also hit the staircases in the area, as they are really cool. Go back to sunset, catch the 302 again. Get off around the church of Scientology. just to the north is the Hollyhock house, on its own hill. You could also walk this, as it is a short distance.
I'd then take the 206 heading south on normandie or the 754 heading south on vermont. (The 700 series buses are the really cool ones). Get off at Santa Monica Blvd. Get on the 304 heading west. In west Hollywood get off around Kings road and walk to Schindler house.
You are only getting started at this point. The ride will only cost you $3 for the day.
I'd probably stay on the 302 at some point and head up to the Getty or take it all the way to the sea. Then try to sneak in the Eames house (I hear they are friendly) or check out Rustic canyon.
Bring a map.
Hi guys thanks alot for that. it sounds do-able with buses and a few taxis. looking forward to it. mldr ive been travelling for 8 months now and any irish whiskey i may have had is well well gone by now!!
when will you be in LA????
there are enough of us here that your arrival may warrant an LA Archinect meet up
Hey mdler, that sounds cool. i should be there on the 30th of this month for a few days , my email is [email protected] if you have any suggestions when where to meet. we could get some LA irish whiskeys in.
i think mdler should be your tour guide in LA!
You will recieve thoughtfull insight about the places your visiting, with the added bonus of slapstick comedy and possible molestations
shit the bed....
http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=55656_0_42_0_C
venice beach is a pleasantly walkable place. the big blue bus can take you pretty much anywhere in the westside.
try to find the eames house too. apparently P-diddy moved in next door after the fact.
who needs a car anyway.
http://www.ridearc.org
I know someone who once walked from downtown to santa monica beach (in about 4 hours)
More do-able than the crazy walk mentioned above: if you're walking around downtown to see Disney, Caltrans, Moneo, you might as well see the Bradbury Bldg. (amazing inside, was in Blade Runner), Broadway Arcade, the main Train Station, Water & Power bldg., the big Nuetra-designed govt. bldg. (forgot the name), Bonaventure Hotel, Standard Downtown Hotel, SCIArc, COOP Himmelblau's new school (in progress), new California Endowment bldg., Maltzan Skid Row Housing, among other things down there...
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