Don’t miss the Chuggington Kids Depot at L.A. Union Station this Saturday!
Amtrak will host the sixth annual National Train Day this Saturday at L.A. Union Station from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The family friendly event is free to the public.
Drop by to tour luxurious historic rail cars, freight trains and more. There will be live entertainment and giveaways, plus interactive and educational exhibits for all ages.
Metrolink offers weekend service to Union Station on the Antelope Valley, Orange County and San Bernardino lines. You can also get to Union Station on the Metro Gold, Red and Purple lines, as well as a multitude of buses. Use Trip Planner for routes and connections.
Explore L.A. in a car free way with Discover Los Angeles. They’ve put together itineraries that feature walking, biking or riding Metro to destinations that tourists and locals can both enjoy. On Sunday, May 19, Discover L.A. is arranging a photo tour for those who want to try the L.A. Music itinerary.
Meet up with the group at Michael Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre and next to the Red Line Hollywood/Highland Station. The photo tour will start at 9:30 a.m. and last until approximately 2 p.m., ending at Amoeba Music. Make sure to wear comfy walking shoes and load up your TAP card in advance.
The tour is free and open to all, so sign up today. If you’re posting the photos to Twitter, tag @metrolosangeles and some of your pics may end up on Twitter Tuesday!
Don’t miss Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre performances this weekend.
It’s the second to last First Friday at the Natural History Museum. Tours with NHM’s Vice President of Research and Collections, Dr. Luis Chiappe, will start at 5 p.m. and the discussion on fossilized genes will begin at 6:30 p.m. Javelin and Helado Negro will be performing while Anthony Valadez and Matthewdavid work the DJ Lounge. General admission starts at $12, show your TAP card to get a discount. (Metro Expo Line to Expo Park/USC Station, Metro Bus 102, 550 to Exposition/University)
This weekend is your last chance to catch FELA! featuring Michelle William’s of Destiny’s Child at the Ahmanson Theatre. The show ends on May 5, so get your tickets now. FELA! will be playing at 8 p.m. tonight, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices start at $45. Valid TAP card holders can save 50% on tickets in select sections by using the promo code YEAH when purchasing tickets online or over the phone. (Metro Red/Purple Line to Civic Center Station, Metro Bus10/48 or 92 to Temple/Grand)
Take a dance detour “At the Oasis” with the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre gang. Their performance trailer will be at South LA’s Krispy Kreme tonight and at Downtown Culver City tomorrow night with shows at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on both nights. General admission starts at $15, go Metro and save $5. (Metro Rapid 740 to Crenshaw Boulevard/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to get to Krispy Kreme; Metro Rapid 733 to Venice Boulevard/Bagley Avenue to get to Downtown Culver City)
This year, Union Station will be joining the Cinco de Mayo celebrations by welcoming transit customers on their way to the festivities at Olvera Street on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5.
Metro will create a gateway through Union Station to guide the public to free performances, family activities, attractions and authentic Mexican cuisine at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, located just across the street from Union Station. Union Station will be dressed up with Mexican themed decorations, including streamers, banners and pillar wraps, to create a festive atmosphere. In addition, a strolling Mariachi band will be playing around the station from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.
Metro riders can also get a 10% discount when buying gifts at the El Pueblo Visitor Center. Just show your valid TAP card at the cashier.
Union Station can be reached by the Metro Gold, Red and Purple lines, Metrolink and Amtrak, as well as a number of buses. Use Trip Planner for routes and connections.
Iron Man 3 opens in the U.S. this weekend (though if you’ve already seen it, no spoilers please!), catch it at El Capitan to also check out a display of collectibles and comic books from the private collection of Stan Lee. Iron Man 3 will be showing at the theatre in 3D at 10 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. or 10:55 p.m. on Friday through Sunday.
Go Metro to receive a bonus stamp on new Frequent Guest Cards. Just show your TAP card at the box office and receive a second stamp after your first stamp. Offer is only valid with new cards.
El Capitan is located across the street from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland Station. Buses 212, 217 and Rapid 780 also stop at Hollywood/Highland. Use Trip Planner for more routes and connections.
This Sunday is Fiesta Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Enjoy food, music and dancing at this free event. Festivities will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Show your TAP card at the O’Reilly Auto Parts exhibitor booth at Fiesta’s World Cup Sports Center lot to claim a free souvenir while supplies last. The Fiesta Broadway main stage will be located across from City Hall in Grand Park, and the event will sprawl down Broadway between Temple Street and 5th Street.
Bus lines detouring for Fiesta Broadway include: 2, 4, 30, 33, 40, 45, 70, 71, 76, 78/79, 83, 84/68, 92, 96, 487, 733, 745 and Metro Silver Line. Detours will be in effect from 12 p.m. Saturday, April 27 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 29 or until barricades are removed.
Lines 2, 4, 45, 83, 84 and 745 begin detouring tonight at 7 p.m. due to event set up. For more details, check Metro’s Service Advisories. The best way to reach Fiesta Broadway is by the Metro Red/Purple Line to either Civic Center Station or Pershing Square Station.
Also this weekend, check out EXHIBIT A at Automata, an art theatre located in Chinatown. The puppet performance tells the story of a hot, dry summer in Silverlake. There are performances on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 4 p.m. General admission is $18. (Metro Gold Line to Chinatown Station, Metro Bus 45 to Broadway/Chinatown)
Gary Baseman: The Door is Always Open opens at the Skirball Cultural Center this weekend, head over to see some unusual cartoon art. While there, you can also visit Noah’s Ark. General admission is $10, go Metro to get a discount. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. (Metro Rapid 761 or Bus 233 to Sepulveda/Skirball)
Go Metro and receive a bonus stamp on your new Frequent Visitor card. Just show your TAP card at the box office when purchasing a ticket and start a new Frequent Visitor card, you’ll get a free second stamp with the first.
El Capitan Theatre is located across from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland Station. Metro Bus 212, 217 and Rapid 780 also stop at Hollywood/Highland. Oz has two scheduled showings on Saturday, April 27 and four showings on Sunday, April 28. Visit the theatre website to get times and ticket prices.
Transit and goods movement are vital to our economy, and you can learn about the importance of goods and people mobility at the upcoming discussion Industry Innovators: Transportation and Logistics. One of Metro’s own, Executive Director of Highway Programs Doug Failing, will be there to talk about industry trends and challenges.
The event will take place on Thursday, May 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 3171 S. Bundy Dr., Suite 121, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
In addition to Metro’s Doug Failing, METRANS of USC Director Genevieve Giuliano and UPS Director of Engineering Derrick Waters will also be speaking and participating in the round table discussion and audience Q&A panel. The discussion is open to the public and free parking will be available. Drivers are asked to use the College Avenue driveway entrance.
The event can also be reached by Big Blue Bus lines 6, 14 and 44 to Bundy/Airport. For Metro connections, check Trip Planner.
Expo train dropping off passengers heading to the Festival of Books. Photo by Anna Chen/Metro
A pup enjoying the day out! Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro
Bikers getting their passes before heading up to the platform at Culver City. Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro
Waiting for the train. Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro
The finish line at Venice. Photo by Heidi Zeller/Metro
Thousands of Angelenos were out and about this past weekend, many heading out for the Festival of Books, CicLAvia, Grand Prix of Long Beach – or all three! Ridership for the weekend jumped about 18% on rail compared to the numbers the prior weekend. There was an increase of more than 49,000 rail boardings on Sunday alone. The biggest increase was on the Expo Line, which was expected considering its stations at USC and Culver City and its connection to the Blue Line at 7th/Metro. Ridership on Expo was up 85% over the previous weekend.
Bus ridership dipped by about 3.5% in comparison to April 13 – 14, which isn’t unusual and was probably due to the numerous bus detours in place for the large outdoor events.
Overall, service ran smoothly with no major delays during the events. This isn’t to say there weren’t a few hiccups – bike crowding was an issue, and that’s something Metro will look to address as CicLAvia continues to grow in size and popularity.
Metro booth at Festival of Books was pretty popular!
The first day of the L.A. Times Festival of Books was fairly quiet for Metro considering the size of the event. Only Jefferson/USC Station and 7th/Metro Station experienced higher than average crowds, and part of the crowds at 7th/Metro were heading toward Long Beach for the Grand Prix. For the rest of the system, it was just a normal weekend.
CicLAvia gets thrown into the mix tomorrow, and hopefully things run just as smoothly. We’ll have ridership numbers for the weekend on Monday.
