Category Archives: Metro Lifestyle

Go Metro Weekends, Dec 14 – 16

Posted by
Go Metro Weekends (December 13, 2012)

Disney on Ice! Photo via jp_42 from Flickr Creative Commons

This Saturday and Sunday is East L.A. on Ice, taking place from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. both days at the EastL.A.CivicCenter. The free event features live music, snow, artwalk boutiques, free ice skating for kids and more. The tree lighting ceremony takes place at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. (Metro Gold Line to East L.A. Civic Center Station)

Take advantage of Metro’s Destination Discounts to see Disney on Ice at the Staples Center this weekend. Shows are at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and at 11:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Present your TAP card at the box office to receive $5 off tickets or get the discount online by using the code TRAIN. The discount also applies to Disney on Ice shows at the Honda Center, Citizens Business Bank Arena (both served by Metrolink) and Long Beach Arena (Metro Blue Line). (Metro Expo/Blue Line to Pico Station or Metro Bus 81 to Figueroa/12th for Staples Center)

Go Metro Weekends, Dec 7 – 9

Posted by
Santa Monica Bike Festival

Check out this bike at the Santa Monica Bike Festival! Photo via Santa Monica Bike Festival Official Facebook

If you like movies set in Los Angeles, don’t miss California Solo at the Landmark Nuart on Friday. Actor Robert Carlyle and director Marshall Lewy will be there after the 7:30 p.m. show for a Q&A session. General tickets are $10.50. (Santa Monica BBB 1 or Metro Bus 4 to Santa Monica/Sawtelle)

This Saturday is the annual Winter Festival at Pershing Square. The free event features community youth performances, a train ride, craft booths, tasty holiday treats and more. The outdoor ice rink will be open all day for skaters. The Winter Festival lasts from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Metro Red/Purple Line to Pershing Square Station, Metro Bus 14 to Olive/5th)

The Santa Monica Bike Festival takes place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and features a bike check-up, bike swap, food trucks and more. And of course, free bike valet is offered. Drop by the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to celebrate biking! (Santa Monica BBB 2, 3 or 4 to 4th/Civic Center, check Trip Planner for Metro connections)

Join artist Nikki Pressley on Saturday at the California African American Museum for a workshop on miniature dioramas. The free workshop takes place from 2 – 3:30 p.m. and RSVPs are preferred. (Metro Expo Line to Expo Park/USC Station, Metro Bus 81 to Figueroa/State)

On Saturday and Sunday, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at LA LIVE will be hosting Children’s Holiday Tea at the Top. Take in the view from Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 restaurant while enjoying holiday tea and treats. Each adult and child will receive a gift bag. Holiday Tea is at 3:30 p.m. and reservations are recommended. Prices are $65 per adult and $55 per child. (Metro Blue/Expo Line to Pico Station, Metro Bus 28 to Olympic/Georgia)

On the Move Riders Club helping older adults get around with public transportation

Posted by

Photo Credit: Peter Watkinson and Josh Southwick

Public transportation plays a large role in helping older adults stay mobile. But as much as many of them want to ride buses or trains, trying to figure out routes, times and tickets can sometimes be a little intimidating. That’s where On the Move Riders Club comes in.

On the Move Riders Club is part of Metro’s outreach to older adults. Project Manager Lilly Ortiz visits senior citizen centers around Los Angeles County to teach older adults about the benefits of public transit and familiarize them with local transportation options, whether it be Metro, Foothill Transit, local Dial-A-Ride or one of the other municipal operators.

Photo Credit: Peter Watkinson and Josh Southwick

Once On the Move Riders Club is established at a center, older adults have access to a new support system of travel-savvy friends and tailor-made club activities, such as group sight-seeing trips or one-on-one trips to the grocery store or doctor. Ortiz also connects inexperienced riders with travel buddies – older adults who are experts at navigating bus and rail transit and trained on how to help their peers.

“The only way to really know how to ride Metro is to get out and use the system. We train travel buddies to teach others how to buy tickets, which routes are useful to know and what resources are available for trip planning,” said Chip Hazen, Metro’s ADA Compliance Administrator. “Then travel buddies go out and ride with those who need some encouragement until they are comfortable using Metro on their own.”

On the Move Riders Club is now forming groups throughout Los Angeles County. To find a group, email onthemove@metro.net.

Metro has a Senior TAP Card Program for older adults who qualify for reduced fares. A Senior 30-day pass costs $14 and one day of unlimited rides is just $1.80 with a TAP day pass.

Go Metro to Donny and Marie – Christmas in Los Angeles

Posted by

Join Donny and Marie Osmond at the Pantages Theatre to celebrate the holiday season. It will be the first time the iconic duo have shared the spotlight at Pantages. They’ll be performing from Dec. 4 through Dec. 23 with shows at 8 p.m. from Tuesdays to Fridays, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and at 1 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets start at $25.

The Osmonds are also partnering with Metro on an exclusive Destination Discount. Go Metro to the shows and receive a free gift (while supplies last). Show your valid TAP card, Metro employee ID or LA County employee ID at the merchandise counter in the theatre lobby and receive a show poster.  The first lucky 20 people to redeem this will receive a personally autographed poster by Donny and Marie.

The Pantages Theatre is located across the street from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Vine Station. Metro Bus 180, 212 and Rapid 780 also stop nearby. Visit Trip Planner for more routes and connections.

Go Metro Weekends, Nov 30 – Dec 2

Posted by

Jakarta at night. Get a taste of it at the Enjoy Jakarta Festival this Sunday. Photo by kaybee07 via Flickr Creative Commons

The LA Auto Show is now in town at the LA Convention Center. Go and check out the fun, fancy cars of the future. General admission tickets are $12. The show is open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Metro Expo/Blue Line to Pico Station, Metro Silver Line, Bus 30 or 81 to Figueroa/Pico)

Get started on holiday shopping at Unique LA, taking place this weekend at the California Market Center in the Fashion District. Meet and buy from over 350 local designers and artists, attend free DIY craft workshops and snack on unique treats. Tickets are $10 and gets you in for both Saturday and Sunday. Unique LA will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. (Metro Bus 66 to Main/9th)

Get a taste of Indonesia at the Enjoy Jakarta Festival this Sunday. The free event takes place at Hollywood & Highland Center from noon to 5 p.m. and features Indonesian food tasting, music, dance performances and more. (Metro Red Line to Hollywood/Highland Station)

Pay your Metro Rail fare using tokens

Posted by

Hat tip to L.A. Streetsblog’s Dana Gabbard for a post asking a question we get occasionally: can tokens still be used to pay Metro fares at ticket machines?

The answer is yes, as the following plucked from the Metro website explains:

If you don’t have a TAP card:

  1. Push button A – “Purchase new TAP card + fare”
    (If you don’t see this choice, press “CANCEL” before beginning.)
  2. Push button F – “TAP ($1 fee) and Metro Pass”
  3. Push button C – “Metro Rail 1-Ride”
  4. Insert – $1 in cash and 1 token.
  5. Take & tap – Take card from tray below and tap when entering system.

If you have a TAP card:

  1. Touch – Touch your card to the TAP target.
  2. Push button F – “Add Metro Pass”
  3. Push button C – “Metro Rail 1-Ride”
  4. Insert – 1 token.
  5. Touch – Touch card to TAP target again to load fare.
  6. Tap – Tap when entering system.

Go Metro to UCLA and USC football today

Posted by

It’s a b-i-g day for college football in the Southland with No. 17 UCLA hosting No. 8 Stanford at the Rose Bowl at 3:30 p.m. and then USC taking on No. 1 Notre Dame at 5 p.m. at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

In other words, there’s going to be a lot of traffic out there with huge crowds at both games, which will have implications on the Bowl Championship Series standings.

The Gold Line light rail is an easy way to reach the Rose Bowl. Exit at the Memorial Park Station in Old Pasadena, turn right on Holly Street and walk three blocks west to the free bus shuttles to the stadium from the Parsons Engineering parking lot.

The Expo Line light rail has three stations near the Coliseum. Here’s a complete page on the Metro website explaining all the particulars about getting to the game.


Go Metro to the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov 25

Posted by

…right down Santa Claus Lane. (Photo from Hollywood Christmas Parade Official Facebook)

Say hi to Santa Claus at the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Sunday, Nov. 25. The parade will start in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and travel east on Hollywood Boulevard, south on Vine Street and west on Sunset Boulevard before returning to the starting point. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the pre-parade spectacular, and the parade itself will start at 6 p.m.

Free curbside seating is available along the parade route, but if you want to watch the pre-parade performances and not worry about getting crowded out, you can buy grandstand tickets. Single-seat tickets are $35, but a $2 discount is being offered through Metro. Just use the code RUDOLPH when purchasing tickets.

The easiest way to get to the parade is on the Metro Red Line. Both Hollywood/Highland Station and Hollywood/Vine Station will put you right along the parade route.

Bus detours for the parade will be in effect from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on lines 2, 156, 180/181, 207, 210, 212, 217, and 222. Detours also will be in effect on 212, 217, 222 and 780 from 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 24 to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 26 in the vincinity of Hollywood Boulevard due to set-up and tear down of grandstands. Look for signs pointing to relocated stops. For more information on Metro bus detours, check Service Advisories or Twitter.

Go Metro Weekends, Nov 16 – 18

Posted by

Don’t miss the Holiday Toy Express at Union Station tonight. The train pulls in to platform 7 at 5:45 p.m. Bring an unwrapped toy to donate if you can, and everyone is welcome to come enjoy the holiday performance.

Visit Cleopatra before she leaves forever! The exhibition at the California Science Center is in its final weeks, so make sure to go and get your fix of Egypt’s most famous queen sooner rather than later. General admission tickets are $19.75, go Metro and get $5 off exhibition-only tickets or $7 off combination tickets (exhibition and IMAX movie). The Science Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Metro Expo Line to Expo Park/USC Station, Metro Silver Line to Exposition/Figueroa)

Think you can walk from downtown L.A.to Santa Monica? Give it a shot this Saturday with The Great Los Angeles Walk 2012. The 17-mile route starts in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall at 9 a.m. and traverses West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City before ending near the Santa Monica Pier. RSVPs are nice but not necessary, and you don’t have to walk the whole way if you don’t feel up to it – walk as little or as much as you like. (Metro Red/Purple Line to Civic Center Station to get to Walt Disney Concert Hall. If you complete the walk, ride the Metro Rapid 733 back to downtown L.A. or hop on the Metro Rapid 720 to Wilshire/Western Station, then take the Purple Line back to Civic Center Station)

Continue reading →

Go Metro to the East LA Safe Connections Festival

Posted by

This Saturday, Nov. 17, take the Gold Line to the East LA Civic Center for the East LA Safe Connections Festival. The free community event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features safety courses, workshops and live entertainment. East LA residents can also provide input on neighborhood improvements during the community open house.

This is the first of two community events for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Station Access Project, a Measure R project that will provide $9 million worth of improvements. The full press release from Metro is after the jump.

Continue reading →