Advice: getting from Anaheim to Los Angeles without a car and around town

[lonegungal17]

I hope this is the right board to ask on. My husband and I are going on our first trip to California this summer and will be completely dependent on public transportation. We will be spending most of our time in San Diego and Anaheim but would like to make a day trip to Hollywood/ Los Angeles while we are in Anaheim. I have already figured out I can take the amtrak train to Los Angeles and get the subway to all the places we want to visit (although it will take us over two hours total in travel time on the trains). The problem I'm facing is time, the first train doesn't arrive in Los Angeles until 8:50am and the last train leaves at 7pm, which doesn't give us much time at all for touring the city. Does anyone know of any form of transportation that will get me from Los Angeles back to Anaheim after 7pm? I don't care if it's a train, a bus or anything. As long as it gets me where I'm going I'll be happy.
If anyone could give me an idea of how to get around Los Angeles quicker than 2 hours total, that would also be helpful. We want like to visit Warner Studios, La Brea Tar Pits, Mann's Chinese Theater, the Disney Soda Shop and Univerisal Studios Hollywood (for like 3 hours to do the studio tour ). Thanks.

Mel

 

[MAH4546]

The 460 Disneyland Express bus.

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/460.pdf

Getting around Los Angeles without a car is a pain. Doing Universal Studios and Hollywood won't be a problem because the subway goes there.

The La Brea Tar Pits and Warner Brothers Studios requires buses or cabs. Buses take long and are unreliable.

And, honestly, you can't really do Hollywood and Universal Studios and La Brea Tarpits and WB Studios in one day. With a car you are stretching it. With public transportation? Impossible.

Warner Brothers Studios isn't even in Los Angeles, it's in Burbank on the other side of the Hollywood Hills. Quickest way to get there is either take a commuter train from downtown or take a bus from North Hollywood subway station.

If you only have one day in LA without a car, take the Red Line to Universal Studios in the morning, then spend the afternoon in Hollywood seeing the Disney soda fountain, Mann's Chinese, etc., and take the free shuttle up to the Griffith Observatory and catch dinner in Hollywood before heading back home. That you can all do in a day, have a great time and not worry about bus schedules.

For what its worth, the La Brea Tarpits aren't that interesting, it's essentially a black lake with plastic mammoths. Though it is in the Mid-Wilshire Museum District, which has some decent museums like LACMA and the Peterson Automotive Museum.

 

[jlmarr]

Grayline has a tour that covers a lot of what the OP is interested in...

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/GraylineAssets/files/franchises/StarLineDoubleDeckerBusMap.pdf

As for getting back late the 460 bus does look to be the best public transit option.

 

[StageTek]

The last Amtrak train leaves Union Station in
Los Angeles at 10:10 PM. It will get you to
Anaheim at 10:49PM.

 

[fairycat]

Grayline has a tour that covers a lot of what the OP is interested in...

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/GraylineAssets/files/franchises/StarLineDoubleDeckerBusMap.pdf

As for getting back late the 460 bus does look to be the best public transit option.

I so agree get a tour and let them do the driving!!

My other suggestion is take the tour bus to Universal (they have free or cheap deals with ticket purchase from Anaheim), then mid day take the subway to Hollywood and Highland, its approx 1-2 stops from Universal Studios. Then I would head back to Universal for more park time and the bus ride back to Anaheim. The Hollywood area with the two theaters, Malt shop and Walk of Fame will only take about an hour to see.

I would skip WB studio and the Tar Pits because as mentioned you will really not have time to fully enjoy these sights and its going to be a tough go to reach without a car.

Sadly LA is just not that public transportation friendly. Many of us are very sad about that, but its hard going backwards.