Subway and bad areas in l.a.?

Question

i will be visiting la soon from nyc. are there any subway in la just like it is here in nyc? if so, how extensive? and if they run 24/7? if not, how good are the bus service?

also bad areas in la. since im not familiar with this area, i dont want to wander into the ghetto and get mugged or shot. what are some bad areas to avoid? i hard compton is bad, where else?

thx in advance.

Answer 1

LA is more car-dependent than NYC.  There is only 1 subway line and 3 light rail lines.  The subway serves downtown and Hollywood, and the light rails go to certain outlying cities.  There is also commuter rail (Metrolink) from the surrounding counties.  The bus system is very comprehensive, but a bit slow.  

About bad areas, just use your judgment.  After dark, don't go to South Central, East LA, Compton, etc.  If you feel uncomfortable, leave.

Answer 2

The metro runs in the directions already listed above. The metro lines are not nearly as efficient as they are in NYC. You can not get to all parts of LA through the metro, there is no way. Also the lines run pretty infrequently, as in you can up to 30 minutes if you miss your train. Also I think the last metro runs no later than 1AM for sure, but probably closer to 12:30ish.

I am not sure about the bus system as I have not used it that much.

I would suggest that your best bet would be to rent a car. LA is huge and to see it all you really need a car... because public transportation here stinks! In most areas parking will not be nearly as bad as NYC (although some can be)

Answer 3

using transit is still doable *it may take longer but the trains are

safe  and techinally there is only one subway (the red line)

the rest are really light rail trains not underground subway

you are pretty safe in most areaa of Los Angeles

and some bus does run 24 hours (on the major streets

santa monica, Wilshire, Venice etc

Answer 4

You aren't going to get into the ghetto, eveybody watches way too much TV.  The subway goes from Downtown to North Hollywood and LAX to Redondo Beach.  Also Downtown to Pasadena.  There's the blue line that goes from Downtown to Long Beach, and that goes through Watts which is bad but I can't imagine why you'd go that direction anyway.