A Weekend Taking the Expo Light Rail For Free!
On May 20, the Expo Light Rail from Culver City to the Santa Monica beach opened. Metro gave out free rides on Friday and Saturday. My daughter Eileen and I took the first ride from Sepulveda and Expo to Santa Monica. Boy was the train packed. We couldn't get a seat and had to stand all the way to Santa Monica. Along the way, people waved at us from the street, making this monumental occasion. When we got there, we were treated to a short walk from the station directly to the Santa Monica Pier. Everyone was enjoying the festive atmosphere of the day. Eileen and I walked to the Blue Plate Oysterette and had some lobster tacos before heading back to the Santa Monica train station to get back home. Boy, getting on the train was an ordeal that day. The line of people waiting to board the train was Disney Land long. We wound along the roped lines and was finally able to board. Once on, the train ride was a smooth 10 minutes ride back home. This sure beats the often 45 minutes drive from Santa Monica to West Los Angeles we encounter during rush hour.
That afternoon, I took the train from Expo and Sepulveda again to Chinatown to help out at a high school art show. Now, this was not a trip that saves drive time. The train made several stops. I had to transfer to the Red Line at Grand Park, take the Red Line to Union Station, transfer to the Gold Line to get to Chinatown and then walk ten minutes to the HRLA Art Gallery. This trip took me an hour and a half and I think even driving in during rush hour would have been faster. The art exhibit at the gallery was good though. My younger daughter Chloe and I took the train back home together, making the same transfers. The trip was still over an hour long.
Saturday morning, Eileen and I decided to dust off our old bike and ride to the Expo Line just to see how long the bike ride would be. From our house on Tilden Avenue down Military Ave. and then to the Westwood and Expo Station took an easy five minutes. This is easily doable on a regular basis. We can board the train with our bikes in the future to go to the beach. Eileen thinks she can take her bike the other way to school or to work at USC.
Saturday evening, Chloe and I took the train from Sepulveda all the way to the Santa Monica Beach at night. We walked to the Pacific Park under beautiful decorative street lights, bought the tickets for a ferris wheel ride to see the harbor lights. It was magical. After an hour walking along the pier, we took the train back home. We concluded that the Exposition Line really opened up some new options for us to get to places without having to drive our car. We can't wait for summer to arrive so we can ride the train everywhere. Living in LA is more fun than ever!
That afternoon, I took the train from Expo and Sepulveda again to Chinatown to help out at a high school art show. Now, this was not a trip that saves drive time. The train made several stops. I had to transfer to the Red Line at Grand Park, take the Red Line to Union Station, transfer to the Gold Line to get to Chinatown and then walk ten minutes to the HRLA Art Gallery. This trip took me an hour and a half and I think even driving in during rush hour would have been faster. The art exhibit at the gallery was good though. My younger daughter Chloe and I took the train back home together, making the same transfers. The trip was still over an hour long.
Saturday morning, Eileen and I decided to dust off our old bike and ride to the Expo Line just to see how long the bike ride would be. From our house on Tilden Avenue down Military Ave. and then to the Westwood and Expo Station took an easy five minutes. This is easily doable on a regular basis. We can board the train with our bikes in the future to go to the beach. Eileen thinks she can take her bike the other way to school or to work at USC.
Saturday evening, Chloe and I took the train from Sepulveda all the way to the Santa Monica Beach at night. We walked to the Pacific Park under beautiful decorative street lights, bought the tickets for a ferris wheel ride to see the harbor lights. It was magical. After an hour walking along the pier, we took the train back home. We concluded that the Exposition Line really opened up some new options for us to get to places without having to drive our car. We can't wait for summer to arrive so we can ride the train everywhere. Living in LA is more fun than ever!
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