For tickets, there are a number of travel agencies nearby. The closest are H.B. Bennett, at 1250 E. Walnut, Suite 240, and Voyager Travel at 714 E. Colorado. For more information, look under "travel" in the Personnel Directory. Most major airlines have ticket offices, so you can pick up tickets directly from them. If you're going to a city serviced by Southwest and have a credit card, you should try http://www.iflyswa.com/ and make online reservations for ticketless travel. All you'll have to do is show up at the airport fifteen minutes before the flight and check in for a boarding pass.
Most people will have to fly in and out of LAX, but if you can arrange it, try Burbank Airport. It's smaller and closer, and you'll have less of a headache once you leave. Ticket prices are about the same for both airports.
If you can find someone to give you a ride, driving can save you a lot of time (shuttles and buses will generally add about an hour each way to your travel time). To get to Burbank, take the 134 to I5, and follow the signs. The most direct way to get to LAX is to take the 110 all the way south past downtown, and get on the 105 (be sure to take advantage of the cool car pool lanes, which give you a commanding view of the L.A. basin). The 105 takes you almost directly to the airport, and you can easily follow the signs. See the map under Driving for details.
The cheapest way to get to LAX is the Airport Coach bus service, which leaves from the Pasadena Hilton (at the corner of Los Robles and Cordova) every hour, 40 minutes past the hour. You can purchase tickets from the Hilton front desk at $12 one way, or $20 round trip. Call 800.772.5299 for schedule information.
If you are unfortunate enough not to have a friend willing to drive you, you can use a shuttle service. There are a few tips to keep in mind when using these services since they can take you for more than just a ride.
|
Los Angeles Shuttle Services: The Full Listing | |
| Name | Phone |
| 1 (M) Lucky Shuttle | 800.555.8259 |
| 1-A Sahara | 800.464.2872 |
| A-1 Skyline Express | 310.641.5538 |
| Ace Shuttle | 800.342.9949 |
| Airtrans Express | 800.870.7474 |
| All American Shuttle | 800.585.2529 |
| Apollo Passenger Service | 800.342.9949 |
| Best Shuttle | 800.606.7433 |
| California Dream | 800.50-DREAM |
| Coast Shuttle | 800.310.8267 |
| Dani Shuttle | 800.500.3264 |
| E-Z Shuttle | 310.215.6861 |
| Econoride Shuttle | 800.424.7433 |
| Golden Shuttle | 310.645.7172 |
| Inland Express | 909.626.6599 |
| Jet Shuttle | 213.503.0255 |
| LA Xpress Shuttle | 800.427.7483 |
| LAX Chequer Van | 310.215.9950 |
| LAX Shuttle | 800.200.1220 |
| Lincoln Tours | 800.338.0918 |
| Metropolitan Express | 800.338.3898 |
| Prime Time Shuttle | 800.733.8267 |
| Quick Trip Shuttle | 310.838.6440 |
| Shuttle 2000 | 800.977.7872 |
| Shuttle One | 800.400.7488 |
| SuperShuttle | 626.443.6600 |
| USA Shuttle | 310.417.2944 |
If you are only going to be away for a short time and have a car at Tech already, you may find it cheaper and more convenient to simply drive to the Airport and park at one of the many long-term lots available. Parking at these lots may require more time than being dropped off as you'll have to shuttle to the airport, but you can usually save money if you are only away for the weekend, and some local travel agencies may get a lower rate at a private lot.
Parking at the Airport | |||
Los Angeles International | |||
| Auto Airporter | 2222 East Imperial Hwy. | 310.640.1111 | $11.85 |
| Car Barn | 5757 West Century Blvd | 800.733.2276 | $14.00 |
| LAX Parking Lot 'B' | 5455 West 111th Street. | 310.646.2911 | $5.00 |
| LAX Parking Lot 'C' | 96th Street & Sepulveda Blvd. | 310.646.2911 | $7.00 |
| Park One | 6351 W. Century Blvd | 800.529.7275 | $11.55 |
| Quick Park | 6101 West 98th St. | 800.223.8005 | $9.35 |
| Wally Park | 9700 Bellanca Ave | 800.759.2559 | $12.05 |
Burbank | |||
| Carters VSP Parking | 2616 No. Hollywood Way | 818.842.5702 | $12.00 |
| Economy Lot A,B | N. of Airport, Hollywood Way | $8.00 | |
| Economy Lot C | E. of Airport, Thornton Av | $8.00 | |
| Hilton Private | 2550 Hollywood Way | 800.643.7400 | $8.00 |
For quick shopping trips, daily commutes to campus, or frantic escapes into the mountains, many Techers find that bikes are a cheap and simple alternative to owning a car. However, biking in Los Angeles can sometimes be a hassle, or even dangerous. If you choose to bike around Pasadena,be aware, and wear a helmet.
There are several bicycle stores around if you want to buy a new bike, but there's nothing wrong with used ones. Check the local Pasadena classifieds, or keep your eyes open for flyers or Usenet posts. Once you have your own bicycle, you can get the tools and know-how to maintain it through the Caltech Bike Shop (see Student Activities). Or, you can get parts and repairs through the local bicycle stores. Pasadena Cyclery (1670 E. Walnut) is preferred by most Techers. It's a large, practical store, with knowledgeable employees who will give you free advice or tips. Velo Pasadena, another well known store on Colorado, is further, has less helpful employees, and charges for inspection of your bike. A decent bike shop with great prices on high quality equipment is Pro Bikes of Arcadia, located at 142 E Huntington Dr.
Bikes at Caltech are reasonably safe, but some are still stolen each month, even from around the student Houses. It's stupid not to lock up your bike - Caltech has a good supply of objects you can lock things to. It also isn't a bad idea to register your bike with Caltech Security and the Pasadena Police.
L.A. still lacks the large-scale mass transit system of other large cities, though they're working on it - there's a short subway line (the red line) downtown, and you can take the blue line to Long Beach. Also, a light rail station is under construction in Pasadena, but it will be a few years before this is finally in service. Unfortunately, the MTA is still the only version of mass transit you'll find in Pasadena.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The MTA provides bus service to pretty much anywhere you might want to go in the L.A. area. The base fare is $1.35, freeway expresses are an additional 50¢, and you can get transfer tickets from the drivers for 25¢. Monthly passes are available to college students for $30. Be sure to add plenty of travel time into your plans, as trips on the Metro are extremely long. They are also not very safe, so bring along a friend or two if you are riding the buses at night. Bus schedules are available at the Y and in Spalding. For more information on bus routes, arrival times, and trip lengths, call the MTA information line at 800.COMMUTE or visit http://www.mta.net/. This is the coolest way to ride the bus. Once you manage to get someone to take your call, you tell them where you are, where you want to go (you don't even have to know addresses), and they give you a personalized route, telling you when they leave, and even how long you'll have to wait at transfer points. If you want to use the MTA, visit the kiosk in Spalding which contains timetables. Here are a few useful lines that run out of Pasadena.
Line 177
Pasadena to Arroyo, JPL, Montrose, Glendale Galleria
Runs from 6:15 a.m. until 7:42 p.m., Monday through Friday (no service on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays) at California and Fair Oaks, but does come right past campus on California Blvd. Runs every forty minutes to an hour, and, if you buy a transfer, it is a great way to get to bus lines much further out in Pasadena. Last bus from Glendale runs at 7:00 p.m.
Line 180, 181
Pasadena to Old Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd.
Lines 180 and 181 are pretty much the same west of Lake Ave., but the 181 comes closer to campus. The 181 runs from Colorado and Lake from 5:06 a.m. (5:14 Saturday, 5:13 Sunday and holidays) until 4:00 a.m. about every twenty minutes in the morning and every forty minutes in the evenings. The last 181 bus leaves Hollywood and Vine at 8:40 p.m, while the 180 runs until 1:15 a.m.
Line 188
Pasadena to Arcadia, Santa Anita Fashion Park and Horse Races, Duarte
Runs 5:36 a.m. (6:34 a.m. Saturday, 6:35 a.m. Sunday) until about 11:00 p.m. from Colorado and Lake. Buses run every forty minutes or so. Last bus from Duarte leaves at 6:10 p.m. (6:27 on Saturday and 5:51 Sunday and holidays).
Lines 483, 485
Pasadena to Downtown L.A.
Runs from 5:35 a.m. (6:30 a.m. Sunday, and holidays on 401) until 12:27 a.m. at Lake and Colorado every forty minutes most of the day, and an hour at night. If you come back from downtown after 9:05 you'll have to take the 483 and transfer to the 485 (the one that stops at Lake and Colorado). The last bus from L.A. runs at 12:15 a.m. Don't miss it.
Line 260
Pasadena to Alhambra, East L.A., Commerce, Compton, Long Beach
Runs from 4:44 a.m. (5:19 a.m. Saturday, 6:00 a.m. Sunday) until 10:30 p.m from Lake and Altadena. Every twenty to thirty minutes in the morning and afternoon, but only every hour in the late night. The last bus from Long Beach runs at 9:57 p.m.
Pasadena ARTS Bus (PARTS)
Pasadena
If you're looking to get to Old Town or certain uptown Pasadena areas, you can use the free Pasadena ARTS Bus which runs along Lake and Green streets and then heads down Colorado. The closest stop is across the street from Muddalong Wilson, near its intersection with California. This is a comfortable (air-conditioned!) way to avoid walking all the way out to Old Town. It comes about every 15 minutes 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m M-Th, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m Friday, and noon to 8:00 p.m. Saturday.
Foothill Transit Authority
Basically only two bus lines from the FTA reach up to Pasadena: 187 and 690. The 187 is useful for getting out to Claremont and runs M-Sa about every 30 minutes. The 690 is mainly a commuter line which brings people into Pasadena in the morning and out to Claremont in the afternoon and evening. It extends from Los Angeles out east to Claremont and will link to the Metro rail in Pomona and Claremont. Schedules and information are available at the PCC Bookstore, 1580 E. Colorado or call 800.RIDE.INFO.
If you are traveling along the west coast anywhere between L.A. and Portland and feel like an adventure, try the Green Tortoise bus line. The Green Tortoise is one of the last remaining hippie bus lines, and has an atmosphere quite unlike Greyhound. Be aware, it takes forever to get anywhere. It's surprisingly cheapSeattle to L.A. is $79 one-way. They also have cross-country and package tour trips. Call 800.867.8647 for more information.
Greyhound-Trailways Lines is at 645 E. Walnut, 792.5116. You generally have to take a bus into L.A. to get a connection anywhere else.
Caltech has several special deals with car rental agencies which will allow you to get discounts on rentals, in some cases even if you are under 21. You will need a credit card, a student ID, and a driver's license.
Hertz will rent to anyone over 18 for business. For personal rentals, the minimum age is 25. They offer a $35 maximum daily rate for a subcompact with unlimited mileage, Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and, for business rentals, liability insurance. You can call the nationwide reservation number, 800.654.3131, and state that you would like to use CDP# 63515. Alternatively, you can go to any Hertz outletthe Pasadena one is at 990 E. Colorado (795.8634), but other locations (such as the Burbank one) are more likely to allow you to rent without proof of Caltech employment.
Budget has a reasonable daily rates with free mileage and oating liability coverage which will equal the minimum required by the laws of the state in which an accident occurs. Unless you have your own insurance, they will not rent to you if you are under 21. The closest Budget is at 750 S. Arroyo Pkwy. and can be reached at 449.0221. The national number is 800.527.0700, and the discount code is T422200 VT42.
Avis offers free mileage and, for business only, LDW and liability coverage. Caltech employees need to be over 18 (or 21 at some locations), but students need to be over 25 in order to rent. The local Avis is at 570 N. Lake Ave., 449.6122, and the national number is 800.331.1212. The discount code is A141504.
Enterprise also has special rates for Caltech, but only for business use and in California. The discount code is C50320.
The Caltech discounts are good worldwide, but individual locations outside of Pasadena may think that you are on crack, so use the toll-free numbers to make reservations when renting outside of Pasadena. The above toll-free numbers are the business/government rental divisions and not the normal reservation numbers. To avoid complication, it is probably best to simply state that you are with The California Institute of Technology, would like to rent a car for personal use and state the appropriate discount number. You shouldn't state that you are renting for Institute business unless you really are. If you have problems renting, or would like more information, contact Wardell Owes in purchasing at x6720. If you're renting for business, he can give you a card for verification.
How to Not Get Ripped Off by Rental Car Companies
A number of students have experienced a few of the scams that some companies attempt to play on unwitting customers.
If you don't mind driving a 14-ft van, U-Haul may be a good deal at $19.95 per day and 49 cents per mile, with a $120 deposit. You can reach the one on California, just past Arroyo, at 795.6888. They will rent to anyone over 18.
Ever wanted to cruise down the Olive Walk in a cool electric cart? Get a letter of approval from the Dean, and take it to Physical Plant.
Driving is by far the easiest way to get around L.A., although it's a great way to create more smog and raise your blood pressure. Owning a car in California can be expensive, so try to make friends who already have them. If you do own a car, keep it registered in your home state as long as possible because California registration fees are exorbitant. You are still required to have California insurance, even if your car is legally registered out-of-state.
The indispensable guide for navigating the L.A. area is the Thomas Bros. Guide, available in any bookstore. (Keep it under your seat, because it's apparently a popular item to steal from cars.) For driving directions, try http://www.mapblast.com/ or http://maps.yahoo.com/. Watch out for rush "hour" trafcthe freeways can be impassable between 7:30 and 10 in the morning, and 3:30 to 6:30 in the afternoon (earlier on Fridays). You don't want to be stopped dead on I10 in the baking heat of the afternoon. You can get up-to-the-minute traffic reports on KFWB 980 AM and KNX 1070 AM.
New residents of California who want to drive legally are required to get California licenses within 10 days (although most people ignore this with impunity). Even if you maintain residence someplace else, a California driver's license or ID is very handy, because it can be very difcult to write checks without one. The Department of Motor Vehicles is located at 49 S. Rosemead Blvd. The general phone number is 575.8611. To make an appointment, call 796.1228 - we recommend this in order to avoid the lines. Be prepared to surrender any out-of-state driver's license when your California license is issued. Bring valid identification with you.
If you're new to driving, you will have to take a written exam and a driving test at the DMV. You should prepare for the written exam by reading the DMV booklet, available at the DMV or at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/. The cost of the tests is $15, and you get three chances. Once you've passed the written exam, you will receive an instruction permit, which does not allow you to drive alone. Practice with a friend, or find a local driving school. You'll need to schedule a driving test many weeks in advance.
If you're a minor, you are required to attend driver's education from a licensed driving school or community college and get your parents to sign release forms.
If you drive to Mexico, you'll have to purchase special Mexican insurance at the border - no American insurance policies will be good in Mexico.
Here we've included directions to a few common destinations. They should be good in an emergency, but you will still need a Thomas Bros. Guide if you drive much or have a penchant for getting lost in big scary cities.
To UCLA
There are two ways to get to UCLA by freeway. The more direct way is to take the 110 S. to the 10 W., connect to the 405 N., and take the Sunset exit. However, if you are driving during trafcky hours, the 110 and the 10 will be a mess, so take the 134 W., stay on it as it turns into the 101, get off on the 405 S., and take the Sunset exit. This route is about 5 miles longer but will have less traffic.
Take Sunset east for a mile or so, and you'll be at UCLA. To get to Royce Hall, turn right on Westwood Blvd., then take the first left (right in front of the information kiosk) for parking. Parking at UCLA can be unpleasant. Either be willing to pay $5 for parking, or try parking on Veteran and walking.
To USC / Exposition Park
Take the 110 S and get off at Exposition Blvd. Traveling west on Exposition, USC will be on your right, and Exposition Park will be on your left. If you feel like going to USC by a slightly different route, you can take the 110 S to the 10 W, and get off at Hoover. After two right turns you'll be going south on Hoover, which will run into USC.
To LAX
Thanks to the 105 freeway, this is really simple. Take the 110 S. past the 5, 101, and 10. Connect to the 105 W. Have fun taking its carpool lane! The 105 goes pretty much directly to LAX, so there will be lots of signs directing you to the right place.
To Hollywood
One way to get to Hollywood is to take the 110 S, get on the 101 towards Ventura (away from Los Angeles), and exit at any of the ne streets in Hollywood (Sunset being one example).
There is also a cool back way into Hollywood that will tend to have less trafc. Take the 134 W. and exit at Forest Lawn. Go southwest on Forest Lawn and turn left on Barham. Make another left onto Cahuenga, continue as Cahuenga turns into Highland, and you're in Hollywood!
To the Music Center / Central Library / MOCA
Take the 110 S. and get on the 101 S. If you're going to the Music Center (Dorothy Chandler and the Mark Taper) exit immediately (you'll still be on the freeway transition) onto Temple, and take it to the parking lot. If you're going to the Civic Center, exit the 101 at Grand or Hill. The Grand exit will also take you to MOCA. The Central L.A. Library is on Spring past 4th. Many of the streets in downtown L.A. are one-way, so be careful not to go the wrong way.
Starting about a decade ago, Los Angeles began the creation of a true, safe mass transit system: the Blue, Green and Red lines. Although none of these yet reach Pasadena (although the Blue like is scheduled to come all the way up to Fair Oaks and Del Mar by the turn of the century), if you can get to any of the line's stations, the fare is cheap ($1.35 for all of the lines!), the ride much safer and faster than the buses, and the lines cover LA pretty well.
The Red Line, Los Angeles' first modern heavy-rail subway, takes passengers under Downtown, from Union Station to the Civic Center, the jewelry, retail and financial districts, MacArthur Park in the Westlake district and ending in the mid-Wilshire/Koreatown area at Wilshire and Western (13 minutes for the whole trip).
The Blue Line, L.A.'s first light rail transit system, runs from 7th Street in Downtown, through Vernon, Huntington Park, South Gate, Watts, Compton, Carson, and ending in downtown Long Beach. The Queen Mary and Catalina Cruises terminal can be reached through the Runabout, downtown Long Beach's free shuttle bus system (52 minutes).
The Green Line is a light rail line, running east-west through Los Angeles County, connecting Norwalk to Redondo Beach and links to LAX via a free connecting shuttle (24 minutes).
The trains come every five to fifteen minutes from 5 A.M. to some time after
ten (depending on the direction of travel and the line). See
http://www.westworld.com/~elson/larail/index.html for more information.
With a Caltech Parking Permit, which you can get free from the Security Ofce (in Physical Plant) or from either parking structure, you may park your car in any unassigned space (i.e., doesn't have a name, "carpool," or "reserved" painted on it, and isn't an Athenaeum or grad house space). This, of course, assumes that you can find a space.
The bulk of Caltech's parking is in the Holliston parking structure. There is also some available along San Pasqual west of Hill, and there are a few spaces in the Synchrotron lot near Dabney and the Athenaeum lot near Blacker (these spaces require double parking, so it is customary that you arrange with someone else to monopolize a spot for the year). The truly desperate may want to try the Wilson parking structure. You can also park in the unreserved spaces in the Athletic lot. During the day you may park along California and Hill, though during business hours these and nearly all other parking spaces are filled.
The Olive Walk is technically closed to cars except for loading and unloading during a few days at the beginning and end of each term. See the DRL or your House President if you really need to drive on the Olive Walk for some reason.
Pasadena does not allow overnight parking (between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.) on any of its streets, including California and Hill, although people park on California overnight often; this is normally fine, but once every couple of months the parking enforcement agency gets a hyperactive agent, who will then go on to ticket up and down the street at 2:10 a.m. every day for two weeks straight. If you're willing to risk it and know to get your car up into the structure for a good duration after you get your first overnight parking ticket, parking on California will likely save you a good deal of time if you live in the South Houses. Overnight parking permits exist for a forty dollar annual charge, but the Pasadena Police department will deny your application if you live on campus, as they believe that Caltech has plenty of parking. Please go ahead and apply anyway (at least you get a temporary permit while your application is being processed), as lots of applications may convince them that we need the permits. Call 405.4166 and ask about student overnight parking permits.
Be aware that Pasadena loves to write parking violations and has a large fleet of meter maids up to the task. Make sure that you never park in a Bus Zone, as the penalty for this is very large. Techers have been known to rack up hundreds of dollars in parking fines in a matter of weeks. Since these fines are linked with the DMV and the appeal procedure is designed to be impossible, there is no way out of them. Just call it a stupidity tax!
On campus, spaces with a yellow curb or bumper are loading zones for thirty minutes maximum parking, red zones are no parking, and blue zones are handicapped spaces. Security does issue tickets, especially during business hours and especially for reserved spaces. Note, however, that except for R.A. and grad house spots, reserved spaces are only reserved between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You may park in them at all other times, but you will be ticketed if you forget to move your car at the proper time. Security will give you a handbook explaining the parking rules in more detail when you apply for your permit.
Student Affairs Van
If your Caltech organization is in need of a vehicle and has a Caltech charge account, stop by the Dean's Office. You will need to plan in advance because you will need to wait for a license check (to ensure that your driving record is okay) and a short driving test, and because the van is popular and may be booked several months in advance.
Trains
The train is often a reasonable and scenic alternative to ying, if you're not pressed for time. It won't save you a hell of a lot of money, but you'll be more relaxed when you arrive. Round-trip tickets are much cheaper than one-way. The closest Amtrak station is Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The main information number is 800.USA.RAIL.