First Day on the LA Subway

I love public transit and dense metropolitan areas. So, when I found myself in Los Angeles for a few weeks I was excited to check out the subway. However, when I spoke about the subway to friends and acquaintances in the area none of them seemed to have ridden it. Most times my curiosity was met with a chuckle, or dismissive sigh, followed by some variant of “yeah, it’s just faster to take a car”. Does anyone ride the LA subway? What’s it like? I went to find out.

Lucky for me it was a short walk from where I was staying to the nearest subway station (Beverly Station on the Red Line). Though it was already pretty warm by 9am the shady side of the street was pleasant with just a hint of breeze. The worst part of the walk was the barren overpass over the sea of cars and baking asphalt. I could just barely make out the downtown skyline through the haze.

Soon the large “M” totem indicating the station emerged into view at the corner. I descended the escalator onto the cool tiles of the Station floor and proceeded to the ticket kiosk.

Once inside I was immediately struck by the cleanliness of the surfaces. I wonder if that’s more reflective of light use or a heavy cleaning regimen.

Getting a ticket was quick and easy. I was glad to see they offer a refillable ticket system, called a “TAP” card, which appears to function across multiple transit options (subway, bus). The experience of using the Metro ticket machines was better than I was expecting. Each individual screen was fairly clear in what it offered (not touchscreens though, use the buttons on the side).

The only annoying part of the experience came a few screens into the process. I was presented with a choice of fare selection. How much money did I want to invest in this ticket? While considering my options for a mere few seconds the screen was obscured by a large pop-up asking if I needed more time (yes, I did). This same pop-up interrupted my process several more times before I had my ticket.

Note the giant rocks smashing through the station ceiling. Is this an effect or was the station built around them?

Just as I made my way down the final escalator to the platform I was delighted to find a train approaching in the direction I wanted to go. It didn’t stop, however, and the monitors above offered no further clarity. The next train came 8 minutes later (with the next train 17 minutes behind that one). For a Monday morning that seems like a long wait. Good thing I wasn’t in a hurry this time.

Okay, so people actually DO use the subway! Another surprise was the accent lighting in the Pershing Sq. Station with its fun, faux-neon vibe.

The subway car I boarded was comfortably full of people with enough space to stand without touching anyone. While the acceleration of the train was irregular enough to cause me to throw me off balance several times it was manageable, as long as I braced myself against something. Those who stood sideways had to do a little dance to stay upright. One older gentleman fell into me during one particularly abrupt acceleration change and apologized politely. I was able to wedge myself somewhat securely against an angled section of wall which allowed my shoulder blade to keep me from sliding around, albeit uncomfortably.

Before I had finished absorbing the details of the subway car I was at my stop, Pershing Square. I rode the escalator up while gazing back at the unexpected rainbow of neon lights floating above the platform. I surfaced on Hill St, surrounded by skyscrapers dappled with the morning sun. Hit by a wave of heat I realized how air-conditioned the subway ride had been. I headed into the voluminous shade of the skyscrapers in search of a café where I could post up and work for a bit.

Emerging from Pershing Square station downtown.

I wandered around downtown in the shadows of art deco giants, passing block after block of jewelry stores and former theaters. I sat down in a charming cafe to casually sip a cold brew coffee while writing a portion of this post. Brew finished I saddled up and walked a the few remaining blocks to the 7th St. Metro Station where I could catch the Expo line towards Santa Monica.

The 7th St. Station seems to be the largest transfer station in the subway system so I was a little surprised to find such an unassuming entrance tucked away under the street level, behind a department store plaza.

When I got to the platform the delightfully legible overhead monitors informed me it would be a 20-minute wait for my train (!). Thankfully my train showed up in about 3 minutes (?). Another quirk of the monitors was every 10th screen or so they cycled through was just a tiny file icon. Oops.

The fabric of the seats boasted a plush newness and forbode a promise of absorbency.

Once on the train several people asked me which train this was. I thought it was the Expo (light blue) line, as opposed to the Long Beach (dark blue) line, both headed in the same direction out of the station. I asked the people next to me just to be sure. The general consensus was that this was likely the Expo line… but there was a notable lack of confidence in people’s answers.

No, that’s not the LA river (I had to check), it’s Ballona creek.

My second stop of the day was in Culver City. Again I was impressed with the shiny cleanliness of everything. Then again, this station’s only been open for six years. The area around the base of the station, however, left much to be desired. It doesn’t help that there’s a block-wide construction project abutting the station entrance.

There’s something playful, almost organic, about the delicateness of the string of construction lights wrapping under the massive concrete forms.

Work finished for the day, I hopped on the train home via a transfer at 7th St.

I did a double-take realizing these signs were tile mosaics. Pretty!

As I transferred to my final train of the day I was a little surprised to find it so empty at 5:10pm. A bigger surprise came when the train stopped for fifteen minutes and started reversing direction. I realized I had boarded the purple line instead of the red line. Lucky for me it was a short line and I was back to a transfer point in a few minutes. Embarrassment aside I’m still not sure how I got on the wrong train. Next time I’ll have to pay more attention to their on-train signage.

A lot more people seem to be taking the red line.

I’m still curious about these yellow bollards. They block the gap between some of the cars but not all.

I stepped off the escalator onto Vermont St. happy to be back in my neighborhood and eager to shrug off my heavy shoulder bag. Overall I enjoyed my subway experience and would definitely ride it again. Though it did take a little longer than driving would have (even during rush hour, as crazy as that seems to me) there are a lot of advantages to riding the subway instead of driving. The time I spend on public transit can be (at least sometimes) restorative and productive. Driving in traffic much less so.