I got into UCLA and I am trying to imagine myself in the LA area. I love Latin dancing and am looking forward to the dance scene in LA. I also am interested in film so I definitely want to start looking at internships and studios. I was wondering how feasible it is to move around Los Angeles beyond Westwood when going to UCLA. I’m still working on bringing a car and finding a parking spot which I hear is an endeavor in itself. But beyond that, does anyone know how reasonable it is to get around LA as a UCLA student?
Traffic SUCKS. Be prepared to take an hour anytime you want to go somewhere a meaningful distance if you have to use one of the highways. Try to avoid areas like Koreatown and Compton at night, among others. There are lots of clubs and free dances around town, just look them up!
A campus parking pass is almost impossible for a freshman to get. Without one, it is $12 a day on campus. There are plenty of buses, UCLA shuttles and uber is relatively inexpensive.
It is very difficult to get around without car in LA.
Do not let this be a deciding factor to not come to UCLA. There really is a lot of public transportation because UCLA is located in an urban busy city unlike other schools that might be located in a more isolated area. An example: The dorms run a weekend shuttle to Santa Monica Beach and other “tourist” places. Metrobus and SM big blue bus come right onto campus also.
Uber is big at UCLA. Gather 3 or 4 friends to go somewhere and it’s pretty cheap.
Hey there! I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the majority of my life, currently don’t have a license or car, and have relied primarily on the public transport system to get around the city. Buses here will take you most places and typically go very far for pretty cheap (~ $1.25 one way + tons of plans/card options if you want to save money if you will be using them often). The new Metro Expo Line is about to open as well, which covers hubs like Downtown and Santa Monica, which will (hopefully) increase accessibility and be faster than waiting around in traffic. Parking in Westwood/UCLA and Downtown is notoriously difficult as well, so many people are in fact better off just busing to save the effort and super inflated parking structures/valets. Uber is also really popular here, so that plus busing will honestly get you to most (if not all) places around here.
The Big Blue Bus is pretty useful. It only costs like 0.50¢ and there are multiple stops in Westwood. I’ve used that the most, but also I don’t leave campus much because I don’t really find the time to have day trips or outings often.
Lyft is big too. Check into Zipcars also.
Uber/Lyft
BigBlueBus as @berryjam said
Culver City buses (I use the Rapid 6 to get from LAX to UCLA and back) - also 50 cents
Walk (there are a lot of good places in Westwood alone that, at most, would take 30 minutes to walk to. But there’s a LOT)