<p>how hard is it to get into the city without a car? from what i understand, while the campus is nice, the area surrounding usc is not. so im assuming you gotta go off campus to really enjoy the city. so is public transport any good? or are you screwed if you don't have a car?</p>
<p>My mom and I went last year for 2.5 days and got around entirely by bus and metro. It wasn’t incredibly fast or glamorous, but it was super cheap and we didn’t feel threatened at all. We went places like downtown LA and the touristy area at Hollywood Blvd, and walked all the way up to Runyon Canyon. And this was before the Expo Line to Culver City was open. I’m by no means an expert, but it didn’t seem impossible to rely on public transportation. And another cool aspect is that there’s room to take your bike on the bus and metro, so you can kind of hop a ride to wherever you want to explore.</p>
<p>Our D does have a car, but she uses the metro to get around LA from USC…it’s just easier than driving/parking.</p>
<p>There used to be a free shuttle to LA Live, and still may be. The new Metro (with a stop across the street from campus) takes you downtown or out to Culver City, and will extend to Santa Monica. Many friends will have their cars on campus, so runs for groceries, Disneyland, concerts, clubs are pretty easy to come by. But USC has a really active campus nightlife, so there is a lot to do to keep you on campus too.</p>
<p>From LAX, you can take a Flyaway Bus directly to Union Station in Los Angeles. From Union Station, you can take a USC shuttle directly to campus. Alternatively, from Union Station, you can take the Red Line to the 7th/Metro Station, then transfer to the Expo Line and take that all the way to campus.</p>