To Rent, or Not to Rent

[fairyrune]

Have any of you been to Los Angeles? If so, I have a question for you.

Should we rent a car?

I have a book that's telling me the public transportation in the area sucks pretty hardcore. However, the husband of the friend we're staying with doesn't own a car, and gets around solely with public transportation. I'm not entirely certain where they live, so that doesn't help. They have to work during the week we're there, so they won't be available all the time to hold our hands and show us around. I was thinking maybe we should get a car with a GPS device.

The problem with renting a car is that I am under twenty five, so if I rented it there would be some ASTRONOMICAL surcharge. Rich doesn't have a credit card, so he can't rent the car, even though he is over twenty five. I called Enterprise and asked if I could pay and he could drive, and was told that wasn't possible.

I've never been there myself, obviously, and I don't know whether to believe the book, or the fellow we haven't met yet. He's probably not going to places like Disneyland or the tourist-y spots all the time.

Any advice?

Comments

[fair-juliet.livejournal.com]

I have also heard that public transport in CA sucks. And that you really don't want to be walking places at night. I guess it dependson the area, but I'd say a car would probably end up being better just so you're not stranded or having to bum rides.

[mrod42.livejournal.com]

as long as you dont plan on leaving downtown LA you can take a cab anywhere you want...if you want to go check out hollywood or beverly hills then you can take a bus in for the day as a cab would prolly be a little pricey due to sitting in insane traffic. downtown isnt HUGE like midtown NYC, but the whole area including hollywood and beveraly hills and the beaches are pretty big however if you want to leave LA then you must have a rental, the traffic in the LA area is no joke, and traffic jams are nearly and hourly not daily experience.

hope this helps.

[mrod42.livejournal.com]

p.s after the third day youll notice it might hurt to breathe a bit (esp. if you are a non smoker) dont be alarmed its just the smog!, last time i was in LA you could not see the hollywood hills (which surround the city more or less which is why they have smog, it has no where to go) when i landed... wasnt till two days later i saw the hills, which we here in jersey would call mountains.

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

if you run to a bank and open a checking account they usually give you on the spot a debit card (actually I know commerce bank does this) which has the visa logo on it and then you could always close the account later if you don't need it. =)

or or or

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

if you have about 2 weeks before you leave log online or call the cc company and add him to your credit card and they'll send one out with his name on it and that would solve the problem if he doesn't want to apply for any himeself.

Re: or or or

[fairyrune]

I tried to do that today, but I don't have his social or mother's maiden name. I can do it tonight!

[fairyrune]

Rich has a checking account with a Mastercard debit card, I just don't think he has the cash in it to cover the rental. I was hoping to put most of the stuff for the vacation on my super-low-interest credit card, and pay it off over a couple of months.

Worst comes to worst, I guess I can give him a check to deposit into his account to cover the rental.

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

what about using paypal to pay yourself some cash into his checking aaccount? you'd get hit with a % from paypal for the convenience but at least you'd have it on the low interest card..

[rhps613.livejournal.com]

Also if you have AAA you get a discount on rentals. if you have a good Verizon phone you might have GPS on it and jsut use it for $10 that month . well worth it.

[spreadsothin.livejournal.com]

It looks like you can get the car in his name, and so I would recommend taking it. Trying to get out of the downtown strip in LA is most difficult and some of the freeways are actually kind of beautiful and amazing, they way they loop into each other. Anaheim as a town is also really beautiful, with beaches and a music scene, if you go there for the Disney day and want to extend your stay.

[fairyrune]

I REALLY want to drive down Sunset Boulevard, too.

[blacktart.livejournal.com]

So, I happen to be from Los Angeles. It actually is possible to get around by public transportation, but there's good reason people say it sucks. It's ridiculously inefficient. It's not its fault really, it's just that LA is a huge, sprawling city. So it can be done, but it's time-consuming as all hell. Driving is generally easier.

I can give you a better idea, if you'd like. Just tell me where they live (as in the town name) and where you were looking to go. I know my way around.

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

oooh! a native! you're actually who I need to talk to, if you're so kind. I'm thinking of moving to LA for the summer and I have similar types of questions...

[blacktart.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to help. Would an AIM conversation work, or do you prefer another form of communication?

[undergreenlight.livejournal.com]

I agree with Blacktart. Even San Diego which is less sprawling is almost impossible to get around in sans car. But if you guys do get a car and have the tiem you should come and see mee!!!

[makiieris.livejournal.com]

Was minus a car last Spring Break with my roomie and we were stuck with the public transportation system. It was def. do-able because it ran the times that we needed it, but yeah it was best for getting to the downtown area and such. Seemed to be a lot of cars and stuff when I was there, don't know if it was just because of the time of year, everyone being on break as well, or if it's just always like that, but yeah it's crazy, sort of like the subways in NY... a lot cleaner though and sometimes they don't even check or care if you don't have a pay stub. A lot cheaper than a car, just sometimes it could be a walk depending on where you would be staying in relation to the subway station. Bus wise, we took it twice, to go all the way down to Venice Beach for the day, like a half hour bus ride, but generally like the NY buses, they get you where you need to go just not as fast as NYCs systems work

[harpiegirl4.livejournal.com]

I lived in L.A. for three years. If you go there, you need a car. Period. No question about it. Just sayin'. :)

[fairyrune]

I have come to understand this. The hard part is convincing the boy-person of it.