You can stay downtown. There is the subway from Union Station to Downtown. It takes about 10 minutes. You can get a decent price on a 4*room in downtown LA on priceline. I use them all the time.There are some "high" class hotels near it. Best way to research is by using hotels.com. Make sure you select "LA Amtrak Station."
Taxis are available at the front of the station, so are the light rails.
ample evidence of roaches, occasional rodent sightings (not entirely their fault - some of the businesses on the rear of the building are filthy); no smoking, but you'd never know it from the smells - the only real advantage is that the bathrooms are large, but there's nothing to them other than extra square footage - call the Marriott!How dumpy is it? I'm trying to figure out what my layover cost in LA will be. I don't mind it being less-than-5-star, but I want it to be safe and clean.
Just like I said in my previous post, you do not have to spend a fortune on the Bonaventure. You can get it or another 4* through Priceline for around $60-80, depending on your dates. I would rather spend money on a decent hotel and take the subway on a 5 to 10 minute ride to Union Station.Even on Trip Advisor, most reviews say the Metro Plaza is OK or above. (True, there were some "never again" reviews, but there also were some "excellent" reviews!) I'm not expecting a palace, but I hear it's not a dump either. (I never stayed there - yet!)
But given the choice between $79 (and <5 minute walk) for an overnight layover or $$$$ for a 4-5 star hotel (plus cab or subway, etc...), I'll take the $79!
It's a very interesting part of town. Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail is on Bauchet just a little north of the Union Station. It's gets really interesting in the wee hours of the morning when the "patrons" get released from the "Graybar Hotel."we stayed at the metro plaza in january. very nice rooms, good complimentary breakfast, a block from union station, reasonable rates, interesting area of town
Well said, from squeaky-clean suburbia, where the Sherriff was forced to quit because he, his ex-mistress, wife, and various politcal cronies are all known crooks under indictment for subverting law enforcement in favor of financial gain. Watch your wallets in Orange County, because those clowns are still at large. You don't wanna come face-to-face with a fake deputy, who has a gun permit and badge only because he bribed the Sherriff, demanding money as you leave Disneyland. Desperadoes who will do anything to meet legal expenses.It's a very interesting part of town. Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail is on Bauchet just a little north of the Union Station. It's gets really interesting in the wee hours of the morning when the "patrons" get released from the "Graybar Hotel."<_<
Is it because of using corn syrup and very little oranges in orange juice or over-ripe banana? I'm curious why your thumb is down over the continental breakfast at Metro Plaza?HIDEOUS!!
And the continental breakfast stinks. Clearly a major handicap in a city which offers no other dining options whatsoever.
They've had the breakfast room shut down more than once by the health department, for various reasons, including vermin infestation - and I've stayed there probably a total of 80 days over 4 years (I work for "a certain transportation provider"), so believe me, there are plenty of little creepy crawlies around. I've also found the wi-fi to be hit and miss - it works about 75% of the time. And there IS a reason that they lost their Days Inn franchise last year (they'd been a Days Inn for a couple of years before the corporation revoked their franchise for poor standards).With a history of touring on the cheap with traveling bands, I have first-hand knowledge of what dumps and fleabags are. The Metro Plaza is not a dump, it is safe and clean, and since I've never been used to paying for being pampered in the lap of luxury merely for a place to crash, suits me just fine. Of course there are drawbacks:
The TVs are pretty lame, with archaic remotes that make you search up and down for channels.
HORRORS!!
The elevators are slow and, of all the rotten things, might have to be shared with foreign tourists from such clearly destestable nations as England, Germany, Australia, and worst of all, Switzerland. Just try to stop those people from yodeling!
HIDEOUS!!
And the continental breakfast stinks. Clearly a major handicap in a city which offers no other dining options whatsoever.
UNTHINKABLE!!
On the other hand, I've found the wireless internet service to be far better and more reliable than hotels costing much more. Maybe that's just me, but I think it's important.
On several stays I've seen neither hide nor hair - or any other evidence - of vermin of any kind (above mentioned yodeling Swiss notwithstanding).
And of course the reasonable rates and LAUS proximity cannot be overstated.
My name is WhoozOn1st, and I approved this message. :lol:
Nice rambling post. <_<Well said, from squeaky-clean suburbia, where the Sherriff was forced to quit because he, his ex-mistress, wife, and various politcal cronies are all known crooks under indictment for subverting law enforcement in favor of financial gain. Watch your wallets in Orange County, because those clowns are still at large. You don't wanna come face-to-face with a fake deputy, who has a gun permit and badge only because he bribed the Sherriff, demanding money as you leave Disneyland. Desperadoes who will do anything to meet legal expenses.It's a very interesting part of town. Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail is on Bauchet just a little north of the Union Station. It's gets really interesting in the wee hours of the morning when the "patrons" get released from the "Graybar Hotel."<_<
And please, what would anybody be doing hanging around the jail in the wee hours? No trains then. No transit. Good luck getting a cab. No reason to be anywhere other than in one's SAFE hotel room, resting up for the next day's activities.
I have often stated that I have no money, and thats an accurate statement: I don't. However, I had the blessing and curse of growing up in a family that had quite a bit of it. Its a blessing because, when it came to important things, I wanted for nothing. My parents didn't give me everything I wanted (I'd be driving a '79 or '80 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II, brand-new Morgan Plus 4, Ariel Atom, or Caterham 7 CSR if they did ), and I wouldn't say I was spoiled silly, or became a spoiled brat- I stopped throwing I WANT IT tantrums about age 5 or 6, which I suppose is about the normal age.
But I did have everything they thought I honestly needed (decent computer, a safe[and nice] car, a college education, and so forth) and quite a few things I didn't need but really liked (I got a really nice computer when I graduated high-school and college, they paid for the whole car, not just enough to bridge what I had to an amount to buy a safe one, and so on). They didn't let me buy all the things I wanted myself at times (I'd be driving a Porsche 968 cabrio, an Alfa Romeo 164 or Spider, or a Maserati Biturbo were that the case).
But on the other hand, its a curse. Because while I wasn't spoiled silly, and wasn't/am not a spoiled brat, I still got spoiled. Once in a while we stayed at decent 3 stars (Holiday Inn was the most common of these), but more often 4-stars (Local or Marriott/Wyndham/Omni/Etc.) or 5-star places. When I took a few vacations of my own, primarily with friends, I tried staying at really inexpensive hotels. A quality inn, a Econo-lodge, a privately owned roachtel, and a Days-Inn. I didn't like them. I didn't like the surly impersonal service, the limited sanitary standards, and worst, the uncomfortable beds. Perhaps I'd be more tolerant of it had I stayed in lesser accommodations in my youth. Given my lack of monetary ambitions, I suppose I better come to grips with the idea of tolerating them, though.
I wonder why I am so verbose today?
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