Want a cheap way to see Los Angeles? You might want to consider buying a $5 day pass and touring the city by MetroRail.  While it’s not as famous as the New York train and subway system, the Los Angeles commuter train and subway system is a great way for locals as well as visitors from all over the world to enjoy the diversified Los Angeles scene.

There are currently five trains that run in Los Angeles County.  For tourists, the most notable ones are the Red and Gold Lines.

Red Line

The Red Line takes you to some of the more famous tourist destinations in Los Angeles.  Starting at Union Station (which in itself is really interesting to walk to visit) the Red Line takes you to the Civic Center, Pershing Square (where you can get off for the Angel's Flight, the "shortest railway in the world,") then to MacArthur Park, before heading north for stops at Hollywood and Vine and Hollywood and Highland.

At the Hollywood stops you can take a look at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the El Capitan Theatre, the Kodak Theatre, wonderful shopping and restaurants, and the Lucky Strike Lanes, which is an upscale bowling alley and lounge.

When you've had your fill of Hollywood, get back on the Red Line and head north to Universal City, with the Universal Studios theme park and the popular CityWalk located nearby (you can take a free shuttle up the hill). The Red Line ends at North Hollywood, near the NoHo arts district, home of numerous theatres and art galleries, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and vintage clothing stores.

Gold Line

The Gold Line is considered by some to be the nicest of the Metro lines (at least in terms of cleanliness).  The Gold Line takes riders through many different types of neighborhoods and tourist experiences. 
Originally the Gold Line began at Union Station and went up and east to Sierra Madre.  But, within the past year the line was extended south to include stops in Little Tokyo and East L.A. 

You can really see a lot on this line.  Of course there's Union Station with historic Olvera Street within a short walking distance. There's also Chinatown, with restaurants and shopping, and a stop in Old Town Pasadena, where you can spend hours on Colorado Street shopping, dining or catching a film.  For a unique theater experience, you might want to check out the new Gold Class Cinemas in Old Town, which provide an upscale dinner and a movie, with plush recliners from which you can order food, drinks or a blanket during your movie-watching experience.

To the south of Old Town there's also charming South Pasadena, with some shops on Mission and Fair Oaks. If you want great ice cream, visit Buster's located near the train stop.  In East LA, be sure to get off in Mariachi Plaza and have dinner at La Seranata de Garibaldi.  Will you see Mariachis when you go there? I didn't - when I went there was nothing happening.  But, it's a nice station and good food nearby.  And, who knows, maybe you will hear some good mariachi music.

To see the maps of for the individual lines, you can go to http://www.metro.net 

For more information on Los Angeles attractions, go to our webpage on things to do in Los Angeles