Exploring LA by train from Santa Clarita

By Loco & Motive (being two friends embracing retirement with open arms -- and bad knees)

Aug 23 2017

Maiden Voyage - Chinatown

Stuff they just don’t teach you at school

In anticipation of our first train ride on Metrolink we had explored parking, as close to Newhall station as possible. And surprise surprise our first new piece of learning occurred. Right behind Newhall Station is a huge brand spanking new Community Center, with oodles of free commuter parking.

The new Community Center has been added to the list of things to learn more about, it’s apparently been here for 3-plus years but hey no one told us about it.

We also spent a useful 25 minutes learning how the train ticket dispenser works and if it would take credit cards. It did dispense and it does take plastic.

When planning a trip it’s important to know the official name of your destination train station. I have always referred to the main LA station as Grand Central, the result of too many movies and TV shows. The correct name is of course Union Station. You need that to buy your ticket because you define your destination using the first letter of the destination station  name.

We couldn’t exactly figure out how get from Metrolink Union Station to  the METRO Gold Line at Union station which promised to whisk you to Chinatown,  but decided to live dangerously and just wing it.

The Day off:

Armed with all of our pre planning knowledge we set off about 45 minutes ahead of the noonish train. We were going to go for the pre noon train but one of us was lazy.

Parking at the Community Center was a doddle, and buying the tickets was easy too. $7 round trip  Newhall to Union Station, $14 for the both of us.

Once we get on the platform we immediately encounter our first knowledge deficiency. There are two platforms or tracks at Newhall, identified as 1 and 2. If you end up on the wrong platform, you’re going to have to try a 50-yard run around the end of the station (bad knees, remember) and hope the train stays put for long enough for you to get to it.

We had seen a Northbound train depart from Track 2 but could we assume therefore that Southbound would depart from Track 1? Being the dashing explorers that we are we asked the prettiest waiting passengers we could find if they knew which track to use. Sadly, as is often the case in life, while they were pretty they were no more knowledgeable than we were.

Newhall is an unmanned station; no one to ask. An Internet search indicated that Southbound trains left from Track 2. We and all the other waiting passengers were on Track 1. So obviously we decided that the Metrolink online information was incorrect, and we continued our search for the truth.

First we tried the handy platform help telephone, which proved beyond our technical skills to operate. It was just too much. Both of us being college graduates with a lifetime of computer use behind us, it was totally beyond our technical ability to use this phone.

Further searching for help was required.

Lo and behold, a hand written note was stuck with scotch tape to the notice board glass announcing that the official printed schedule contained a misprint, and that today ALL trains would depart from Track 1. ( Why use the automated announcing system to tell people this or put it on the website when  there is still pen, paper and scotch tape available in the world?)

With our lack of faith in Metrolink’s website now in full bloom we proceeded to wait confidently on Track 1 for our southbound train when along comes another Northbound freight train which proceeds to sail right through on Track 2. This appeared incongruous with the hand written taped note we discovered earlier. But we rationalised the incongruity by saying “freight trains don’t count !”.

All Aboard:

Our train arrived -- yes, we’re standing on the correct side! -- and on we get.

There are three levels on each carriage, better views methinks.

We took seats on level 2 and began preparation for the next leg of our voyage, our eventual arrival at Union Station and the switch to the Metro Gold line.

A few minutes out of the station, suddenly all went black. Problem? No, just the San Fernando Tunnel, which is how the Metrolink makes its way through the Newhall Pass. The tunnel, more than a mile long, is still doing yeoman duty more than 140 years after its completion in 1876 by more than 1,500 workers, mostly Chinese immigrant laborers.

Getting back to planning, Google appeared to tell us that we had a 4 minute walk outside Union Station. However, who trusts Google ? So we asked a very nice young man, Hector, if he knew. Unfortunately nice did not translate to train station awareness so Hector was unable to help us. We did have a lovely chat with him, I kept interrupting his reading but he was polite. He is a second year physics student at Cal State Pomona. One of those smart young men who will no doubt re-invent the world. He had been visiting family in the Antelope Valley and was on his way back home to Claremont.

We arrived at Union Station armed only with the knowledge that we needed to find the METRO Gold line. Having explored the public transit systems of several other cities we were confident, if our knees could hold out, we would be ok. (This issue will be referred to from here on out as available knee radius).

UNION STATION:

Unlike its teeming counterparts in NY, London or Paris Union Station is calm, unhurried and almost tranquil.

The signs pointing to platforms and METRO lines are easy to interpret. Just keep a sharp eye and you will have no problems.

We walked along the tunnel for a tiny distance and were directed toward a Right turn toward an elevator and staircase. However to open  the elevator you needed a TAP card.

TAP card dispensing machines were right there. Figuring out what to do was another 25 minutes of trial and error.

Supposedly it was a 35c expense to ride the GOLD line one stop to Chinatown. It cost $1 to get a TAP card. So two tap cards later we were on the platform awaiting our train to Chinatown.

Further investigation has indicated that our METROLINK tickets may have given us access to METRO GOLD line for free. Although we have come across competing information in this regard. What the heck, live large its 35c. Or is it 70c with the return trip, I am unclear. ( We have since learned if your METROLINK ticket is appropriately marked with a TAP symbol, the first METRO connection is free).

Back on the platform, a by now familiar question emerges, which Track do we want to be on ? Luckily one of us is a Los Angelean by birth and has LA geography built into his DNA. He knew Chinatown was East of Union Station.

There were signs on each Track, one said East LA and the other said Azusa. Since we needed to go East one could almost assume we needed to be on the East LA track. But you know what they say about assuming….. The East Bound train is actually heading for Azusa.

Chinatown, It’s literally one stop away East of UnionStation.

The METRO Gold LIne:

The GOLD line from Union Station is a sightseer's delight.

Right outside Union Station is Olivera Street and Phillipe’s famous sandwich shop.

One train stop East is Chinatown.

One train stop West is Japantown.

Note to self: Find out more about LA’s METRO bikes. An attractive German couple were riding them around Chinatown. We will update you in an upcoming blog, newsletter, article or whatever this is.

Chinatown:

This is where Knee Radius becomes important.

As my Welsh friend reminds me when asked how are you doing the age appropriate response is “Everything is deteriorating on schedule”.

Both of us have dodgy and repaired knees.

We had selected a restaurant for lunch called Chinese Friends. It’s been here since the 1970’s. The distance Google indicated was within our tolerable Knee Radius, however without a terrain specific search we were once again winging it.

The GOLD line Chinatown stop drops you off right at College, one block away from Broadway. Broadway is as you know where all the Chinatown shops and restaurants are located.

Chinese Friends  was well within knee radius of the train stop. Lunch was delicious, the restaurant was as plain and simple as you expect a good chinese restaurant to be. Food was tasty and not a chop stick in sight.

Chopsticks are perhaps perceived to be a bit pretentious ? I suspect once Wolfgang Puck began giving them out at Pei Wei, authentic chinese restaurants stopped.

Our return trip was easy. Caught the early commuter train back to Newhall, arriving in at around 4:15. Since the pub (The Rose and Crown) opens at 4:00pm it was perfect time for an end of trip pint.

Next stop Santa Monica.

Noticeable landmarks spotted from the train:

Blossom Plaza - a retail residential new development located right at Chinatown GOLD line station. I’d live here for sure.

A Michael Connelly landmark. The homeless dwellings with campers. One in particular I will look out for again and get more specific location details. We had both recently read Connelly’s latest novel titled The Late Show. In it his new character Renee Ballard, who I intend to ask to marry me if older fat guys are her thing, has to do some detecting at a community of homeless people that has old campers in it. We both recognised it from the book. Mr. Connelly if you are reading this (which undoubtedly he is)  was it this community (visible from Metrolink around Sun Valley on  the Antelope Valley line) that inspired the one in  your book ?

A note to all visitors to LA, it’s worth reading all Michael Connelly’s books to get a sense of LA, as well as as a cracking good read. Connolly is to LA what Sandford is to Minnesota  and Rankin is to Edinburgh.

Whiteman Airport: I never knew it was even  there. MY LA in his DNA partner knew its name and that it’s an unmanned airport. Or as they are apparently known “A See and be Seen Airport”.