Los Angeles: where to stay and getting around

When I first started planning my visit to LA I was surprised at how large (geographically speaking) it really is. A lot of the sites of interest (Hollywood Blvd; Warner Bros Studios; Universal Studios; Santa Monica Pier; Venice Beach and of course...Disneyland) are quite well spread out from one another.

Not wanting to spend a small fortune on taxis, the only solution I found was to stay at accommodation nearby the main public transport hub for LA - Union Station. Most importantly, every train or bus in LA that is going somewhere you want to go will stop at Union Station.

Accommodation:
There are a lot of accommodation options nearby Union Station. I stayed at Metro Plaza Hotel, it is a budget hotel and it satisfied my requirements but it may not be for everyone.

If you are going to stay nearby Union Street, check out Olvera Street, it's oozing with amazing Mexican restaurants and shops - you will feel like you've been to Mexico.
There is a direct bus running from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) to Union Station.

Getting around:
There are three train services at Union Station:

• Metro Rail (urban train/subway line for LA)
• Metrolink (suburban and regional train line to LA/California)
• Amtrak (regional and national train line)

Please do not get Metro Rail and Metrolink confused - because if you take the latter by mistake chances are you'll be going on a long scenic route in the opposite direction from your intended destination.

In addition to train services, a number of bus lines operated by Metro (same company as Metro Rail) also run services from Union Station.

• Hollywood Blvd: Metro Rail - Red Line - 'Union Station' to 'Hollywood/Vine'
• Universal Studios: Metro Rail - Red Line - 'Union Station' to 'Universal City Studio City'
• Santa Monica Beach/Venice Beach - Metro (bus) - Metro Rapid Service route 704 - 'Union Station' to '2nd St/Santa Monica Blvd'
• Disneyland - Amtrak - 'Pacific Surfliner' - 'Union Station' to 'Anaheim' - then catch the bus from Anaheim train station to Disneyland (you can opt for the Metrolink line - but the Amtrak was more convenient to my schedule when I visited).

p.s. I did cheat and caught a taxi from Hollywood Blvd to Warner Bros Studio - but I was running a tad late and going to the Conan O'Brien show so didn't want to leave anything up to chance!