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Post by nicksantangelo on May 31, 2007 7:15:16 GMT -8
I just checked the El Capitan website and, lo and behold, they just noticed the Metro Station across the street. I have Danielle at MTA to thank, no doubt. From their site: For your convenience, public transportation options are available when visiting the El Capitan Theatre. A Metro Red Line subway station is located across the street from the El Capitan Theatre in the Hollywood and Highland Entertainment Complex. Red Line base fares are $1.25 for each one-way trip. The Red Line runs every 10-20 minutes between 4:30 a.m. and 1:20 a.m. even on weekends. Parking is available at most stations along the Red Line. For detailed trip fares and itineraries, please visit the Trip Planner at www.Metro.net. In addition, Metrolink trains now include weekend operating hours and connect with the Red Line at Los Angeles Union Station. For Metrolink schedules and fares, please visit www.Metrolinktrains.com.
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Post by bluelineshawn on May 31, 2007 17:42:12 GMT -8
That's cool to see! Although parking is not available at most red line stations.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Jun 21, 2007 16:38:32 GMT -8
Well, the this thread's title is not valid anymore, but I would want to continue on the subject of station prominence as the North Hollywood Red Line station has it's second advertiser. The station is now plastered with ads for HOWS Market, which has a market across Chandler from the Red Line portal and just opened a month ago as part of the NoHo TOD project. Has there been any change in advertisers at 7th/Metro Center and Union Station?
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Post by whitmanlam on Jun 21, 2007 22:51:09 GMT -8
7th / Metro Center is still draped with image of the Beefy Angus Burger. There are no McDonald's restaurants within 5 blocks of the station.
Union Station currently has no advertising in the subway station, but dull Starbucks posters have replaced the unique Dos Equis ads in the Union Metro Gateway Tunnel.
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Post by James Fujita on Jun 21, 2007 23:22:00 GMT -8
for some odd reason, I like the location of those ads at Union Station. so much more unique on the ceiling and thank goodness not anywhere near the main building area.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Jun 22, 2007 7:23:56 GMT -8
From my observations the McDonalds ads at 7th/metro center have been gone for at least a few days. They haven't been replaced with any other advertising.
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Post by dasubergeek on Jul 6, 2007 15:18:16 GMT -8
for some odd reason, I like the location of those ads at Union Station. so much more unique on the ceiling and thank goodness not anywhere near the main building area. The thing is, the ones in Union Station are Starbucks ads. There's not a Starbucks in Union Station. There's not a Starbucks anywhere near Union Station. So then I want coffee, and my option is Union Bagel Company, which is fine, but they always seem to be too lazy to get my order right (including this morning, when the regular drip coffee ran out and so she decided it was OK to fill the cup up 2/3 of the way with decaf rather than switch the carafe). Not to say I want a Starbucks in LAUS, but a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf might be nice...
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Post by bluelineshawn on Jul 8, 2007 11:22:25 GMT -8
Getting back to businesses that mention the metro in their advertising... Metro is prominent on the new LA Live/Nokia Theater website.PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION L.A LIVE is well served by public transportation systems including the MTA Blue Line Station at Pico and Flower Streets, the MTA Red Line Subway at 7th and Figueroa, the LA Dot Downtown DASH shuttle service and numerous MTA regional and local bus routes. L.A. LIVE is also centrally located within the regional freeway system with seven major interchanges on the nearby 110 and 10 freeways and on a grid of major arterial streets with excellent inbound traffic capacity during the high traffic volume peak periods. The district will feature wide sidewalks, rich landscaping and attractive hardscape features aimed at connecting various venues while also providing linkages to adjacent residential and commercial areas and public transit.
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Post by James Fujita on Jul 9, 2007 12:15:49 GMT -8
well, the city did provide financial assistance to get this project off the ground... they had BETTER promote Metro Rail on their website!!!!
(note: I'm not opposed to L.A. Live, in fact I think it is a desperately needed project, especially as one of my favorite events, Anime Expo, is going to be at the Convention Center next year and probably the year after that. but under the circumstances, support of Metro Rail ought be be a given)
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Jul 10, 2007 19:19:06 GMT -8
I was at Anime Expo last week in Long Beach (for all 4 days). Half of the time I drove there and the other half used Metro from North Hollywood. Parking at LBCC wasn't bad when I went in the morning. As for the Metro Blue Line, I barely saw anyone from AX on the train (I don't recall any "cosplayers" on board). At first, I thought a lot of people would use it (there is a thread about Metro Rail on the AX official forum), but it would leave 1st Street or Transit Mall stations 1/4 full. I'm glad AX is going to be closer to me and still transit accessible next year, however, there are negative sentiments on the AX forum about moving to LACC, specifically the lack of walkable hotels; although this never was a problem with E3.
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Post by mattapoisett on Jul 10, 2007 21:19:41 GMT -8
We saw quite a few folks on the Red Line and Gold Line who had bags and badges from AX, but you're right no one in Cosplay.
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Post by James Fujita on Jul 18, 2007 13:35:59 GMT -8
heh. well, I might as well describe my rail experience while at Anime Expo this year: I took an Amtrak bus to Los Angeles and then the Blue Line down to Long Beach on Friday and I kept looking around for anybody else who might be headed for the convention, and I only saw one other person who looked like she might have been headed there, but she was a deaf-mute or something. I drove to the convention on Saturday and Sunday: I spent the weekend at my parents' house, and I was able to borrow my mom's car. finally, my dad gave me a ride to Union Station on Monday and it was obvious that I wasn't the only anime fan- there were quite a few badges and anime expo bags on the bus ride north and the San Joaquin train was loaded with con-goers. but no, nobody was cosplaying. I can understand why people wouldn't cosplay on the train or on the bus because frankly, a lot of the costumes are fragile and you'd want to save them for photos on the convention floor. still, with 40,000 estimated attendees, you're talking about an event with Dodger Stadium-sized potential traffic and parking problems; surely mass transit needs to play a role. the AX website is a jungle of confusing links, but I think I saw the Blue Line mentioned somewhere. unfortunately, some of these anime-obsessed kids may have learned from their parents how to be paranoid NIMBYs- where do they get the idea that Downtown Long Beach is the ghetto? do they even know what that word implies?
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Post by Tony Fernandez on Jul 18, 2007 16:50:50 GMT -8
It's the big problem facing rail in this county. Out in my area, people are afraid to take the bus because they think that they will be abducted and raped and they are dead serious. It's crazy. The only way to answer this is to have more pedestrian traffic and higher ridership.
Still, so many misconceptions and they run rampant even amongst those who live here. It's so hard to convince them too.
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Post by whitmanlam on Jul 18, 2007 18:43:58 GMT -8
From my experience, taking the Blue Line to Long Beach from Downtown L.A. is hardly ever a pleasant experience. I feel the biggest annoyance is the time consumed, the train crawling slowly through Washington Blvd., the huge inconvenience of trains that end at Willowbrook station. And all those traffic stop lights. The Blue line is helpful, during rush hour traffic when all cars are going slower. But when the 710 is clear and running smoothly, the train loses it's appeal instantly.
Also, the Long Beach Blue line stations are many blocks away from the Convention Center, Queen Mary, and the Aquarium. Alot of people don't like walking so far to their destination.
Hopefully next time they can host the event at the much more transit friendly LA Convention Center.
Too bad they didn't host the Comic Con at the LA Convention Center
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Post by bluelineshawn on Jul 18, 2007 19:32:13 GMT -8
I agree Whitman. The WORST parts of the blue line are the street running parts. At least if speed is any concern. Washington and Flower aren't that bad because they have signal preemption. That works very well on weekends when they only run 5 TPH. Not as well at rush hour when they run 11 TPH. Downtown Long Beach is cool, but the ride takes sooo looong! The trains must stop at 3 out of every 4 lights.
Also I believe that the anime event IS going to be at the LACC next year. But the Long Beach Convention center is only a couple of blocks from the Transit Mall station. About the same as the walk from Pico station to the LACC. Personally the Aquarium is also a decent walk, but there's a free bus for those that don't want to walk the 6 blocks.
Also the blue line trains terminate at Willow station in Long Beach, not 103rd which is in Willowbrook. That's a big difference.
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Post by James Fujita on Jul 19, 2007 0:55:01 GMT -8
for what it's worth, the Long Beach Convention Center is no slouch in the transit department. I mean, it isn't that much further from the Transit Mall to the LBCC than it is from Pico/Chick Hearn to the LACC.
and they do have the Passport shuttles in Long Beach, which in my experience, can be more reliable than the DASH shuttles downtown.
and the clincher is the hotel situation at LBCC. even better than a convention center with good transit connections is a connvention center with a hotel on the property. that'll change once L.A. Live opens and the LACC finally gets the hotel it deserves, but for the time being, it is a real downer. having a hotel room isn't really an issue for me, but I can see how it might be an issue for some cosplayers.
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Post by nickv on Jul 19, 2007 20:12:21 GMT -8
Although I keep my hands in my pockets to make sure none of my belongings grow legs and leave whenever the bus or train is standing room only, I actually feel safer while I'm onboard the bus or train than I do walking down a crowded sidewalk. With all those cameras onboard, I think it would be stupid to commit a major crime on Metro.
So we don't drift totally off-topic, I want to post my opinion on Metro Rail station advertising. I think Metro did it the right way. They've got the job done to raise a few extra bucks, yet they kept the advertising in moderation. I think it's good that one company "sponsors" the station instead of cluttering the stations with a bunch of advertising.
By the way, don't go to 7th St/Metro Station when you're hungry for lunch, or you'll be wishing there's a McDonald's nearby.
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Post by James Fujita on Jul 20, 2007 14:33:38 GMT -8
heh. sorry if this topic drifted a bit. we probably need a separate category for the convention center, because getting convention goers to and from LACC is definately an issue.
this talk of ads reminds me, a few years ago I saw an ad for Anime Expo on an OCTA bus back when it was held in Anaheim. sadly, I didn't see anything similar on Long Beach buses or on the MTA. I hardly ever see "event" ads instead of the usual food and lawyer ad on buses or in stations, which is a shame because I could care less about McDonalds but I might actually be convinced to attend an event at LACC!
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Post by nickv on Jul 20, 2007 22:51:36 GMT -8
I think that's up to the heads of Anime Expo and their marketing department. If they want to sponsor a Metro Rail station, then they will with approval with Metro staff. I personally think major events should be promoted in the stations; however, as I said, the event organization/company will need to approach Metro if they are interested.
By the way, no worries on the off-topic deal; it's common to drift off topic when the discussion gets interesting. At social functions I go to, one minute we're talking about how good the food is; the next minute we're talking about how congested the 91 freeway was on the way there... I just wanted to get the discussion back on track just in case other posters have other opinions on Metro station ads.
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Post by JamesFujita on Jul 21, 2007 11:43:20 GMT -8
you make a good point about Anime Expo going to the MTA and asking for ad space, but I've worked in newspapers long enough to know that advertising isn't a one-way street. ideally, you need guys out there selling ads to potential customers- including those big events.
of course, the MTA probably has a limited budget for ad salesmen, but it is something to think about.
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Post by whitmanlam on Jul 21, 2007 23:49:41 GMT -8
Advertising is A BIG BOOMING BUSINESS and Metro hasn't even scratched the surface of the ad potential they have.
Just today I saw a truck driving around Downtown L.A. carrying a huge billboard for a housing lender. It was not delivering anything, it's sole purpose was to be seen by people. If a company is willing to pay so much to get a little visibility... they would pay millions for a little share of Metro's gigantic wallspace !!!
Rent all the ad-space they can, install kiosks, TV's... anything that will generate revenue... it's the only way to close the deficit..
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Post by wad on Jul 22, 2007 0:44:57 GMT -8
Advertising is A BIG BOOMING BUSINESS and Metro hasn't even scratched the surface of the ad potential they have. Tell that to an account executive. There's new and all sorts of creative ways to place ads, but conversely the supply side is saturated. It is really difficult right now to sell ad space. To use investing parlance, advertising itself has become commoditized.
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Post by nicksantangelo on Jul 22, 2007 18:06:46 GMT -8
NickV- there IS a McDonalds closeby @ 7th and Broadway. Isn't there...? There used to be.
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Post by nicksantangelo on Jul 22, 2007 18:36:16 GMT -8
Come to think of it, there's a McDonald's under the Hastings Tower @ 5th and Flower, even closer to 7th/Metro.
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Post by wad on Jul 26, 2007 0:00:04 GMT -8
The ads at NoHo are now for the new HOWS market next to the station. HOWS also advertises on the Orange Line.
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