Favorite Station Design

[antonio]

;D

[jejozwik]

would be nice to link the page holding the pics

[antonio]

www.metro.net/projects_programs/eastside/stations.htm#TopOfPage

I wish the renderings were bigger and had more than one or two thumbnails each. Also the subway station renderings don't really give a good picture of what the station will look like

[James Fujita]

it's hard to vote on the basis of a few station drawings and illustrations.... I've seen plans for self-storage places that looked good on paper...

it was a tough decision. nothing says "transit" quite like a subway station, and I like the Mariachi Plaza design.

but I ended up voting for Little Tokyo. it's the only station that I've taken a look at up close, and it's a station that hopefully, I'll end up visiting quite often, so it gets my "ethnic community pride" vote XD

[kenalpern]

...and will you hate me if I suggest Little Tokyo will have to undergo serious reconstruction in order to be accommodated by a Downtown Connector?

Might I suggest that folks like you and Antonio step up and start talking about the ideal Connector/Little Tokyo alignment/routing that enhances ridership and operations for both Gold Lines?

[kenalpern]

A proposito, I voted for Little Tokyo as well.

[James Fujita]

kenalpern said:

...and will you hate me if I suggest Little Tokyo will have to undergo serious reconstruction in order to be accommodated by a Downtown Connector?

Might I suggest that folks like you and Antonio step up and start talking about the ideal Connector/Little Tokyo alignment/routing that enhances ridership and operations for both Gold Lines?

I don't have a problem with reconstructing the Little Tokyo station, or even moving it to a new location, as long as that location is within Little Tokyo.

It may be impossible to save the 1st/Alameda street location, but I would gladly settle for a 2nd/ San Pedro location.

[kenalpern]

Now if I understand this right, would this new Little Tokyo station have one or more portals?

[antonio]

Well the line would have two portals but they wouldnt be right next to the station. The new station would be on 2nd between Los Angeles and Central. One portal would empty out on first street to the Eastside and the other would come above ground in the MTA owned lot ASAP after crossing under 1st/Alameda

[kenalpern]

So in reference to James Fujita's previous comments, would this still be a "Little Tokyo station"?

[James Fujita]

we could really use some better maps, or at least some bigger ones. the only maps I've been able to find have been tiny, and it has been hard for me to figure out station locations.

if I understand what Antonio said, the station would be between Los Angeles and Central streets.... Los Angeles is on the west edge of what I would consider Little Tokyo, while Central is just to the east of the Japanese Village Plaza.

so far, this sounds pretty good for Little Tokyo. the main question for me is still, where are those station entrances?

( I'm being very careful to avoid using the word portal, which in this instance is being used to describe a train tunnel entrance, and not something people would use to access a station )

for example, the main entrance to the New Otani is on Los Angeles, but if you walk west of Los Angeles, you are definately walking OUT of Little Tokyo, so a westward facing station is definately not cool.

the best spot would be 2nd/ San Pedro Street. that would be in the middle of the station, but you have Weller Court* directly to the north, the JACCC down the street to the south, the village plaza mall to the east, and there should be plenty of open land at the southwest corner to build one of the MTA's infamous large, round entrances.

if there's room for a station entrance at 2nd/ Central, that would be good, too.

of course, I've always been of the belief that a station entrance doesn't have to showy, and if the good people of Little Tokyo don't mind imitating their older, overseas big brother, you could have station entrances all over the place XD

EDIT: * for those who don't know, Weller Court, despite the weirdly Caucasian name, contains a Kinokuniya bookstore, Curry House restaurant, Marukai market...

[antonio]

I made a mistake. It would be between Los Angeles and San Pedro. I assume there would be entrances on both sides. All the downtown stations have multiple entrances. The reason I prefer this station is that it eliminates the need for separate stations at Spring and Alameda and still serves BOTH Little Tokyo and city hall/caltrans/north historic core area. From this station you could walk easily to either of those streets. Besides, with all the traffic its going to be getting, Little Tokyo deserves an underground station