Tag: Los Angeles

After Anime Expo 2024: Some Convention Rail Transit Notes

I thought Anime Expo went really well this year. Here are some rail transit observations:

I drove as far as Disney Hall on Friday, which had cheaper parking than the convention center.

I walked from there to the Grand Avenue Arts/ Bunker Hill subway station. This was my first time visiting the station, but it was easy to get to, and a nice station overall.

To get to the station from Disney Hall, you simply have to walk south on Grand Avenue past the Broad museum.

There’s a nice, tree-lined walkway on the south side of the Broad which leads to a pedestrian bridge.

It doesn’t show up well on Google Maps, but the bridge is essentially an extension of Bunker Hill (or “Upper Grand”) over Hope Street.

Once you cross the bridge, you go through the fare gates, and take an elevator down to the station.

Anime Expo is two stations away from Grand Avenue on the Regional Connector.

On the way back, I did the same thing, only in reverse.

On Saturday, I did the same thing on my way to the convention. However, when I left the convention, I did things a little differently. I took the Regional Connector to visit Little Tokyo before backtracking to Grand Avenue.

If you attend Anime Expo (or any anime/ comic book/ geek-themed convention), I highly recommend a visit to Little Tokyo. The new subway makes it much easier to visit this fun and interesting neighborhood for lunch or any additional shopping.

Can you avoid LineCon at Anime Expo?

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The West Lobby entrance line wasn’t that bad on Sunday.  (All photos by James Fujita.)

Another Anime Expo has concluded, and once again, everyone seems to be talking about LineCon.

(Should it be LineCon or Line Con?  I need the AP Stylebook to make a ruling.)

Now, to be honest, I avoided most of LineCon this year by attending on Sunday.   The fact that Anime Expo started mailing out badges ahead of time really helped as well.  Overall, I felt like it was a really good convention this year.

So, I can’t really comment very much on LineCon for this year. But, LineCon did manage to sneak up on me once – when it was time to leave.

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Riding back from Anime Expo on the Metro Silver Line. Yes, there is a Hidan cosplayer in the background.

When I arrived, I took the Metro Silver Line. It is a quick and easy ride from the South Bay to the convention center.  Before I returned home, I knew I wanted to visit Little Tokyo for dinner.

Typically, my trip from the convention center to Little Tokyo would involve the Metro Blue Line and the Red Line (if I want to walk from Civic Center Sta. to Little Tokyo) or Blue, Red and Gold lines (if I want to take a little extra time to get to Little Tokyo/ Arts District Sta.).

However, the Metro Blue Line has been undergoing improvements this summer – and so Pico Sta. near the convention center was closed.

Also, I wanted to try the Anime Expo shuttles.  Anime Expo provides free hotel shuttles for attendees, and I knew that the #3 shuttle went to Little Tokyo. (Metro offered a Little Tokyo shuttle during most of the convention, but not on Sunday.)

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Waiting for Anime Expo shuttle #3.

Getting to the shuttle stop was easy.  The route was marked off and a sign pointed the way.

The actual shuttle stop was a bit… chaotic?  Disorganized? Confusing?  All of the above?

Once I figured out where the line for shuttle #3 ended, it took almost an hour before I was able to get on a shuttle bus.

Luckily, I was ready for a little rest after walking around all day.  But it had to be frustrating for the cosplayers and other random convention attendees (many carrying heavy-looking bags) who watched #1, #2 and #4 shuttles arrive before the #3 shuttle came.

(To be fair, the waiting area was full of people who had rushed for the exits when the exhibit hall closed. But somebody should have anticipated that.)

The Metro Blue Line should be back soon.  And in a couple of years, there will be a subway line from the convention center to Little Tokyo.

But in the meantime,  Anime Expo needs more shuttle buses to meet the demand  – and perhaps some more volunteers to keep things organized.