If you were among the 90,000 fans who turned out to the LA Coliseum for the first pre-season LA Rams game, one of the new sights you might have spied was some hastily-updated signs at neighboring parking garages. Spots that might normally charge around $25 for a USC Trojans game held in the same stadium were putting out sandwich boards demanding $50, $80 or even $100 rates from Rams fans.
USA Today rounded up some locals’ reactions, including the observation that, at some of those prices, it might be cheaper to risk a ticket for parking illegally than pay to park in a high-priced lot. While that might be true (depending on the severity of the illegal maneuver you get cited for, that is), we wouldn’t suggest flagrantly violating parking rules as your first choice for game-day transport. Instead, try one of these alternatives:
Public transit: There are multiple transit stops to get you close to the Coliseum depending on where you’re approaching from. The Expo/Vermont, Expo Park/USC or 37th Street/USC stations are all within walking distance. On game days, Metro will be running extra service, including trains every six minutes from two hours before the game until two hours after. Load up your TAP card with at least the $3.50 you’ll need for the round-trip if you don’t want to get stuck in a bottleneck trying to add fare when the game lets out. (If you order a new TAP card online now, you should have it in your mailbox by the time the regular season gets underway.)
Ride sharing: Uber or Lyft will be great options for getting to the game, but getting home might be a little more complicated. There will be extensive road closures on game days, including Exposition Boulevard between Figueroa and Vermont, Martin Luther King Boulevard between Vermont and Figueroa and Figueroa between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Hoover. If that wasn’t going to make it tricky enough for a driver to find you, NBC4 reports that Uber and Lyft drivers will be banned from picking up passengers at the perimeters of those closures. If you want to go the ride-share route, plan ahead to walk a few blocks to a clear meeting point outside the barricades before you call for your car.
Parking: If you’re really into the idea of driving and parking—and you don’t happen to know any USC students with parking passes—your best bet might be to show up really, really early. Official lots open five hours before game time, so expect to be there around then to get what you can. Don’t expect to spend those next five hours partying, though. Tailgating is not permitted anywhere on the USC campus or in any USC-run parking structures. For that, you’ll need to secure one of the limited spots in the Exposition Park lots, and be sure to follow all the official regulations.
Image: Courtesy LA Metro