LA to Santa Monica: Forget beach parking

From downtown Los Angeles to the Westside without a car, taxi, Uber or Lyft! For many Angelenos this is a thrilling, terrifying idea, a tightrope walk without a net in a stiff ocean breeze.

But you can do it. In fact, you can do it at least two ways, thanks to the Metro Rapid Line 720 and last year's westward expansion of the light-rail Metro Expo Line.

I recently road-tested this idea with such encouraging results that I'm itching to do it again.

First, you roll by express bus from downtown by way of Wilshire Boulevard to the ocean (typically a 60- to 90-minute trip). Then you hop off in Santa Monica and return by train (47 minutes if all goes well). The combined cost? Just $7 (the price of a Metro Day Pass: lat.ms/metrodaypass). What else can you buy in L.A. for $7?

I never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus or train as I traveled between 10 a.m. and