USC area stop, what to fo
03-01-21, 01:07 AM
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USC area stop, what to do on bike stop
Hi , I have resumed biking after a long time and I am doing a short ride to the USC area via the bike lane on Exposition Blvd, starting near Crenshaw Blvd. I don't have a set day of week / time for this ride. I'd be interested in options for where I could stop to buy a beverage and maybe a snack, preferably with table and chairs for cheap outdoor dining. So far I have found a Starbucks and an Italian pasta restuarant that have some outdoor tables/ chairs, on the east side of Figueroa St near FedEx. Are there any other options? Is there anything open to do, such as the Science museum or anything else that could do or see on a break before biking home?
Last edited by GaryinLA; 03-01-21 at 01:10 AM. Reason: Typos
03-01-21, 02:05 AM
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haven't ridden in that area in a while. did ride on venice and washington in the morning about a week ago and places seemed like they were just starting to set up for lunch
in the culver city area then. i know it's in the opposite direction (and about the same distance) but you'll probably have better luck finding a place in dtown culver city for a
desirable snack/lunch since they've been cultivating that outdoor patio/street café vibe the last decade. if you're feeling great, you can tackle the nearby ballona creek bike path all the way
to playa del rey.
i would suggest possibly taking one of the various metro rail lines to expand your range potentially. the e-line runs through that exact area. can't think of a museum that's open so
it's down to the parks like macarthur, exposition, griffith, elysian, echo, et al. doesn't answer your question but maybe opens the door a little. i get that we all want to be able
to roll out the door without involving trains, light rail, the car, etc but occasionally, it's worth it.
so many places/restaurant have closed or have seriously truncated hours/capacity/menus compared to what they had a year ago...and it changes for some places seemingly monthly.
really tough to count on a particular place w/o having just hit it in the last week. and even then...
in the culver city area then. i know it's in the opposite direction (and about the same distance) but you'll probably have better luck finding a place in dtown culver city for a
desirable snack/lunch since they've been cultivating that outdoor patio/street café vibe the last decade. if you're feeling great, you can tackle the nearby ballona creek bike path all the way
to playa del rey.
i would suggest possibly taking one of the various metro rail lines to expand your range potentially. the e-line runs through that exact area. can't think of a museum that's open so
it's down to the parks like macarthur, exposition, griffith, elysian, echo, et al. doesn't answer your question but maybe opens the door a little. i get that we all want to be able
to roll out the door without involving trains, light rail, the car, etc but occasionally, it's worth it.
so many places/restaurant have closed or have seriously truncated hours/capacity/menus compared to what they had a year ago...and it changes for some places seemingly monthly.
really tough to count on a particular place w/o having just hit it in the last week. and even then...
Last edited by diphthong; 03-01-21 at 02:39 AM.
03-01-21, 09:29 AM
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OP, I'm not criticizing your choice of routes but it seems a little weird to be asking about routes and places to eat for what seems to be a 3-4 mile ride.
If I was you I'd be putting my bike on the bus and heading towards the Ocean. The USC area is a pretty high crime rate area. I would not feel good about locking and leaving my bike alone near the museums etc.
If I was you I'd be putting my bike on the bus and heading towards the Ocean. The USC area is a pretty high crime rate area. I would not feel good about locking and leaving my bike alone near the museums etc.
03-01-21, 10:37 PM
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Hi. I actually have biked all around LA and up down the coastal path from Malibu to pv, and San Pedro. I also bike commuted for awhile a few years ago. But I'm just getting back into biking after being sedentary and had a serious leg fracture a few years ago. So this 4-5 mile route one way gives me a 10 mile beginning ride and it happens have bike lanes on exp Blvd and figeroa st. As to metro I've not used metro buses and trains since covid due to covid risk. I know ny'ers who got covid possibly from being on subways so I've stayed off Metro buses and trains. I have always enjoyed finding places to stop to do something mid-rides, it gives me something to look forward to. When I just got biking into biking more than 10 yrs ago and was about unfit then as I am now again, one thing I did was bike to see a movie then bike home. On a group Sunday coastal ride, we always stopped for lunch.
Last edited by GaryinLA; 03-01-21 at 10:53 PM.
03-02-21, 11:36 AM
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There is the new USC Village on Hoover on the northside of campus.
03-03-21, 10:11 PM
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What could I do at usc village? Are there any table and chairs, is there a good court like the old center?
the usc village last time I was there and it existed , had a denny's, movie theater, a food court with the indoor tables and chairs and a bike store. It all shut down. What could I go at the new one during covid. If theres a food court with tables and chairs that would be ideal.
the usc village last time I was there and it existed , had a denny's, movie theater, a food court with the indoor tables and chairs and a bike store. It all shut down. What could I go at the new one during covid. If theres a food court with tables and chairs that would be ideal.
03-14-21, 09:14 PM
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HI fyi Ive now biked to the USC village (the new one.) There's outdoor tables and chairs. There are numerous resturants/ and one coffee house/. cafe (selling food to/go only due to Covid.)
There's a Target and a Trader Joes, with a bike rack in front. There's a bike store open every day of the week that also does repairs.
On the Sun when i was there, there was a long line of people waiting to get into the Trader Joes (due to Covid restrictions) but no line to enter Target. Inside the Target is a Starbucks.
There's a website for the USC village giving info on everything.
Personally I found all of the entree pricing to be high at all of the restuarants/ cafes-- ie most entrees (take out) are $12 or more. The one coffee house / cafe kind of place had a small coffee for somewhere around $3.50. Most of the coffee and teas and related beverages were $4 or higher. (Starbucks inside Target is cheaper, more like $2.50.) Personally, I'm more interested in the restaurants/ cafes/ etc that are on Figueroa Street (not at USC Village) because i think the pricing of the entrees and beverages is less, I think I'd get more for my money there. Most of those places do NOT have outdoor tables or chairs but i saw the Italian pasta place and Starbucks (on Figueroaa St. by Fedex ) do.
I personallty look for someplace to eat or at least get a beverage mid-ride when i take a break, and/ or something else to do so the above info is useful to me.
There's a Target and a Trader Joes, with a bike rack in front. There's a bike store open every day of the week that also does repairs.
On the Sun when i was there, there was a long line of people waiting to get into the Trader Joes (due to Covid restrictions) but no line to enter Target. Inside the Target is a Starbucks.
There's a website for the USC village giving info on everything.
Personally I found all of the entree pricing to be high at all of the restuarants/ cafes-- ie most entrees (take out) are $12 or more. The one coffee house / cafe kind of place had a small coffee for somewhere around $3.50. Most of the coffee and teas and related beverages were $4 or higher. (Starbucks inside Target is cheaper, more like $2.50.) Personally, I'm more interested in the restaurants/ cafes/ etc that are on Figueroa Street (not at USC Village) because i think the pricing of the entrees and beverages is less, I think I'd get more for my money there. Most of those places do NOT have outdoor tables or chairs but i saw the Italian pasta place and Starbucks (on Figueroaa St. by Fedex ) do.
I personallty look for someplace to eat or at least get a beverage mid-ride when i take a break, and/ or something else to do so the above info is useful to me.
03-15-21, 10:25 AM
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Personally I found all of the entree pricing to be high at all of the restuarants/ cafes-- ie most entrees (take out) are $12 or more. The one coffee house / cafe kind of place had a small coffee for somewhere around $3.50. Most of the coffee and teas and related beverages were $4 or higher. (Starbucks inside Target is cheaper, more like $2.50.) Personally, I'm more interested in the restaurants/ cafes/ etc that are on Figueroa Street (not at USC Village) because i think the pricing of the entrees and beverages is less, I think I'd get more for my money there. Most of those places do NOT have outdoor tables or chairs but i saw the Italian pasta place and Starbucks (on Figueroaa St. by Fedex ) do.
03-15-21, 10:31 AM
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One of the reasons I would only stop at a sandwich shop on a ride. First I can see my bike and second anything above $8 for a sandwich, cookie, drink is a rip-off. Color me thrifty. 
03-15-21, 04:41 PM
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Covid probably is a factor but my thought is the main reason i that all of these restuarants are in this upscale new USC village so they probably have to pay more on their monthly lease than the restuarants on streets outside the new complex. Regardless we're talking about an upscale outdoor mail (sort of a food court) at a university basically so it's hard to believe the students would go there frequently if they are going to have to pay $12 for an entree and $3 for a beverage. When I was at university....
