Hollywood Bowl aficionados, listen to me! If you're going to see a show at the bowl, DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF THERE. Driving up yourself is a rookie move. Let me explain: you see, the Hollywood Bowl lots are all stacked parking, meaning you'll be trapped in your spot until all the cars in front of you leave. So if you happen to need to leave right away, you can't until the cars blocking you move. The last time we drove ourselves in and parked, we had to wait almost an hour before we finally were able to extricate our car from the lot.
So do yourself a favor and take one of the convenient Park and Ride shuttle buses! You can buy advance tickets via Ticketmaster (recommended as it's a few dollars cheaper if you do this) or buy them the day of at the Park and Ride. But if you choose to wait, if it's a popular show, you might not be guaranteed to get on one of the buses. I believe tix are $7 each online, and $10 at the bus (but don't quote me!).
They have quite a few choices as buses leave out of Westwood, Torrance, Chatsworth, Ventura, The LA Zoo, Lakewood, and Pasadena. We usually leave from the Lakewood lot which is located inside the parking lot of the Lakewood Mall behind the Forever 21.
I'd recommend you opt for one of the earlier shuttles, just in case. I used the shuttle for a Killers concert many years back and our driver actually got lost and we ended up arriving as the opening act finished. I was none too happy that I missed The Psychedlic Furs' set. So the earlier shuttles are better IMHO in case anything happens on your shuttle ride. The total ride is usually about 40 mins. If your show happens to be on a weekday in rush hour, expect longer transit times.
Once your Hollywood Bowl show is over, you should make your way back down to the shuttle loading area (walk all the way down the hill and into the under-street tunnel. Take the first exit up to the right and you'll pop up to catch the Lakewood line. They tell you when you arrive which Shuttle number you should return to, but if you forget - don't worry, they have lots of friendly shuttle employees who will gladly help you.
It's cost-effective, fast, and super convenient. This is the only way we ever travel to the bowl. Thanks, HB shuttle! read more