Transportation

Airports:

There are five Los Angeles area airports as shown in the table below.
Burbank is the closest to Pasadena (See the Map.)

Airports
Map
Los Angeles International (LAX)
Ontario International (ONT)
Burbank (BUR)
Long Beach (LGB)
John Wayne-Orange County (SNA)
Note: There is no good public transportation for getting from any of the airports to Pasadena. See ground transportation for alternatives.

Ground Transportation from the airport:

Options for getting from the airport to Pasadena are 1) rent a car; 2) take a shuttle; 3) take a cab (choose 3 only if you are flying to Burbank (about a $40 cab ride) or want to spend a ridiculous amount of money); or take FlyAway Union Station from LAX to Union Station in downtown LA, and transfer to the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena.
Union Station, Los Angeles

Rail:

Amtrak serves southern California through historic and recently restored Union Station . There is also an Amtrak station at Burbank Airport, but it's not easy to get to it.

Metro Gold Line:

The Metro Gold Line is a light rail line that runs from Union Station, downtown Los Angeles (and a hub for other Metro lines), to Pasadena. It's clean, quiet, fast and safe. It also passes through some historic and beautiful old neighborhoods. It's an excellent way to get to and from downtown. From the Westin the nearest Gold Line station is Memorial Park at Arroyo Blvd. and Holly St. ( Click here to see a map of the full Metro rail system, but if you are tempted to use it to get from LAX to Pasadena, be aware that that trip can take a very long time: as much as 3-4 hours.)

Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System (ARTS):

The ARTS bus is a local bus service in and around Pasadena. It's a good way to get around locally if, for example, you are staying at hotel other than the Westin.

Ground Transportation from the airport: Options for getting from the airport to Pasadena are 1) rent a car; 2) take a shuttle; 3) take a cab (choose 3 only if you are flying to Burbank (about a $40 cab ride) or want to spend a ridiculous amount of money); or take FlyAway Union Station from LAX to Union Station in downtown LA, and transfer to the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena.	Union Station, Los Angeles
Rail: Amtrak serves southern California through historic and recently restored Union Station . There is also an Amtrak station at Burbank Airport, but it's not easy to get to it.