Getting to LA Throwback Beach Ultimate Fest

Santa Monica’s Breeze Bike Share program is a citywide, public bike share program that boasts over 500 bikes available at various locations around town. Along with a bright green or red colors, each bike is equipped with of cushy features like chainless transmission. a “smart bike” system lets users use GPS software to locate the nearest set of bikes. Download a mobile app to pay fares. Miles of bike lanes around town add to the ease of pedal-powered travel. The Marvin Braude Beach Trail known to locals as “The Strand,” is the iconic multiuse recreational bike path which stretches from Pacific Palisades to Torrance, with 22 miles of inspiring coastal scenery.

Scooters are also available for rent around town and the bike path, however rules and regulations for them are constantly changing. Use QR codes on these to rent them with the most popular apps. If you think you might try these, we suggest downloading the apps before you come and inputting your payment details, otherwise you might be frustrated by long waits or spotty phone service.

The Metro Expo Line (323-466-3876) makes travel even easier, connecting Santa Monica by light rail to Downtown Los Angeles in under 50 minutes. With three stations located throughout Santa Monica – from the downtown neighborhood to Mid-City – the Metro Expo Line is a great way to travel within the destination. Additionally, with the ability to connect to Pasadena, San Fernando Valley, South Bay, Long Beach and dozens of points in between, visitors can travel to and from Santa Monica easily.

The Big Blue Bus departs the LAX City Bus Center and features two lines to town, Route 3 or Rapid 3. Better still, tickets are just $1.25. Once in Santa Monica, the Big Blue Santa Monica bus is also a very efficient way to get around. This is also a great option if you bus to Santa Monica from surrounding areas including greater Los Angeles and LAX.

Pedestrians can also hail the Santa Monica Circuit, golf cart–style cabs that offer a complimentary lift anywhere in their service area between Wilshire Boulevard and Marine Street, and from the ocean to Fifth Street. Carts operate from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with later hours on weekends. Many local hotels also offer car service around town.

For more information on mobility opportunities throughout Santa Monica, visit the City of Santa Monica’s website.

The fee to park in the lots labeled on the Field map is $12, and you purchase the permit from a kiosk. There are no in-and-out privileges. You can use a card or cash. Given the expense, and if you are staying close to the fields, you may want to take a rideshare (Uber, Lyft) rather than drive. Check the current parking rates here. View the City of Santa Monica Parking map here.

When Googling the parking lots, it is important that you specify North when entering the lot number you want to get to (i.e. Lot 3 North), because otherwise you may get directed to the south lots (e.g. Lot 3 South), which, as the name suggests, are south rather than north of the pier. Every year this happens to someone, and always causes some folks to arrive late for their first game. We will have special prizes for anyone making this mistake. Check with your host team division lead, who will take your pic for use on our “look who didn’t read the thing about the North lots in spite of our instructions” Instagram post.

The field map indicates the best parking lot to park in for your fields, if you are driving or taking a rideshare. However, you should be aware of the following:

If you are using Google or another maps program and are heading to Lot 3 N, 4 N, 4A N, or 5 N, note that they may direct you to come west on I-10 to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) heading north, or, if you are coming from Venice or Santa Monica, to come down Moomat Ahiko Way to the Pacific Coast Highway heading north. If you follow these directions, you will be forced to turn left, across the southbound lanes, into the parking lots. This takes forever, and is sometimes dangerous. Instead, if you are heading west on I-10 you should exit at 4th St (or 5th), head north to Wilshire Blvd, turn left and drive the four (or five) blocks to Ocean Ave, turn right on Ocean Ave, go one block north and turn left onto the California Incline. At the bottom of the California Incline, turn left onto PCH headed south, and then you will be able to turn right into the parking lots, not left across oncoming traffic as you would if you came from the south headed north.

Also note, there are big blue signs in all the lots, including Lot 3 N, that bear a large number 5. These are very prominent, and easy to see. You being a reasonable person may interpret this to mean the lot you are approaching or passing is lot 5, but you would be wrong. The prominent, easily visible 5 on these many signs refers to the speed limit in the parking lot, and there are such big blue 5’s in ALL the parking lots. The sign that indicates that Lot 3 N is, in fact, Lot 3 N is very small, located at the lot entrance, easy to miss when driving at 40+ miles an hour, and there is only one of them, positioned right where you need to turn. Follow the directions and the field map carefully to be sure you turn right into the correct lot, and don’t go sailing past it. If you are heading south on PCH, be in the far right lane and drive slowly, as though you are old, and confused, as I so often am – to hell with the guy tailgating you – and be ready to make a sharp right turn into the lot you are aiming for. Slow down before you get to the lot entry, or the guy tailgating you will drive right up your a^% (and will probably honk at you). Again, do not be fooled by the many large signs with 5’s on them into thinking that the lot is lot 5. It *might* be, but it could just as easily be lot 1, 3, or 4. This was done by city staff who likely were bored, had too much time on their hands, and had a nasty sense of humor. I wouldn’t be surprised if they videotape cars sailing past the lot and then circling back 10 min later to play at their Christmas party just for kicks. You’ve been forewarned.

If you are heading to Lot 1 North (parking lot for the southern block of fields, you can follow what Google or Apple maps tell you to do.

Warning: Parking expires at sunset, and parking tickets will be issued by Santa Monica Parking Enforcement for cars remaining much later (don’t go to dinner and come back later for your car).

Be advised: Parking next to frisbee central (Lot 3 North) is convenient but exiting the parking lot at the end of the day can take up to an hour with heavy traffic on Hwy 1 with only one way out. To avoid this we suggest parking at the adjacent lots a short distance away.

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Here are some Lyft coupon codes. Here some Uber promo codes.