Lonely UK Traveller...first time at Coachella.

[one_phat_rephrigerator]

alright guys. allow me to introduce myself and tell you my story...
i'm a 20 year old student from the UK who was bitten by a dream. When i heard RATM were headlining your lovely festival i knew i just had to be there. I have the money, and i definately have the will to adopt this pilgrimage but alas...i shall be doing it alone.
i dont really know what im doing to be honest. I shall be flying to LAX on the 20th April and spend a week or so bumming about in LA before heading to the festival. How would i get from LA to the festival? and back to LAX pronto. These are the only things that i cant seem to find out by myself and all that is left to complete the jigsaw of this trip. understandably i need to be sure before i book anything, as i dont think i could deal with uncertainty alone on the other side of the world...
also, any coachella survival tips? i no that its gonna be roastin at day, freezing at night, i can handle that. just any pearls of wisdom that coachella vets can dish out to me?
thanks guys, my heart is totally fuckin set on this and i need help to make it work.
mike
x

[Philthy]

From LAX get a greyhound bus. Go to greyhound.com or something - or alternatively - look at the "Carpools" section of the messageboard. Carpooling is where you share a ride with people. Plenty will be going from LA, so you should be fine.
It doesn't get freezing at night either. That's just one of those myths that fly around because it's in the desert.

You can always fly internally from LAX to Palm Springs airport and take a taxi.

[Stefinitely Maybe]

Mike, if you had been a hot chick, I would totally have just offered you a ride to and from the festival, from LA. Too bad.

[Philthy]

And Stef would've been your ugly date.

[york707]

Mike - Incidentally, in 2004, there was this British kid named Mike that was about 20 years old that flew over by himself just to see the Pixies. He we went to the Carpool section and randomly ended up carpooling with my buddy. They got along in the car ride and he ended up camping with us. He's come back every year since and my buddy actually just left for England to visit him. He's good people. You will have no problem making friends.

[Yablonowitz]

Unless you bring aidz needlz with you.

[york707]

True. Plz lv the aidz needlez at hm.

[bballarl]

I like British people. I'm leaving with my friend on Thursday to head down to the desert, and I go to school about 5 mins from LAX. Maybe I can help you. PM me or something.

[ellipsis]

dude, where you from in britain? me and my mate are going, and we're from north derbyshire, near sheffield, and will be flying from manchester. if that helps you we can travel with you.

[one_phat_rephrigerator]

dude, where you from in britain? me and my mate are going, and we're from north derbyshire, near sheffield, and will be flying from manchester. if that helps you we can travel with you.

my exact arrangements aren't sorted yet, so i dont know where i'll be going from to etc. im probably going to travel there on my own, i kinda want to be a nomad for a week, just wandering wherever i feel. but with regards to the actual festival, id love to meet up and check out a few bands etc. maybe camp in the same sorta area? who knows...it's good to know theres people in the same boat as me. u got msn?
also...what bands are you most wanting to see?
mike
x

[ellipsis]

my exact arrangements aren't sorted yet, so i dont know where i'll be going from to etc. im probably going to travel there on my own, i kinda want to be a nomad for a week, just wandering wherever i feel. but with regards to the actual festival, id love to meet up and check out a few bands etc. maybe camp in the same sorta area? who knows...it's good to know theres people in the same boat as me. u got msn?
also...what bands are you most wanting to see?
mike
x

yeah if you wanna camp together that'd be cool. i think there's probably gonna end up being some form of brit camping group going together.

yes, i do have MSN.

bands i wanna see: RATM, sonic youth, placebo, ghostface killah, others, many, many others.

[SheriNOIR]

I'm pretty close to Sheffield.
Haven't got a clue what I'm doing yet..
Can't make up my mind about flights etc and lack of money.

Got my tickets sorted though

Sheri.

[ellipsis]

I'm pretty close to Sheffield.
Haven't got a clue what I'm doing yet..
Can't make up my mind about flights etc and lack of money.

Got my tickets sorted though

Sheri.

we've chatted in the cahtroom! it'd be cool if all us brits went together. protection in numbers, innit. if you're camping, come camp with me and my mate.

[bug on your lip]

on my first quick glance i thought this thread was entitled " Lonely UK time Traveller..." and i got really excited.

then i saw it was just some average bloke. sod it anyways

[somnambulist]

on my first quick glance i thought this thread was entitled " Lonely UK time Traveller..." and i got really excited.

then i saw it was just some average bloke. sod it anyways

LOL if Dr. Who was here maybe he could help us out with tickets for Sunday.

all that being said, my advice to O.P.PHRIG. would be to rent a car, which you could sleep in, if all went poorly. los angeles is a really spread out area. LAX is somewhat close to lots of stuff like hollywood and venice beach, but very far from the polo field. bus is way too inconvenient, unless you're only staying in the city. if you reserve a car well enough in advance, it won't cost a lot. if this isn't feasible, the carpool method is a GOOD idea. i've been to the show every year but never camped onsite; it looks miserable (i.e. the freeezing and burning you mentioned, combined with extremely close proximity to neighbours and long shower queues). perhaps you can camp offsite. if you drink, bring your own liquor. you may not be able to take it inside, but the effort is worth avoiding the overpopulated beer gardens and insanely long queues to get an alcohol wristband. oops, you're 20, aren't you?

[jerpar24]

If you want to camp you can stay with me and My friends.

[one_phat_rephrigerator]

yes i am 20. i work in a fucking pub over here, and the fact im not trusted to drink in ur country, yet trusted to serve it over here confuses me a bit. its ok tho, ill get some fake ID from over here, and hopefully all will be sound. Whoever said about shower queues...do you guys actually shower at american festivals? over here, everyone just gets progressively smellier until the last day.

jerpar24, u guys goin for onsite camping?

also, greyhound buses...i cant seem to find a bus from LAX to LA itself.

also, i was thinking of hosteling it for the week before the festival. anyone no any good LA hostels?

it's all coming together...slowly.

[jerpar24]

yes i am 20. i work in a fucking pub over here, and the fact im not trusted to drink in ur country, yet trusted to serve it over here confuses me a bit. its ok tho, ill get some fake ID from over here, and hopefully all will be sound. Whoever said about shower queues...do you guys actually shower at american festivals? over here, everyone just gets progressively smellier until the last day.

jerpar24, u guys goin for onsite camping?

also, greyhound buses...i cant seem to find a bus from LAX to LA itself.

also, i was thinking of hosteling it for the week before the festival. anyone no any good LA hostels?

it's all coming together...slowly.

Ya We are going to camp on site...We can find some girls why we are there and they can also camp with us lol...Ya the 21 drinking age in the states sucks...You'll prob have to take a cab to the grayhound...Make sure you get everything arranged...I live in Nor Cal so I have everything already done but I'm always down to help out a person in need...

[ciaoq]

yeah it doesnt get cold at night at all.

[Legendary Lil]

Me, my boyf and his brother are all travelling over from the UK. It's a first for us as well, we'll be flying out to Vegas first and then going to Palm Springs. Very very excited, hoping to meet loads of new people as well

[Stefinitely Maybe]

Okay, in all seriousness, I am from London, and have been to the festival every year since 2004 - this will be my fourth time. So if any other Brits need travel advice I can try to help out. Just leave me a PM on this board.

Personally, I fly from London Heathrow to LAX, stay with friends in LA for a few days, we drive to Palm Springs, share a house, go to the fest, then go back to LA, then come home.

I camped in 2004 though and it was fine; just a little too hot for my liking. The weather was extreme that year though.

[bug on your lip]

Stefinitely Maybe parties with crack hos until 4am, then drives home drunk.
so yeah, advice from him should be solid.

[TomAz]

alright guys. allow me to introduce myself and tell you my story...
I have the money...

walk the walk

[york707]

cant seem to find a bus from LAX to LA itself.

Well maybe the problem is you are not looking at anything specific enough. Your request is similar to saying "I'm looking for a bus from Waterloo station to London" -- you're already there - the question is, where in LA do you want to go? There is a light rail system that can take you downtown, etc. My buddy from England stayed at a hostel in LA last year and liked it...

[MsTekno]

.i shall be doing it alone.
i dont really know what im doing to be honest. also, any coachella survival tips? i no that its gonna be roastin at day, freezing at night, i can handle that. just any pearls of wisdom that coachella vets can dish out to me?
thanks guys, my heart is totally fuckin set on this and i need help to make it work.
mike
x

Check out the thread about tips for newbies that the vets have written up - lots of helpful hints.
As far as bumming around LA, try some hostels - you can check out the website www.lahostels.org - you can book from that site if you want. There is one in Santa Monica that is pretty centrally located.
I think it's great you're coming here on your own to see a band you love. I went to London in 1996 on my own to the Tribal Gathering because I love dance music and at that time hardly anyone had even heard of it over here. I ended up meeting great people I still keep in touch with.
Good luck - hope you have a great time here in SoCal.

[hitthenorth]

Check out the thread about tips for newbies that the vets have written up - lots of helpful hints.
As far as bumming around LA, try some hostels - you can check out the website www.lahostels.org - you can book from that site if you want. There is one in Santa Monica that is pretty centrally located.
I think it's great you're coming here on your own to see a band you love. I went to London in 1996 on my own to the Tribal Gathering because I love dance music and at that time hardly anyone had even heard of it over here. I ended up meeting great people I still keep in touch with.
Good luck - hope you have a great time here in SoCal.

Nice one lady. Tribal Gathering rocked. Kraktwerk did it for me, as did Carl Cox on the outdoor stage. Hearing John Peel spin Tour de France and Teenage Kicks will never be forgotten.

[plompous_chicken]

Man your doing almost the same as me, however im planning on stayng for a while after. oh and im from Australia. Twas only by some twist of fate that i heard about coachella and when i saw RATM was playing my little heart became set on it. Im coming a few days before but staying a few weeks after. No advice coz im just as confused about this big wide world as you, just letting you know your not alone!!