'The Pickup Line' Is Not What You Think

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

See recent posts by Ed Perkins

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 5 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 6 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 98

Notice: Undefined index: pass_through_args in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 158

Notice: Undefined index: wrapper in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 159

Through decades of feature films, Hollywood has created some great pickup lines. But the newest one isn’t in a film—it’s along Santa Monica Boulevard.

If you like the idea of food- or bar-hopping along West Hollywood’s famed strip, you can park your car or go there by public transit and do the hopping for free. The Pickup Line, a free trolley service, operates a shuttle along a four-mile loop every 15 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights from 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Just hop on and hop off as often as you want. As an added incentive, shuttle users get some freebies and other perks from several of the clubs and restaurants along the line.

“Pickup line” is a bit of word play. Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood earned its reputation as a “hot” club, restaurant, and clothing scene by catering to the Los Angeles area’s large gay community.

This development deserves special attention because it’s such a great model for other strip visitor centers that also experience high levels of vehicular traffic and limited parking. Las Vegas has a full-scale bus operation along its famous Strip, but you have to pay. Here, the city of West Hollywood foots the bill, undoubtedly with the support of businesses along the route. Who said nothing good comes out of Hollywood these days?

You Might Also Like:

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.