Attending the Michael Jackson Memorial? Tips on breakfast, parking and MTA detours

Did you get a ticket to the Michael Jackson Memorial taking place Tuesday, July 7 at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles? As you’ve probably already heard, 1.6-million fans applied to get tickets to the event and 8,750 were chosen at random to receive a pair. The service will also be televised live across the street at the Nokia Theatre, but L.A. is trying its best to keep fans without tickets away from Staples Center. Only those who are holding valid tickets will be allowed within a perimeter around Staples (shown below).

Here are tips for navigating your way to and from Staples Center if you have tickets, and where you can catch some breakfast before the event.

Where is Staples Center? 1111 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015; Google Map MapQuest

How to get there: Be aware that MTA’s Metro service will be seriously curtailed tomorrow because of the road closures surrounding Staples. This post, Michael Jackson memorial: MTA to detour bus lines, outlines the changes for the bus lines (subject to further changes) and details MTA contact numbers and websites for more info.

Parking: Staples Center is used to accommodating large groups. There is a detailed Staples Center parking info page on its website. For tomorrow’s event, Lot 1, Lot C, Lot W (West Garage) and Lot E (East Garage) will open at 6 a.m. to preferred and invited guests who have passes.  Lot 4 on Olympic is open to the public and costs $20, but it only has 200 spaces. For additional info on Staples parking, call (213) 742-7275.

Breakfast: If you have tickets, no doubt you are heading downtown early. The Westin Bonaventure, 404 South Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California 90071; (213) 624-1000. Located six blocks up from Staples, the hotel will have a breakfast buffet open at 6 a.m in the Lakeview Bistro restaurant. Additionally, here are some of Yelp’s highest-rated downtown restaurants for breakfast and what time they will be open tomorrow. I listed them starting with closest proximity to Staples Center.

The Original Pantry Cafe 877 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017; (213) 972-9279. Almost always a line, great for pancakes and traditional American breakfasts. Legendary in L.A. Open 24 hours.

Panini Cafe 600 W 9th St., Los Angeles, CA 90015; (213) 489-4200. Opens at 8 a.m.

International House of Pancakes 800 S Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90017; (213) 629-1759. Open 24 hours

Uncle John’s Ham & Eggs 433 W 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90014; (213) 623-3555. Opens at 6:30 a.m.

Angelique Cafe 840 S Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90014; (213) 623-8698.

Nickel Diner 524 S Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013; (213) 623-8301. No. 2 on Yelp’s list and for good reason. Great atmosphere, great food and friendly service. But the farthest on this list from Staples Center. Opens at 8 a.m.

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: Michael Jackson fan Bob Lewis shows his ticket voucher. "I feel like I won the lottery," the Palm Springs resident said. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 6, 2009 at 5:38 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Celebrity, Last Minute, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.