Oscars should've been held at Dodger Stadium, not Union Station

Curbed

The iconic Los Angeles train station, which is co-hosting the Academy Awards with the Dolby Theatre on April 25, is the transit hub of a number of bus lines and two subway lines, not to mention Amtrak trains. Los Angeles Metro says the station won't be closed, and it will try to limit disruptions. "But as anyone who has been there during a film shoot, navigating closed-off entrances and heavily patrolled detours, knows, it will end up negatively impacting people who rely on transit," says Alissa Walker." It also seems extremely likely that the large unhoused community living near the station will be chased off to someplace else. Advocates have expressed similar concerns about the Olympics, which is why a coalition is trying to stop the games from coming to the city in the summer of 2028. It’s too bad, really, that the Oscars passed over a much better alternative for holding a ceremony that’s outdoors enough to be safe, wouldn’t create such a disruption, and might have allowed more people to attend. If you are facing the front entrance of Union Station, all you have to do is turn around and look up to see it. Dodger Stadium — with its 16,000-space parking lot — has played many essential roles during the pandemic."

ALSO:

• The subway stations below the Dolby Theatre and Union Station will remain open during the Oscars: In the last 19 years, the Metro Red Line stop that runs under the Dolby Theatre has closed for the Oscars ceremony, but not this year. The Red Line also runs under Union Station, which will be open, too.
• Oscars should be a fundraiser for COVID relief