A Pantsless Mission on Metro, if You Choose to Accept it

For the fifth year in a row, Los Angeles Metro riders this Sun. Jan. 13, are being encouraged by a local improv group to forget their pants and go on a mission through city turnstiles.

Participants, who are called "agents" in No Pants Metro Ride 2013, will meet their "ride captains" with code names at one of five locations: Expo Line Culver City, Red Line North Hollywood Station, Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa Station in Pasadena, Gold Line Atlantic Station in East Los Angeles and the Purple Line Wilshire/Western Station in Koreatown.

GLA (Guerilla Los Angeles) Improv borrowed the idea of pantsless day from New York City's "No Pants Subway Ride" organized by the group Improv Everywhere, which promotes the global interest in the pantsless phenomenon.

The Los Angeles plan calls for waves of pantsless agents to arrive at Union Station in downtown and head to the Hollywood/Highland Station. There, the group's organizers will say a few words, take a group picture and pick a restaurant or bar to "debrief."

And if anyone asks why passengers dropped trou to ride Metro, the "agents" are encouraged to say they forgot their pants.

If you're in Culver City and game enough to participate, meet "Agent Silky" at 1p.m. at the light blue Metro Culver City sign on the north side of Washington Boulevard under the elevated tracks.

You'll then board the 1:22 p.m. train and will arrive at 1:51 p.m. at 7th St./Metro Center to transfer downstairs to the 1:57pm Purple Line train.

GLA Improv Organizer Leo Gonzalez, also known as Agent Silky, told Patch he hopes the weather's not too cold on Sunday.

"Most of it's indoors anyway," he said. "It won't be that big of a deal."

More than 400 participants say they are going pantsless for the ride, according to the group's Facebook page, which, Gonzales says, reads like a dossier with details on the mission.

About the actual turnout, Gonzales said: "You can never really tell until the day of." 

Metro spokesman Dave Sotero said officials are aware of the pantsless stunt and the agency is not affiliated with it.

"As long as they don't go commando, they're fine," he said.

Watch a YouTube video of last year's pantsless Metro ride.

Are you joining the pantsless parade? Upload your photos on Patch!

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