Who says nobody rides the subway in L.A.? Ridership is up, and you can apparently count Leif Garrett amongst the Southland's newly converted transit-philes.

Unfortunately, he's accused of riding without a ticket (the unmellifluous L.A. counterpart of N.Y.'s "turnstile jumping"). To make matters worse (or better, depending on how much you enjoy the travails of washed-up teen idols), police say he was in possession of "suspected narcotics" to boot.

If nothing else, Garrett's arrest proves one thing: the MTA has made a trip to the Nickel to score a bag of smack car-optional. That, and the fact that the Brad Renfro bust has done little to quell demand for H amongst potential "Surreal Life" cast members.  ¶ 11:22 AM