Downtown Commute Question... (Torrance, Vista, Santa Monica: apartment, rental, house)

[TJCULLEN7]

Hey all,

Greetings from a cold, grey and foggy UK.

Can some kind soul please enlighten me to the possible times, and indeed, pain in the arse scale of the following commutes during rush hour in the week. I would be travelling to the Financial District of Downtown/Westlake, just west over the 110 free way. 90017 Zip code.

- Beverly Hills
- Santa Monica
- Venice
- Hollywood
- Redondo Beach

Any other suggestions most welcome.

Thanks
T

[JohnG72]

None of those are terrible early...say before 630 am. Santa Monica and Venice are about 35-45 minutes after 7am.

Beverly Hills and Hollywood are around 30 minutes on the streets.

Redondo Beach is the furthest. 40 minutes or so if you leave at 6am. An hour after 7am.

As to suggestions...live in South Park or somplace else downtown and walk to work everyday.

[TJCULLEN7]

Awesome.. I thought as much. I can handle 30-45 minutes each way.

Thanks
T

[TJCULLEN7]

How about Malibu?

[JohnG72]

Malibu would be a rough rough drive to downtown LA. Over an hour for sure. Problem is it takes a long time and a lot of traffic just to get to the where Santa Monica is. And then the rest o the drive after that.

[TJCULLEN7]

Nice one John. I guess it backs up on PCH.


Thanks

[thelopez2]

Redondo Beach as mentioned earlier is be the furthest, but it is also the largest area where you must consider the time it takes to get to the freeway. Some parts of North Redondo touch the freeway, or you can be 15 minutes away in South Redondo. 110 Freeway also offers a Toll lane which will aid those who want to pay. Rush hour freeway traffic starts at about 2:30 leaving Downtown.

Santa Monica - streets are crowded due to explosive growth, Santa Monica Community College, major Construction. Santa Monica is a major tourist attraction, I think largely due to Baywatch back in the 90s, the Pier and 3rd Street

Venice has the Boardwalk, craziness at the beach, Abbot Kinney Way.

South of Los Angles airport , "The Southbay" , you will experience much less car congestion on a regular basis and less construction.

What are do you value other than the "Safe Good" neighborhood -
Walking distance to the sandy beach
A Place with a view
A Downtown scene
Bars and restaurants that stay open late
Quiet Neighborhood
Plan to surf , ski, bike
Budget

The are a lot of lesser know areas such as Culver City, Mar Vista, Palms, Mid wilshire, Torrance. El Segundo.

[TJCULLEN7]

Thanks for the info Lopez.

Lot's to consider.

Ideally Beverly Hills would be our first choice, I'm guessing most people's too, but it's all down to what we can afford with rental cost.

Thanks again.

[yby1]

Beverly Hills would not be "most" people's choice. It's a very congested area. If you have loads of money to hide in your huge home, then it's great, but if you don't...it's crowded. However, it is close to Downtown. If you need to network with people in the area, then it's best to stay around there.

I would check into Hancock Park, Los Feliz as well. If you are willing to use public transportation, Sutdio City is near the Red Line (subway).

Are you looking to rent a house or an apartment?

[California Vagabond]

My first thought when I saw your list was, 'Hollywood, because you can find a place close to the subway.'

Here's a Red Line subway schedule, with a map on the last page:

http://media.metro.net/riding_metro/...images/802.pdf

You're set if you can find an appealing place within walking distance of one of the stations. OTOH, if you like a place far enough out to require you to drive and park, I suggest posting a follow-up message asking locals how parking is at the station you're thinking of moving close to.