commuting to Hollywood from Culver City (Vista, Paramount: apartment, neighborhood, income)

[tandtlabratory]

Hi-

What a great forum! My husband and I are moving to LA from Chicago at the end of July. He got a job in Playa Vista and I am doing a an internship near Paramount Studio. We are looking for a 1 bedroom apartment between $1000-$1400 a month.

I have 2 questions:

1. Is Culver City a good compromise for both of us in relation to commuting time and distance from work? I will be new driver (lived in SF for over 10 years before Chicago and let my driving lisc expired) and would like to avoid using the freeway in LA until I am more experienced. How long would that drive typically take?
2. Is the Ballona Bike path good option as an alternative to driving for my husband's job? I guess we're wondering if we need to get 2 cars right away since we'll only have 1 income till I'll finish my internship.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[BRinSM]

the ballona creek bike path is great, its totally seperate from streets it runs adjacent to.

as for where to live, commuting west in the morning seems to be more of a chore than commuting east, so I would live closer to playa vista than the paramount area. culver city would probably be a good option in your price range, but you should also check palms (the LA neighborhood directly north of culver city).

[tandtlabratory]

thank you for your advice!

[CESpeed]

I think that Culver City will be a great compromise.

[calipoppy]

Culver City, Palms, Mar Vista are a few good choices for you both. He will be going against traffic which will be nice. Your commute maybe a little hairy...although I would recommend driving the streets all the way to Paramount Studios. But if you wanted to have the shorter commute I would recommend Larchmont Village area.

And the Ballona bike path is great for being able to get to and fro. (However, he will need to be a bit careful if he is riding after dark because the bike path does run along the projects at one point)

[tandtlabratory]

Thank you for the warning about riding after dark.