Moving: Living between downtown and the valley (Los Angeles, Orange: vacation, jobs)

[RocketJeff]

Greetings all. My girlfriend and I are moving from Connecticut and are both starting new jobs in the area. The puzzle we're trying to figure out is finding a good neighborhood between Van Nuys and Downtown, which is where our jobs are. We're currently looking in the Los Feliz/Silverlake area. We know the length of time it takes to get downtown, but less so the commute from north of downtown to Van Nuys. Realistically, how long of a morning commute from Los Feliz to Van Nuys should I be expecting? 45 min? An hour? Any recommendations on other locations considering both our jobs? Thanks very much.

[sponger42]

The commute is ridiculous no matter which way you go. Nothing moves on the freeway between downtown and Van Nuys from 6-11AM and 2-8PM. It's not worth it. I'd explore alternative transport. You are commuting on one of the nation's worst coridoors. Expect an average speed of <5mph. Surface streets into downtown are hideous in the morning as well. But I guess you know that already.

That Said:

NOHO:
North hollywood is "cheaper", convenient to more fun places (Burbank, Hollywod), and kinda bleh. I live there, but I'm moving. There's some stuff to do on weeknights but I would go somewhere more fun on weekends. Watch out for really bad wannabe actors. Don't pay for any shows in local theatres. If you can't get in free, don't go. Some homeless, some petty crime, rumors of violent crime.
Orange and Red Line terminus--try to live within walking distance, because that's where all the stuff to do is. Orange Line to Van Nuys: 10-15 min. 20 min by bike. Red Line to downtown: 15-20 minutes.

Silverlake:
More expensive, more fun. More things to do. More people, more traffic. I don't spend much time there except to visit for entertainment, so I'm not an authority. Seems like some areas may have more serious crime. Your commute is going to be 30-40 minutes with the connection, and hers more like 10. Good luck trying to leave to go anywhere (vacation, across town dining) around the rush hours listed above if you want to drive.

Those are the two areas I'd recommend.

Check out metro.net | Transit Services and Information for Los Angeles County for LA's bus/rail system. The interactive rail map shows the red and orange lines you'd be using.

[mariskajo]

ya the silverlake/los feliz area is a really great area to live in.
depending on the traffic it should take you about and hour give or take and for you girlfriend probably 20 min.and you can still find great stuff for a good price.
maybe look at some stuff around the studio city area