Commute between Alhambra and Irvine.. (Santa Ana, Anaheim: apartment, lease, how much)

[MigratingOkie]

Hi! I've just moved to LA 8 weeks ago, and started working in Irvine 2 weeks ago. Initially I thought of moving to Irvine, but my 2 months experience in LA has been great and I'm loving where I live.

I've been driving to/from work past 2 weeks, but I've started looking for alternative way to get to work. The drive to/from work has been very smooth on I-5 with little/no traffic since my work hours are between 10am to 7pm, with some traffic only on 10W but that is a short distance. Commute time has been consistent between 50 to 60 minutes one way. Though my 1998 Accord is still running great with 121K miles on it, it will take a toll if I keep up the 90 miles round trip everyday. It's my first car of 4 years and I would like to drive it for another year.

I'm currently renting a room in Alhambra close by Huntington Dr and Garfield, and my work place is 2.7 miles away from Barranca Parkway train station in Irvine. I've been searching for the past 2 weeks for alternative transportation and this is what I come up.

I have broken down my commute to 3 parts:
- From my apartment to Union station in LA (9.5 miles)
- From Union station to Irvine train station, Barranca Parkway (44 miles)
- From Irvine train station to my workplace (4.5 miles drive according to Google map, but actual distance is only 2.7 miles away if I cycle)

I have pretty much concluded that I will not take the bus from my workplace to Irvine train station and vice versa because it requires one connecting bus transfer with a long wait and this trip takes a total of 60 minutes. Secondly if I cannot catch the 6:15pm bus, then there's no connecting transfer which means I'll need to walk 0.7 miles/20 minutes to Irvine train station, which is bad since my hours are between 10am to 7pm. Thought about riding a bicycle for 2.7 miles, is that a viable option throughout the year? Currently I think my only option is to park my car overnight at Irvine train station, which I believe is free, and drive it to/from my workplace. That means I will drive my car to Irvine on Monday, leave it in Irvine train station and drive it back on Friday night. One negative, I won't fully utilize the monthly Metro train ticket. I am planning to take the 485 express bus from my apt to LA Union Station.

Could someone please give me suggestions what other options I have (perhaps bus, I cannot find any so far)? I have a 6 months lease before considering other options like moving to Irvine, but I doubt I will do that though. I'll really appreciate it if you can tell me a better commute option, thanks in advance.

[UB50]

Well, you can bicycle all year since it rarely rains around here -- unless we get hit with a really rainy year -- then you won't want to bicycle because rain around here is a total mess.

I guess I can't really offer any easy solutions. I do like Metrolink however, and I would suggest it to someone who has to commute a decent distance because it is much less stressful than driving.

[MigratingOkie]

UB50, thanks for the suggestion. Since bicycling is an option, I'll definitely consider that. Probably test it out during the weekend and see how long it will take to cycle 2.7 miles, there are some hills.. so it will be fun.

The Metrolink hours are still very limited and not very commuter friendly, but I can see better things ahead. The Rail2Rail is one step forward, now there are more train for commuters. I would like reach home by 9pm, and I should be able to move my hours from 9pm to 6pm.

Currently the last Metro train from Irvine back to LA is at early 5:10pm, obviously not cater to commuting workers. Amtrak operates one train at 5:40pm, no train between 6pm to 7pm, then the next is at 7:40pm from Amtrak. Guess ridership is still quite limited. I hope Amtrak and Metro can work out a better schedule, i.e. MetroLink operate the 5:10pm train at 5:30pm instead, and Amtrak moves the 5:40pm train to 6:20pm. Then I can talk to my boss about moving my schedule from 9am to 6pm. At this point, it's not easy to figure out a good schedule, taking the 7:40pm train means reaching home earliest by 9:45pm.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I'm sorry but this all sounds rather silly. How much time do you want to waste and how much inconvenience do you want to endure for a job that's too far from your home? I'm sure it doesn't seem too bad 2 weeks in, but that crap's going to get real old, real fast.

[MigratingOkie]

EscapeCal, no problem. Prior to moving southern CAL, I knew long commute is a part of life here. More importantly, it's probably because I'm used to bad traffic growing up. Actually I don't mind driving for 60 minutes on I-5, but I don't think my 98 Accord can hold up much longer if I keep up a 90-mile round trip everyday. Taking a train from LA to Irvine is great because I can have 2 hours back to sleep/rest in the train. I know it's probably best to move closer to the work place, I have a 6 months lease and will consider it in 4 months. Again, I'm still new to here so any info will sure be helpful. Thanks!

[katenik]

Originally Posted by MigratingOkie

EscapeCal, no problem. Prior to moving southern CAL, I knew long commute is a part of life here. More importantly, it's probably because I'm used to bad traffic growing up. Actually I don't mind driving for 60 minutes on I-5, but I don't think my 98 Accord can hold up much longer if I keep up a 90-mile round trip everyday. Taking a train from LA to Irvine is great because I can have 2 hours back to sleep/rest in the train. I know it's probably best to move closer to the work place, I have a 6 months lease and will consider it in 4 months. Again, I'm still new to here so any info will sure be helpful. Thanks!

i really don't understand why anyone would move to LA, and then set about trying to avoid driving to work. by your own admission, the drive isn't bad during the hours you need to make the commute, so why are you complicating your life with all this public transportation mess? your car is ten years old; you've had a good run. perhaps the time has come to invest in a reliable auto, instead of this crazy-making thing you're doing with bikes and busses and trains. oh, MY!

[MigratingOkie]

I understand what you're saying. Yes, I can get a new car. I didn't mention that I do not wish to drive 90 miles a day for environmental reason, because I'm really a green guy. That's perhaps why I love taking public transportation. I think you've probably sensed that only (green or very poor) nuts would go through this sort of problems like cycling etc to avoid 90 miles driving each day.

Anyhow I know I'm not saving any money using public transportation, in fact it costs more per my calculation. I've been to Europe and the UK and people over there are very-very conscious about the environment compared to the US. I'm just doing my part, it makes me feel better doing so. I'll buy the monthly pass tomorrow or Friday. I think I'll drive on Monday morning, take the train for the rest of the week, and drive back on Friday until I get a bicycle. Btw, I do not intend to turn this into an environmental discussion, thanks!

[Texasturkey]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I'm sorry but this all sounds rather silly. How much time do you want to waste and how much inconvenience do you want to endure for a job that's too far from your home? I'm sure it doesn't seem too bad 2 weeks in, but that crap's going to get real old, real fast.

I strongly agree with Escape California. You may not want to live in Irvine because you feel the rent will be $$$$$$. Both the freeway and public transportation commutes are too far and you will burn out fast. What about moving somewhere else in OC? You are renting a room or an apt. It is not like you bought a house or anything. Consider someplace more north of Irvine but still in OC. Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Orange, Anaheim, Fullerton etc., The trick to Southern CA living is to live as close to work as you possibly can. Especially if you are single and are responsible for no one else but yourself. There are plenty of cities in OC that are just as desirable or even better than Alhambra. Since you like utilizing public transporation, you can ride the OCTA transit there. I realize you like living in Alhambra. But this just isn't doable and makes little sense. You have 2 choices:

1. Move closer to Irvine where you work.
2. Change jobs to work closer to Alhambra where you live.

Discontinue your ridiculous commute and best wishes!

[BRinSM]

the bike ride to your office shouldn't take longer than 15 or 20 minutes. also, roads in irvine are very wide and many have bike lanes. irvine is definitely one of the more cyclist friendly cities in socal.