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Unread 11-27-2008, 05:45 PM
 
Location: NYC
5 posts, read 12,856 times
Reputation: 10
Default Biking in la

I'm from NYC. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I just don't want to be here anymore. I am tired of the trains mostly. I want to move to LA. Where it's SUNNY and WARM and no trains. QUESTION: In NYC, you can basically ride a bike from one borough to another and it won't take to long. Can the same be done in LA. I read a lot stating that you need a car for everything. What if you didn't own one. Would riding a bike be a feasible mode of transportation to get around. Or are the distances in LA much further than they are in NYC?? I know that it depends on where you live... but if you can answer the question and help me in understanding the distances from areas in LA. I much appreciate everyone's help. :-)
Thanks,
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Unread 11-27-2008, 06:12 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
25,643 posts, read 40,067,784 times
Reputation: 14385
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmo2009 View Post
QUESTION: In NYC, you can basically ride a bike from one borough to another and it won't take to long. Can the same be done in LA. I read a lot stating that you need a car for everything. What if you didn't own one. Would riding a bike be a feasible mode of transportation to get around.
Not in any practical sense.
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Unread 11-27-2008, 07:09 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles-213.323.310.818/San Diego-619.858.760
707 posts, read 1,946,369 times
Reputation: 404
If you're planning on coming to L.A. and riding your bike as a mode of transportation you'd be joining the hundreds of others that do the same. Its not as fast as a car obviously but everything you need is within a 3-5 mile radius so its not as a difficult as some would imagine.
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Unread 11-28-2008, 10:31 AM
 
899 posts, read 576,427 times
Reputation: 1007
Quote:
Originally Posted by SurekRZA View Post
If you're planning on coming to L.A. and riding your bike as a mode of transportation you'd be joining the hundreds of others that do the same. Its not as fast as a car obviously but everything you need is within a 3-5 mile radius so its not as a difficult as some would imagine.
Unless you have to commute to work. Our public transportation is run efficiently only in certain areas and, while a bike would suffice for all your everyday needs like grocery shopping, eating out localy and visiting neighbors, the moment that you want to go into another city to visit a friend, go to a club, etc. you'll be assed out.
What most people don't get is that L.A. is widely spread out and there are many cities with each one offering something (sometimes just a bar or restaurant) that attracts the crowds.
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Unread 11-28-2008, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
419 posts, read 737,320 times
Reputation: 161
If you live close to a transport hub with dense services, you can swing getting around with just a bike. The problem comes when there's an event in an outlying area. For these situations, you may find yourself having to rent a car.

Downtown, North Hollywood, Pasadena spring to mind as great options to live/work/play.

Long Beach is also a decent option.

Check out the maps on metro.net, and walkscore.com is a good test of the distance between your destination and nearby services.

I live 18 miles from work and manage to bike+bus for most of the week, but there are some days where it just makes sense to drive. Weekly dry cleaning comes to mind as one of the days where I just have to drive.
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Unread 11-28-2008, 03:28 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles-213.323.310.818/San Diego-619.858.760
707 posts, read 1,946,369 times
Reputation: 404
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatmancomics View Post
. What most people don't get is that L.A. is widely spread out and there are many cities with each one offering something (sometimes just a bar or restaurant) that attracts the crowds.
L.A. is immensely large if that what you mean by spread out. From Whittier Blvd in East L.A. to W.Century Blvd in Westchester all the way up to Chattsworth street in the valley; its all one city.
I think the OP understand that a bike wont be as efficient under certain situations but that's why we have Taxi's, Subways, Light Rail and buses for those inconvenient circumstances.
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Unread 11-28-2008, 09:40 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
190 posts, read 243,367 times
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LA is larger than NYC in land area, but NYC itself is not exactly tiny. If you can handle the elevations changes, which are modest unless you plan on biking over the Santa Monica mountains, I don't see why it wouldn't be a great way to get around. The weather can not be beat for biking- it's perfect with the exception of the fall fire season when it's too hot and the air is too smokey.
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Unread 11-29-2008, 07:04 AM
 
Location: Hot Springs, AR
5,613 posts, read 7,670,206 times
Reputation: 3524
Quote:
Originally Posted by SurekRZA View Post
L.A. is immensely large if that what you mean by spread out. From Whittier Blvd in East L.A. to W.Century Blvd in Westchester all the way up to Chattsworth street in the valley; its all one city.
I think the OP understand that a bike wont be as efficient under certain situations but that's why we have Taxi's, Subways, Light Rail and buses for those inconvenient circumstances.

Taxi's are extremely expensive, the subway and light rail are very limited and the buses are unreliable.

I know you East Coasters insist that LA become a carbon copy of what you left where a car is not a necessity; however, it is unrealistic to think that one can have a decent quality of life in LA without a car. Being stuck in a 3-5 mile radius is what East Coasters do. In LA we travel all over the city for entertainment, work, shopping, etc. I happen to live close enough to work where I could probably pull it off (the 3-5 mile thing) but since I've lived here all my life, I know I'd be missing out on a lot. Because there is more to life than a 3-5 mile radius. Even though LA is no longer my favorite place on the planet, the East Coasters and developers haven't destroyed everything yet and I like to get around to go enjoy those things while they last. And there is no way in heck to do that on a bike and confined to a 3 - 5 mile radius.
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Unread 11-29-2008, 07:46 AM
 
573 posts, read 802,930 times
Reputation: 464
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmo2009 View Post
I'm from NYC. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I just don't want to be here anymore. I am tired of the trains mostly. I want to move to LA. Where it's SUNNY and WARM and no trains. QUESTION: In NYC, you can basically ride a bike from one borough to another and it won't take to long. Can the same be done in LA. I read a lot stating that you need a car for everything. What if you didn't own one. Would riding a bike be a feasible mode of transportation to get around. Or are the distances in LA much further than they are in NYC?? I know that it depends on where you live... but if you can answer the question and help me in understanding the distances from areas in LA. I much appreciate everyone's help. :-)
Thanks,
People get ran over by cars all the time in Los Angeles on bikes.
I can understand that you want too leave N.Y. but Los Angeles and California is the last place I would want too move too.
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Unread 11-29-2008, 10:35 AM
 
Location: LA
5,580 posts, read 8,359,649 times
Reputation: 2082
As many people have mentioned, LA in general is much more spread out that NYC. You could live somewhere centrally located in the city like the Miracle Mile or West Hollywood and use your bike often, but you will probably need a car at times. Luckily, there are many, many car rental places in the city. You can rent a car for $25 a day if you have to get across town and don't feel like riding your bike or taking the bus. This would also be a good idea if you wanted to take a day/weekend trip to one of the nice locations outside of LA like Santa Barbara, Big Bear, Palm Springs, Orange County, or San Diego.
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