USC to Pasadena, bypassing downtown? (Fremont, Glendale: loft, homes, neighborhood)

[vegaspilgrim]

Is there a faster, smarter way of driving from USC to Pasadena/South Pasadena at around 6-7:00pm in the evening without going through downtown on the 110, getting stuck in some of the worst traffic in all of LA moving bumper to bumper at about 1-2 mph? The 110 itself usually moves after the point (although quite scary, sharp turns, narrow lanes, and death trap interchanges) where you pass the junction with the 5, but just getting to that point takes well over an hour going straight up the 110 and almost as long-- about 50 minutes-- the other freeway route (going southeast of downtown on the 10, north on the 5, connecting back on the 110).

Before somebody mentions the gold line light rail... yes, I already know about that as an option, but I'm asking specifically about driving.

Studying a map of LA, there are a ton of surface streets-- is there a faster way to skirt around downtown without doing freeways? Any recommendations? How is Main St, Alameda, or another n-s street connecting into Mission Rd/ Huntington Dr? Is this okay driving through during "rush hour" times or not even safe enough to drive through? I'd like to hear from the expert navigators around here.

[KnoxTown]

Alvarado - Glendale - Highway 2 - 134

[Atlantasfinest]

Take the 710 North get off on West Valley make a left on South Fremont and go North to Huntington Drive all the way up into South Pas.

Or from Downtown LA you could take North Mission Road to Huntington Drive all the way into South Pas as well.

[the one]

option 2 works best. ive done it before.

take all alternate routes to main north (better than broadway but you can compare. sometimes fig is better.) you cross the river and when you are in lincolng heights by the park the streets meet up. its a bit tricky, but read the signs. from mission you will get to to huntington drive(which might still be soto at that point(also a bit tricky. you go under traffic i think). take huntington drive for several miles and once you are in s.pas you can turn up fair oaks or go over to the atlantic/garfield intersection (quite confusing) and turn north into pasadena. atlantic turns into los robles north of huntington, and it has some very nice homes. pretty sceninc. the trip in total might be 50 mins to an hour. depending on the time and day.

oh, the other option is monterrey road off of huntington drive, by guadalupe church, but thats a bit windy and then you have to cut on some streets and you might get lost. monterrey turns into pas/ arroyo.

good luck. its doable.

monterrey might be more scenic. its also a good alternative when you want to go into HLPrk.

Originally Posted by Atlantasfinest

Take the 710 North get off on West Valley make a left on South Fremont and go North to Huntington Drive all the way up into South Pas.

Or from Downtown LA you could take North Mission Road to Huntington Drive all the way into South Pas as well.

[the one]

oh and when i was in ktown i would take alvarado up to the 2 to the 134, but i dont think that helps you. besides there were almost always a jam as alvarado merged with glendale and aproached the 2 frwy.

[LArenter]

In the mornings, I usually take surface streets from Pasadena to Downtown: (Sierra Madre to Huntington to Mission to Main to Cesar Chavez) or (Huntington to Broadway). If I take the 110, traffic always jams up at like Ave 40 -- so I usually avoid it.

That being said, I sometimes take the 110 back home, but I take Figureroa all the way till it dead ends at the 110; from there it only takes like 7 minutes to pass the 5 freeway interchange.

Depending on whether there is a Dodger Game, I'll take surface streets too. And I just reverse my route and take Alameda to Main. Either route ends up about the same amount of time +/- 5-10 minutes so the commute can be anywhere between 40-70 minutes.

Good Luck

[vegaspilgrim]

This whole downtown to Pasadena corridor is definitely the most confusing maze I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by KnoxTown

Alvarado - Glendale - Highway 2 - 134

...what "the one" said:

Originally Posted by the one

oh and when i was in ktown i would take alvarado up to the 2 to the 134, but i dont think that helps you. besides there were almost always a jam as alvarado merged with glendale and aproached the 2 frwy.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I've done that before and while the 2 is probably the best freeway in all of LA just getting there takes forever. It's still probably better than going through downtown on the 110.

Originally Posted by LArenter

In the mornings, I usually take surface streets from Pasadena to Downtown: (Sierra Madre to Huntington to Mission to Main to Cesar Chavez) or (Huntington to Broadway). If I take the 110, traffic always jams up at like Ave 40 -- so I usually avoid it.

That being said, I sometimes take the 110 back home, but I take Figureroa all the way till it dead ends at the 110; from there it only takes like 7 minutes to pass the 5 freeway interchange.

Depending on whether there is a Dodger Game, I'll take surface streets too. And I just reverse my route and take Alameda to Main. Either route ends up about the same amount of time +/- 5-10 minutes so the commute can be anywhere between 40-70 minutes.

Good Luck

It just occurred to me there are "two" Figueroa streets, that the street actually connects to the 110.

What would you recommend, if the eventual goal is connecting back up with the 110-- starting from around Figueroa/Jefferson-- taking Figueroa north straight through downtown? or continuing east through the pits of the earth on Jefferson, Adams, or Washington until Broadway/Main St/Alameda?

Originally Posted by Atlantasfinest

Take the 710 North get off on West Valley make a left on South Fremont and go North to Huntington Drive all the way up into South Pas.

Or from Downtown LA you could take North Mission Road to Huntington Drive all the way into South Pas as well.

If lets say the goal is to eventually get onto Mission Rd... what's the best non-freeway route to get there from USC?

Originally Posted by the one

option 2 works best. ive done it before.

take all alternate routes to main north (better than broadway but you can compare. sometimes fig is better.) you cross the river and when you are in lincolng heights by the park the streets meet up. its a bit tricky, but read the signs. from mission you will get to to huntington drive(which might still be soto at that point(also a bit tricky. you go under traffic i think). take huntington drive for several miles and once you are in s.pas you can turn up fair oaks or go over to the atlantic/garfield intersection (quite confusing) and turn north into pasadena. atlantic turns into los robles north of huntington, and it has some very nice homes. pretty sceninc. the trip in total might be 50 mins to an hour. depending on the time and day.

oh, the other option is monterrey road off of huntington drive, by guadalupe church, but thats a bit windy and then you have to cut on some streets and you might get lost. monterrey turns into pas/ arroyo.

good luck. its doable.

monterrey might be more scenic. its also a good alternative when you want to go into HLPrk.

You have some really good suggestions on how to accomplish the 2nd half of the drive. It's the first half that I'm really puzzled on... How "scary" do you consider the area east of downtown up to the LA River, west of the 5? How is the traffic on the various surface streets in this area?

[the one]

alameda is normally a good street during off peak hours, otherwise it is jammed with trailers, and it is also a bit further east than you would need to go. its a good street to get from the compton/watts/florence/south central area into downtown, but you are already further west. it makes not sense trekking over to alameda to possibly get stuck in traffic.
some times i would take 8th street into DT and then north on FIG, but honestly main is better. everyone takes fig because it ends at the 110.

from USC the best bet is a north/south street. grand (i think its the one that passes right in front of the courts at washington blvd) is pretty quick. you also want to stay away from the staples center crush. during games and concerts it can be a mess. Fig, for that stretch, might not be the best route.

avoid washington. during the day its jammed with cars and pedestrians at night its faster, but im talking 9, 10 pm.

avoid the east west streets. you have to go north. and if you are doing it after 6om the traffic thru DT should not be that bad.

just try different routes every week. see which works best for you. the freeways are always a gamble. surface streets might take a bit longer, but they are more consistent.

i think you just might have to rough it thru DT streets.

as for the area east of DT, but this side of the river. its all industrial. can be very intimidating at night, with all the big trucks, easy to get turned around. not a place you would want to get lost (because of its remoteness, not bodily danger). its not that bad. a bunch of factories and up and comng loft areas. some people call it the arts district. nothing to be too scared of.

good luck.

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

This whole downtown to Pasadena corridor is definitely the most confusing maze I've ever seen.



...what "the one" said:



That's exactly what I was thinking. I've done that before and while the 2 is probably the best freeway in all of LA just getting there takes forever. It's still probably better than going through downtown on the 110.



It just occurred to me there are "two" Figueroa streets, that the street actually connects to the 110.

What would you recommend, if the eventual goal is connecting back up with the 110-- starting from around Figueroa/Jefferson-- taking Figueroa north straight through downtown? or continuing east through the pits of the earth on Jefferson, Adams, or Washington until Broadway/Main St/Alameda?



If lets say the goal is to eventually get onto Mission Rd... what's the best non-freeway route to get there from USC?



You have some really good suggestions on how to accomplish the 2nd half of the drive. It's the first half that I'm really puzzled on... How "scary" do you consider the area east of downtown up to the LA River, west of the 5? How is the traffic on the various surface streets in this area?

[hsw]

Vegas, am perplexed....

LA downtown at hrs you describe is fairly unremarkable in its congestion vs other major cities at their choke points

In any major urban region, I tend to avoid surface sts through dubious areas....view risk/reward of collision, flat tire, etc on such surface sts as far more risky than sitting on congested fwys on Bluetooth in my mobile office/entertainment center; recall the early '90s LA riots???

I tend to arrive at office <<6AM and leave >7PM, but when mid-day mtgs force me to face unwashed masses on fwys, I prefer fwys vs any dubious surface sts....life can be very short and problematic w/poor risk-reward decisions in one's commutes....

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by hsw

In any major urban region, I tend to avoid surface sts through dubious areas....view risk/reward of collision, flat tire, etc on such surface sts as far more risky than sitting on congested fwys on Bluetooth in my mobile office/entertainment center; recall the early '90s LA riots???

I tend to arrive at office <<6AM and leave >7PM, but when mid-day mtgs force me to face unwashed masses on fwys, I prefer fwys vs any dubious surface sts....life can be very short and problematic w/poor risk-reward decisions in one's commutes....

I agree, those streets in what I call "the pits of the earth" is no place I would want to end up getting stuck. East of downtown actually makes the area north and west of USC look like a lovely, middle class neighborhood in comparison. I just want to get all the facts first. It seems like no matter how you slice it or dice it, expect this particular drive done at around 7:00 to take at least 45-50 minutes. Is there agreement though that taking the 10 east to 5 north, then reconnecting to the 110 north, is better than the 110 north through downtown the whole way? That's what my friend's dad who lives in So. Pas. told me, does anybody here confirm or reject that?