Commuting Advice- South Pasadena to Santa Monica (Fremont, Glendale: live in, yard)

[rafboy]

Hi.

I live right on the border with South Pasadena and Alhambra (literally 50 yards from both city lines), in El Sereno (by Huntington and Alhambra Road/Kendell- 90032).

I need to commute daily to downtown Santa Monica- specifically Colorado Avenue, 90404. Does anyone know of a faster way of getting there besides the 10? Or how I can mitigate my being stuck on the 10 for as short a time as possible?

Mapquest, Google Maps and Yahoo maps don't give directions that bypass gridlock.

Thank you very much in advance for any information!

[1200RT]

Try to get down to Olympic and head west....

[streetscenes]

El Sereno to Santa Monica is a tough commute and there are not any "good" options. From where you are you have to get past downtown and then get to Santa Monica. Two basic ways around downtown, first would be take Huntington to Soto and get on the 10 and go around the south part of downtown. You could also take Alhambra Road to Fremont and get on the 10 there. Other way is Huntington to Broadway and make your way over to the 110 and go on the west side of downtown. Once past downtown you will be in stop-n-go on the 10 all the way to Santa Monica. You can get off of the freeway and takes streets like Pico, Olympic or Adams but in the end it's usually easier and quicker to stay on the freeway.

My choice would be Huntington to Soto, get on the 10 west bound and tough it out. Listen to traffic, for any possible accidents on the 10 and if you have to get off the freeway past downtown and take some streets. You can always try different streets to break up the routine.

[rafboy]

Thanks.
I was considering taking Huntington to Broadway and then the 110 the 10, but I know it's thick right there too.
I guess if it's too bad, I can take Olympic or Pico into Santa Monica.
But wasn't Olympic made One Way recently?

[Domsey]

This commutes blows but try this:
Take Huntington (becomes Mission), right on Broadway. Take Broadway through downtown, then right on Olympic. Head south to Venice either on Crenshaw or as soon as you pass Crenshaw, because Venice opens up to three or four lanes. Left on Fairfax and jump on the 10. By that point you should be past the really crazy traffic on the 10. If something bad is happening on the 10, the bail out is to make a right on Fairfax and a left on 18th street, which becomes Monte Mar. You can take that all the way to Beverwil (with lights, not stop signs) at all the main intersections. Right on Beverwil and then left on Pico all the way to Santa Monica.

Hey, it's complicated, but it'll make you feel like Lewis & Clark.

I commuted from So. Pas. to Century City for a while and the fwy (barring an accident) was always the same time or less than the streets. The streets would move, giving me a false sense of accomplishment, but the total time was about the same. Plus, on the streets I got rear-ended like every other week. It was unbelievable.

[Domsey]

P.S. Olympic definitely was not made one way. I heard they were considering doing that, but I think it's an urban legend.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by Domsey

P.S. Olympic definitely was not made one way. I heard they were considering doing that, but I think it's an urban legend.

x2. I travel Olympic in both directions frequently.

[Tasksgirl]

I live in Glendale and commute to Santa Monica.. the 5 to the 110 to the 10.. it's bad but it's not THAT bad.. you could take streets part-way so you don't have to deal with the 110 so you're better off than me..!

[UB50]

What about taking Broadway to Temple, then Temple to Vermont or Western (or any big street that goes south). When you hit 6th street, go west until you run out of 6th street (somewhere near Beverly Hills) -- and then you're on your own.

[timelesschild]

In Google Maps, click on "Options" and then "Avoid Highways".

That shows you the route using Huntington, Mission, Broadway, and Olympic. It says it takes 54 minutes - I bet it does - that sounds like a brutal commute.

The commute using the 10 fwy says it can take from 30-90 minutes, depending on traffic.

Can you commute at 6 am? That would allow you to use the fwy and cut your commute to 30 minutes. Of course it depends on your particular job and other factors... but using the off-peak traffic would help if you can make it work.