Reverse commute from LA to Irvine? (Orange, Fullerton: home, neighborhoods, buying)

[leo2331]

I'm planning to move from NYC to Irvine for a job (seems to be a popular move looking at the boards here), but planning to maintain a closer NYC lifestyle by living in LA (towards the more hip younger urban neighborhoods) but commuting to/working in Irvine.

I plan to arrive at the Irvine office around 8-9am and leave work at around 7pm-3am, to go back to home in LA. Is this feasible at all, and wise in terms of time, cost and time schedules? I was told that taking the metrolink train is the best bet, than buying a car and driving?

[OCinvestor]

West LA to Irvine is 1.25 hours to 2+ in traffic. South Bay is .75-1.5 hours. Unfortunately "reverse commute" isn't really a valid concept in the LA Basin. Its not like an east coast city where peole flood into the city center in the day then back to the burbs at night. There is no center here. In LA/OC during rush hour there are so many people moving in every direction that the freeways clog up.

There is a trip planner on the metro link website that will let you look at train schedules. LA Union station to Irvine is 1 hour or so.

Good luck

[missionhome]

You have to include your commute to Union Station using either public transportation or driving there in a car though also, unless you want to live in downtown LA. So you need to add that on top of the hour it takes the train to get to Irvine. Some areas of LA such as Santa Monica are probably just as far driving as driving east to downtown and then taking the train south. It is a tough commute either way. The closer you live to Union Station the better. Perhaps try to find a place within walking distance of the Red Line subway so you can connect to the train. Then there is the issue of how close your work is to the Irvine train station. The train station is about fifteen minutes from the Orange County Airport business area of Irvine, but within the Irvine Spectrum area of Irvine. What are the cross streets for your work in Irvine?

[BRinSM]

you also have to remember that the trains around here don't run nearly as often as they do into and out of NYC. I'm not sure when the last trains heads from Irvine to LA, but I can't imagine it being later than 7 or 8pm. You may want to consider some of the beach communities rather than living in LA if you're going to be working in Irvine. Parts of Newport, Hungington, Corona Del Mar, and Laguna have some very walkable neighborhoods with many places to eat, drink, and shop. Also, even if you do decide to live in LA, it is not like NYC in the slightest. Downtown does have skyscrapers and a subway, but except for a few random spots, the place shuts down at 6pm. LA and NYC are like step-brothers, they have the commonality of being big cities, but that's about it.

[WannaBNorCal]

Doesn't MetroLink run that way too? Or am I wrong?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Live in downtown Fullerton or something like that. Don't try to live 50+ miles from work in SoCal.