UCLA to USC Med School. Where to live? (Pasadena, Alhambra: apartment, home)

[madrespek]

I got into UCLA for grad school, and my gf will probably get into to USC med school. I know that these two places are pretty far apart and that USC med center is not in the best area. We only have one car, so one of us would drive and the other would walk/bike/public transit. Ideally, we would try and keep the commute under 30 minutes per person.

Does anyone have any idea where we could live?
Should we invest in a second car?
If we lived on the westside, how bad would my gf's commute to USC med center be?

I have lived in new york and DC the past 5 years, so I am used to paying a lot of rent, and I am willing to continue doing so if it is worth it (i.e. walkable neighborhood with stuff to do). Thanks for helping solve my predicament!

[saybanana]

It depends when you need to be at school or in class. If you can avoid rush hour traffic, then you are golden.

Living around Westwood is safe enough with lots of walkable places to eat and is a few minutes drive/bus to the main UCLA campus. During non rush hour traffic, you can drive to from Westwood to Boyle Heights USC Medical Center in 30 mins.

Other nice walkable areas are the Fairfax area, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Silver Lake, and several areas of Downtown LA.

[gs70119]

If you're into a more dense, urban scene try Hollywood near a Red Line (subway) stop. You can drive west to UCLA and she can get to Union Station via subway for a quick, bus connection (#70, 485, 487) or "silver line" bus to USC Med. Depending on connections it is 15 to 30 mins door to door.

[madrespek]

thanks for the response gs70119, I am more of an urban guy so that option sounds pretty attractive.

@saybanana
We will probably need to be in school typical work hours, so we will be commuting during rush hour. Is the westside--> USC med center commute against traffic? Or is it just generally packed in either direction around 8-10am and 4-6pm?

[saybanana]

Sadly, heavy traffic does go both ways during rush hour because Downtown LA/USC med center is a major employment center as well as Westwood/Century City areas. Traffic is rough on the freeways and every major roadway. I use to commute via public transit from near Pasadena to UCLA once in a while about 9 years ago.

Packed from 7-just after 9 ish. and 3ish-7pm.

A good idea is what gs70119 wrote about living nearby the subway line or not too far away then the bus to USC med center. I caution your gf if she has to be hanging out waiting for the bus late at night. Boyle Heights is not the ideal place to be at walking/waiting at night, but during the day it is fine because the amount of people around.

So I still think Westwood is a good area to live, despite the higher apartment rate (although roughly comparable to other nicer parts of LA) Just one of you will have a bad commute, while the other can walk to school.

[sgw99]

I worked at USC (main campus though -- not the medical center) while my husband went to grad school at UCLA. We opted to live within walking distance of UCLA (actually just on the other side of the 405 in Brentwood) and I commuted by car. I worked 10 am - 6:30 or 7 pm most days, so I wouldn't hit the worst traffic and I usually carpooled with a grad student friend who lived in Santa Monica. The drive downtown was slow, but it was ok especially since I didn't have to do the driving every day and had a friend to chat with. I occasionally worked 7:30 am to 4 or so, and that was alright too in terms of traffic (morning drive in was easy, 4 pm drive home was tougher). I worked in an academic lab that was very flexible about hours, which was nice.

My husband was spending long hours at UCLA, so we thought it would be nice to minimize his commuting time (so I would actually see him!), and we liked living on the westside with the proximity to beaches, hiking, etc.

Splitting the difference is also a good idea...

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by gs70119

If you're into a more dense, urban scene try Hollywood near a Red Line (subway) stop. You can drive west to UCLA and she can get to Union Station via subway for a quick, bus connection (#70, 485, 487) or "silver line" bus to USC Med. Depending on connections it is 15 to 30 mins door to door.

There is no way in the world that trip is 30 min or less door to door.

I agree it's a viable option, but c'mon, let's not mislead OP.

Time walking to subway station 5-10 min
Walking through station 2 min
Waiting for train 0-5 min
Train ride to Union Station 15-20 min
Time spent walking through Union Station and waiting to bus min 5 minutes
Bus ride to USC medical 10 min.

So realistically, it will be more like 40 min-1hr depending on timing of transfers.

[gs70119]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

There is no way in the world that trip is 30 min or less door to door.

Thanks for noticing that. I should have said station to station given that was the time given by Metro's Trip Planner.

Originally Posted by sgw99

My husband was spending long hours at UCLA, so we thought it would be nice to minimize his commuting time (so I would actually see him!)
...
Splitting the difference is also a good idea...

This is a good point: fairness to the one with the longer hours. Unfortunately, USC Med is not in a walkable residential area like UCLA. Hollywood would be splitting the difference in that the commute times would be the same, albeit via different methods.

Another thing to consider is Purple Line access. The area is Koreatown. There have been many threads about this area and Hollywood, too. If you're used to an urban feel then closer to USC Med could be comfortable, but this may be an opportunity to try something different with a Westside neighborhood. Would it be possible to go on a scouting trip to see, hear and feel the neighborhoods first hand? Also, are there housing resources at the universities that may be of help? (Listings, advice, carpools, etc)

[madrespek]

Hey sorry for not replying faster. I think both hollywood and koreatown are interesting options. I would definitely have to arrange a scouting trip before moving, so it is good to check these areas out. I spent a summer at ucla so I know westwood/santa monica fairly well, but my main motivation is to minimize the hassle to my gf.

[ElleC]

Hi Madrespek,

I've lived in both, and the general consensus is that the Westside is nicer and safer and more walkable than downtown, Koreatown, or Hollywood. That being said, I commend you for splitting the difference since Med Students need as much time to study (more than grad students), and am sure you can find one really nice, safe apartment to live in Hollywood or in Koreatown.

One option is to try to find "Commuter Express" buses, which are safe for females,with people in suits on their laptops, or taking naps.

If she doesn't mind taking an hour there/back, there is a Commuter Express 431 from Westwood to downtown. (Commuter Express 431 - LADOT Transit Services). Then, she can get off at Union Station and catch the free, and safe USC shuttle to HSC. Auxiliary Services | Transportation | Bus Maps & Schedules

Another option is to find out where the free (and safe) USC HSC shuttle goes to (ie Alhambra or Union Station, and try to find a place that's near one of those public trans stops. As a female, I'd prefer to take the USC trams over regular public trans buses.