Tell us your Los Angeles Commuting Horror Stories (Santa Ana, Riverside: rental car, rental)

[Old Tired Man]

I was just out in LA and spent a whole week driving around with friends and relatives and in my own rental car pretty much through the entire area. WOW! I thought traffic and housing prices were incredible in the Washington DC area but Los Angeles got it all beat. I just could not believe the traffic. The rush hour is 22 hours a day.

But the funny thing was many of my friends and relatives that live in the greater LA area commute for over 50 miles each way to work so they can afford a house and a yard without being in a rough neighborhood. One works near LAX but commutes to Riverside County to afford a home in a safe neighborhood. Another works in Irvine but commutes from Pasadena. They spend 2 hours each way in bumper to bumper traffic to live the LA Dream. Seems more like a nightmare to me.

The Palm Trees and 70 degrees were nice in February but it did not seem worth it. One guy was offered a great job at the same pay in Chapel Hill NC but did not want to leave LA and the warm sunshine. In Chapel Hill NC he could have nearly doubled his standard of living and had no commute. Is the long commute worth it?

Tell us your commuting horror stories and your thoughts about the question: Is a long commute worth it in LA to get a larger house in a safe neighborhood while still working a job you love in a bad or expensive community?

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Old Tired Man

One works near LAX but commutes to Riverside County to afford a home in a safe neighborhood.

I'd rather put a .45 inside my mouth.

Originally Posted by Old Tired Man

Tell us your commuting horror stories

My daily commute is approx 20 feet so I can't contribute, but last week I did have to drive from Fontana to Santa Ana during off-peak hours in the late morning. The trip from my house to the Windy Ridge toll plaza on CA-241 normally takes 30 minutes at that time of day, but due to encountering three crashes on I-15 it took me 65 minutes to get there.

That's as horrific as it gets in my world.

[Vinsanity]

Originally Posted by Old Tired Man

But the funny thing was many of my friends and relatives that live in the greater LA area commute for over 50 miles each way to work so they can afford a house and a yard without being in a rough neighborhood. One works near LAX but commutes to Riverside County to afford a home in a safe neighborhood. Another works in Irvine but commutes from Pasadena. They spend 2 hours each way in bumper to bumper traffic to live the LA Dream. Seems more like a nightmare to me.

This I don't get. Pasadena is a very lovely town, but a nice place there wouldn't be much cheaper than Irvine, if at all. Is this a temporary job/home situation?

[jm1982]

My commute is not as bad as some of these examples. I live in the Northern part of North Hollywood and commute to Brentwood area for work. It's not that far but it's just the traffic is really bad. Usually like 1hr 15minutes each way...but for 18miles thats pretty bad..

You mentioned people commuting to get a larger house in a safe area...but I think the issue is people can't get any house (or condo) because homes are so expensive where the jobs are.

We do have several people where I work that actually commute from Fontana . I believe they drive to downtown LA then get on a shuttle here. I think their hours are maybe 6-2:30 or something like that though so they miss some of the traffic..but I cant imagine waking up that early..

I really don't see why people don't look into moving out of state ... The people that do commute from Fontana are in facilities most likely not making too much but had an opportunity to buy a house there when prices went down.

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by Vinsanity

This I don't get. Pasadena is a very lovely town, but a nice place there wouldn't be much cheaper than Irvine, if at all.

It's possible this person bought a place in Pasadena and at some later time changed jobs. That's one of the downsides of buying vs. renting. It isn't as easy to just pick up and move for the sake of convenience.

[ccm123]

I used to commute from Pasadena/La Crescenta/South Pasadena to Woodland Hills & Calabasas. Usually 45 minutes, sometimes as long as 90 minutes (one way) and average of one hour.

[EclecticEars]

I'm not a SoCal resident, but last April, I stayed in a hotel in Buena Park, CA. I had a meeting at USC. It took about one hour, 25 minutes to drive the 22 or so miles.

[drshang]

My commute is 25 feet, my wife's is 15 minutes. We live in a nice, quiet, safe neighborhood. It is horrible! Oh, the horror!

BTW, I think making threads that try to only isolate "bad" experiences with LA are kinda lame.

[jm1982]

LOL...so it seems people's commute is either 25 FEET or 1HR +

[drshang]

Originally Posted by jm1982

LOL...so it seems people's commute is either 25 FEET or 1HR +

I think it's because those of us who care about not driving will create a life so they don't drive. If my wife changes jobs, we will move 5-15 minutes away from where she works. Makes life living in this city a lot easier. A side benefit is you don't have to spend 30-50% more to buy a house, you can just rent one, and you reduce your car expenses because you aren't spending 25-56 cents a mile to commute.