Friday night drive from LA to SD (San Diego, Laguna Niguel: how much, home)

[John_Galt]

Hi All!

My wife and I are moving to San Diego in just two weeks and we're obviously really excited about it.

For the time being (and what I imagine will be a pretty short term solution), I'm transferring to my company's LA based office, and will be living up in LA during the work week, and coming home to San Diego every weekend. As I'll be driving home most Friday nights, I was curious if anyone had any thoughts as to what that trip typically takes in the Friday evening traffic. I'm also curious as to how variable it would be, depending on what time I hit the road.

I'll be leaving from Downtown LA (where my office will be) down to our place near Downtown SD (Cortez Hill). I understand that the drive can be done in just over 2 hours without any traffic, but I hear the Friday nights can be killer.

Anyone who has any experience with this and could weigh in, would be much appreciated. Specifically, how long do you think the drive could take if I leave LA at 5:00 pm? What about if I leave at 7:00 pm? A big difference?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

-JG

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by John_Galt

Specifically, how long do you think the drive could take if I leave LA at 5:00 pm? What about if I leave at 7:00 pm? A big difference?

PM commute from LA to SD? Brutal, ruthless, horrendous. Solid traffic on every southbound LA freeway from Downtown LA all the way to Laguna Niguel. I would guess 3 hours will not be uncommon.

[John_Galt]

Ok - thanks for the reply. 3 hours, while still awful (and I'm sure I'll be regretting saying this later) is actually better than I was expecting.

Do you know if its very sensitive to the time I leave? Or is it steadily bad from 4:00 - 7:30 or so, and it really won't make a difference when I leave?

Thanks again,
JG

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by John_Galt

Ok - thanks for the reply. 3 hours, while still awful (and I'm sure I'll be regretting saying this later) is actually better than I was expecting.

Do you know if its very sensitive to the time I leave? Or is it steadily bad from 4:00 - 7:30 or so, and it really won't make a difference when I leave?

Thanks again,
JG

If you can leave after 7 or before 3 it will be considerably better.

[sav858]

Plan for at least 3 hours, but I've had a buddy take 5 hours to get from Silverlake to San Diego. And once summer starts the traffic on I-5 South in San Diego County gets horrible, but you might miss much of that if you're stuck up in LA/OC before you hit SD.

Can you take the train at all? It goes from Union Station to Downtown San Diego in about 2hr 45minutes and is a relaxing ride.

If you have a carpool I would take the 110 Harbor Freeway south to 405 South to the 73 Toll Road, which connects back up with 5 in South OC. The carpool lanes on th Harbor Freeway are great and usually moving when I've used them. And the 73 never has traffic.

[NYSD1995]

73 is great, and if you can take it, do so, but the connecting freeways (405 & 110) are horrible. 5 hours is not out of the realm of possibility. I second the train as an option.

[John_Galt]

Thanks for the great suggestions. The LA Amtrak station appears to only be about a mile from my office (and where I'll be staying when I'm in LA), so probably is a great option to avoid dealing with the traffic. I'm definitely going to look into that some more.

Thanks again for your help! I'm sure after the first few drives, I'll be a train convert in no time.

[sav858]

Definitely try the train; they sell beer, wine, and food (maybe cocktails too but I can't remember if they have liquor) on the train so you can kick back and drink a glass of wine as you roll down the coast.

That 110 to 405 to 73 route I only recommend if you have a carpool b/c the carpool lanes on the Harbor Freeway are 2 lanes in each direction in many areas, don't back up, and tend to move fast, but if you don't have a carpool then it's not worth it and I wouldn't take it.

[John_Galt]

Wow - comparing the idea of sitting on the train, reading a good book, and drinking a glass of wine, compared to cursing the world while sitting in rush hour traffic for 4 hours sounds like a pretty compelling option.

Luckily, both Amtrak stations are very conveniently located (each only a mile from where I'll be living in both LA and SD). My only concern is how much I'll need a car in LA during the week if I'm living and working in downtown (I'm walking distance from the office). Hopefully I can get away with not needing a car, and I'll become a frequent Amtrak customer!

Thanks again for the help. I've been reading the postings on this site for the last few months as we've been planning our move westward (from NYC) and have found the information here to be tremendously helpful.

-JG

[boyd]

Originally Posted by John_Galt

Hi All!

My wife and I are moving to San Diego in just two weeks and we're obviously really excited about it.

For the time being (and what I imagine will be a pretty short term solution), I'm transferring to my company's LA based office, and will be living up in LA during the work week, and coming home to San Diego every weekend. As I'll be driving home most Friday nights, I was curious if anyone had any thoughts as to what that trip typically takes in the Friday evening traffic. I'm also curious as to how variable it would be, depending on what time I hit the road.

I'll be leaving from Downtown LA (where my office will be) down to our place near Downtown SD (Cortez Hill). I understand that the drive can be done in just over 2 hours without any traffic, but I hear the Friday nights can be killer.

Anyone who has any experience with this and could weigh in, would be much appreciated. Specifically, how long do you think the drive could take if I leave LA at 5:00 pm? What about if I leave at 7:00 pm? A big difference?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

-JG

Can I ask why you are moving to San Diego? If your work is in LA it might be better to move there as you will have a better lifestyle and your wife might be happier if you are around more Living away from your spouse not to mention the stress of the drive to and from LA every Monday and Friday will take its toll. You might want to reconsider unless there is some specific reason you are moving to San Diego that you have not mentioned. I have experience with a long commute and it is not fun. After 7 years in California, I am convinced that the key to a great lifestyle is living close to where you work! You sound enthusiastic which is good and I don't want to be negative but it will be tougher than you imagine, just wanted to give a reality check.
I hope you find work in San Diego... by the way I also moved here from NYC
Good Luck...