Is Ventura to Pasadena commutable?

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

Ventura ... It's foggy, chilly and windy a lot of the time.

My kind of place.

Seriously, would not recommend the Ventura-Pasadena commute. No matter which route -- 101/134, 118/210, or 126/5/210 -- it's a long distance with a lot of traffic.

[sponger42]

Noon-8PM?! I want your schedule!

Drive from Ventura to Pasadena during rush hour? I won't drive from North Hollywood to Pasadena unless it's after 8PM! Mass transit is the way to go.

By the schedules--and I've never done it, so try this at least 2-3 times before you commit to the live/work arrangement--you could make the trip from the Oxnard Transit Center to one of the Gold Line Pasadena stations in about 2-ish hours. If you can really telecommute 2 days a week, then you'll only spend 12 hours commuting each week. That's the same as some poor schmoe who drives 1 hour and 15 minutes to work, 5 days a week. That's actually almost my commute, but I do it by bicycle, so I just consider it to be 2.5 hours of exercise a day. Don't have to pay for a health club and I don't pay for gas. Nice.

It's about 1.5-1.75 hours on Metrolink from Oxnard to Union Station,
then another 15-30 minutes on the Gold Line subway depending on your stop and if you catch an express.
Keep a cheap utility bike (you can get a decent one at a thrift store for $20-30) at the station closest to your work, it's probably just another 5 minutes by bike.

Lock it up with a good thick bike lock and maybe spray paint it an ugly color so it's not worth stealing. Plan a bus or walking backup route in case you get there and find it gone or you get a flat tire.

There is ONE morning Amtrak that departs from the Ventura station that you could conceivably take if you want to live near midtown. The timing would be really tough on that one, though. But if you've got flexible work hours...

4 hours daily round-trip is a horrible commute by car, but not if you're relaxing on the train and subway. It's a great chance to do some reading. Or get a laptop and write your own book, emails, or play some games. Call your wife and chat with her (quietly) or use the opportunity to reconnect with people. There's so much you can do when you're riding instead of driving. Heck, sleep on the train if you can. Can't do that in a car. You're going to the end of the line so you won't miss your stop.

Of course, occasionally you'll hit it wrong and the subway or train will be to crowded to get a seat, but you can still read, and it's still MUCH better than driving.

In the end, it's a long trip, but if you're only making it 3 days a week, I'd say go for it. Make sure the job is worth it, though. Ventura is beautiful, and living near the ocean is a must. I really don't understand people who live in places like Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley. You're in California! Why would you want to live in a monochromatic plastic furnace of a suburb like you could find on the outskirts of Oklahoma City or somesuch godforsaken place?

If you absolutley can't divorce yourself from your automobile, I'd say don't do it unless you can pick your own hours and don't mind working nights, and still only do it 3 days a week.

Assuming you are working a 8-hour day, I'd drive in at 8PM and leave at 4AM. It'll be at least 1.5 hours, maybe more, and that's if you speed. It's an hour from Ventura to Warner Center with no traffic at 79mph. It's at least 30 minutes--and probably more like an hour--more to Pasadena, for a grand total of pretty much the same amount of time you'd spend on the train and subway. Except you're a lot more likely to die, killing the planet, supporting terrorism, and wasting your life on the road.

Leaving at 4AM and getting in at 6AM is a possibility, but expect the return trip at 2PM to be more like 3 hours long. Noon to 8pm would probably be 3 hours each way. Less Mon-Wed. More Thrs-Fri.

Now, for the people I haven't annoyed: I am thinking about doing my part to contribute to global warming by commuting (but at least it's a carpool!) from Ventura to Warner Center, leaving at 8:30-9:00AM, sometimes returning around 5:30-6:00PM (other times 7-8 at night when traffic is clear). There are no trains or busses that leave when I want to go, so how has your experience with traffic been at those hours on weekdays? I've driven it a few times around 8:30-9AMish and found the freeway clear, but I want to know if anyone else has had a different experience. Was I just lucky on those days?

Thanks! And good luck!

[EscapeCalifornia]

I'd only try that commute in a helicopter.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by sponger42

Drive from Ventura to Pasadena during rush hour? I won't drive from North Hollywood to Pasadena unless it's after 8PM! Mass transit is the way to go.

By the schedules--and I've never done it, so try this at least 2-3 times before you commit to the live/work arrangement--you could make the trip from the Oxnard Transit Center to one of the Gold Line Pasadena stations in about 2-ish hours. If you can really telecommute 2 days a week, then you'll only spend 12 hours commuting each week. That's the same as some poor schmoe who drives 1 hour and 15 minutes to work, 5 days a week. That's actually almost my commute, but I do it by bicycle, so I just consider it to be 2.5 hours of exercise a day. Don't have to pay for a health club and I don't pay for gas. Nice.

It's about 1.5-1.75 hours on Metrolink from Oxnard to Union Station,
then another 15-30 minutes on the Gold Line subway depending on your stop and if you catch an express.
Keep a cheap utility bike (you can get a decent one at a thrift store for $20-30) at the station closest to your work, it's probably just another 5 minutes by bike.

Lock it up with a good thick bike lock and maybe spray paint it an ugly color so it's not worth stealing. Plan a bus or walking backup route in case you get there and find it gone or you get a flat tire.

There is ONE morning Amtrak that departs from the Ventura station that you could conceivably take if you want to live near midtown. The timing would be really tough on that one, though. But if you've got flexible work hours...

4 hours daily round-trip is a horrible commute by car, but not if you're relaxing on the train and subway. It's a great chance to do some reading. Or get a laptop and write your own book, emails, or play some games. Call your wife and chat with her (quietly) or use the opportunity to reconnect with people. There's so much you can do when you're riding instead of driving. Heck, sleep on the train if you can. Can't do that in a car. You're going to the end of the line so you won't miss your stop.

Of course, occasionally you'll hit it wrong and the subway or train will be to crowded to get a seat, but you can still read, and it's still MUCH better than driving.

In the end, it's a long trip, but if you're only making it 3 days a week, I'd say go for it. Make sure the job is worth it, though. Ventura is beautiful, and living near the ocean is a must. I really don't understand people who live in places like Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley. You're in California! Why would you want to live in a monochromatic plastic furnace of a suburb like you could find on the outskirts of Oklahoma City or somesuch godforsaken place?

If you absolutley can't divorce yourself from your automobile, I'd say don't do it unless you can pick your own hours and don't mind working nights, and still only do it 3 days a week.

Assuming you are working a 8-hour day, I'd drive in at 8PM and leave at 4AM. It'll be at least 1.5 hours, maybe more, and that's if you speed. It's an hour from Ventura to Warner Center with no traffic at 79mph. It's at least 30 minutes--and probably more like an hour--more to Pasadena, for a grand total of pretty much the same amount of time you'd spend on the train and subway. Except you're a lot more likely to die, killing the planet, supporting terrorism, and wasting your life on the road.

Well, I usually don't read long posts too closely, but this one was worth it. Some good points there!