Need to decide a city to live in
09-30-13, 02:17 AM
#26
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In fact, the only downside to living in Palos Verdes, is that you have to travel through San Pedro to get to Long Beach.
I spent less than an hour pedaling through San Pedro on my trip from Santa Barbara, but I still had smoglung after riding through San Pedro, and I took it easy to avoid inhaling in that toxic town.
Seriously, it's like setting up your rollers in a paint booth, and then parking a running car with the tailpipe aimed at your face.
09-30-13, 03:08 AM
#27
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there are a few downsides living on the palos verdes peninsula besides being close to san pedro.
like i said, there are some rough areas. sounds like you found some. still some nice areas in pedro. the whole
harbor area + torrance, carson, et al have plenty of toxicity. hell, so does the whole la basin. it's not all pedro's fault.
plenty of refineries and junkyards in plenty of surrounding harbor areas/cities. wilmington is my personal least favorite in that area.
maybe you somehow missed wilmington on your way to long beach or had a wonderful time there somehow but your experience
sounds more like a mostly wilmington experience than a san pedro one to me. san pedro is pretty breezy and the crap blows inland to carson
or...wilmington.
and yah...i'd definitely take san pedro over northridge.
like i said, there are some rough areas. sounds like you found some. still some nice areas in pedro. the whole
harbor area + torrance, carson, et al have plenty of toxicity. hell, so does the whole la basin. it's not all pedro's fault.
plenty of refineries and junkyards in plenty of surrounding harbor areas/cities. wilmington is my personal least favorite in that area.
maybe you somehow missed wilmington on your way to long beach or had a wonderful time there somehow but your experience
sounds more like a mostly wilmington experience than a san pedro one to me. san pedro is pretty breezy and the crap blows inland to carson
or...wilmington.
and yah...i'd definitely take san pedro over northridge.
Last edited by diphthong; 09-30-13 at 03:21 AM.
09-30-13, 05:39 AM
#28
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Baja PV (San Pedro) is probably more affordable than PV, is close to those hills, and closer to Long Beach.
As far the Metrolink from Northridge to Long Beach in the interim, I used to take the trains (Metrolink-Red/blue/greenline) when I lived in the Valley. It has been a while so I will not get real specific since I am sure things have changed, but taking your bike is doable, but can be challenging. I suggest doing the route "dry run" without a bike the first time. I will not guarantee it, but it may be faster than the freeway at rush hour.
Are you going downtown, or east side near the university? The blue line goes all the way to downtown. Eastside you can get off the blue line in Watts, transfer to the green line to Norwalk and catch the San Gabriel River bike path (about a mile of surface streets from the station) for a fast ride into Long Beach (about ten miles).
As far the Metrolink from Northridge to Long Beach in the interim, I used to take the trains (Metrolink-Red/blue/greenline) when I lived in the Valley. It has been a while so I will not get real specific since I am sure things have changed, but taking your bike is doable, but can be challenging. I suggest doing the route "dry run" without a bike the first time. I will not guarantee it, but it may be faster than the freeway at rush hour.
Are you going downtown, or east side near the university? The blue line goes all the way to downtown. Eastside you can get off the blue line in Watts, transfer to the green line to Norwalk and catch the San Gabriel River bike path (about a mile of surface streets from the station) for a fast ride into Long Beach (about ten miles).
09-30-13, 10:54 AM
#29
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09-30-13, 10:58 AM
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I just learned that the actual city is going to be Paramount, CA. I've never been here but its super close to Compton(lol). O lawrd. I am now thinking Metrolink to Norwalk then ride in?
09-30-13, 11:05 AM
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I'm thinking of living in Culver City or Westwood and just driving in, seems like traffic isn't terrible toward Paramount but the way back would probably be pretty hellacious.
09-30-13, 11:24 AM
#32
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Yah. Paramount is kinda sketchy. Just be careful riding the SGR bike path on the weekdays. Guys have been mugged for bikes on it. Best use a beater for the commute if you're going into Paramount.
09-30-13, 12:04 PM
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09-30-13, 02:39 PM
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09-30-13, 04:35 PM
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Check Google maps traffic, I think the commute would be pretty bad. Last Monday the 10 east was solid red at 9am heading towards downtown. The 405 wasn't a picnic either. I'd look at Torrance or Redondo/Hermosa Beach. The 91 shouldn't be bad commuting reverse traffic. I'd avoid Westwood too unless you want to pay a lot of money to live around a bunch of UCLA students.
09-30-13, 05:23 PM
#37
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Personally I think the commute from Pasadena to Long Beach would suck. I'd look at the South Bay or northwest Orange County to keep the commute reasonable. In the south bay (where I ride a lot) you can do intervals along the beach trail during the week (or early morning on weekends.) The vertical climb up Palos Verdes isn't that high (about 750ft according to Strava) but you can do a few hill repeats to get that up. Palso Verdes is pretty big and offers many different routes to climb the same hill. You could always go north to climb the Santa Monica mountains too.
The area of around Tustin/Villa Park/City of Orange in Orange County. All are near the NW corner of the Santa Ana Mountains so you'll ahve access to Santiago Canyon Road, Jamboree (above Irvine), and few fire roads if you do some MTBing. For flat interval work you could always use the Santa Ana River path; its crowded mid-day on the weekends, but pretty vacant on weekend mornings (before 9AM). I would NOT recommed South Orange County (from Irvine southward, south of Hwy 55 on either I5 or I405). Traffic between there and Long Beach is a nightmare both in the morning and evening; from the Tustin area to Long Beach is crowded, but a lot easier than the South OC traffic bottlenecks.
What part of Long Beach is your employer going to move to? That could influence whether to look in Pasadena/LA County or Oorange County.
And maybe someone could chime in on the South Bay area? Torrance/Palo Verde/Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach?
What part of Long Beach is your employer going to move to? That could influence whether to look in Pasadena/LA County or Oorange County.
And maybe someone could chime in on the South Bay area? Torrance/Palo Verde/Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach?
+1 to NW Orange County or South Bay. Hermosa, Manhattan Beach, would be fun for a young, single(?), active guy. So would Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. Westwood is not proximate to great biking, too much traffic; and it was expensive when I lived there before you were even born!
09-30-13, 07:57 PM
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I live where I can afford a house, which means I live very far from work. I commute 40 miles each way, and while it sucks, buying a chevy Volt (and trading in my Corvette!) totally makes the commute bearable. HOV access was just extended to 2019 for the Volt, and its $26k after you get your rebate. 
I average about 400mpg and electricity costs aren't bad.
Anyway, I spent last weekend in Palos Verdes and it's a nice little place for cycling, but commuting in/out of there sucks as there are no highways. Might be 20-30 stop lights between the city and the freeways.
For working in Paramount I'd say north OC/SealBeach/Long Beach would be good choices depending on your lifestyle.
I average about 400mpg and electricity costs aren't bad.Anyway, I spent last weekend in Palos Verdes and it's a nice little place for cycling, but commuting in/out of there sucks as there are no highways. Might be 20-30 stop lights between the city and the freeways.
For working in Paramount I'd say north OC/SealBeach/Long Beach would be good choices depending on your lifestyle.
09-30-13, 09:12 PM
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The bad news is that Paramount is not exactly the most desirable place to live and getting there from most of the spots where a young single person would want to live is going to be a pain in the neck. jmX's idea about the Volt is good one. The commute in LA will wear you out if you cant take the HOV lane. I agree with the above that the best place to live as a young and single person is Long Beach (not too far from Paramount) or Hermosa/Manhattan Beach area, maybe Redondo (horrible drive to anywhere). There is great riding in PV area, and amazing riding in Santa Monica and Malibu canyon areas. If you want to have great rides before or after work (mountains etc), you are either going to rack up some serious miles on your car, or you need a new job located somewhere else...
09-30-13, 09:37 PM
#40
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I live where I can afford a house, which means I live very far from work. I commute 40 miles each way, and while it sucks, buying a chevy Volt (and trading in my Corvette!) totally makes the commute bearable. HOV access was just extended to 2019 for the Volt, and its $26k after you get your rebate. I average about 400mpg and electricity costs aren't bad.
Anyway, I spent last weekend in Palos Verdes and it's a nice little place for cycling, but commuting in/out of there sucks as there are no highways. Might be 20-30 stop lights between the city and the freeways.
For working in Paramount I'd say north OC/SealBeach/Long Beach would be good choices depending on your lifestyle.
I average about 400mpg and electricity costs aren't bad.Anyway, I spent last weekend in Palos Verdes and it's a nice little place for cycling, but commuting in/out of there sucks as there are no highways. Might be 20-30 stop lights between the city and the freeways.
For working in Paramount I'd say north OC/SealBeach/Long Beach would be good choices depending on your lifestyle.
09-30-13, 11:29 PM
#41
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Well, take San Bernardino off any lists, you are required to have bullet proof vest, 15 bike locks and body guard. Commute to Paramount will take 2.5 hrs each way but demographics and crime statistics are similar. The mountains are great though.
09-30-13, 11:52 PM
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The riding is good in the san berdoos. is it just me or are they ugly tho-in comparison to other
alpine mtn ranges in the region (san gabes, spring mtns, sierras, san jacintos, panamints)?
10-01-13, 12:11 AM
#43
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10-01-13, 12:27 AM
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PS, the volt is awesome. Sometimes I go a thousand miles without using any gas, and other times I burn through an 8gal tank in 800 miles if I never plug in at work. Drives pretty nice too!
10-01-13, 06:25 AM
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it clears up after the 2 or 10 fwy pretty well. I used to commute on the 405 for 4 years from Northridge to Santa Monica while I was giong to school. Yes it sucked but once you passed century city it was like 85 mph the whole way to my exit!
Thanks guys!!
My top 5 choices in order are:
1. Culver City
2. Pasadena
3. Westwood
4. Long Beach
5. Redondo Beach
Going to watch the traffic today to see what each commute would be like, I'll also be in town pretty soon so I can drive there and experience the pain firsthand.
Thanks guys!!
My top 5 choices in order are:
1. Culver City
2. Pasadena
3. Westwood
4. Long Beach
5. Redondo Beach
Going to watch the traffic today to see what each commute would be like, I'll also be in town pretty soon so I can drive there and experience the pain firsthand.
10-01-13, 06:30 PM
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My company is going to be moving to Paramount, CA so I need to decide on a city to live in. For awhile I'll be living in Northridge but that commute is going to get old pretty quick.
I need to decide on a city to live in, preferably close to climbs and decent riding. I also would like to be close'ish to an area where I can hammer without stoplights/redlights for 20mins so I can do intervals. I'm thinking Pasadena? All the beaches are super flat!
PS: I'm from SoCal.
I need to decide on a city to live in, preferably close to climbs and decent riding. I also would like to be close'ish to an area where I can hammer without stoplights/redlights for 20mins so I can do intervals. I'm thinking Pasadena? All the beaches are super flat!
PS: I'm from SoCal.
You could go for halfway between work and the velodrome in Carson (or so the velodrome is on the way home), and you can get evening riding in at the velodrome on work days. Very effective training for the time required, and lots of fun.
10-01-13, 06:38 PM
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If I were working permanently in Paramount I'd probably go for Long Beach or RB. The other commutes will eat up a lot of time.
If you want to be in the SGV to be near the mountains, go east to Duarte/Arcadia/Azusa and use the [edit--meant the:]605.
Last edited by bitingduck; 10-01-13 at 11:15 PM.
10-01-13, 08:31 PM
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I'd pick Seal Beach or Redondo, then again I abhor the crowds or LA and Orange Counties. For years I wanted to move closer to the OC so I could surf but outside of South County its just way too crowded for my taste. You go somewhere to get away from the crowd, and there are crowds there to get away from the crowds.
