Originally Posted by
tinrobot
I'd suggest something north of Downtown, close to Griffith Park and/or the LA River trail. It would be close enough to USC for a reasonable commute. Neighborhoods would be Echo Park, Atwater, Frog town, Silver Lake, Los Feliz. Another option might be South Pasadena/Pasadena - lots of good rides around there.
Avoid Glendale, though. For some reason, it attracts all the crazy drivers.
Frogtown is not safe. Atwater is adjacent to Glendale, so any crazy Glendale drivers would spill over to Atwater.
La Canada is nice, with nice hills for climbing, easy cycling access to the Rose Bowl and Pasadena. (In pasadena you can ride with the Retro Velo folks, in spite of their name they welcome all riders). La Canada is close to the Glendale Freeway (Highway 2). The Glendale Freeway will take you right to Echo Park (via Glendale Blvd.) From there it is just a short drive to USC.
I rode and drove in the area for many years.
[MENTION=211835]chicagogal[/MENTION], PM if you’d like further info.