LA Traffic question

[MuddyriverMC]

Is the traffic horrendous at ALL times, or just mostly during rush hours? We plan to drive from our Good Neighbor hotel to Santa Monica for a day, then over to a hotel near USH. We don't have any plans other than the beach, so we can leave at any time of day.

 

[dina444444]

Is the traffic horrendous at ALL times, or just mostly during rush hours? We plan to drive from our Good Neighbor hotel to Santa Monica for a day, then over to a hotel near USH. We don't have any plans other than the beach, so we can leave at any time of day.

Depending on the time of day and the day of the week it could take you 2 hours to get from Anaheim to Santa Monica and then another 90 minutes to 2 hours from Santa Monica to Universal. Traffic varies greatly day to day and time of day.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Is the traffic horrendous at ALL times, or just mostly during rush hours? We plan to drive from our Good Neighbor hotel to Santa Monica for a day, then over to a hotel near USH. We don't have any plans other than the beach, so we can leave at any time of day.

At all times. Basically. It can be bumper to bumper still at 8pm, and rush hour starts at like 5am. Mid-day, forget it. Pack lots of patience and extra time for the drive. From Santa Monica to USH you can’t really take a freeway anyways, but street traffic is equally brutal. If I had to pick a time, I would aim for leaving at 10am. After the main morning rush, but before the afternoon and lunch hour madness starts.

 

[lilmissfoodie]

Most of the heavy traffic is between 6am and 9am, then again from 4pm to 7pm. Thursday and Friday traffic start at 2:30pm and can go up til 8pm. Use Waze (or Google Maps) to help you save some time and to predict your travel time.

 

[MuddyriverMC]

Oooook. I'm glad I have patient children. Thank you for your replies!

 

[agamble]

In a perfect situation it should take us 5 hours of drive time to get to DL, but due to traffic and construction this hasn't been our experience. However, our last visit in late January we left after my husband got home from work and didn't hit the Vallencia area until close to 8. Traffic was fluid and we made it to our hotel within the 5 hours. Coming home we left the parks at 1PM and it took us 8 hours to get home. Crazy traffic considering it was not rush hour.

 

[l4dyj8]

DL to Santa Monica would be far and long. But predictable and reliable traffic times. Use Waze and check out SigAlert.

The 405 and 101 is always busy. (Santa Monica to Universal) Weekend traffic is busy at all times.

What day of the week and what time of year? (Aka is School still in session.) general rule is to give yourself 1.5 hrs from Santa Monica to Universal. It may be less. 1 hr at the earliest. Always think in time and never mileage.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

And remember that it only takes one accident or construction zone to throw off all time estimates! We tell friends to have their Starbucks app on at all times while driving so that they always know how to get to a restroom quickly for the kids. There's usually a Starbucks within easy reach of a major freeway on/off ramp.

 

[maltdizzy]

The common saying in LA is, "it can take 20 minutes or 2 hours, depending on traffic." Side roads actually make things much faster for residents. Waze will always find the fastest route, even if it's not the most direct. Locals don't really on GPS much because it often defaults to the highway or steers all traffic on the same roads. In L.A., the Thomas Guide street map and mental map is still king.

• Anaheim to Santa Monica is 1-hour minimum without traffic, the predictable traffic issue will be getting off the I-5 and onto the I-10 and through the downtown until you pass I-110. The freeways between Anaheim and Downtown and Downtown and Santa Monica are usually very busy at rush hour, but generally move at other times (accidents and construction withstanding)
• Santa Monica to Universal City is 45 minutes minimum. Locals would probably either ...
  • Take Santa Monica Blvd to Beverly Hills or Hollywood then head north to the 101
    
  • Take the I-10 east of the 405 and then use surface streets (La Brea to Highland) to travel through Hollywood to the 101

 

[MuddyriverMC]

We'll be traveling on Thursday, April 19. We don't have to go to Santa Monica, I just thought it looked nice. The plan for that day is to check out of the hotel in the morning, hit a beach for a few hours, then get to our hotel near USH sometime that evening. Is there a nice beach that would fit this plan better?

 

[DizneyMommy]

We'll be traveling on Thursday, April 19. We don't have to go to Santa Monica, I just thought it looked nice. The plan for that day is to check out of the hotel in the morning, hit a beach for a few hours, then get to our hotel near USH sometime that evening. Is there a nice beach that would fit this plan better?

I would maybe try to hit an OC beach instead. Seal Beach is very nice, quiet, easy and cheap parking, and a neat little Main st with shops and restaurants, and you'll avoid the major tourist scene there. You'll get a nice quiet, fun beach morning without the stress! I lived just south of there in Huntington Beach for 30+ years and you do NOT want to try to go anywhere near Huntington Beach or south county beaches for a quick beach day in the Spring or Summer. Crazy crowds. Seal Beach is not really on your way, but it is IMO less out of the way than Santa Monica because you can then hop a freeway straight to USH.

 

[MuddyriverMC]

I would maybe try to hit an OC beach instead. Seal Beach is very nice, quiet, easy and cheap parking, and a neat little Main st with shops and restaurants, and you'll avoid the major tourist scene there. You'll get a nice quiet, fun beach morning without the stress! I lived just south of there in Huntington Beach for 30+ years and you do NOT want to try to go anywhere near Huntington Beach or south county beaches for a quick beach day in the Spring or Summer. Crazy crowds. Seal Beach is not really on your way, but it is IMO less out of the way than Santa Monica because you can then hop a freeway straight to USH.

Thank you for the suggestion! The kids have never seen the ocean. They don't care about tourist stuff, they just want to see sand and water!

 

[DizneyMommy]

Thank you for the suggestion! The kids have never seen the ocean. They don't care about tourist stuff, they just want to see sand and water!

Ah, well in that place Seal Beach is PERFECT! I love that little beach, it is so easy to access and not crowded!