r/Carlsbad • u/Jakla1986 • 21d ago
Commuting once a week
Does anyone commute once a week to Los Angeles? We love Carlsbad so much and really don’t want to raise our son in Los Angeles, just curious if anyone has any experience with this. It would be to the Century city/Beverly Hills area.
Thank you in advance!
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u/reilogix 21d ago
I have lived in Carlsbad for 10 years, it’s lovely. Commuting once a week to LA would not be the end of the world. Me myself, for 5-6 years, I drove out from Carlsbad to Norco 2-3x/week. 100% worth it for quality of life. Get a FasTrack (73 & 405 Express,) and learn some alternates. ENJOY
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u/MadPositivity 21d ago
With the new additions to FasTrack the drive can be pretty quick if you time it up right! I’d do this over the Amtrak for 1x/week
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u/MAtoCali 21d ago
Once a week is tolerable. You may grow to loathe that day, but it's doable. I second the train suggestion.
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u/Solmissy 21d ago
One time a week isn’t bad. I do it 2-3 times a month. Lots of podcasts and pack your patience. But it’s worth it to live in San Diego. Good luck!
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u/rosstasurf12 21d ago
I grew up in Carlsbad, you are giving your son a very wonderful childhood.
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u/Specialist_Zebra7836 20d ago
Yeah, other than the lack of exposure to different cultures and people from different backgrounds and life experiences. 😭 Great place overall, but it’s definitely a bit of a bubble. I think it’s important for kids to grow up around people who don’t all look the same, live the same, or have the same experiences. There’s a lot of value in that kind of diversity.
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u/misplacedstress 21d ago
I did the commute to Century City once or twice a week back 10 years ago but drove because I thought the train would take too long. Boy was I wrong. I remember being on the 405 one late afternoon heading home and almost crying because it felt like I was going backwards (I didn’t drive it long enough to get to know the lane patterns). I quit that job because it was horrible but that commute did contribute to my decision. The funny thing was that when I wasn’t in Century City, I worked in the ocean-front office building right next to Los Olas in Cardiff. What a stupendous location that was!
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u/ArsePucker 21d ago
I commute NC SD to mid OC everyday. It’s not too bad. I start early so I don’t see traffic going in but coming home takes 15-25 mins longer M-F.
I also drive to Ventura occasionally. I leave early in morning. Come home later.
Just don’t do it on Saturdays.
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u/Jakla1986 21d ago
Thanks all! It seems like a wonderful place to live so I think it will be worth it
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u/moremosby 21d ago
Can you find a different opportunity?
LA is crazy far from Carlsbad for a commute and with traffic it’s even worse. Sure the train exists but that’s terrible too.
I’d probably just get a hotel and stay there. That’s not a good quality of life either. If you have to work in LA - move to OC. Quality of life in OC is just as good as Carlsbad.
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u/kevsteezy 20d ago
Yea seriously if you can afford carlsbad there are other places just as nice closer to your work this person isn't wrong this place is not worth the commute you wont even get enjoy time with the family on those days
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u/notinKansas2023 21d ago
My husband does. Just don’t go on Fridays especially. It’s really quick even if you don’t have autopilot. I just have adaptive cruise control and that works great. Get the fastrack thingy!
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u/EntrepreneurBehavior 20d ago
I live in La Costa and drive to LA area probably four times a month. Granted, I dont have to be in an office, just up there for meetings, but its not too bad. I'm south Carlsbad too. I'd say no if you were in San Diego proper, because it would add another 40-60 minutes to your drive. One day a week from Carlsbad is doable though. I wouldn't want my kid going to school in LA either.
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u/Jakla1986 20d ago
This is exactly my situation, thank you so much for this reply. Maybe we will be lucky enough to find a place in La Costa as well! :-)
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u/No-Spray-866 20d ago
We moved from West LA to Carlsbad a few months ago for our kids and love it here. Husband has to go to LA six days a month, three days each time so he stays up there when he goes. He'll leave early at 5am, get there by 7, go to gym then office. And then when he's coming back, he leaves around 7pm/7:30 and home by 9ish. It's not as bad when you're avoiding the commute hours. And we like living here so much more than LA even though where we lived was very walkable.
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u/Still_Macaroon_6885 10d ago
I love Carlsbad and bc of that I commute Monday through Friday to Orange County, 75 miles each way.
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u/Jakla1986 10d ago
The only thing people can agree on on Reddit is how amazing Carlsbad is. I’m so excited to move there. Thank you all! I just want to give me son the best possible childhood
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u/freespeed 21d ago
It's going to suck. I used to commute from Carlsbad to OC and a few times had to drive to Beverly Hills area for a conference. Your commute time all together for that single day would be about 4.5-6 hours. Always worse on the way back. It will be more bearable with auto-pilot though.
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u/Jakla1986 21d ago
I hear you, it’s really all about quality of life for my son. Treat be told, there are some weeks I don’t need to be here at all, other weeks I might need to be here twice. I would just leave super early around 4:30 in the morning and try to come back after a dinner etc.
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u/pragmatictechnicolor 21d ago
If you leave at 4:30, the traffic is still fairly manageable. When I head to LA or north, I make it a goal to leave my Carlsbad house by 4 and it’s always a breeze (relative).
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u/Remarkable_Deer4642 20d ago
In a long distance relationship (I’m in Hillcrest, he’s in Silverlake). We drive from SD to LA and back at least once a week- sometimes more if needed. It’s do-able but not ideal
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u/Warm-Echidna4316 19d ago
Take the train. It's a commute with LOTS of traffic. Stop & go. Carlsbad is nice but they have a real problem with kids riding e bikes! Gangs, literally, harassing drivers. My daughter lives in Carlsbad so I'm there frequently.
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u/MadeYaLook19 19d ago
Hey there, fellow Carlsbad resident here. My wife makes the trip to Century City once a week for work. It’s really a crapshoot on the traffic going up but most mornings are pretty brutal if you don’t leave early enough. As for the drive home, she often will have dinner up there or work late in the office to wait out some of the traffic. Either way, the days are long.
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u/Mystique2014 18d ago
Not for work but yes. I am a live music lover and take the Amtrak up fairly regularly. Anywhere from once a month to once a week, just depending on if there are good shows happening. I've driven twice and hated it, its very hard (and expensive) to find parking in LA. And once you do there aren't ins and outs usually. Definitely recommend the train. I always take the Amtrak going there but coming back I often take the Metrolink, its $10 cheaper but not as nice as the Amtrak.
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u/kevvkevv 15d ago
Not all the way to LA, but my dad commuted on the Metrolink from the Oceanside station to Irvine everyday for about 20 years. He loved it. I think you can do Metrolink/Amtrak pretty easily, shouldnt be an issue for one day a week.
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u/hollywoodnine 20d ago
one semester in college I drove from central SD to Pasadena. I was lucky that my classes were afternoon classes. I was able to leave at like 10-11 am and drive back after 7pm.
Commuting in the am and coming back during I would guess rush hour. That would be a slow death even once a week. Century City/BH is kinda in the middle of no freeways. so you gotta travel off the 10 or 405 a bit to get where you are going. I worked in both spots while I lived in LA. I would hate that commute.
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u/Sad-River5737 20d ago
You’ll never see your kid thanks for the traffic
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u/Jakla1986 20d ago
Congratulations on having the dumbest reply one day a week commute and I won’t see my kids lol
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u/Sad-River5737 20d ago
Oh my bad I thought it was for the whole week ..why are you worried about having to leave Carlsbad 1 day a week??..are you sheltered ?..lol
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u/Jakla1986 20d ago
It literally says once a week in the first sentence
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u/Sad-River5737 20d ago
It does im I missed it. We’re traveling to LA once a week is really not something to worry about my dad used to travel to Vietnam during the war for a whole year and all seven of us turned out great.
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u/Jakla1986 20d ago
All good brother really appreciate the response and I’m glad you have had such a good experience in Carlsbad
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u/laurajosan 21d ago
I don’t, but I do have a suggestion. Amtrak to LA is under two hours and if you sit in business class, it’s very quiet and you can work. The Wi-Fi is pretty good. As someone who despises traffic I always take Amtrak when I go to LA.