# Commute from Beach to Downtown. Any suggestions?



## RB2 (Apr 30, 2007)

Hey,
I've been thinking about commuting from the beach (where sunset meets pch) all the way to the downtown area -- actually a few miles closer to the beach than downtown itself.

I was thinking of taking PCH to Venice? Do PCH and Venice actually meet?

Thanks for any suggestions!


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

RB2 said:


> I was thinking of taking PCH to Venice? Do PCH and Venice actually meet?


"PCH" basically ends at the Santa Monica pier / McClure tunnel. You'd get on the bike path to Venice blvd at that point, and you might prefer hopping on it north of there at Temescal where the path starts.

There are also side-street options through Venice and Marina del Rey that you might want to map out too.


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## nagatahawk (Jun 14, 2007)

Ive done the reverse from Paramount Studios/ Larchmont to SM Cliffs. East on Melrose, cross over the Santa Monica Blvd at the end of Melrose,( block before). East on Santa Monica merge North on wilshire , to Barrington, to San Vicente the cliffs. 

Take sunset south on Bundy or Barrington to San Vicente to Barrington to Venice then down town. 

You can take Sunset all the way to Downtown or go south when you hit Van Ness. to SM blvd or Venice.

The streets are in bad shape because of the rain and busses. also slow pot hole repairs (economy) The pot holes can swallow your bike. A full suspension mt. bike would probably make it!

let me know if you do it!.


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

*notes*

I think you mean "west" on Melrose and Santa Monica if you're doing the reverse.

Riding Sunset from the coast to Beverly Hills is not recommended. Too curvy with fast traffic and no shoulder. Wilshire north to Barrington is no party either.

commute to downtown on a full-suspension mtn bike  

I think you need to explore some safer routes.




nagatahawk said:


> Ive done the reverse from Paramount Studios/ Larchmont to SM Cliffs. East on Melrose, cross over the Santa Monica Blvd at the end of Melrose,( block before). East on Santa Monica merge North on wilshire , to Barrington, to San Vicente the cliffs.
> 
> Take sunset south on Bundy or Barrington to San Vicente to Barrington to Venice then down town.
> 
> ...


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

RB2 said:


> Hey,
> I've been thinking about commuting from the beach (where sunset meets pch) all the way to the downtown area -- actually a few miles closer to the beach than downtown itself.
> 
> I was thinking of taking PCH to Venice? Do PCH and Venice actually meet?
> ...


The Venice route would be the best, I think. Sunset is dangerous (cyclist have been killed on it) and Santa Monica is busy and spits you out north of downtown.


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## RB2 (Apr 30, 2007)

Hey, thanks for the replies. 

I suspected that Venice would be the best. I guess the trade off for a less direct route is a less hectic commute. Santa Monica would leave me a few miles inland of my destination, making the commute a bit roundabout. 

I'll just ride along my usual PCH to Temescal to beach path route and veer off around where Venice starts. Maybe I could even cut across to Lincoln early to cut out some mileage. 

I'll give it a casual ride on a Sat or Sun so I don't have to freak out about being late if I screw up.


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## the omegaman (Nov 16, 2007)

Venice Blvd is the route to go. Your primary advantage to other routes is a dedicated Class II bike lane all the way to Crenshaw. Longest in the City. Stay on Venice until Downtown then zig-zag your way to work. I've done it many times. Last time was a couple of weeks ago returning from Pasadena to see Lance and the boys.


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## tonytourist (Jan 21, 2009)

il sogno said:


> Sunset is dangerous (cyclist have been killed on it) and Santa Monica is busy and spits you out north of downtown.


I hate riding on Sunset and would only do so on my mountain bike. Hell, I usually only ride on Sunset when between 26th/Allenford and Mandeville, and I have had too many close calls, no thanks!


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## SM-Rider (May 2, 2007)

I live in Santa Monica and commute to Downtown a few times a week.

In the morning I take Olympic in. I have an entire lane to myself almost the entire way. But, I do go early (between 6:30 and 6:45 AM). On the way home, Olympic is a war zone. Venice is the safest way for me (and I've tried several routes).


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Multiple ways to go, and it depends on where in Downtown you're going.

The problem with Venice is you have to go way south to catch it.

Probably the fastest way to go, if you're hitting Downtown proper, is to take SV to the VA to SM Blvd, take the bike lane until it ends in Century City. Take residential streets through Beverly Hills (Charleville through Robertson, then cut over one south to Gregory so you can cross La Cienega at the light). Weave around to Del Valle, which dead ends at Fairfax but becomes 8th Street once you cross. Take 8th all the way in.

Except for a difficult crossing at Highland, and a slight detour to a Wilshire sidewalk for a couple blocks, 8th, between Fairfax and Crenshaw, is absolutely sublime. After Crenshaw it becomes your standard 4-lane boulevard with little room for bikes, but it's one of the quieter roads to take into Downtown and after Alvarado it gets really quiet again.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2622365

Another option, if you don't like 8th after Crenshaw, is to cut up to 4th or 7th. If I recall, and I've only ridden it maybe one time, 4th is pretty damn quiet between Western and Downtown. 7th is pretty quiet, too. Though even when I've done this route in the middle of the day, I've stayed on 8th and never had a problem.

Coming out of Downtown, I always take 7th until it ends at the old Ambassador hotel site. Then I cut down to 8th and repeat the route home.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

nagatahawk said:


> Ive done the reverse from Paramount Studios/ Larchmont to SM Cliffs. East on Melrose, cross over the Santa Monica Blvd at the end of Melrose,( block before). East on Santa Monica merge North on wilshire , to Barrington, to San Vicente the cliffs.
> 
> Take sunset south on Bundy or Barrington to San Vicente to Barrington to Venice then down town.
> 
> You can take Sunset all the way to Downtown or go south when you hit Van Ness. to SM blvd or Venice.


Jeebus, man. Not only are you choosing probably the most dangerous stretches of road in the entire city (Sunset, Wilshire between Beverly Hills and Brentwood), your geography is off. Your route from Paramount studios to the coast takes you west on Melrose and SM, not east. And Wilshire is an east/west street, there's no "north on Wilshire." When Wilshire and SM cross in Beverly Hills, Wilshire's going due west, SM is going southwest.

And taking Van Ness from Sunset to SM Blvd would be nonsensical, since SM eventually hits Sunset in Silverlake.

You're going to get the OP stranded in East L.A., if he even gets out there alive.


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## SM-Rider (May 2, 2007)

*Thanks*

I might give that route a try myself.

4th street is nothing but stop signs. That drove me nuts when I tried that.



DrRoebuck said:


> Multiple ways to go, and it depends on where in Downtown you're going.
> 
> The problem with Venice is you have to go way south to catch it.
> 
> ...


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