Travel time to USC from Santa Monica

I%26#39;m taking two teens to visit USC for a possible college in their future. I have never driven in LA but I live in Boston and highways don%26#39;t scare me. If we need to be at the school by 9:00am for a tour what time do we need to hit the road?

Travel time to USC from Santa Monica

At that time of day, it could be 10 minutes, or it could be an hour. It%26#39;s tough to predict traffic on the 10 East, it%26#39;s inconsistent. I would leave at 8AM, just to be safe, but you might get there at 8:15. If so, just go to infamous The Pantry for breakfast!

Travel time to USC from Santa Monica

That depends if it%26#39;s a week day or weekend. The route between Santa Monica %26amp; USC is pretty straight forward:

1. East on the Santa Monica Freeway aka Interstate 10 or just ';the 10';.

2. Exit at Hoover St. Turn right to the campus (which will be in front of you).

Though the ride is short, mileage-wise (about 14 miles), the 10 is the most heavily-traveled interstate in the U.S. Without traffic (on a weekend) it should take about 25 minutes. With traffic, I would give it an extra 20 minutes.

Also, add the time it will take to find parking and find your way to the meeting place.

Have you thought about staying in downtown L.A. instead of Santa Monica. Hotwire.com has great deals on 4-star hotels in downtown and the ride from downtown to the campus is swift and easy (about 3 miles -- south on Figueroa St. Figueroa runs along the eastern boundary of the campus so it really is an easy drive from downtown.. Since you%26#39;ll have a car you can always drive to the beach (Santa Monica) after the campus tour during ';non rush hour';.

Thanks for the info. I hate driving so plan to rent a car just for the day of that visit (a Monday), That%26#39;s why we want to stay near the beach. We will stay at the Hilgard for a UCLA tour a few days later. I%26#39;ll be with two 17 year olds. Any suggestions in the Santa Monica area for them? (I am sure they will not invite me!). Or the Westwood area?

I absolutely would not change your hotel from Santa monica to one that%26#39;s downtown!!!!

I can%26#39;t stress it enough! If you are here for a morning tour, or even a day tour, you still have the weekend (or the rest of your trip) to stroll through and in wonderful, cool, Santa Monica with great cafes and restaurants, the beach, and great shops, rather than boiling hot downtown where you will have to have a car to go anywhere or do anything and are among the high rise buildings in an abandoned area on the weekend.

So what if you have a little traffic on the morning of the tour, not a big deal. And I travel that route often, and often at that time of day, so I know what I%26#39;m telling you is correct. It could take 10 minutes, it could take an hour --- at the MOST.

No need to change hotels from Santa Monica to Hilgard House. You could stay at Hilgard House the entire trip, or Santa Monica the entire trip. Unless, of course, you want the feel of what it%26#39;s like to live in Westwood, when visiting UCLA (my alma mater).

If you%26#39;re planning to see highlights of LA, you%26#39;ll want to keep the car for the entire trip. Plus, you%26#39;ll spend more on cabs, especially to and from the airport, than on the car rental.

It doesn%26#39;t take 15 mins to get from Santa Monica to USC even without traffic. It would still be around 20-25 mins. If you%26#39;re going on a weekday, it can take an hour or even a bit more.

Where in Santa Monica are you thinking of staying? I think staying in Westwood could be a good idea if the girls want to experience more of the college town life. If they want to experience the beach, boutiques, etc, then Santa Monica is a better option.

Thanks everyone. I will leave at least an hour early for our USC tour to be safe. We are staying at the Sheraton Delfina because we have Starwood points and we got a great rate. We are fine walking everywhere. I know we will end up taking taxis but I think there is a shuttle type bus from the Hilgard House to LAX and in both Westwood and Santa Monica we can walk no problem. I really hate driving and don%26#39;t want to worry about having wine with dinner (I%26#39;m on vacation!) and then navigating my way in LA. How safe are both those areas for two unsupervised 17 year olds after dark? They won%26#39;t want me tagging along...

Both areas are safe. The Delfina is on a major street, across from a high school, there are teens everywhere.

Either area is fine for walking around at night. Delphina is next to a high school. Hilgard is right by UCLA - a college town. The difference is proximity to the beach. Also, there is more shopping in Santa Monica.

Yogachick, you went to Ucla? Me too! ;-)

Back to topic, you can easily take the big blue santa monica bus which leaves close to your hotel(on ocean ave) to Ucla. It think it is the #1 bus. More info on schedule and routes at www.bigbluebus.com