L.A. traffic - just how bad is it?

Yikes ! I'll be getting AAA triptiks - my navigator will only be 8 yo!!
Any 'time' suggestions for driving from LAX to Hollywood on a Friday (flight gets in around noon- I was going to head right to USH hotel) - then need to get from Hollywood to San Diego on a Sunday (was planning on heading south after our noon check out)? Also need to head back to Anaheim (DLH) the following Sat morning from Carlsbad. I was hoping to be checking into DLH around 11 or noon - how does that sound? I live at the Jersey shore and if you time your weekend travel wrong, you are sitting in traffic forever!!
And you guys have definitely convinced me to take a car service back to the airport- I hate any stress when trying to make a flight !!! :smooth:
 
I think those are good plans. I've never used a triptik in the LA area, but I always get them for road trips elsewhere. Your timing from LAX to Hollywood is good. Friday traffic starts around 3:00 ("get-away-Friday"). Sunday am to SD is good also. Traffic from LA to SD is bad on Friday afternoon/Sat. am. Return traffic (SD to LA) is bad on Sunday afternoon. Sounds like you are visiting Legoland? We were there yesterday. The new Pirates Shores (water area) was fun! I don't know if it was luck or good planning, but your timing should help you with traffic. I think I saw that someone suggested AM1070 for traffic reports. Good idea, but if you don't have an alternate route, traffic reports don't help much.
 
We use the triptiks plus a palm GPS device which gives us very good directions no matter where we going, along with distance and estimated/actual drive times. Since the drive is 1300 miles one way, it just makes life easier.

Jack pirate:
 
Going to USH on a Sat morning. Last summer it tooks us 1.5 hours on a Friday. What would be a good time to leave from Anaheim to make it by 0900 barring accidents.

Jack pirate:
 


As long as you are prepared for LA traffic, driving is completely doable. I used to be a really timid driver, and recently drove through LA with no problem.

The keys to having an enjoyable drive are:
1. Know where you are going, have written directions and a map, a "navigator" to help look for signs and read directions is also a major help.
2. Try to avoid peak rush hours (this is obvious, but important).
3. Stay calm, don't let the traffic stress you out, yes there are a lot of cars & lanes, but its really not that much different then driving anywhere else
4. Utilize the Carpool (HOV) Lane whenever possible, these are amazing, just make sure you are following the rules (some lanes are 2 or more people while others are 3 or more), on some HOV lanes you can only enter and exit the lane at designated points, so watch for signs so you know when you need to leave the carpool lane.
5. Use your turn signal and drive assertively and you'll be fine.
 
We're just back from So Cal, and I didn't find the driving conditions to be as bad as I had expected. Traffic can be heavy (but I'm used to that in the NYC metro area) but I had been concerned with how easy it would be to find my way around and deal with the other drivers, and had no problems. I had figured out my routes ahead of time, and let my 14 year old look at a map to help me out. Just a note of reassurance!
 

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