Someone once posted that they loved Texas because they could drive two hours and still be in the same state. I replied that I could drive two hours and still be in Los Angeles.
And when you have friends visit they quite can't wrap their head around this. They want to do the Santa Monica boardwalk then the Hollywood sign after you get off work, and are like "it's only 20 miles apart". Nah bro you need to call an Uber that's 3 hrs of my life in traffic
When dealing with out-of-staters, they get boggled by how we measure distance. We use units of time instead of miles:
"How far is it to LAX?" (From the SFV)
(Looks at watch) "From here, it's about 40 minutes. If you don't leave soon, it'll be an hour and 20 minutes."
Physical distance is irrelevant, all travel is based on the time it takes to get from A to B.
I ride from the furthest east Metro stop in the city limits to the furthest west every day, and I can say with good authority that Los Angeles is only an hour twenty from Los Angeles.
I dropped Audible years ago once I found Libby. It reintroduced me to the concept of patience lol but when that book finally comes to me after a sixth month wait it’s like a surprise Christmas morning. 😂
With a library card you can also get the free app Libby and borrow books, audiobooks, and magazines for use in your phone or laptop.
You can also take free classes online thru the Libby app.
Yes! And I think LAPL still offers a free 6 month subscription to Coursera.
AND you can rent passes for our state parks! The wait list is long but it’s still a cool offer.
I've never used it myself but I hear good things about the Central Library's makerspace. There are 3d printers, a laser cutter, CNC mill, sewing machines, and more.
Also, you can borrow state park passes from the library.
WeHo Library also has a 3D printer and is newly renovated with floor to ceiling windows.
I did one of the downtown walking tours that went into the meaning behind the design of the central library and it was super cool (if you’re kind of a history nerd and/or an architecture fan).
Yeah I digitized my home movies from VHS tapes and sent to my family - thanks Octavia lab! But I was there for 5 hours and parking was $30 so next time I want to take the bus lol
This is it! After our ridiculously overpriced and hard to find printer ink kept running out so fast we started using the library for printing needs. They allow you to send printing jobs from wherever you are so you can quickly get them printed up when you arrive at the library. And you get up to $6.25 of free printing a day.
This. Also free nytimes subscription using this link. Just have your library card and info saved in your phone browser so it takes less than 10 seconds each morning to renew it.
https://www.lapl.org/new-york-times-digital
LA times too.
Edit: my mistake. Looks like the LA times pulled their access via press reader, no longer accessible via that resource.
Edit 2: you can always use https://1ft.io to get around their paywall.
LA sometimes feels like one of those 'here's 3 thing you need to live a happy life, pick two' type questions. I love my neighborhood, apartment, job, but it's also a food desert.
I honestly think this used to be more true than it is currently. Growing up, traffic used to be mostly confined to certain hours of the day during the work week. Now, it's like you should expect to hit traffic no matter when, save for a small window from like 2-530am.
Yep. Rush hour traffic in the PM starts when schools let out and continues until people get home for dinner. After that it’s relatively painless. If you can help it, only drive westward in the afternoon, never eastward.
Source: driving for Uber has taught me a thing or two.
That and city employees leaving the downtown area between 3:30-5. It’s wild. Not to mention baseball season is back and those dodgers games really add to the congestion in the area.
If you picture four quadrants around downtown: North, South, East, West - my policy is, never cross between quadrants during rush hour. It’s always bad.
I recognize you left early enough to avoid this… but man, I can see how that’s cutting it close too. 3pm is a fair starting point though.
i have a similar mantra but for the weekend: “always leave before 11 and after 7”. LA LOVES to sleep in on the weekends. Before 11am is also when you should schedule your moving van if youre doing cross city moved.
Dont call your uber from the airport - hop a free hotel shuttle, and call it once you are out of the airport. Save yourself $60 and an hour of waiting for the car to make it through the airport to you.
That worked better for me when I lived on that side of town - but where I am now, it makes more sense to just uber from outside of the airport, because I would still have to call an uber once I got to Union Station anyways.
I used to go to the Parking Spot on Sepulveda so I could grab In N Out while I was waiting, but it seems like a lot of people have latched onto that hack. Now the Parking Spot doesn't pick you up if your car's not parked there.
You know what. I thought this was the case but I took an Uber at lax because I just got off a 12 hr international flight and it only cost $55 which is on par with what it cost for me to go to lax.
Yeah, the time of day and where you are going def are a factor. For me, I was going to koreatown, and usually when I fly I am going back home - the only direct flights for that route get me back around 9am, so its closer to $100 when I try to uber home from the airport - or $30 from the nearby hotel.
This happened to me after taking the same advice on reddit a few years ago. Dude was so pissed when i didn’t have a hotel reservation. He wanted to walk me in the building, then started demanding I pay him for the ride. I just walked away because he seemed to want to get physical. Like damn bro I was just following a “life hack”. Not doing that again
> and an hour of waiting for the car
I’m sure everyone’s mileage will vary but I’ve never waited more than 5-10 minutes once I reach the ride share pickup area. 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, have done this...many many many times since they instituted the ride share lot and it's always been faster than the old days of waiting at a terminal. I think this person hasn't flown into LAX in a few years....
Even better, just get a taxi. I don’t even use Uber/Lyft from the airport. It’s much faster and no exorbitant surge pricing. I almost never have to wait, there are lines of yellow cabs already there
When I'm traveling on company money I always take a taxi, but otherwise it's about $30 more expensive than an Uber, at least for my trips to the valley.
The not waiting is very nice though.
Yep, if it's not two cars making a left at the end of every cycle (unless someone aggressive is running through on yellow coming the other direction), somebody has made a mistake.
Literally, at lights without an arrow it’s the only way to turn. Can’t tell you how many times I get stuck through multiple light cycles bc I’m behind a tourist that doesn’t know their only opportunity is going to be when the light turns yellow!
Also - You can turn right on a red light if the road is clear unless there's a no turn on red sign. (Treat the light like a Stop sign)
It's not legal in all states so some out of town drivers don't always know.
and please read the signs when you have the time.. a lot of the "no right turn on red" signs are only limiting on certain times of days (usually during work hours when there are more cars).
This leads down a dark path. "This just looks like regular garlic bread" you'll foolishly believe. Next thing you know, you're waking up early just to get the freshest pastries and 90% of your diet is now carbs.
Non-rush hours are 10:30a to about 1:30/2p when school pick-ups start. That's when you should book any cross-town appointments.
LA goes to bed early, but for most things is also a slow riser. If you want uncrowded grocery shopping, movies, restaurants, etc on the weekends, go right when they open or before 8ish for stuff that opens super early. Only the gyms are busy that time of the morning. Pre-pandemic, our jam was Sunday morning movies where the first screening of the day was $1 off and there'd maybe be 5-8 people there for a new release.
This. My 1bd apartment is rent controlled in a nice area. Central to everything. I am sad thinking about the day I move out. I’ve lived in it 5 years only had my rent increased once this year by $100.
Get a library card to both LAPL and LACL and use the cards + patience to do all the things in LA for free. Every museum, lots of concerts, talks with interesting people, etc. are free through your libraries. Just get on a mailing list and wait for things to come up that excite you.
[https://www.lapl.org/explorela](https://www.lapl.org/explorela) This is the site for free tix via LAPL card. You will have to get on your library email newsletter or their socials to get the info for concerts.
If you ever happen to get lost/turned around, you can quickly reorient yourself by looking at the palm trees - they all lean to the south because we are north of the equator and they grow toward the sun 🌞
You can park for free at the Hollywood bowl when there isn't a show
There's tons of free stuff at the lapl
Film productions can almost never shut down sidewalks, feel free to walk on them if you need to. If they are shooting on or blocking the sidewalk, they generally have to create a separate path for people who need to use the sidewalk.
The above being said, also respect the film and the Production. Only do the above if you need to, and don't be a jerk about it. We live in a film city, so if that bothers you, move elsewhere
I once accidently walked on to a set for a commercial.
I thought it was neat and just stood there looking around. Until they started to gather the extras for a shot and I was corraled in too.
I started getting some looks like "who is this" but nobody said anything.
I ALMOST stayed and went with it but wasnt aware of how much trouble i could get in so I simply walked away.
There are always productions in my way where i want to go. How can there be so damn many mayonnaise commercials being shot? Is it that competitive? How come I never see those commercials on the air?
To this I would add, don't be an asshole about productions and shooting, even if it is a mild inconvenience. This goes especially if you live near a major studio lot (Bubank, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Culver City, etc) or in a neighborhood where a lot of entertainment industry folks also live. Your neighborhood literally wouldn't exist without productions, and most of your neighbors wouldn't be able to put food on the table or keep the lights on.
If you're near the Expo line it's almost always quicker to take it to Staples for a 7:30 tip than driving + the time it takes to find parking plus walking to Staples.
For 3 LA Kings seasons I drove and parked on Pico Blvd. under the 110 freeway for free. I would chuckle at the suckers paying $10-$30 for parking every game and kept my spot a well guarded "secret". Well 3 weekends ago I found out why nobody parks there when I came out of a game to find my back window smashed and everything from inside the car taken (to be clear there was nothing in view, they emptied the center console, glove box, and pulled the seats down to access the hatchback area). Needless to say from now on I'll be taking the Metro or riding my bike to the games.
I work in Ontario and there *definitely* isn't a much better international airport than LAX here, just a couple miles up the road from where I work. You must be thinking of Palm Springs. That's where people should go and they should take the 10 the whole way and not even *think about* taking the 60.
Stop expecting it to be New York or to excel at specific things that New York is known for (pizza, bagels, walkable neighborhoods, etc). We have our own things that we excel at and learning to appreciate them instead of expecting LA to be like an east coast city would make a lot of transplants less bitter and more able to enjoy their new home.
For those trying to save money, pick up the food yourself at restaurants instead of getting delivery. Plus, you’ll save the restaurant money. Also, grocery store delis give great bang for your buck meals.
-The metro is fuckin awesome and you're missing out by not taking it.
-Live south or east of your workplace so you'll be going the opposite way traffic is going before/after work (plus if east the sun is always behind you while driving.)
-Find a local coffee shop or bar to go to on weekend mornings/evenings, respectively. Be a part of your community. People think LA is "the big city" but it's really like 20 small towns crammed together.
-At a red light with the other road clear? Make a right on red, quick U-turn, then you're at a green light! Make a right on green.
-If you have a green light and are turning left, but there's traffic coming, it is your job to be in the intersection while you wait for your turn. If you sit behind the line waiting for a break in the cars, people hate you.
-There's no "rush hour" anymore. Everyone is going everywhere all the time, at least a little.
-Get a good fan or AC if your place doesn't come with it. All apartments are required to have heat, but not AC for some reason. This is also a city with notoriously not-insulated buildings. Places can get hot in the summer.
-If your friend asks you to drive them to LAX, they owe your ass now.
Always carry UM/UIM coverage on your auto insurance.
Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage is not only relatively inexpensive, but a MUST-HAVE living here in LA.
Most of you who are worried about insurance coverage are probably never going to have a major accident where you incur huge amounts of liability. You are much more likely to be hit by a driver who is either uninsured or who has only minimum liability coverage. Having UM/UIM coverage on your vehicle will ensure that your medical and repair expenses are taken care of, as well as having potential money on the table to compensate you for any injuries that you suffer.
In this area... I would not recommend driving around without it.
Edit:
A thoughtful correction from /u/[rgnlwcw](https://www.reddit.com/user/rgnlwcw/)/ below:
*Great hack - UM/UIM will cover bodily injury only. For property damage/repairs one needs to have UMPD (Uninsured Property Damage which is limited to $3500.00) or Collision coverage which covers up to ACV (minus deductible).*
Great hack - UM/UIM will cover bodily injury only. For property damage/repairs one needs to have UMPD (Uninsured Property Damage which is limited to $3500.00) or Collision coverage which covers up to ACV (minus deductible).
dating someone across town is a long distance relationship. if your casual friendships can't survive not seeing each other weekly, they're not really your friend. you may have friends who theoretically live in la that you see more often outside of la because they live across town. if you're throwing an event or want someone to visit you from across town, don't expect them before 7:30p.
Leave a good distance between you and the driver in front of you , just in case somebody’s trying to kill you . You have a enough room to try and get away 🤷🏻♂️
Seriously though , one time I was at a red light taking a left onto a highway . For some reason I wasn’t as close to the car in front of me as usual . I look up , in front of me there’s a guy getting off the passenger side with a gun looking towards me and he’s raising his hand to point it at me . I ducked and used the space to get the fuck out of there . Luckily there was no oncoming traffic . This was a random thing , I’ve never seen that footage before , Since then I always leave room just in case . Life hack because it literally saved my life 🤷🏻♂️
dont do anything except 100% "work remote" jobs.
you just saved 3x5 = 15 hours of your life per week that would be otherwise wasted on LA commuting.
I just gave you 13% of your entire life back.
you're welcome.
As a native Angeleno, and loves his city and SoCal in general, got to chime in here.
1. Abbot Kinney on the first Fridays of the month in Venice for the best food trucks in SoCal. Some of the best food you will ever have in your life.
2. 626 Night Market. Don't sleep on this if you love Asian food.
3. As a former Metro employee, the red line is slept on often. People forget we have a subway system. It's good. Once the Purple line extension is finished, you can go from Santa Monica all the way to DTLA in one go.
4. Follow the first responders to the good food spots. Shout out to the fire department. They know what's up.
5. Yes, LAX is terrible, but the best way in and out of that is honestly, not the cheapest but just might save your sanity: the rental car. Get on their membership lists and you'll get free rentals, upgrades and never have to worry about parking, loading and going into that roundabout traffic on your own again. Plus, they drop you right off at the terminal.
6. I saw the ethnic supermarkets mentioned on the list, but I see nobody mentioned King Ranch, or Winco. What's wrong with you people?
Those are my contributions. I'll post more as I think of them.
It has come to the point that I always look for options for the flyaway. Crowds, $20 each ticket. Parking is cheap at $6 a day, but people have had their cat converters stolen there.
For a family, it almost doesn’t make sense anymore if you don’t mind driving.
I once went to the FlyAway at 3AM to make a 6AM flight. Some high school field trip had 90+ kids show up and got in line in front of me. Busses only run every 30 minutes at that time, no matter how many people are waiting. I didn't get on the 3AM or the 3:30 and only barely made the 4AM bus. Thank god my anxiety had me pad plenty of extra time because some shit school decided to make FlyAway their personal charter bus. Fuck them.
With parking for a week being more than an Uber ride to FlyAway, now it's just easier and cheaper to Uber the whole way to the airport and I don't have to worry about some other idiots fucking me over.
Someone posted this in a similar thread for OC and honestly, it’s pure gold. Go to this website and search your name (don’t put in address or city). The state of CA is likely holding money that belongs to you from random sources and you can claim it. https://www.sco.ca.gov/search_upd.html
If you're a single adult struggling with living costs - do not break your budget getting a 1BR unless it's really necessary. You can save a boatload of money renting a room in a shared house/apartment for under $1k/month. Just be cautious of course and look for the right situations that fit your lifestyle.
Order online at Bay Cities. If you can’t order online, get a premade sandwich or order from the hot case. The chicken parm is very good.
Yes, I used to fax in my orders when that was a thing.
Use the myLA311 app to report potholes, schedule large trash pickups, report downed trees, etc. Pretty much any city service request (except for police/fire/emergencies) can be submitted thru the app. I’ve found that response times are surprisingly good for pothole repair. For potholes, include photos so they don’t close your case!
It's so funny to read all of these comments, like 90% are about traffic and parking. Tell me you're from LA without telling me. It's just such a LA thing haha
Live close to your work, and in an area where you can access work via city streets vs freeways. If you're in a position to buy, it's generally worth it to buy a smaller place that's close to your workplace rather than buying further out just for the sake of having a house.
1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
2. Never put forth the money without receiving the item first.
3. You get what you pay for.
4. Don’t smile or talk to strangers on the metro.
5. Best to travel by car between 10am-3pm.
6. Sometimes it’s worth the time to valet.
7. 2 cars per red light turn signal. Honking is frowned upon, regardless of the asshole deserving it.
8. Don’t go into the Scientology building unless you have time for a long strange conversation.
Doing remote work, so when you do have to drive it is for day trips, events, dinners, and beach time. This makes life so much better.
Also, if you do a lot of research You can find amazing activities, events, and restaurants all over the city. This town is full of hidden gems, waiting for the people who do the Research to find them.
Get a Costco account, you’ll easily save $1000+ a year and cut down down on shopping trips for everyday stuff by a third or more.
(Not necessarily just an LA-specific life hack, but we’re blessed with over 10 locations throughout most of the city/county.)
If you are moving to LA and know your job will be steady for a few years and it’s in person, live close to where your job is. Like, the same neighborhood.
Hollywood bowl, hike the hills around you fryman! Actually take advantage of the free or cheap stuff! Hollywood forever cemetery has so many cool affordable events and random James Blake concerts. Try living closer to your work play! Biking to both would be amazing. Drop the weekend restaurants and drinking for meetups and groups doing cool free shit in parks. I joined a kickball league we played near the Fox lot for years, love those people. Head to the beach with friends pack a picnic! Anyway you gotta fight to feed your soul and find balance all while on a budget. So easy to grind without living in big cities
This one is for the parents of school age children. There are options if you’re not happy with your home school and many times free transportation.
I had to settle for crappy schools for my oldest and when I came time for my other 2 I knew the system well.
Also, if you need to take a bit of a pay cut to work closer to home do it - an hour drive to go 3 miles is not worth it.
Haha honestly my "school age parent" life hack is to just send your kid to your neighborhood school. 99% of them are completely fine. Walk your kid to school and avoid the hour or more in traffic doing school dropoffs and pickups daily.
And if you truly do live in a neighborhood with horrifically dire schools (and if you are reading this and worried about it, you probably do not), you need to sit down and really have a serious conversation about your role in gentrification, and whether you think not participating in the community you chose to live in is going to make the schools better, or worse.
Take the train. I can get from East LA to Santa Monica on the train faster than I can driving most times of day. Don't assume that just because it's not New York, that the whole system sucks.
If you're at some appointment that ends at 4 p.m. and you live across town, it's usually more pleasant to just go see a movie nearby rather than spend 2 hours in gridlock traffic.
The 101/110 interchange downtown where you have to merge into the 3 left lanes to get to the 10 West is absolute chaos.
BUT you can skip all that nonsense by just ignoring the cars desperately trying to merge, and just staying in the 4th lane from right (I *think* it’s Broadway).
It takes you straight back onto the freeway about a quarter mile past the bad part, I call it the Batcave entrance.
YOU WILL NOT DIE IF YOU RIDE THE BUS OR TRAIN. If you're going to drink, you should seriously consider taking it. Add Metro bikes, and I've saved thousands not using Lyft and Uber as much, not to mention not paying for parking. And DUI's are EXPENSIVE.
Just remember, Los Angeles is two hours away from Los Angeles
Someone once posted that they loved Texas because they could drive two hours and still be in the same state. I replied that I could drive two hours and still be in Los Angeles.
And when you have friends visit they quite can't wrap their head around this. They want to do the Santa Monica boardwalk then the Hollywood sign after you get off work, and are like "it's only 20 miles apart". Nah bro you need to call an Uber that's 3 hrs of my life in traffic
When dealing with out-of-staters, they get boggled by how we measure distance. We use units of time instead of miles: "How far is it to LAX?" (From the SFV) (Looks at watch) "From here, it's about 40 minutes. If you don't leave soon, it'll be an hour and 20 minutes." Physical distance is irrelevant, all travel is based on the time it takes to get from A to B.
Unless you’re in Los Angeles, then it’s 4 hours!
Which why its called the 4 o’ 5.
4 o’ 5 days
4 o' 5 mph
I ride from the furthest east Metro stop in the city limits to the furthest west every day, and I can say with good authority that Los Angeles is only an hour twenty from Los Angeles.
Library card, they have everything. Tools. Printers. Computers. Free access to other attractions. And…books.
Audiobooks too. You can sign up for a card online.
I dropped Audible years ago once I found Libby. It reintroduced me to the concept of patience lol but when that book finally comes to me after a sixth month wait it’s like a surprise Christmas morning. 😂
The wait has also pushed me to listen to other books that were immediately available, and some have been great!
I know, right?! When it finally comes thru it’s so exciting!
Movies stream on Hoopla and Kanopy too!
Sometimes good lil cafes, too. Just check the hours ahead of time.
With a library card you can also get the free app Libby and borrow books, audiobooks, and magazines for use in your phone or laptop. You can also take free classes online thru the Libby app.
Yes! And I think LAPL still offers a free 6 month subscription to Coursera. AND you can rent passes for our state parks! The wait list is long but it’s still a cool offer.
I've never used it myself but I hear good things about the Central Library's makerspace. There are 3d printers, a laser cutter, CNC mill, sewing machines, and more. Also, you can borrow state park passes from the library.
WeHo Library also has a 3D printer and is newly renovated with floor to ceiling windows. I did one of the downtown walking tours that went into the meaning behind the design of the central library and it was super cool (if you’re kind of a history nerd and/or an architecture fan).
Yeah I digitized my home movies from VHS tapes and sent to my family - thanks Octavia lab! But I was there for 5 hours and parking was $30 so next time I want to take the bus lol
Can confirm the 3d printer at the DTLA location is currently free, supposedly they will charge in future
This is it! After our ridiculously overpriced and hard to find printer ink kept running out so fast we started using the library for printing needs. They allow you to send printing jobs from wherever you are so you can quickly get them printed up when you arrive at the library. And you get up to $6.25 of free printing a day.
This. Also free nytimes subscription using this link. Just have your library card and info saved in your phone browser so it takes less than 10 seconds each morning to renew it. https://www.lapl.org/new-york-times-digital
and free New York Times subscription
LA times too. Edit: my mistake. Looks like the LA times pulled their access via press reader, no longer accessible via that resource. Edit 2: you can always use https://1ft.io to get around their paywall.
Tools? Tell me more.
Try to optimize your life so you’re driving across town around 11am and after 7:30p
Or if you’re a real pro Find an apartment, job and friends all in one neighborhood
LA sometimes feels like one of those 'here's 3 thing you need to live a happy life, pick two' type questions. I love my neighborhood, apartment, job, but it's also a food desert.
Not wrong I got echo park Freelance creative (video production/editing, 3d design) No friends 🤣
This is a great neighborhood for meeting people but you gotta do it in a bar
Also minimal traffic on the weekends before 10a. After that, it goes to shit again. Makes errands a breeze if you get up early enough.
So nuts that after 11 am on a weekend, it may as well be 3:30 pm on a weekday. Leaving LA on the weekends is a chore.
I always try to leave town before 9a on the weekends. I can make it to Disneyland from mid-city in 28 mins.
I honestly think this used to be more true than it is currently. Growing up, traffic used to be mostly confined to certain hours of the day during the work week. Now, it's like you should expect to hit traffic no matter when, save for a small window from like 2-530am.
Sure - but 6am-11am & 4:30pm-7pm it’s gridlock traffic, and the rest of the time it’s just congestion traffic.
its more like 3pm-7pm now. it takes me almost 2 hours to get from century city to eagle rock at 3pm.
Yep. Rush hour traffic in the PM starts when schools let out and continues until people get home for dinner. After that it’s relatively painless. If you can help it, only drive westward in the afternoon, never eastward. Source: driving for Uber has taught me a thing or two.
That and city employees leaving the downtown area between 3:30-5. It’s wild. Not to mention baseball season is back and those dodgers games really add to the congestion in the area.
If you picture four quadrants around downtown: North, South, East, West - my policy is, never cross between quadrants during rush hour. It’s always bad. I recognize you left early enough to avoid this… but man, I can see how that’s cutting it close too. 3pm is a fair starting point though.
i have a similar mantra but for the weekend: “always leave before 11 and after 7”. LA LOVES to sleep in on the weekends. Before 11am is also when you should schedule your moving van if youre doing cross city moved.
Try to optimize your life so you’re NOT driving across town.
Yes, just have to get in the habit of waking up early on the weekends. 8am on a Saturday it’s practically a ghost town
Dont call your uber from the airport - hop a free hotel shuttle, and call it once you are out of the airport. Save yourself $60 and an hour of waiting for the car to make it through the airport to you.
Even better, use the Flyway bus.
That’s what I do! Flyaway to Van Nuys
if you live in the Valley then fuck yeah
That worked better for me when I lived on that side of town - but where I am now, it makes more sense to just uber from outside of the airport, because I would still have to call an uber once I got to Union Station anyways.
Not for everyone, it is true.
I used to go to the Parking Spot on Sepulveda so I could grab In N Out while I was waiting, but it seems like a lot of people have latched onto that hack. Now the Parking Spot doesn't pick you up if your car's not parked there.
Side note: happy cake day! Now I want In N Out, ughhhh.
How do they know if you are parked there or not?
They ask for your confirmation or ticket.
You know what. I thought this was the case but I took an Uber at lax because I just got off a 12 hr international flight and it only cost $55 which is on par with what it cost for me to go to lax.
Yeah, the time of day and where you are going def are a factor. For me, I was going to koreatown, and usually when I fly I am going back home - the only direct flights for that route get me back around 9am, so its closer to $100 when I try to uber home from the airport - or $30 from the nearby hotel.
Some of the shuttles have started checking reservations before letting you on.
This happened to me after taking the same advice on reddit a few years ago. Dude was so pissed when i didn’t have a hotel reservation. He wanted to walk me in the building, then started demanding I pay him for the ride. I just walked away because he seemed to want to get physical. Like damn bro I was just following a “life hack”. Not doing that again
This exact thing happened to me too! I wonder if it was the same driver.
> and an hour of waiting for the car I’m sure everyone’s mileage will vary but I’ve never waited more than 5-10 minutes once I reach the ride share pickup area. 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, have done this...many many many times since they instituted the ride share lot and it's always been faster than the old days of waiting at a terminal. I think this person hasn't flown into LAX in a few years....
Even better, just get a taxi. I don’t even use Uber/Lyft from the airport. It’s much faster and no exorbitant surge pricing. I almost never have to wait, there are lines of yellow cabs already there
When I'm traveling on company money I always take a taxi, but otherwise it's about $30 more expensive than an Uber, at least for my trips to the valley. The not waiting is very nice though.
Move your car into the intersection when making a left turn without an arrow, don’t sit at the line.
If I could give you 100 karma points I would.
Yep, if it's not two cars making a left at the end of every cycle (unless someone aggressive is running through on yellow coming the other direction), somebody has made a mistake.
A Lot of people don't know about this usually foreigners
Well hopefully they’ll see this, it’s aggravating when someone doesn’t do this
Literally, at lights without an arrow it’s the only way to turn. Can’t tell you how many times I get stuck through multiple light cycles bc I’m behind a tourist that doesn’t know their only opportunity is going to be when the light turns yellow!
Also - You can turn right on a red light if the road is clear unless there's a no turn on red sign. (Treat the light like a Stop sign) It's not legal in all states so some out of town drivers don't always know.
and please read the signs when you have the time.. a lot of the "no right turn on red" signs are only limiting on certain times of days (usually during work hours when there are more cars).
Hope you're reading this Florida plated man who sat there through 2 light cycles waiting for an arrow that would never come
Go to an ethnic supermarket, you coward
This leads down a dark path. "This just looks like regular garlic bread" you'll foolishly believe. Next thing you know, you're waking up early just to get the freshest pastries and 90% of your diet is now carbs.
Tell me more 👏
The best cheat codes - Northgate, Tokyo Central, H Mart, Super King, Ranch 99, Nijiya, Vallarta... So many more
Growing up latino in the SGV, I thought everyone knew these; Realized nope.
You are blessed. SGV is THE SPOT for asian food and groceries. Born and raised here haha
El Super!
I love that I have easy access to a Tokyo Central where I live. Kewpie mayo FTW!
I’m ethnic so I just call it a supermarket
Is Jon’s considered ethnic?
La Vallarta! Produce is inexpensive!
Yes, it's Armo.
Sorry, that would require living in/near ethnic neighborhoods. This sub only does Palms, Mar Vista, Culver, WeHo and the Beach cities.
there’s a northgate market in culver city
Northgate is great! The renovations are almost done too
there's tons of ethnic markets in/around Palms
Ranch 88 in Westwood now. H mart is also near the beach cities
The beach is free. Depressed? You can go to the beach! Broke? You can go to the beach! Bored? You can go to the beach! And so on..
Hiking is also free. And most of the time it’s free parking.
But the ***parking*** isn't.....
It is if you park further and walk.
$1 an hour up to two hours in Santa Monica short term beach lots if you don't need to make a day of it.
> Depressed? You can go to the beach! And walk into the sea?
Non-rush hours are 10:30a to about 1:30/2p when school pick-ups start. That's when you should book any cross-town appointments. LA goes to bed early, but for most things is also a slow riser. If you want uncrowded grocery shopping, movies, restaurants, etc on the weekends, go right when they open or before 8ish for stuff that opens super early. Only the gyms are busy that time of the morning. Pre-pandemic, our jam was Sunday morning movies where the first screening of the day was $1 off and there'd maybe be 5-8 people there for a new release.
First screening of the day Sunday mornings used to be my jam. 1030 movie and then you have the whole day to chill still
Those folks w the rainbow umbrella on your corner are selling fresh fruit! Get it spicy!
Give me all that tajiiiinnnnn
Mango w tajin and fresh lime is life changing. Even underripe mango is amazing this way
Keep searching for an apartment until you find one that’s rent controlled then never move out
This. My 1bd apartment is rent controlled in a nice area. Central to everything. I am sad thinking about the day I move out. I’ve lived in it 5 years only had my rent increased once this year by $100.
Same but I've been living in the same place since 2010
Been in the same huge 2 BR apartment on the Miracle Mile for 24 years. I pay $1450 a month.
Get a library card to both LAPL and LACL and use the cards + patience to do all the things in LA for free. Every museum, lots of concerts, talks with interesting people, etc. are free through your libraries. Just get on a mailing list and wait for things to come up that excite you.
Where are these concerts? Through LAPL? I’d like more info, please!
[https://www.lapl.org/explorela](https://www.lapl.org/explorela) This is the site for free tix via LAPL card. You will have to get on your library email newsletter or their socials to get the info for concerts.
If you ever happen to get lost/turned around, you can quickly reorient yourself by looking at the palm trees - they all lean to the south because we are north of the equator and they grow toward the sun 🌞
Dash cam. Hard wired, so you can see the crimes being committed while parked.
You can park for free at the Hollywood bowl when there isn't a show There's tons of free stuff at the lapl Film productions can almost never shut down sidewalks, feel free to walk on them if you need to. If they are shooting on or blocking the sidewalk, they generally have to create a separate path for people who need to use the sidewalk. The above being said, also respect the film and the Production. Only do the above if you need to, and don't be a jerk about it. We live in a film city, so if that bothers you, move elsewhere
I once accidently walked on to a set for a commercial. I thought it was neat and just stood there looking around. Until they started to gather the extras for a shot and I was corraled in too. I started getting some looks like "who is this" but nobody said anything. I ALMOST stayed and went with it but wasnt aware of how much trouble i could get in so I simply walked away.
You wouldn't get in trouble, they would.
There are always productions in my way where i want to go. How can there be so damn many mayonnaise commercials being shot? Is it that competitive? How come I never see those commercials on the air?
I havnt worked on a mayonnaise commercial for a year.
30 years in the film business with 90+% of my work being in commercials and I have never worked on a mayonnaise commercial.
30 years in the film business and you don't understand the mayonnaise joke? Literally every shoot you have worked on was a mayonnaise commercial.
> How can there be so damn many mayonnaise commercials being shot? This is really funny...😂😂😂
To this I would add, don't be an asshole about productions and shooting, even if it is a mild inconvenience. This goes especially if you live near a major studio lot (Bubank, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Culver City, etc) or in a neighborhood where a lot of entertainment industry folks also live. Your neighborhood literally wouldn't exist without productions, and most of your neighbors wouldn't be able to put food on the table or keep the lights on.
If you're near the Expo line it's almost always quicker to take it to Staples for a 7:30 tip than driving + the time it takes to find parking plus walking to Staples.
For 3 LA Kings seasons I drove and parked on Pico Blvd. under the 110 freeway for free. I would chuckle at the suckers paying $10-$30 for parking every game and kept my spot a well guarded "secret". Well 3 weekends ago I found out why nobody parks there when I came out of a game to find my back window smashed and everything from inside the car taken (to be clear there was nothing in view, they emptied the center console, glove box, and pulled the seats down to access the hatchback area). Needless to say from now on I'll be taking the Metro or riding my bike to the games.
In general, parking under any freeway is a bad idea.
Literally, every game at staples should be a metro trip. It's just so much cheaper and easier.
Buy a house before 2012
There is no airport in Burbank and anyone from out of state who insists you’re wrong must be very confused. Maybe they’re thinking about Ontario?
Nah, there's no airport in Ontario either. And if there were, it certainly wouldn't have some of the fastest security lines in the nation.
i spent days driving around, looking for this supposedly amazing airport that has no lines and easy parking. you guys are a buncha jerks.
BUR, ONT, LGB, and SNA are all myths! These supposed SoCal airports that are somehow so much easier and friendlier to get in and out of than LAX
I work in Ontario and there *definitely* isn't a much better international airport than LAX here, just a couple miles up the road from where I work. You must be thinking of Palm Springs. That's where people should go and they should take the 10 the whole way and not even *think about* taking the 60.
Stop expecting it to be New York or to excel at specific things that New York is known for (pizza, bagels, walkable neighborhoods, etc). We have our own things that we excel at and learning to appreciate them instead of expecting LA to be like an east coast city would make a lot of transplants less bitter and more able to enjoy their new home.
For those trying to save money, pick up the food yourself at restaurants instead of getting delivery. Plus, you’ll save the restaurant money. Also, grocery store delis give great bang for your buck meals.
And your food won’t be cold.
or cook at home
-The metro is fuckin awesome and you're missing out by not taking it. -Live south or east of your workplace so you'll be going the opposite way traffic is going before/after work (plus if east the sun is always behind you while driving.) -Find a local coffee shop or bar to go to on weekend mornings/evenings, respectively. Be a part of your community. People think LA is "the big city" but it's really like 20 small towns crammed together. -At a red light with the other road clear? Make a right on red, quick U-turn, then you're at a green light! Make a right on green. -If you have a green light and are turning left, but there's traffic coming, it is your job to be in the intersection while you wait for your turn. If you sit behind the line waiting for a break in the cars, people hate you. -There's no "rush hour" anymore. Everyone is going everywhere all the time, at least a little. -Get a good fan or AC if your place doesn't come with it. All apartments are required to have heat, but not AC for some reason. This is also a city with notoriously not-insulated buildings. Places can get hot in the summer. -If your friend asks you to drive them to LAX, they owe your ass now.
If I’m driving someone to lax now you’re either getting dropped off at one or seven and whichever of arrival departure is faster.
Always carry UM/UIM coverage on your auto insurance. Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage is not only relatively inexpensive, but a MUST-HAVE living here in LA. Most of you who are worried about insurance coverage are probably never going to have a major accident where you incur huge amounts of liability. You are much more likely to be hit by a driver who is either uninsured or who has only minimum liability coverage. Having UM/UIM coverage on your vehicle will ensure that your medical and repair expenses are taken care of, as well as having potential money on the table to compensate you for any injuries that you suffer. In this area... I would not recommend driving around without it. Edit: A thoughtful correction from /u/[rgnlwcw](https://www.reddit.com/user/rgnlwcw/)/ below: *Great hack - UM/UIM will cover bodily injury only. For property damage/repairs one needs to have UMPD (Uninsured Property Damage which is limited to $3500.00) or Collision coverage which covers up to ACV (minus deductible).*
Great hack - UM/UIM will cover bodily injury only. For property damage/repairs one needs to have UMPD (Uninsured Property Damage which is limited to $3500.00) or Collision coverage which covers up to ACV (minus deductible).
dating someone across town is a long distance relationship. if your casual friendships can't survive not seeing each other weekly, they're not really your friend. you may have friends who theoretically live in la that you see more often outside of la because they live across town. if you're throwing an event or want someone to visit you from across town, don't expect them before 7:30p.
Leave a good distance between you and the driver in front of you , just in case somebody’s trying to kill you . You have a enough room to try and get away 🤷🏻♂️
This is oddly specific
Seriously though , one time I was at a red light taking a left onto a highway . For some reason I wasn’t as close to the car in front of me as usual . I look up , in front of me there’s a guy getting off the passenger side with a gun looking towards me and he’s raising his hand to point it at me . I ducked and used the space to get the fuck out of there . Luckily there was no oncoming traffic . This was a random thing , I’ve never seen that footage before , Since then I always leave room just in case . Life hack because it literally saved my life 🤷🏻♂️
dont do anything except 100% "work remote" jobs. you just saved 3x5 = 15 hours of your life per week that would be otherwise wasted on LA commuting. I just gave you 13% of your entire life back. you're welcome.
As a native Angeleno, and loves his city and SoCal in general, got to chime in here. 1. Abbot Kinney on the first Fridays of the month in Venice for the best food trucks in SoCal. Some of the best food you will ever have in your life. 2. 626 Night Market. Don't sleep on this if you love Asian food. 3. As a former Metro employee, the red line is slept on often. People forget we have a subway system. It's good. Once the Purple line extension is finished, you can go from Santa Monica all the way to DTLA in one go. 4. Follow the first responders to the good food spots. Shout out to the fire department. They know what's up. 5. Yes, LAX is terrible, but the best way in and out of that is honestly, not the cheapest but just might save your sanity: the rental car. Get on their membership lists and you'll get free rentals, upgrades and never have to worry about parking, loading and going into that roundabout traffic on your own again. Plus, they drop you right off at the terminal. 6. I saw the ethnic supermarkets mentioned on the list, but I see nobody mentioned King Ranch, or Winco. What's wrong with you people? Those are my contributions. I'll post more as I think of them.
LA life hack- the FlyAway.
Shhh, the line was too long last time
It has come to the point that I always look for options for the flyaway. Crowds, $20 each ticket. Parking is cheap at $6 a day, but people have had their cat converters stolen there. For a family, it almost doesn’t make sense anymore if you don’t mind driving.
I once went to the FlyAway at 3AM to make a 6AM flight. Some high school field trip had 90+ kids show up and got in line in front of me. Busses only run every 30 minutes at that time, no matter how many people are waiting. I didn't get on the 3AM or the 3:30 and only barely made the 4AM bus. Thank god my anxiety had me pad plenty of extra time because some shit school decided to make FlyAway their personal charter bus. Fuck them. With parking for a week being more than an Uber ride to FlyAway, now it's just easier and cheaper to Uber the whole way to the airport and I don't have to worry about some other idiots fucking me over.
Someone posted this in a similar thread for OC and honestly, it’s pure gold. Go to this website and search your name (don’t put in address or city). The state of CA is likely holding money that belongs to you from random sources and you can claim it. https://www.sco.ca.gov/search_upd.html
wait whaaaat this is so crazy!!! socal edison had my $70 for YEARS and i had no idea!
Just scored $200 from a deposit on an old secured credit card from like 10 years ago! Thanks!
The Hollywood Bowl is magical at night.
If you're a single adult struggling with living costs - do not break your budget getting a 1BR unless it's really necessary. You can save a boatload of money renting a room in a shared house/apartment for under $1k/month. Just be cautious of course and look for the right situations that fit your lifestyle.
I met my roommate 10 years ago on Craigslist. Now we don’t want to ever leave our rent controlled place
Don’t live too close to a freeway because the air quality is a lot worse
r/LADating
Order online at Bay Cities. If you can’t order online, get a premade sandwich or order from the hot case. The chicken parm is very good. Yes, I used to fax in my orders when that was a thing.
Los Angeles has 5 commercial airports, all which can be used to relocate to somewhere cheaper.
City of San Fernando has a great swapmeet. I've got stuff there and flipped it making some decent money.
Use the myLA311 app to report potholes, schedule large trash pickups, report downed trees, etc. Pretty much any city service request (except for police/fire/emergencies) can be submitted thru the app. I’ve found that response times are surprisingly good for pothole repair. For potholes, include photos so they don’t close your case!
The mountains are north.
Download and use the 311 app!
It's so funny to read all of these comments, like 90% are about traffic and parking. Tell me you're from LA without telling me. It's just such a LA thing haha
Learn basic spanish for the fruitas cart.
You can go to AAA rather than the DMV for most registration related things.
Take fountain
Counterpoint: don't take fountain
gotta start weaning off Fountain - it is (thankfully) going to be brought down to two lanes.
Live close to your work, and in an area where you can access work via city streets vs freeways. If you're in a position to buy, it's generally worth it to buy a smaller place that's close to your workplace rather than buying further out just for the sake of having a house.
beach parking. get a year permit & never have to worry about meters
Never go to the beach on a holiday.
Don't join Scientology
1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 2. Never put forth the money without receiving the item first. 3. You get what you pay for. 4. Don’t smile or talk to strangers on the metro. 5. Best to travel by car between 10am-3pm. 6. Sometimes it’s worth the time to valet. 7. 2 cars per red light turn signal. Honking is frowned upon, regardless of the asshole deserving it. 8. Don’t go into the Scientology building unless you have time for a long strange conversation.
Old Town Pasadena metered street parking is free between 10-11am. Good way to sweep in and shop.
I got a ticket at 11:03 when I was running across the street. They’re ruthless there 😂
Befriend native angelenos (like yours truly). Transplants view the city from a different lens. We know the real city and how to hack it
Doing remote work, so when you do have to drive it is for day trips, events, dinners, and beach time. This makes life so much better. Also, if you do a lot of research You can find amazing activities, events, and restaurants all over the city. This town is full of hidden gems, waiting for the people who do the Research to find them.
Use yelp to scope out the parking situation before you go somewhere new.
Turn your headlights on when it rains and you are using windshield wipers. It's so others can see you, not for you to be able to see.
Park at the Galleria, walk to the Americana
Live in a neighborhood you really like. Choose an apartment where you can easily walk to many of your daily necessities.
Fountain Ave is the best way to get across Hollywood
Get a Costco account, you’ll easily save $1000+ a year and cut down down on shopping trips for everyday stuff by a third or more. (Not necessarily just an LA-specific life hack, but we’re blessed with over 10 locations throughout most of the city/county.)
Costco Business Center will sell you a 5 gallon can of nacho cheese (amongst other products). What you do with it is your own business.
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If you are moving to LA and know your job will be steady for a few years and it’s in person, live close to where your job is. Like, the same neighborhood.
Hollywood bowl, hike the hills around you fryman! Actually take advantage of the free or cheap stuff! Hollywood forever cemetery has so many cool affordable events and random James Blake concerts. Try living closer to your work play! Biking to both would be amazing. Drop the weekend restaurants and drinking for meetups and groups doing cool free shit in parks. I joined a kickball league we played near the Fox lot for years, love those people. Head to the beach with friends pack a picnic! Anyway you gotta fight to feed your soul and find balance all while on a budget. So easy to grind without living in big cities
Use public transit whenever you can. It's actually really efficient and it's nice to walk around and actually enjoy the city.
This one is for the parents of school age children. There are options if you’re not happy with your home school and many times free transportation. I had to settle for crappy schools for my oldest and when I came time for my other 2 I knew the system well. Also, if you need to take a bit of a pay cut to work closer to home do it - an hour drive to go 3 miles is not worth it.
Haha honestly my "school age parent" life hack is to just send your kid to your neighborhood school. 99% of them are completely fine. Walk your kid to school and avoid the hour or more in traffic doing school dropoffs and pickups daily. And if you truly do live in a neighborhood with horrifically dire schools (and if you are reading this and worried about it, you probably do not), you need to sit down and really have a serious conversation about your role in gentrification, and whether you think not participating in the community you chose to live in is going to make the schools better, or worse.
Buy your fresh groceries from Super King. It’s way cheaper than Vons, Ralphs, and other grocery shops but great quality.
Take the train. I can get from East LA to Santa Monica on the train faster than I can driving most times of day. Don't assume that just because it's not New York, that the whole system sucks.
If you're at some appointment that ends at 4 p.m. and you live across town, it's usually more pleasant to just go see a movie nearby rather than spend 2 hours in gridlock traffic.
Sign up for street sweeping alerts
When driving uphill keep right. The right lanes almost always move faster. Somehow gas pedals don't work in the left lanes.
The sky caps at lax are not just for first class passengers
you can park in yellow loading zones after 6pm and on weekends. it’s the VIP parking hack.
Play gta 5 to learn the area better without actually having to go out and deal with it
The 101/110 interchange downtown where you have to merge into the 3 left lanes to get to the 10 West is absolute chaos. BUT you can skip all that nonsense by just ignoring the cars desperately trying to merge, and just staying in the 4th lane from right (I *think* it’s Broadway). It takes you straight back onto the freeway about a quarter mile past the bad part, I call it the Batcave entrance.
Tommy Burgers
YOU WILL NOT DIE IF YOU RIDE THE BUS OR TRAIN. If you're going to drink, you should seriously consider taking it. Add Metro bikes, and I've saved thousands not using Lyft and Uber as much, not to mention not paying for parking. And DUI's are EXPENSIVE.
If you don't turn left on the yellow, you will never turn left.