drive from anaheim to universal - is this nuts?

hi - I%26#39;ll be staying in anaheim for a few days, next to angels stadium. I plan on going to universal for one day but am concerned about the drive - I want to arrive at Universal by 9:30ish. How long is that likely to take (on a weekday)? I dread being tied up in traffic for hours. Sunday is also a possibility though I imagine the park would be more crowded. Any suggestions?

thanks, as always.

drive from anaheim to universal - is this nuts?

The drive is simple. Get on the Santa Ana (5) freeway. Go right through the 4 level interchange downtown where it becomes the Hollywood (101) freeway. Exit right after Hollywood at the Universal City exit.

Time will depend on the time of day. With no traffic it would be about 45-60 minutes. During rush hours an hour or two. I would leave at 8 to get there at 9:30.

drive from anaheim to universal - is this nuts?

It%26#39;s not really nuts. People all over SoCal commute to work from the OC to LA and vice versa. The only thing is traffic. At absolute worst traffic, it can take 2 hours. If you want to head to Universal Studios from Anaheim, I think you should leave early if you want to avoid traffic. For my own experiences, 7am, 8am, sometimes even 9am I can still be in traffic.

To go back to Anaheim, I think it would be better if you leave Universal Studios a little later. You should consider having dinner at Universal Citywalk first. I%26#39;d probably stay till 8pm.

Try to avoid going on the weekday. i commute from around anaheim to downtown la every morning and its about 1hr15minutes. Universal is further up on the 101. Id give it two hours give or take 15 minutes.

Why do you want to be at the park by 9:30? If there%26#39;s no real reason, wait traffic out. You can conquer universal studios alot quicker than disneyland....especially on a weekday.

thx....I figure if I aim for 9:30 and am a little late I%26#39;ll still be there when the park opens (10:00). If I wait until the traffic eases I figure I%26#39;ll just spend more time in the line ups at the park.

We stayed in Aniheim, right next to DW couple of months ago and did that very same drive. I however, was not smart enough to ask on this forum first and was stuck in weekday rush hour traffic for about 2 hours. I had estimated it would take 45-60 minutes. I would suggest either leaving early or waiting it out. BTW - we had a great time at Universal.

As long as you%26#39;re not going during the summer or around a holiday, you%26#39;ll probably spend more time in traffic going on a weekday (remember there will be traffic on the way back too, unless you leave after 7:00 p.m.!) than any extra time waiting in lines that might be a little longer on a sunday.

Lines aren%26#39;t really bad at Universal - and the park is pretty small compared to Disneyland. So worry more about traffic than line time.

Another option...

Take Public transportation.

To do this, since you are next to Angels Stadium, just walk to the Anaheim Train Station, which is located in the stadium parking lot.

Take an Amtrak (or Metrolink) train from Anaheim to Union Station.

From Union Station, take the Metro Red Line subway to North Hollywood (make sure and check that it is going to North Hollywood, not all Red Line trains do).

Get off at Universal City, walk across the street and catch the free shuttle bus that Universal Studio supplies to the park.

I agree completely with Darkbeer. Definately the way to go. Just make sure you know when the trains stop running. Red Line doesn%26#39;t run all night (stops at 11 or 12 I think) so if you stay late at Universal you might get stuck there.

also, the metrolink, while nice and clean, doesnt run after 630 to OC and it doesnt run at all during the weekend (but you should only take it on the weekday anyways). That doesnt leave you too much time to play since you%26#39;d have to leave at 5:30 or so to make sure you%26#39;re at union station by 6:30