waspfan

Hi

I've been reading these forums for a while as my wife and I have been thinking of moving to California next year. Really useful stuff on here and it's really helped answer some questions already. We got married 3 weeks ago and just got back from honeymoon in the SF Bay Area this week! So having been there we are now very keen to go back and get some more sun!

My wife now has 2 job offers in San Francisco but my firm here in the UK wants me to transfer to a new office we are setting up in LA. My question is does anyone know how easy/expensive it is to commute between the two cities or have any experience of doing it? Obviously this isn't the daily commute I do in London - but does anyone do it by plane? When we were out there we met someone who said they commuted between the 2 for 15 years (before taking the sensible option and retiring to Napa!) but stupidly didn't investigate further. So it is possible but I don't know if they stayed in LA during the week and only went back to SF on the weekend?

Thanks

Marc

Poppy girl

Hi Marc
Its dooable but would not imagine it will be much fun for a newly wed couple.

I have LA as my territory and drive there once a month thats enough for me its not going to be an easy transition.

Jscl

Someone who worked with us did it on a weekly basis to San Jose - came up Monday morning and went home Thursday night/Friday. It's not bad that way (he never complained but did always look a mess ) but of course you're spending most of the week away from your family.

There are quite a few LA airports, so some might be better in terms of frequency of flights, how busy the airport is, etc.. Remember you'd need to be at the airport at least 45mins before the flight, the flight's 1-1.5hrs, then SFO to the city on BART takes about 25minutes so airport to San Francisco is going to be 3hrs minimum.

Giantaxe

It's certainly doable on a weekly basis by 'plane and I know people who've done that. Many airlines fly between the Bay Area (SFO, OAK, SJC) and various airports in the LA area. Just look at Southwest's website to get a good idea of the likely cost. Trying to do it daily would be a real pain when you throw in the time to get to the airport, get through security etc.

joto

Is it possible to work from home, at least some of the time, say 1-2 weeks per month?

waspfan

Hopefully I will be able to work from the SF office on occasions and also probably have to travel around the US as well.

Michael

If you can plan your trips about 2 weeks to month in advance, Southwest airlines has fares for about $59 each way (web only) between San Jose (SJC) or San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX). I'm sure there are also similar fares to and from Burbank or the OC airport depending on your need.

http://www.southwest.com/flight/sele...panyName=&cid=

Steerpike

Commuting like this can be fun but not necessarily for a newlywed couple!

I currently "commute" between the Bay Area and Phoenix, which is not much different time and fare wise - on short trips like this, security, check in, etc are what matter most.

Some thoughts ...

1) Hopefully you will have a permanent place in LA - you don't want to be in hotels. That way, you can have a full set of clothes, etc at the destination and you only have to carry a small bag each way. Rentals in Phoenix are dirt cheap; not so in LA in an area you'd want to live.
2) Having a car at both ends is another big plus. I drove my car down to Phoenix and leave it there (park at the airport) and use either girlfriend's or rental car in SF.

With both a car, and an apartment, in the 'commute' location, you can travel remarkably fast. Sometimes I leave my place in Phoenix 90 mins before departure and get on the plane. Factors that come into play then are things like traffic (bad in LA!) and airport arrangements (LAX is crowded). Ideally, for you, you will be able to fly into one of the smaller airports like Burbank.

There are a lot of unknown variables here that can have a big impact. Where exactly will wife be working, where in LA will you be working, will they tolerate you leaving early Friday, arriving late Monday, working from home, etc?

I tend to do 3 weeks PHX, 1 week SF and take it easy on the commute, traveling Saturday Mornings and returning Sunday evenings - when the traffic, and airport, are easy - but then, I've been with my g/f for 15+ years and I don't mind being apart.... If you really want to minimize your time in LA, you'll be doing early morning Monday flights and Friday afternoon flights, both of which run into more traffic and more airport congestion.

You CAN reduce your costs and DRIVE. I do know people who drive down to LA Monday EARLY and return Friday afternoon (leaving work early). But that drive, on I5, is just mind-numbing and - eventually - exposing you to more danger than I would like.

While all this is do-able, to make it 'work' you'll need to be spending a lot of extra $, which as a new arrival may be tough. Can't your wife find jobs in LA? While LA is put down by many (in relation to SF), there are some great areas to live there (eg, Santa Monica, Pasadena, etc). They are EXPENSIVE places to live, and you'll probably need the double income to afford it, but - worth it. I would say - get two jobs in LA to start, and then see how things develop over the next year or two. Maybe you can transfer to SF if you want, and if your wife has better opportunities there.

waspfan

Thanks Steerpike - useful stuff. Long term would be me working in SF as that's where the missus would be - they just don't have any work there for me at the moment. We've been together 7+ years and already spend a bit of time apart due to work commitments so that won't be so much of a worry.

I can see how the $$ can add up - do companies ever contribute towards that?

Dan725

Personally, I think it would be pretty brutal. Would probably be OK for a short period of time, but it would get old fast.

I once spent a couple of months doing similar - I was flying from Tampa to Dallas every week. Big difference, however - I was doing so for the company I was working for - as such, I was getting paid for flights, decent corporate housing, meal expenses, rental car, etc. I would not have been wanting to foot that bill. Secondly, I knew it was just for a limited duration.

Best bet for you would be to talk with your company - as others have said, if you can work remotely, that is the best way - if you physically need to be there, see if you can negotiate some sort of expense reimbursement....but that will depend on their polices I guess. Good luck with it all!

TimNiceBut

The problem would arise if your company would suddenly find in a few years that there still is no work for you in the SF office. What then?

Not trying to discourage you but a longer term plan helps with stuff like this.

I would try to negotiate some sort of company contribution - worst thing that can happen is that they say no.

E3only

I woudn't do it unless the company is ok for you to work from home, significant amount of days/week a month.

Then again, my decision is more emotional. I am very family oriented person so there is no way I could agree. That being said, everyone is at a different stages of their lives and may be you are at a stage where you can make it happen. it will be expensive to travel between LA-SFO frequently. You may think now 'oh i will drive' but if we were to drive more often than you would like, it will catch up real quick.

Also remember, given you are from the UK and keen to move here, in your head you will consider all sorts of things taht you ordinarily would have not. Just think would be be able to live with you family some 600 kms away (in the UK) and see them every weekend or every other weekend? If you can well then it may be possible here.


my 2 cents worth.

md95065

One way for the OP to avoid the hassles of airport parking and car rental at both ends would be for him to have his wife drop him off at the airport in San Francisco and then get his girlfriend to pick him up in Los Angeles ...

E3only

That would definitely work!

Steerpike

Companies here are much more flexible, in the sense that you can negotiate ANYTHING. The thing you have to ask yourself is, what's in it for them? Can they hire someone local to do the same/similar job with similar quality? Presumably, since they are willing to relocate you to LA, the answer is currently "no" (so good for you). But if you start piling on additional requirements/requests ('will you cover my weekly flights, will you cover an apartment in LA", etc) then they will, at some point, conclude that you are pricing yourself out of the job. Keep in mind we are in a big recession and there are a lot of people looking for work, so it's not the best of times to be demanding!

In my case, initially, the Phoenix gig was not negotiable - my CA company was taken over by an AZ company and I was told I had to relocate in order to keep the job. I didn't want to relocate fully (I ain't selling my Bay Area house!), so I took it upon myself to just find a second place in Phoenix at my expense, and drove my car down there to keep costs down (this was in late 2008, height of the economic meltdown, and they did not suggest reducing my CA salary to AZ levels - much lower - so I felt lucky to have a job back then). I suggested, rather than give me a relo package, how about just paying for one return trip a month (air+car) and they agreed. As time passed, the CA office picked up steam again, and they wanted me in both places. At that point, I was ideally situated to negotiate; since I had a home in both places, I was a 'cheap option' for them to be in both places (no hotel fees, no meal costs, etc) so now I fly back and forth as and when required or when the whim takes me since I can work in either location. But I started out working my ass off in Phoenix demonstrating to the local guys I was a keeper, before pushing my luck! That's the most important thing - make sure you are a keeper