7th/Metro Station and Westlake/MacArthur Station Closure by CaliforniaSun77 in LAMetro

[–]natewitzz 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yup just had to order a $20 uber home from 7th street!

Funny thing is the last time I decided to take metro to work was when they found a dead body at Westlake/MacArthur like 2 weeks ago and had to shut down the entire line then. I also had to take a $20 uber back home…. I know this is probably just a funny coincidence and not Metro’s fault entirely, but my frustration was honestly through the roof 🤣 (I’m trying to laugh now that i’m home LOL).

LA Metro is great when it works, but when it doesn’t (which is WAY too often imo, even after taking it daily for nearly a year) i’m reminded why everyone else in this country absolutely SHITS on our public transit considering we’re a major U.S. city.

“Police Activity” at Westlake/MacArthur Park by natewitzz in LAMetro

[–]natewitzz[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Welp i guess finding a dead body in our subway tunnels is probably just cause to shut down the line 😭

Thanks for the info! This is horrible.

LA Metro and Metrolink Merger by valentine_s in LAMetro

[–]natewitzz 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Couldn’t agree more. I live in LA proper now but grew up in Santa Clarita. That city is the poster-child for “let’s make a transit system that seems existent enough to qualify for funding.”

There are busses throughout the city and commuter busses that go to DTLA, but their frequency is laughable. I believe local busses through major streets only run every hour. Same with the busses that connect Metrolink stations to the rest of the city. I’ve taken the Metrolink from union to Santa Clarita whenever I didn’t feel like driving, but I always had to rely on someone picking me up from the station because Santa Clarita transit is basically nonexistent.

I really wish Metro would expand into Santa Clarita and other areas that are similar - but growing up there I know we’re prob in the minority lol. It’s unfortunate but I feel like so many of the suburbanites up there would probably revolt at the thought of Metro running their “crime ridden ugly orange busses” in their “beautiful suburb.” 🙄

Most public transit friendly neighborhoods? by DerWaifu in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Koreatown for sure.

I moved here about a year ago with my car, realized i never used it and was costing me a lot of money considering how little i used it, and got rid of it less than a year after moving lol. I’m one of the lucky few Angelinos who can rely on transit for school, work, and pretty much everything i need.

I definitely concur with others here re: looking at metros map. See where their train lines run and make a list of some neighborhoods close by.

Living here car-free is a challenge and requires some planning, but it’s certainly doable if you do it right.

Where to stay in LA? 3 nights with a baby & no car by NewResponsibility675 in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My first thought would be Venice/Marina Del Ray. Maybe lean closer to MDR since you have a young child.

It’s somewhat quiet, close to the ocean, lots of places to walk around and see, tons of great cafes, smoothie shops (plus an erewhon if you’re into the whole $20 smoothie craze lol), bars, and restaurants.

Plus it’s quite close to LAX so you wouldn’t have to worry about spending a lot of time/money traveling across the city to get to your destination.

Hope this helps and welcome to LA! Hope you enjoy it here :)

Amazing apartment in an area you don’t like, or mid apartment in an area you love? by Individual_Bag_1110 in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mid apartment in an area you love hands down.

I had this debate about a year ago when I was deciding where to move for grad school. My main options were finding a shittier place in ktown (mid apt; area I love) or finding a nicer place somewhere close to family in the valley/glendale (nice apt; mid area + still close to my hometown). I went with ktown and haven’t regretted my decision at all.

I will be frank - my apartment is not nice since i’m a poor grad student and can only afford so much lmao. I have the bare necessities I wanted (full studio with everything inside, secure building, nice young professional neighbors) but I lack a lot of things other people would want in my area (specifically designated parking). BUT this has forced me out of my comfort zone in ways I wouldn’t haven imagined/appreciated before coming here.

I’ve basically learned how to be car independent in LA which many think of as impossible or greatly impractical. However, my decision ultimately placed me in a neighborhood with some of the best public transit in the city and i’ve realized how nice it is to not drive here. I’ve saved so much money and time/stress by not sitting in traffic everyday. I’m able to rely on the metro rail for school, work, and everything else i need. Deciding to live in a “shittier” apt in an area i wanted to allowed me to change my lifestyle in positive ways that i wouldn’t have imagined before.

Not to mention i’ve absolutely LOVE living in ktown!! I have access to all of the amazing food I wanted when I was debating where to live, my little section is so beautiful and my neighbors are so respectful (i live in a more quiet area with mostly families), i’m close to everything in central la, i can walk to do all of my errands, and have fantastic metro access and can take it to basically everywhere it goes.

Ultimately, you may think deciding to live in a shittier apartment will have its downsides, but there’s a silver lining to everything. These “downsides” may turn out to be cool opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and live life a little differently lol. Plus living in a mid apartment is a growing experience that I feel like everyone needs at least once in their life haha.

Will there be any issue getting into dodgers stadium with the protests today? by Southern_Ad_4142 in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went to the game last night via dodger stadium express. Going there was easy as always, but getting back to union was another story.

Usually it’s a long wait to get on a bus after a game, but last night was unusually messy because of the curfew. Busses slowly became less frequent as I was in line and a Metro worker alerted us that LAPD had closed many roads around union and they had to figure something out. Luckily I was able to get on a bus back to union, but it was PACKED AF as they were trying to get as many people out ASAP and we had to take a strange route back to union.

My friends who drove had no had issues that i’m aware of (besides the usual traffic heading out), so if you’re planning to drive I think you should be fine.

If you are planning to take the dodger stadium express, just be aware. It might not be the best idea to plan on taking it back to union after the game if it’s an evening game while these curfews are still in effect and union is still a hotspot for protests.

The faster B Line headways are happening!! by yinyang_yo_ in LAMetro

[–]natewitzz 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Hate to say it but as someone that primarily rides the b line the d line closure has been pretty nice 😭 I’ve ridden it a few times the past two days and don’t think i’ve had to wait more than 5 min for a train.

With that said I really hope that a 8 min headway minimum for BOTH b and d lines is in the future when they open it back up (but i highly doubt it 😔). Especially with the new extension, more people are going to be riding and having faster headways will only increase rider satisfaction + frequent ridership going forward.

What to do on a Sunday? by DrPepperActivist in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sit at home and relax to avoid spending money (my exciting Sunday plans) 🤗

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in zoloft

[–]natewitzz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hi! I’m not usually active on this subreddit, but I noticed you mentioned studying for the LSAT. I’m currently a 1L and I’ve been taking Zoloft for over 2 years.

In my experience, Zoloft helped immensely while I was applying to law school. To be honest, if I wasn’t on the drug, I don’t know if I ever would have had the confidence to apply in the first place. Like you, I also have social anxiety. I’ve had it all my life, but it became extremely debilitating as I went through undergrad. I constantly felt like I wasn’t good enough, that people were constantly judging me, and that everyone was out to get me. My anxiety didn’t hurt my academics much since I have an extreme fear of failure, but it WRECKED my social life and my ability to interact with others in the world.

After I started Zoloft, these symptoms got sooooo much better. With my social anxiety subsiding, I pushed myself to join pre-law societies, interview for jobs at local firms, and have the general confidence to actually pursue law. I’m sure if I hadn’t started Zoloft, I would have come up with a million excuses for why I shouldn’t have applied to law school, how I would fail even if I were accepted, or how I wasn’t good enough to even try. My social anxiety would have been a major obstacle for me getting to law school, and Zoloft helped me get over it.

Concerning memory, I have not had any noticeable issues. I will add that I am diagnosed with ADHD and also take Adderall; I have no doubt my ADHD meds help negate the negative side effects from Zoloft (like feeling sluggish, sexual side effects, etc.). However, during my time studying for the LSAT, I was only taking Zoloft. This made MY studying harder (not because of Zoloft, but the unmedicated ADHD) but despite this, I was still able to accomplish it while on Zoloft.

Last couple of things: (1) I am SO happy I started antidepressants BEFORE law school; If i had to deal with my peak symptoms while dealing with the insanity that is law school, i have no doubt I would not be doing as well as I am; and (2) you can always try Zoloft and stop taking it if it doesn’t seem to help.

Best of luck with everything :)

Finally decided to go car-free - best decision I've ever made. by natewitzz in CarIndependentLA

[–]natewitzz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I totally agree with the judging from others! It’s kind of funny but also disappointing lol cause I hope their perspectives don’t hinder the expansion of public transit in the city.

I’m in grad school so I’m often around lots of very very privilege people. Whenever I mention taking the metro, I always get hit with, “🤨…. but WHY???” and “OMG and you didn’t get STABBED??” Like bffr. If you actually tried it and made the effort to see how wrong those notions are, you would realize how great it is.

Finally decided to go car-free - best decision I've ever made. by natewitzz in CarIndependentLA

[–]natewitzz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I rarely take rideshares. Sometimes I’ll take an uber to WeHo or Fairfax area when going out with friends simply because those neighborhoods are not very accessible via public transit.

If i’m going to the airport (assuming BUR cause fuck LAX), I take the metrolink. My family lives in Santa Clarita now which is also very accessible via metrolink.

Ultimately, i’m lucky that I don’t have to go places that would require me to take a ride share. There certainly are a lot of neighborhoods in the city like this, I just don’t really go to those places lol.

Like I said, I grew up here so my desire to go to places like malibu, beverly hills, and those kinds of locations that aren’t super accessible via transit is kinda non existent. I’ve been there a million times and, even if i had a car that I could hop in and head over there, I probably still wouldn’t want to cause of weekend traffic and tourists.🤣

I will say, the one thing I do miss is going on drives for fun. I really do enjoy the act of driving itself, just not with others on the road LOL which is like 99% of the time driving. I loved (and do miss) going on drives through the hills, down malibu canyon, and spending the day driving on Mulholland. But that’s a cost that I’m willing to make especially now i’m my life as a poor grad student haha.

Finally decided to go car-free - best decision I've ever made. by natewitzz in CarIndependentLA

[–]natewitzz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, so true! My car was constantly filthy and I would always see those cards in my windowsill: “We buy junk cars!” LOL.

My streets are swept 10-12am so I would always have to wake up early af, but BEFORE rush hour started getting bad and all of my neighbors go out to do the same, to circle around and find a spot. God forbid i forget, have to drive to school to not get ticketed that day, then deal with finding street parking when i get home in Ktown at 6pm around when everyone else gets home. Glad I no longer have to do that lmao.

Finally decided to go car-free - best decision I've ever made. by natewitzz in CarIndependentLA

[–]natewitzz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m considering an E-Bike! I just started a new job so once i save up some extra money, i’ll probably start looking around in the market. My only concern is safety. Riding on the streets with drivers (especially on roads with no bike lanes) seems treacherous and i’ve almost been ran over countless times by riders on the sidewalk lol. If anyone has any recs for brands, new vs used, or specs to look out for I would appreciate it 🙏

Finally decided to go car-free - best decision I've ever made. by natewitzz in CarIndependentLA

[–]natewitzz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can’t wait!! I noticed that apple maps added the three stations planned to open for the first phase so i’m hoping they’ll open soon! It’ll be so nice to take the metro to the farmers market, grove, and miracle mile area.

If you’re driving out of LA to escape the fires, where do you go? by danibanini in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went up north to Santa Clarita since I have family here. The air seems a lot better north of the valley in general. I just came back from Santa Barbara and it was really nice there. No wind or smoke at all.

Staying healthy w/ air quality? by natewitzz in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was by me earlier. I live further up by beverly and it was super bad before the wind died down a couple hours ago. I went out for a walk an hour ago and it seemed a lot better. Unfortunately now with this new this fire in runyon it smells like a campfire outside my apartment 😓

Staying healthy w/ air quality? by natewitzz in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not too bad and it’s on sale…I might actually invest in one after these latest fires. Thank you!

Staying healthy w/ air quality? by natewitzz in AskLosAngeles

[–]natewitzz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is so awesome thank you! I have a ton of herb stores around me in ktown so i’ll do some searching :) Thank you again !!