Looking for travel advice: LA-area colleges (Oxy and CMC), also Whitman College

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi! Looking for some advice on visiting some LA area schools with my daughter, trying to minimize the # of hours spent in traffic. We spent some vacation time in LA a few years back and were amazed at how long it took to drive anywhere, even during the middle of the day between rush hours! I've never flown into LA before, so I don't have a feel for the different airports and the various hassles of each. We live in the midwest. Since we live so far away, daughter hasn't been able to visit any of these schools yet.</p>

<p>Here's the plan -
We're visiting Whitman on Saturday April 17 (flyiing into Seattle or Portland -- Seattle looks to be cheaper from here - renting a car and driving to WallaWalla, then leaving Walla Walla on Sunday, back to Seattle (or Portland), dump rental car, and flying to LA on Sunday evening. Visiting Occidental and Claremont McKenna on Monday and Tuesday, fly home Tuesday evening.</p>

<p>From earlier threads here, it looks like Ontario might be the easier airport to use, and it's quite close to Claremont.
This is my tentative plan, but please jump in with improvements/suggestions:
Fly into Ontario Sunday evening, rent car and drive to the EagleRock area near Oxy (traffic shouldn't be too bad on Sunday evening, right?), stay at hotel near Oxy (any suggestions?)
Visit Oxy on Monday, then eat and hang out in that area until Monday evening. (when will rush hour traffic have cleared out at least a bit?)<br>
Monday evening drive to Claremont, find hotel near the Claremont Colleges (hopefully one that's not too expensive).
Tuesday visit CMC, and explore the campuses of the other Claremont Colleges a little. Make a quick getaway to Ontario airport and fly home Tuesday evening.</p>

<p>Does it make more sense to fly into LAX, since it's closer to Oxy? Would the car rental company charge extra if the car is picked up at one airport and dropped off at another?</p>

<p>I'm not sure what the best plan is re: possible combinations of rental car, taxis, and airport shuttles between these locations...</p>

<p>I'm looking to do all this as economically as possible (budget is tight), but also want to minimize the hassle and stress where possible -- daughter is quite stressed out in the aftermath of last week's admissions decisions and now having to make her choice.</p>

<p>I've hung out here at CC (especially the parents and financial aid forums) quite a bit this past year and have learned TONS. It's such a helpful place!</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

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<p>When I go to visit my daughter in Claremont, I actually stay at a hotel in Ontario. There are several there that are very reasonably priced. Get one near the freeway and you will be at the Claremont Colleges in 15 minutes or so.</p>

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<p>Congratulations on having wonderful choices to make.</p>

<p>Burbank Airport is closest to Oxy, plus it’s far far far easier to negotiate than LAX. Check with different rental car companies to see if you’d need to pay a dropoff charge if you fly into Burbank and fly out of Ontario. Driving from the Oxy area to Ontario is unfortunately going with traffic in the evening; I’d wait until at least 7 PM to make the drive.</p>

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<p>Agree with Slithey Tove, but even if you need to fly both in and out of Ontario it is very doable – I’d second the advice of staying away from LAX. Oxy is very close to LA’s Chinatown if you want to have dinner there before heading out to Claremont. Ontario area airport hotels are generally very inexpensive, and the drive there to Oxy Monday morning isn’t terrible – particularly since Oxy’s tours don’t start all that early. (We had breakfast in the dining hall there and it was cute to see so many students barely awake but eating breakfast like zombies, some still in pjs.)</p>

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<p>Beware of the Sunday evening influx. Everyone who has spent the weekend in Las Vegas or Palm Springs is on the I-210 or I-10 headed west. This usually peaks by around 6-7 pm. However, it usually isn’t as bad as the Friday pm getaway in the opposite direction! I would go north to the I-210 since it is newer and larger if you drive on Sunday.</p>

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<p>I second twomules. Ontario is a nice, friendly airport almost next door to CMC. There is an outlet mall (huge!) and plenty of inexpensive hotel and dining options. Our drive from Claremont to Oxy (on a mid-week afternoon) was not too bad. I was not impressed by the area immediately next to Oxy.</p>

<p>Whitman… I hope there will be no unexpected snowfalls in late April. Crossing the passes when it snows can take some time, so check the weather and plan accordingly. Walla Walla is a very charming town.</p>

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<p>FYI rush hour going from Eagle Rock/Pasadena to Claremont area can start as early as 3:00 pm! (I’ve been stuck in it may times!)</p>

<p>There are a lot of hotels near Ontario airport and surrounding area. Your best bet is to rent a car…taxi’s not really a good option here…</p>

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<p>Wow! 6 very helpful responses in an hour-and-a-half!
You guys really are impressive.</p>

<p>One more quick question - trying to book flights.
Is there a budget airline (or reg. airline) that offers cheap flights between Seattle and LA?</p>

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<p>astrodeb - I was wondering how much of a Sunday-evening-influx problem there would be - thanks. (tentatively we’ll be getting into Ontario around 6:15 pm. So by the time we get our luggage and the rental car we may miss the worst of it.)
Everyone else- how much time are we talking to drive between Eagle Rock/Oxy and Claremont area?
And is the I-210 the way to go both heading into the city on Sunday evening and heading out to Claremont on Monday? (fortunately I have a pretty good AAA map here, which extends almost to Claremont)</p>

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<p>You didn’t mention when you were leaving the midwest - Friday or Saturday? I hope you’re leaving Friday! My daughter goes to Whitman and we live in LA. We’ve done all the configurations available, and while the Seattle to Walla Walla route is beautiful, there are other options. The road from Portland doesn’t cross the Cascades and instead goes along the flat Columbia River Gorge so it’s less hairy. It also might take a little less time. There is an airport in Walla Walla, and sometimes we’ve gotten round trip tickets from SeaTac for $100. There are also flights to and from Pasco (45 min. from Walla Walla and has a regular Greyhound bus schedule if you want to turn in your car in Walla Walla.) to Ontario. You could easily do the Walla Walla bit without a car. It’s a short taxi (under $10.) to any hotel near the campus and at that point everything is a delightful walk.</p>

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<p>Alaska Air will be probably be your best bet, and I know they fly nonstop from Seattle to both Burbank and Ontario. Southwest also flies those routes, but I’m not sure about the non-stops.</p>

<p>I don’t think you’ll hit much traffic Sunday night at 7:00 pm, but it’s never a given in Los Angeles. You’re not far from Pasadena, and that might be a fun place to drive to for dinner and walking around. As far as Eagle Rock to Claremont on Monday, I’d head out as early as possible. Unless you plan to spend time in downtown Los Angeles, there’s really not a lot to see in that area. You might want to grab some lunch and head east, which would give you some time to walk around the Claremont area on Monday afternoon without any time pressure. </p>

<p>My S is a freshman (coincidentally in the midwest), and I remember those college visits were stressful for us. YMMV, but I’d try to eliminate as much anxiety-provoking possibilities (like traffice) as possible. Your D may also get a negative vibe about the colleges if there are big traffic headaches.</p>

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<p>Try Southwest airlines - they usually offer the cheapest flights along the west coast</p>

<p>I would also recommend not staying in a hotel near Occidental…the area was not nice once you got out of the neighborhood surrounding the college. My daughter did not apply to Oxy after we visited for that reason (she didn’t feel safe in the area).</p>

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<p>Regarding the rental car - you can usually rent at one location and drop off at another within a metro area - i.e. rent at Ontario, dropoff at LAX, etc. without any dropoff charges but if you want to do this double check with the rental company first just to be certain there won’t be a fee.</p>

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<p>D used Delta for her last Ontario - Pasco route. and re what UCSD Dad says, if you want to experience the NW, and are determined to drive to Walla Walla, you could fly into Portland and out of Seattle. Kayak is a very cool flight information site because it gives you simultaneous Expedia and several other sources in 4 different windows that open up like magic!</p>

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<p>You’re aware it takes around 5 hours to drive to Walla Walla from Portland or Seattle?<br>
You can also fly, via Horizon.</p>

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<p>With no traffic, Eagle Rock to Claremont will be half an hour. 210 is the way to go both ways. It’s what the Claremont directions suggest, as well.</p>

<p>If you end up taking Southwest, and if it serves your home city, sign yourself and your D up for their frequent flyer program. I believe it’s 16 one-way flights that gets you a free flight. When pricing flights, remember that checked bags are free on Southwest. </p>

<p>I’ll second cpeltz’s recommendation to stop in Pasadena for some tourism. Good restaurants. The Huntington Library and Gardens on the south edge of Pasadena is open on Monday afternoon, and is absolutely lovely. It will also make you want to be a robber baron in your next life :)</p>

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<p>Lots of good ideas already given. I can recommend two wonderful, quirky restaurants near Oxy (where I used to teach). Senor Fish is an adorable authentic fish-taco place in an old California bungalow setting on Eagle Rock Blvd. Nice casual eat-outdoors setting, too. Or you could try The Oinkster, which has my S2’s favorite french fries (award-winning) and is on Colorado Blvd. I would recommend skipping downtown LA or Chinatown (lots of traffic to and from, although nearby) and second the idea of staying the night in Pasadena. Walk around Old Town Pasadena or see a movie there. Really nice vibe.</p>

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<p>^^as usual, I agree with Slithey. :)</p>

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<p>^^as usual, I agree with madbean :). Well, about Senor Fish, anyway! I’ve never tried the Oinkster, but maybe I should check out those fries. </p>

<p>Also, strawberry donuts should be arriving at the Donut Man in Glendora soon. This will be on your way between Oxy and Claremont. They are not to be missed. How many donuts need to be eaten with a fork? :)</p>

<p>[The</a> Donut Man - Glendora, CA](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-donut-man-glendora]The”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-donut-man-glendora)</p>

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<p>To check for flight on Southwest you’ll have to go directly to their website as I don’t believe they show up on either Sidestep or Kayak. </p>

<p>The 210 is the most direct way to get to/from Claremont/Oxy. Sunday night traffic is generally not too bad and it should take about 30-45 minutes.</p>