How bad is the traffic on a Friday heading toward HDC from the south (San Diego)? I was thinking about using the CA-73 toll freeway, which I'm sure should be a time saver, but is it doable to get there from San Diego before kickoff if I leave at 5pm? Where are the hotspots on 405? What is a more realistic departure time if 5pm is not going to cut it? Is the kickoff exactly at 8, or is that only when ESPN's coverage starts?
Kickoff is at 8.25. There was a San Diego supporters thread at one time. If you make it to the toll road split off by 7.15 you should be in good shape without carpool needed. The stretch from Fountain Valley to LB should have cleared by then. How long to get to San Juan Capistrano, I don't know!
thanks lou sorry to clutter your board, didn't know about the SD supporters thread mods can merge, if necessary
Good Luck!! It seems like the WHOLE city of San Diego abandons to city on Friday evenings; you might make it but it will be close.
San Diego is a big place. If you're leaving from south of, say Kearny Mesa (but north of the 94), I think you have a good shot, but you'll be at the mercy of the Traffic Gods. If you're coming from south of the 94, save yourself the headaches and leave earlier would be my suggestion. If you're leaving from anywhere north of the merge, you're just fine. Biggest issues at that time on a Friday night will be the 5-805 merge (unless they've fixed that in the past four years) and in Carlsbad up by the 78 (which has probably gotten worse). If you hit the border crossing in Pendleton, don't worry. I've never been stuck more than 10 minutes or so there, and I used to make the SD-LA commute three days a week for three years. Once you hit OC, you'll be good to go (and do take the toll road). You may hit a snag around Irvine, shortly after you merge back onto the San Diego Freeway (which will then be the 405), but unless it's epic, if you hit the Irvine Spectrum by 7 or so, you're fine. If you really want to make sure you get there regardless, bring a GPS, a couple of Thomas Guides, and put on KNX 1070 (which I've reeled in as far south as Ensenada, even though they almost never list a traffic problem south of San Clemente). Epic traffic problems like rain or a bad accident can screw everything up, so having those things with you will help you get around them on the surface streets.
I think taking the toll road is a great idea especially since I imagine getting out of SD will be longer than usual. Once you hit Orange County, 405 north should be relatively clear all the way to Carson where the HDC is located. I work in Long Beach and there is usually no traffic on 405 north after 6:30 p.m. on a Friday. If you get there early, just hit the OCP up for a pint or two!
thanks for the responses guys I am going to be leaving from downtown San Diego, I am going straight from work and picking up my friend who works in downtown. If it were me, I would leave work an hour early, but my friend is not as flexible with that. I'm was not as worried about SD traffic as I was LA/OC traffic, but you guys are making it sound like 405 is not all that bad past 6pm. 405 was my main concern.
You can do it. A buddy of mine is doing it and meeting us at the game. You have to do it. MLS CUP SEMI FINAL at home. When's the last time that happened? Been a while.
You will make it, the Football Gods are on your side! That's plenty of time, you will be here by 7:45.
No, going Northbound it's really not. Reverse commute and all. The worst of it will probably be in San Diego County. Here's a hint: from Downtown, take the 163 up to the 805, and stay to the left once you hit La Jolla. That way you're already in the HOV lane when it starts, and you can bypass that whole Dirge At The Merge altogether. Carlsbad's still going to suck, but what can you do? On another note: If I left now from New Jersey, could I make it to Carson in time for kickoff? *headdesk*
A few more healthy tips that I always use when in your situation. -get gas, withdraw cash and buy snacks THURSDAY! These three things alone will take at least 30 min. -You know all those little snags, minor delays and "oh come on, that never happens to me" moments we all dread before a trip?......PLAN AHEAD FOR ONE OR TWO OF THEM TO HAPPEN TO YOU! - Make love to SIGALERT.COM throughout the afternoon on friday. She's the friend with benefits that never let's you down!!! We'll see you at the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i agree 405 coming north doesn't have traffic after 7 so i ur out by 5, you might make it @ 7:30 or so!
I'm in San Diego as well and was thinking of possibly making the trip up there tonight as well, but just ran out of time unfortunately. Are there any good bars/places here to watch the game? I have espn2 so I can watch it at home, but since I'm new here, I'd rather venture out and find a new place/meet new fans. Anyhow, if anyone can recommend a place that will definitely have the match on (with the sound on) then please post here or PM me. BTW - I'm a die-hard Chicago Fire supporter, and would be sporting Fire colors ;-)
Thanks everybody for your advice. It was all pretty spot on. Aside from a stalled car on 405 N just past 73 (a non rush hour related jam), which slowed us down for 15-20 minutes, everything was smooth sailing past North San Diego County. Even north San Diego County wasn't too bad. With the use of the 73 toll road, the trip took us exactly 2 hours from near downtown San Diego. I got to the stadium with an hour to spare, and needed every minute of it to collect my tickets at will call. Got to our seats right during the reading of the lineups. Great crowd, possibly the most "in to it" Galaxy crowd I've seen, in all my dozen or so games I've attended over the years. Kudos to all the supporters groups, you guys each sounded great in your own way. Riot Squad was very audible from the other side. Although wtf with the Galaxians and ACB not coordinating with each other? Is there some beef I'm not aware of? O'Briens in Kearny Mesa is a US national team supporters "official pub" (whatever that means). I've never actually gone there to watch soccer before, but I figure being a US soccer-friendly place, they might be amenable to showing MLS. There's also Shakespeare's for soccer but they are full-tilt Eurosnob, so I wouldn't count on any MLS/USNT catering there.
Glad to hear you made it on time, I too ran into the same stalled car which about damn near gave me a heart attack thinking we'd be going 1mph all the way there, but we got there in an hour (from Costa Mesa).
I want to tip my hat to those fans who came from long distances: SD, Ventura County, IE, etc. I hope LA made it worth your while even with the 2 blackouts.