We will be flying in to LAX and driving to Bakersfield, CA. Should we rent a car and brave the LA traffic or should we take a bus to Bakersfield ? We will be arriving in LA at 11:30am on Saturday and leaving at 11:30am the next Sunday. We have never driven in LA before and we are a little nervous about it. How difficult is the drive to Bakersfield ?

Oh my God! I can't think of 3 worse words than LAtraffic/bus/Bakersfield! Do not under any circumstances take a bus to Bakersfield. LA traffic out of town mid-day on a Saturday won't be bad at all. Rent a car & drive. It's not a hard drive, but kind of boring.

I second that! RENT A CAR. You won't hit any bad traffic during those times.

Rent a car with a navigational system! This way you can't get lost and if you do, then the navigational system will help you out.

I was there in January to visit my daughter and son-in-law who recently moved there. I had driven in LA previously, but only short, easy distances, and usually with someone in the car who knew where we were going. However, I was pleasantly surprised this time. The freeways look scary, but they're reasonably well-marked and I never got lost once. I drove quite a bit through LA and much of the surrounding area, by myself, and although I expected to have problems, I didn't! One thing that was helpful was that before I left, I planned out a couple of routes on the Mapquest website. Locals might have been able to get me back and forth more efficiently, but at least I could get from point to point and the Mapquest directions were very useful.

I was hearing how bad the traffic in LA was but when I got there it wasn't that bad except during an accident on I-10.
And it wasn't on a weekend.

Very easy drive on a Saturday. I 405 to I 5. Once past say, Van Nuys, the drive will be pretty uneventful. You'll eventually pass Magic Mountain on your left and after that there is very little until Bakersfield. You will be driving on a well maintained freeway at least 3 lanes on both sides through the ridge of mountains, down the Grapevine and into beautiful Bakersfield!!!

Yikes! A week in Bakersfield - and you're worried about LA traffic. The bus would be a miserable experience. Remember that people in California rarely use public transportation, so bus travel is not a popular method of getting from point A to point B.

The traffic on a Saturday can be bad (especially on a warm summer beach day), but it's preferably to the train.

But the big question - why would anyone choose to spend a week of their life in Bakersfield? Remember - that's a week of your life that you'll never get back!

My daughter lives in Bakersfield and I only get to see her two times a year. Yes, I would gladly spend a week of my life in Bakersfield. By the way, I think Bakersfield has some lovely areas. The scenery is quite different from what I am used to. However, just to set everyone's mind at ease, we will be driving up the coastal highway to Big Sur, Monterey, and Carmel before we return home. Thank you for all of the useful traffic information. One more question. Is it confusing to get out of the airport and onto the freeway?

Not really. Follow the clearly marked signs to Century Blvd EAST. It's a mile or so till you get to the 405 NORTH. (on the right). The signs on the freeway will say either "north" or toward "sacramento". After the San Fernando Valley, the 405 becomes the 5 freeway. Hope this is exactly right for you; anyone, please feel free to correct or make more exact my directions. Have you tried any of the Basque restaurants in Bakersfield?

What is a Basque Restaurant?

Basque cuisine predates both Spanish and French, as many recipes in those countries have Basque origins. Bakersfield actually has a fair number of Basque restaurants.

So what would be an example of a Basque entree?

Vicki--I've never been to a Basque restaurant myself, but I've read in places like Sunset Magazine that it is a fun thing to do in Bakersfield and Fresno. I went to google and looked up
Basque restaurants and found woolgrowers.net which is the name of the Basque restaruant which they say has been voted best Basque R. in Kern Valley. (It's in Bakersfield). Looking at their menu it looks like hearty food but the menu doesn't really give a clue as to how the beef, chicken, or lamb is presented. I THINK the meal may be served family style and that is part of its charm. The Woolgrowers was open Mon-Sat, closed Sunday. If you try one of these restaurants, let us know how it was.

Thanks, I'll do that.