Commute from Simi Valley to Brentwood

Not too long ago I asked on h about commuting strategies from Simi Valley to Brentwood. It’s been a few weeks, and here are the results:

What I’ve tried in these past several weeks:
1. 118->405->Wilshire
2. 23->101->Kanan Road->PCH->Wilshire
3. 23->101->Topanga->PCH->Wilshire
4. 118->Sepulveda->Wilshire
5. 23->101->Las Virgines->Malibu Canyon->PCH->Wilshire
6. public transport

The results:
1. feels fast generally while on the 118, but the 405 just feels no fun, so I avoid it. It feels slower that the other options. and i feel trapped. if i want to get gas or whatever
2. is fun, but I think it wastes a lot of time on Kanan.
3. too curvy – i don’t get motion sickness, but this route makes me think of that
4. kind of nice, but too many other people are taking this road and it ends up being a bit nerve-racking
5. my favorite route, it’s not really much faster than the other options, but it feels faster, and i get a nice amount of having the ocean off to my right. there’s something to be said for looking at the ocean for mental health.
6. unexplored completely. very sad, since i love the train and don’t mind the bus.

audio books and podcasts have been wonderful for this trip. a stanford class on the historical jesus, and a bunch of future of warfare talks from johns hopkins, plus lots of coverville and misc IT conversations podcasts have been great. it makes me think about working in santa monica, frankly. i always swore that i’d never have a commute, but this one has worked out well.