<p>@Minnymom </p>
<p>The Westwood area has plenty of off-campus housing options, all fairly expensive. Of the people I knew, $600-700/month rent was the standard. For a better value, it’s well known that deals are to be had “South of Wilshire” (Blvd), but that means a 15-20ish minute shuttle/bike ride to campus. </p>
<p>I would say a bike is only useful if you have a job off campus and are working with budget/time constraints. I think anyone who lives north of Wilshire (aka Westwood Village) and who conducts a majority of their business on campus will not need a bike. Some people just like bikes though…</p>
<p>As for longboards, those are more common. In the years I was there they started cracking down on people rocketing down Bruin Walk on their longboards/skateboards. Theres definitely more of a culture of longboarding than of biking, but in my view neither make sense on a campus that is (a) hilly and (b) compact.</p>
<p>The last question about public transportation is a bit vague, so I’ll answer generally. Of course LA is not know for having well-developed public transportation infrastructure, but it does exist. </p>
<p>For fun: students get discounts on bus rides to Santa Monica (20-30 minutes away). For work: buses do exist along major corridors (Sunset Blvd, Wilshire, etc.) but tend to be crowded. I had an internship in Beverly Hills as a 3rd year. I worked 4 hours a day, 2-3 days a week (8am-12) and usually had to “hustle” back to make it in time for 1pm lecture. Although the bus wasnt the most comfortable, it was adequate and I managed.</p>