• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Thursday, 5/1/97 Life in the fast lane Commuting to UCLA often involves $5, traffic, friends, creativity and killing time

By Carol McKay Daily Bruin Contributor Elaine Yim has a car. She has a stereo and all the accessories. She's mastered driving, and three-point turns are no problem for her. But without a permit to park her car on campus, she doesn't see much use to it all. "It's all about having a permit," said the fourth-year sociology student with a smile. Elaine, who lives off of Santa Monica Boulevard, finally has a car, but has nowhere to park it. Since parking on campus would cost her $5 daily, she often finds herself hitching a ride from a friend or taking a bus. "My friends always tease me about (taking the bus). My roommate freaked out when she first found out about it. I think that's why I get rides so easily from people ... They feel sorry for me," she said. Elaine, after several months of taking the Big Blue Bus, said that she has "gotten used to it," although she would prefer to drive to school. "I don't like waiting for the bus, especially at night. I don't know what's going to happen on the bus," Elaine said. Safety is an issue which she feels is serious. "One time I felt like I was the only (passenger) who was sane." When she feels having her car on campus is worth the $5 fee - "It's little money, but at this point, it's a big deal" - Elaine drives to school. "I've definitely developed the L.A. driving attitude. My friends think that I'm the worst driver cause I'm always not just driving. I'm always doing something, like planning my day while on the road." Her friends know what they are talking about. Elaine's driving record validates their teasing. "I've gotten in an accident every year since I got my license," she said, looking up at the ceiling, moving her head as if counting traffic violations. "People here drive so fast." But Elaine drives fast too, and often in the wrong lane. Once she received a ticket for illegally driving in the carpool lane on the freeway. "I went to court and tried to fight it. I said 'I'm a student. I have no money,' but they still made me pay. It was like $200." Elaine's list of tickets goes on, including a violation the first time she used a night permit on campus. "I was supposed to be able to park in any lot except Lot 5. So of course I parked in Lot 5." Despite the less-than-polished driving record, Elaine continues to drive to school sometimes and is disappointed that she was not awarded a permit this year. "I finally got parking fifth week one quarter, but they still make you pay for the whole quarter. And when I finally did get it, it was in Lot 32. And that's as far away as my house," she said, of the lot closest to Wilshire Boulevard. Elaine said that she knows of students desperate to get permits who resort to placing false information on their parking applications. "A lot of students use their home addresses if they live in this area," making their commute seem longer, she said. "I'm from up north, so I can't do that." Elaine finds other ways to bend the rules, however, sometimes borrowing a friend's permit for the day or after his or her classes are over. Always present is an opportunity to save money, and Elaine said she might even know of a student discount on bus fare. "I think it's like 45 cents," she said. But a 5 cent price reduction isn't significant to Elaine. "I don't want to deal with that. I always go to Ralph's and buy rolls and rolls of quarters for laundry and the bus." Elaine's day-to-day transportation plans vary, however, and sometimes her supply of quarters goes unused. Recently, a friend offered to share the cost of a permit, and Elaine hopes that her days of "gross" bus rides are over. "Last week I took the bus a lot, and this week I'm driving a lot. It all just depends. I don't really know what I'm going to do ahead of time, and sometimes plans change." Methods of transportation for Elaine vary as much as the time involved in the journey. Her commute, less than a five-mile distance from campus, can be either a short trip or a long one, depending on traffic. "Sometimes just looking around for a parking space, or if you happen to get the wrong lights. It took me 40 minutes once," she said. "I always leave early, even if I don't have class until later," she said. In order to avoid morning traffic, Elaine catches a bus around 7:45 each morning, despite the fact that her classes don't begin until 10. "Once you hit 8, there's so much traffic. It takes forever to get anywhere." Although Elaine doesn't have to deal with the slow-moving speed of a bus on the days that she drives to school, she still takes traffic into account. When she carpools with a friend, she has to conform to the driver's schedule, often arriving at campus several hours before her day begins. "I hang out a lot at Kerckhoff," she said. Killing time on campus has become an art for Elaine, who said that there is always something to do on campus. "I study or hit office hours, stuff I can't normally do during the week," she said. Despite the potential sleeping hours lost for the sake of commuting efficiency, Elaine doesn't mind living away from campus. In fact, for three of her four years as a student, she has lived outside of Westwood. Only as a freshman, when she lived in Sproul Hall, did she experience the student life, which with those living near campus are so familiar. "This is the first year I experienced Midnight Yell," she said. "I was at a friend's place on Gayley. It was neat." During her second year, Elaine lived in an apartment south of Wilshire and in her third year participated in an Education Abroad Program in England. When she returned from England, Elaine and a friend scrambled at the last minute to find a place to live. "This was kind of a last-minute thing," she said. "We were still looking for a place during the first few weeks of fall quarter. It's kind of pricier than we would like." However "pricey" the apartment is, Elaine said that for the rent she and her roommate pay, one could only afford a one-room place in Westwood. Because of their distance from campus, the rent is lower, and this was a big part of the girls' decision to rent. "My sophomore year, there were five girls living in two bedrooms. It was gross," she said. This year, living with one friend, Erin Adinaya, who graduated from UCLA last year, things are much different. They both have their own rooms. "It's hard to study when people around you aren't studying," she said. Her building, which has only 14 apartments, does not have the same student-oriented feel to it as that of Westwood apartments. "The manager kept telling us he doesn't usually have students. There are some families here, but there are some students too. "I thought if I lived near campus, it would be too much. I thought I would get tired of seeing the same people at school and at home. I wanted a separation from home and school." So Elaine chose to live on Butler Avenue., in a building that for the first several months experienced cockroach infestation and loud construction next door. "They knocked down like two big houses, and it was really loud." The fact that her trip to campus, however minor a journey it may be, is so arduous, discourages Elaine from returning to campus after coming home from classes. "It's sort of a hassle to come back. Once I come back from campus, that's it." Living closer to Santa Monica, Elaine lives a life different from those of her Westwood friends. "I've never lived there, so I don't really know what it's like. I heard about a Roebling party last weekend," she offered, unaware of the excitement that occurred in Westwood last weekend, when a block party was broken up for violation of alcohol sales, and some students were arrested for public drunkeness. Although Elaine seems to be slightly separated from the immediate UCLA environment, it's not that she is totally disconnected from the world. "I always watch the morning news so I can see the weather forecast. I have to eat breakfast - it makes me watch the weather. And I wake up so early, that I don't know what it will be like. They've been wrong every time." Elaine Yim drives herself home after a trip to campus. This quarter she has often relied on the bus (in the background) for transportation to and from UCLA, since she was unable to get a parking permit. JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin Elaine Yim spends a moment on the balcony of her Butler Avenue apartment in West L.A. She is currently looking for a new residence with lower rent. Friends relax on her bed inside. JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin After classes, but before an evening trip to Powell Library, Elaine Yim (r.) shares a laugh with UCLA alumnus Mike Lee before ordering ribs at a West Los Angeles restaurant. CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin At 8am , Elaine kills time at the Kerckhoff Coffeehouse before her 10 o'clock class. On days when she drives to school, she comes to campus early to purchase a one-day parking permit and avoid traffic. (left) Without a permanent permit this quarter, Elaine Yim purchases one-day on-campus parking permits when she drives to school. (far left) Because Elaine arrives early to avoid traffic, she often kills time at Kerckhoff Coffeehouse. Every Thursday the Daily Bruin takes a closer look inside the world of different UCLA students. In this continuing series, we highlight diverse lifestyles of UCLA's student body.