If you are not familiar with greater L.A., I would not recommend that you stay near USC. USC is not located in the best part of town (sort of near South Central), and getting lost at night can be a pain. I'd go with one of the westside properties (closer to UCLA), e.g, Beverly Hills/Century City/Santa Monica area. Northridge will be a bit of a trek during rush hour but it is not that bad -- about 45 minutes to an hour drive (NOT during rush hour) northwest from some of the westside locations. Switching hotels for a night(?) IMHO is not worth it. If you really want to stay at a place near USC and then switch, how about the downtown L.A. Marriott? It is about 10 minutes drive down the 110 freeway (north of USC) (if not during rush hour) or about 15-20 minutes drive on the local streets.