Originally Posted by mlshanks

I'd give a big second to the notion of taking PCH and Topanga Canyon if your destination in the San Fernando Valley is in the Western half...

On the other hand, if you need to eventually get to Burbank, Mission Hills, or Sylmar or other locations on the East end; you probably want to hit Venice or Santa Monica and then plan to cross over to the Valley via the I-405 and/or routes East of there.

And as always, remember to check www.sigalert.com or AM radio 1070 for current traffic conditions, because any of these passes to the Valley can get terribly plugged up w/ traffic between 3:30 and 7:00 pm.