The Commute to Los Angeles for a Fashion Internship
I’ve always been interested in fashion. I love shopping, scrolling through countless pages of clothes to see the latest trends, and adding clothes to my cart but never buying it. This summer, I decided to see whether my passion for fashion will lead me to a career in the fashion retail industry. I decided to intern for Place Showroom, a fashion and sales consulting agency that helps brands sell their products to wholesalers like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. Place Showroom happens to be located in the Cooper Building in the heart of Los Angeles Fashion District, an 11-story, old building where many showroom companies are located.
Instead of renting a place in L.A. for the summer, I decided to commute to my internship instead from Orange County. My total commute time from my house to my internship is 2 hours, which is insane. I decided to opt out of driving and take public transportation instead due to rush hour traffic and the freeways being jammed before and after work hours. I take the train from my local train station into Los Angeles Union Station. Then, I take the bus to my internship. Although I have been interning for only one week now, I have learned some tips that may be helpful for other public transportation commuters.
- Always prepare extra time when commuting
- Public transportation can be extremely unreliable and have consistently been late. On your first day of your internship, give yourself extra time to get used to using public transportation.
- Bring stuff to do!
- I decided to download Audible books and podcasts to listen to during my commute. I at first brought a book to read, but quickly discovered that I could not focus reading during the bumpy ride.
- Bring a change of shoes
- If you need to wear dress shoes for your internship, it is best to bring a comfortable pair of walking shoes you can change in to during your commute. I often found myself having to run to catch buses.
I’m excited to see what I will learn this summer and hopefully my transportation efforts will be worth it.