Just a FYI, Studio City is a nice place, but it is nowhere close to being as walkable as Pasadena. However it does match your required to being in the middle.

Hi there,
I live slap bang in the middle of Los Feliz - The 5 is generally a nightmare during the usual rush hours etc - I tend to use Hollywood Blvd all the way into Hollywood itself or Franklin - Both are normally pretty good all the time. You tend to find little short cuts once you live the in the area for a while - Los Feliz Blvd is now my biggest problem - It really is a nightmare now - Again though there are a few ways round it. I have lived here for 10 years now and have notice traffic ALL OVER LA having gotten much worse. So look for a travel time of anywhere between 35-40 mins to the westside on a good day and anything up to 90 mins at peak times. I travel all the time though and have to say Burbank airport is one of the best things about being over this side - It's such a joy to use over LAX. Morning trips to Pasadena have never been a problem for me - Freeway always seems to be flowing.
Hope this helps a little - Cannot recommend Los Feliz enough!
Cheers
Jeff

Hi Howard,
I would suggest Studio City. There are some nice houses in a very residential area south of Ventura Boulevard, just at the bottom of the "hills," where you can walk to tons of restaurants, shopping etc. It is also an easy commute to West LA (maybe 30-40 minutes depending on where in West LA) via Mulholland Drive and either Coldwater or Beverly Glen, while also being an easy commute to Pasadena (20-25 minutes) - perhaps even closer to Pasadena, as you mentioned. This side of the hills is also more affordable than Laurel Canyon or other areas South of Mulholland. You can see several homes we have sold in the area on our website. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions or need help with your search! -Kevin & Jovana Keyser.

hi howard. i grew up in los angeles. lived right in the city, probably 10 minutes from beverly hills. while i only visit there once a month these days, when i lived there a few years ago the commute to beverly hills was always a pain (except in off hours). it's not easily accessed by any freeway so during rush hour it's troublesome. i imagine heading in from the pasadena direction could only make it worse since there tends to be more inbound traffic in the AM hours to los angeles area then outbound traffic. however, i always traveled using the 405. not sure how the 101 would be.

the best way to head into the city from the valley during rush hours is by "going over the hill" - ie, by taking the streets. there are some pretty quick short cuts through the mountains.