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[Pop Trash]

I'm looking at moving to LA (currently in the Bay Area) and wanted to pick the brains of the Angelenos of match cut (Ivan Drago, Derek, David Seven, Wats,...anyone else??) on where to live. I don't really want to spend more than a grand/month on rent. Hoods I've considered: West LA, North Hollywood, The Valley, Pasadena, Santa Monica (might be too $$$), Los Feliz. I kinda want something less urban and with a bit more 'space' so not really looking at Downtown or central Hollywood. Also don't really want anything too ghetto or even supposedly 'up-and-coming' so not really looking at Koreatown or the N.W.A. endorsed hoods. I wouldn't mind living in a quiet bungalow type of deal on the North side, even if it meant a bit more commute (supposedly everywhere takes at least a half-an-hour so doesn't really matter right?)

Any thoughts would be appreciated. THANKS!

[Dead & Messed Up]

Are you rooming with anybody? Most singles out here will run you above $1000. I live in Studio City (NoHo/Valley Village area) and share a two-person apt, spend around $800 a month, and while it's not terribly trendy, it's decently in the middle of things.

My limited understanding is that right now Echo Park / Los Feliz are the trendier part of town, and West LA is a good spot for the younger crowd. I'll be seeing quite a few friends tomorrow night, so I can check with them about rates - I've been in my spot for so long that I haven't done much investigation.

Also, we should use this thread to talk about the Angelenos getting together.

[Pop Trash]

Not sure about roomies. I know about a dozen people in LA (including my cuz who is at USC film school) mostly in the 'biz' in some capacity.

I've looked on Craig's List and you can get cheaper rent if you live a bit North towards the Valley/Pasadena I've noticed, but not sure if you are seriously disconnected. Everyone I know in LA seems to think the entire city is a bit disconnected so not sure if it really matters. I know Santa Monica is pretty trendy/expensive these days.

[Derek]

Santa Monica is definitely too pricey, though honestly it's so over-crowded now, there are better and less expensive beach towns to live in. If you want to live close to the beach, look around South Bay (Hermosa/Redondo Beach, Torrance, etc). I lived there for 3 years and it's gorgeous but the only reason I was paying less than $1,000 for that location was b/c of a friend cutting me a great deal and roommates.

Pasadena is really nice. It'll be tough to find a single for under $1,000 but it may be possible. It's great b/c it has everything you need within a few miles (great restaurants/bars/nightlife), plenty of young people, hang out spots, a good art scene and a nice communal feel that most parts of LA are lacking. The only problem is you'd be further away from everything else in LA...not too far from downtown, but it'd be a bitch to get over to the westside or go to any beach. So downside is it's a tad isolated (and parking is a bitch, so an apartment with a spot is a MUST), but the good thing is you're a little more isolated in a place that you don't really need to leave for good entertainment.

Los Feliz is also great. It's actually kind of like a slightly less nice version of Pasadena, but more centrally located. One of my best friends lives there, so I can vouch for it being plenty safe and full of great restaurants and two of the better indie theaters in the city. Depending on which part of Los Feliz you're in, there are usually plenty of places (restaurants/bars/coffee houses) within close walking distance and several great concert venues are within a few miles drive. Considering its central location (closer to downtown, beach, Hollywood, etc.) and the more reasonable apartment prices, I'd take it over Pasadena unless your job has you working out east.

West LA/N. Hollywood - I'm not too familiar with the housing in those areas, though West LA certainly has a lot going on, certainly full of cool restaurants, bars, venues, pretty much everything. Problem in that part of town is a couple of blocks can make a HUGE difference, so you can go from a posh neighborhood to a pretty ghetto one before you know it. In other words, don't see West LA in an apartment listing and assume it won't be in a rundown part of town. N. Hollywood is ok...it's more crowded than the previous areas I've mentioned and again it'll depend on what part of town you're in as to how nice it is. Advantages are you can definitely find a cheap place up there, it's close to the Valley so great if you're working in the Glendale/Burbank area and also close enough to downtown, Hollywood and the westside. Not a bad alternative if Los Feliz ends up being too pricey.

The Valley...well, the Valley is a hell of a lot larger than I ever imagined before I moved here, so hard to be too specific. Depending on where you work, Burbank is probably the best option in that it's not that far from all the places to be in LA and there's a decent amount of activity going on nearby. Sherman Oaks, Thousand Oaks, and Northridge are all very nice from my experience, but the latter too are so far away from LA (factoring traffic in, of course) you might as well live in Orange County. Sherman Oaks has a much better location, but not sure about prices there. Worth a look though. I just moved to Van Nuys (which is just north of Sherman Oaks) so I'm getting my first taste of the Valley. Two months in and I like it - of course, I work in Burbank so my commute to work is short (perhaps priority number ONE living in LA in my experience), but it's far enough west that it's equally close to the westside and downtown.

That's all I got for now, but hit up the thread with any other questions and I'll be glad to give em a shot.

[Derek]

Also, we should use this thread to talk about the Angelenos getting together.

YES.

At this point, I would like to publicly shame Wats, who asked for the gathering to be set up, responded that he'd respond after others did and then was never heard from again.

Anyone up for an Arclight gathering for Man of Steel? This Is the End? Bling Ring?

[Watashi]

YES.

At this point, I would like to publicly shame Wats, who asked for the gathering to be set up, responded that he'd respond after others did and then was never heard from again.

Anyone up for an Arclight gathering for Man of Steel? This Is the End? Bling Ring?

Wait what? I thought I did respond to your PM?

I'll need at least a two week notice with my new job.

[DavidSeven]

Been here a few years now, but I honestly feel like I'm still so unfamiliar with a lot of the area. It's ginormous. I've mostly lived in Hollywood/West Hollywood. It's pricey and a lot more sketchy than you might think, though nicer the further west you go. West Hollywood, specifically, is kind of cool because it's basically pretty close to anywhere you might want to go in the LA area. It also feels really "LA," which can be good or horrible depending on your preferences.

I feel like for what you're looking for, the Burbank/Studio City area might be a good place to start. It's quiet and safer and isn't too far away from central LA and Hollywood. I believe a lot of young people also live in Culver City. It's really not the nicest area generally, but their mini-downtown is alright and definitely safe. I feel like Los Feliz is like the new Silverlake, which means that it's become more trendy and thus more expensive. That general area might be the closest to an SF vibe. Pasadena is very nice. If you can find something reasonably priced there, you should definitely consider it. The Valley will be closer to your desired price point, but I think the commute does make a difference. Basically getting anywhere within the centralized LA area will take 30 minutes, but you're talking 1 hour+ commutes in rush hour once you go a bit outside of that (assuming your destination is somewhere in LA). And as Derek brought up, you might as well be living in Long Beach or Orange County at that point. Sherman Oaks is worth a look, though. I knew someone who found a pretty cheap studio there and liked it well enough. The Valley's worth considering if you're not planning to do a normal 9-5 somewhere far away.

[Pop Trash]

Considering I'm in Oakland, my tolerance for sketchiness is probably higher than most people here, but it would be nice to live somewhere w/o crazies milling about my street.

[wigwam]

it's all crazies and I recommend living as close to your work as possible

Pdena and SMonica are expensive and out of the way but if that's not a prob then Highland Park or Culver City/Sawtelle might be cheaper (West LA is best for cinephilia too w/ Nuart/Aero and Cinefile, esp if you're ruling out Hollywood)

Los Feliz was getting expensive when I left, Echo Park and Silverlake ended up being too far out and overpriced for how shitty the areas were

my favorite area I lived in was Franklin Village (it's basically Hollywood tho) and I was trying to get something in Larchmont

edit Studio City and Burbank are decent but otherwise don't live in the valley

[Ivan Drago]

I'm looking at moving to LA (currently in the Bay Area) and wanted to pick the brains of the Angelenos of match cut (Ivan Drago...

I actually live in Nashville, Tennessee right now. I'm too poor for LA's cost of living.

[Ezee E]

Can any of you tell me about Santa Ana?

[DavidSeven]

Can any of you tell me about Santa Ana?

I've only been there a handful of times for brief work related things. It's definitely considered Orange County. Probably a 90 minute commute from central LA at minimum. Long Beach and anything south of that is probably doable. Seemed like a nice, quiet place in my brief visits there. Costa Mesa and Newport Beach are also pretty close and seem like good places to live. Not sure about pricing, though I imagine it's high. Irvine seems like the dullest college town on the planet, but I guess you can't rule it out.

Congrats on the upcoming move.