I had a similar thread about all of California last year, but I prefer not to revive zombie threads. You can view the old thread here. The interview for a position out in NJ turned into a offer for a position in LA. Using conservative take-home-pay calculators, it will allow me to live a comfortably modest life in Los Angeles.
I will be working on the eastern side of the city. It's a satellite location, so I am still ironing out the details regarding where exactly I will be.
My first thought was to live in the downtown, Koreatown, or Chinatown areas. My car has already suffered years of outdoor and street parking, so I am not worried about subjecting the car to the elements. If I hypothetically wanted a carport or garage (dreaming?), what direction would I need to look for housing? Where should I be looking?
What would be my biggest surprise moving to southern California from North-Central Florida?
Either live close to where you work or live near some sort of public transit. LA traffic is brutal. I can't decide which I hate more: LA or DC traffic.
We'd miss you, Mitchell! But still, happy to see you have an opportunity in your field.
DC traffic is much more brutal than LA at least you have nice weather in California
yamaha
UltimaDork
6/10/14 3:31 p.m.
Mitchell wrote:
What would be my biggest surprise moving to southern California from North-Central Florida?
Paying alot more for gasoline(91 octane is max there) and the smog extortions.....
I am no expert in downtown, but I do know the area around it (pretty much east of the 405) is a pretty sketchy area. The nicer areas (and more expensive of course) will likely be across the 405 to the west. There are some older areas around downtown, so you might find some pockets there.
I guess it depends on how urban (the hood, the city etc.) you want to go, or are used to. The weather in the downtown area (i.e not over the hills into the valley or to the east) is very temperate. The close proximity of the ocean really evens things out.
The suggestion of tracing the Metro lines out is a good one. If you work is close to a station, and you don't want to live in the hood, that could be a good solution.
As you are likely aware, you can drive for 2-5 hours (depending on traffic) across the LA area, and never leave the "city".
Oh, and say good by to humidity. You will need to get used to a bit of dryness sometimes. Also, say goodbye to insects, there are VERY few of them here (especially compared to Florida). If you like events and such, near downtown there will be PLENTY. LOTS of nightlife, culture, food variety etc.
Did I mention mostly rust free cars... old ones... that don't need smog... (sadly, generally, little room to work on them)
I'm jealous
http://www.japaneseclassiccarshow.com/
http://nissanjam.com/
http://www.toyotaclub.org/Toyotafest/toyotafest.htm
http://irvine.carsandcoffee.info/
http://www.in-n-out.com/
My friend has had two places on the west side of the 405 near Santa Monica and culver city. Nice neighborhoods but damned if I didn't have some sticker shock on rent prices. One appealing aspect is that there is almost always a good bar, coffe shop and restraunt within walking distance.
Pedestrians have the right of way in all crosswalks. Laws defy physics in LA so the pedestrians never bother looking to see if they might be stepping in front of a car that is going 50mph. Parking lots have one way spikes so don't accidentally go in the exit because that burger shop has the right to flatten all 4 of your tires for your mistake. The right lane is fine to drive in-and park in/use as a passing lane. All the "cool" bars are pretty much unmarked. Parking pretty much anywhere was >$5 20 years ago. All this knowledge comes from visiting 20 years ago during my first marriage so it's possible things have changed.
Right turn on red ALLOWED.
Motorcycles can split lanes .
6 foot blondes grow on trees, Axle.
aircooled wrote:
Right turn on red ALLOWED.
Motorcycles can split lanes .
Yeah, lane splitting is your friend in CA, especially SoCal. This is an alternative for getting into work.
You will get used to dry heat. I'll take it any day over humidity.
Unfortunately, I can't help you out on suggestions for neighborhoods.
I've never lived there, but travel to L.A. frequently. Here's what I've noticed:
It's a place with absolutely awesome destinations---- which are a total pain in the ass to get to. Traffic is horrid, so live as close to where you work as possible. Be extremely careful of where you live, as parts of L.A. are as bad as it gets.....anywhere.
People kind of suck---Social status is viewed as very important in So Cal by many--- more so than other places. If you have a low tolerance for superficiality--- you'll need to develop a strong "shell". Also, keep in mind "Entertainment News" really IS news in L.A., as so many folks work in the entertainment industry. You think you hear a lot about the Kardashians now? Just wait.....
The weather is beautiful--- hardly any rain, dry, no bugs. It is very dusty though, and the city is kind of ugly--- like a massive sprawling overgrown Orlando. Also the Ocean is COLD--- a wetsuit will be needed for surfing / diving / etc.
There's an endless amount of things to do, and great roads to explore. Once you get outside the city, it's an incredibly beautiful place.
While the smog is better than it was--- the air quality is still the worst in the U.S. It's also hideously expensive compared to North-Central FL. Not just housing either----everything is more expensive out there.
The car culture is fantastic in the L.A. area. Every weekend there is something very cool- automotive related-- going on. It's probably the most car-centric place in the country.
I like it better and better the more times I visit---- but it certainly has major flaws to go along with it's major upsides.
Whatever you drive...make sure it's pot hole and bad road friendly. If your clutch is touchy or left knee is bad (like mine) stop and go traffic will be even worse. Rush hour....is not. The Cal Trans should charge for parking on the 405. Things might flow a bit faster than sludge then. There's always some form of construction where ever you need to go or on whatever route you take to get there. Be ready to pay twice or tree times the normal amount of rent (or more) the closer you want to live to where ever you work.
RoadRaceDart wrote:
Whatever you drive...make sure it's pot hole and bad road friendly. If your clutch is touchy or left knee is bad (like mine) stop and go traffic will be even worse. Rush hour....is not. The Cal Trans should charge for parking on the 405. Things might flow a bit faster than sludge then. There's always some form of construction where ever you need to go or on whatever route you take to get there. Be ready to pay twice or tree times the normal amount of rent (or more) the closer you want to live to where ever you work.
Thankfully, I haven't made any changes to my car that make it any rougher; my goal has always been to make it a good daily driver. I'll change out the brake pads/rotors and tires over the next week, but will keep everything very streetable. It is also already a bit battle-torn, with sunburned paint and dents in about every panel, so I'm prepared for parking on the street (again).
Joe Gearin wrote:
I've never lived there, but travel to L.A. frequently. Here's what I've noticed:
It's a place with absolutely awesome destinations---- which are a total pain in the ass to get to. Traffic is horrid, so live as close to where you work as possible. Be extremely careful of where you live, as parts of L.A. are as bad as it gets.....anywhere.
People kind of suck---Social status is viewed as very important in So Cal by many--- more so than other places. If you have a low tolerance for superficiality--- you'll need to develop a strong "shell". Also, keep in mind "Entertainment News" really IS news in L.A., as so many folks work in the entertainment industry. You think you hear a lot about the Kardashians now? Just wait.....
The weather is beautiful--- hardly any rain, dry, no bugs. It is very dusty though, and the city is kind of ugly--- like a massive sprawling overgrown Orlando. Also the Ocean is COLD--- a wetsuit will be needed for surfing / diving / etc.
There's an endless amount of things to do, and great roads to explore. Once you get outside the city, it's an incredibly beautiful place.
While the smog is better than it was--- the air quality is still the worst in the U.S. It's also hideously expensive compared to North-Central FL. Not just housing either----everything is more expensive out there.
The car culture is fantastic in the L.A. area. Every weekend there is something very cool- automotive related-- going on. It's probably the most car-centric place in the country.
I like it better and better the more times I visit---- but it certainly has major flaws to go along with it's major upsides.
The air quality is not the worst in the US so that's kind of a plus. It's much worse an hour or so north in the Central Valley. Source: that's where I live :(
Be prepared to pay more for everything than you used to in FL. But, the upside is that you have an incredible variety of really good places to eat, bars to go to, etc.
Yes, air quality in the downtown coastal plane area is not bad at all. It's worse in the San Fernando Valley, and pretty gross sometimes out east in the San Bernadino area (were Breaking Bad was originally going to be set). WAY WAY better then it used to be (yes, smog controls had a very noticeable and positive effect).
Having a car with good "urban camouflage" is definitely a good idea if you are going to be in the urban areas around downtown.
aircooled wrote:
Right turn on red ALLOWED.
Is there any place in the US that right on red is not allowed?
I don't know. I have heard. Maybe in the past? There are certainly some who don't realize you can. Maybe foreigners? (From Top Gear, it appears England does not allow it)
Edit - Just looked it up. Apparently it's a 50 state thing now. Apparently it was standardized in the 70's.
nicksta43 wrote:
aircooled wrote:
Right turn on red ALLOWED.
Is there any place in the US that right on red is not allowed?
IIRC it's technically allowed in DC, except that they have "no turn on red" signs posted at pretty much every intersection.
Derick Freese wrote:
6 foot blondes grow on trees, Axle.
...careful, out here, many of those have an Adam's Apple.
Listen... CA smog tests are about the easiest in the country. Once every two years? You can keep a smog-legal engine in a bag and install it for the test and then swap it out again. I've seen OBD2 monsters belching unburned hydrocarbons for 23 months a LOT in CA.
Eastern neighborhoods are sketchy, but great. I lived in Lincoln Heights (2517 Pasadena Avenue at Ave 26) for 6 years. Anything east of that gets sketchy faster than it gets cheaper, know what I mean?
Up to the northeast is Highland Park. It is a relatively inexpensive area that is acceptably ghetto. Once you get up as far as Pasadena, most stuff is pretty expensive. There is a nice area of Pasadena here between Lake and Fair Oaks that is cheap (for pasadena) and just a few blocks from the awesome parts of Colorado. You can live two blocks from the Rose Bowl parade for not too much money.
The chic, hipster place to live is (hands down) echo park and silver lake. It is expensive, but super cool. This eastern part of Sunset defines silver lake and echo park. If you go down as far as Wilshire, you'll find lots of hookers. But nice hookers
Traffic sucks, yes, but its really not that bad once you get used to it. For a while I lived downtown (Pasadena Ave) and worked way out in the valley in Reseda. I also lived in Pasadena when I worked in Hawthorne and Inglewood.
As far as eastern parts of town, Burbank, Glendale, Highland Park are good bets. Anything along the San Fernando Blvd corridor or the 110/Figueroa corridor are your best bets.
