Moving to Los Angeles (Pasadena, Burbank: apartments, rentals, loft)

[tazz2007]

Hey there im in my mid 20s moving to los angeles for my job. Im just trying to work out what is the New York SOHO equivilent in LA. Looking for good clubs/bars and nice trendy resteraunts etc. with people around my age. Ill be working in the general west hollywood/culver city/ beverly hills area but dont mind driving a little bit.
I've hear bad things about LA's traffic problems, but my other idea - would it be viable to live up the coast and drive down at around 10am and come back around 7pm - would i miss the traffic on the PCH?


cheers

[mommabear2]

I used to live in Glassell Park - I still own property there that I rent to my friends. It's a great location though it can be seedy in some areas. The drive time goes as followed: Downtown L.A.: 10 minutes, Pasadena(downtown): 10 minutes. Hollywood: 15; Burbank: 15; Los Feliz: 10. LAX: 30 minimum. The rent is a little cheaper than most areas or you can try Eagle Rock. With a good location you can go to any of the "cool" areas in lest than 20 minutes.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by tazz2007

Hey there im in my mid 20s moving to los angeles for my job. Im just trying to work out what is the New York SOHO equivilent in LA. Looking for good clubs/bars and nice trendy resteraunts etc. with people around my age. Ill be working in the general west hollywood/culver city/ beverly hills area but dont mind driving a little bit.
I've hear bad things about LA's traffic problems, but my other idea - would it be viable to live up the coast and drive down at around 10am and come back around 7pm - would i miss the traffic on the PCH?


cheers

why not west hollywood? it has all the things you're looking for, and you'll be close to work. beverly hills is right next door, and culver city is pretty much a straight shot down robertson blvd. it's a narrow street in places, and can get congested, but any commute that doesn't require getting on a freeway is a good one.

[furnitureprincess]

Good luck with your upcomming move. Don't know where you are from, but LA is a strange entity. It is big, crowded, expensive, dirty and congested. It is hard to say where the best place to live is. Downtown LA is being revived with lots of bars and restaurants as well as loft style apartments (although they come at a hefty price). Santa Monica is always a cool place. Lots of cool hotel bars, great scenery with the beach and several night clubs. The trendiest (and probably most expensive to live) would be anywhere near 3rd street in Beverly Hills. All the restaurants areound there are "places-to-be-seen" (ie. Toast and The Ivy) but have a cool LA vibe. I am not too sure of the club/bar scene there, but I know it exists.

I'd skip the coast option. PCH is a VERY unpredictable road. If there is any kind of accident of fender bender you are screwed. You are also screwed if it rains . . . at all (not much of a problem this past year though since we had no rain). My husband drives PCH every day and it is bad.

All in all traffic is BAD here. Everywhere at basically every time of day. So don't plan on getting anywhere fast.

One word of warning since you are in your 20's. LA is a pretty difficult place to meet people. People are always on the go, in their cars, and already have their cliques. Unless you know friends out here already, expect that it could be a while before you meet people you can honestly call friends.

Good luck!! You can take my place when I leave. I am hoping to be out of this state within a few months. Funny that I want to leave so bad. I ahve called it home for my entire 33 years.

[tazz2007]

thanks heaps guys,
im australian but have been living in new york (in the village) for two years working. West Hollywood looks cool, some of the property seems like pretty good value. Glassell park seems like its a bit to far to get to santa monica/ palisades considering all this talk of bad traffic

is the traffic actually that bad? like if i had to get over to pasedina from beverly hills it just wouldnt happen?

otherwise Santa Monica is at the top of my list at the moment, being an aussie thats been away from home for 3 years id love to be near the beach.

any other thoughts for cool little neighbourhoods within that santamonica/west hollywood area?

thanks for all the replys guys

[Sorcerer68]

My Manhattan friends say that Old Pasadena is the closest thing in L.A. to the East Village. You can get a killer loft like one in SOHO in Downtown for about 1/6 the price.

[furnitureprincess]

Well if you are from NY you won't be in for the shock of a lifetime here in LA. Yes, the traffic is that bad. Beverly Hills to Pasadena will take 45 minutes minimum at non-peak times. During traffic times (which now seem to be 7:00am-10:00am and 3:00pm-7:00pm) it could easily take 1-1/2 to 2 hours. And that's to get you apx 18-20 miles. Sad isn't it.

Santa Monica is a great place to live, but it'll cost you . . . a lot. It has some of the most expensive real-estate (own or rental) in SoCal. If you go inland a bit it won't cost you quite so much. Around 20th street is where it begins to get a bit cheaper.

Venice is cool, but has its share of shady parts. There is a HEAVY gang infestation in one part

I'd looks for WeHo, Santa Monica or like I said, near 3rd st in Bev Hills.

Good Luck and welcome!

[3tulips]

I too, think Pasadena is the best fit for people coming from Manhattan. It is a fabulous place to live. However, if you are working on the west side, I don't recommend the commute.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by 3tulips

I too, think Pasadena is the best fit for people coming from Manhattan. It is a fabulous place to live. However, if you are working on the west side, I don't recommend the commute.

what would you say are the similarities? from the vantage point of someone who has to travel there weekly, i really like pasadena, and don't think it's anything like new york. manhattan is a great place to take a kick-ass urban vacation if you have lots of money to spend on shopping, dining out, theater tickets, and such, but i wouldn't want to live there. however, the pasadena/san marino area is near the top of my list of places to which i would move if i could afford to buy a home anywhere in the LA area. if i could live anywhere in the country, barring all the places that are simply unfit for human habitation, manhattan would be my penultimate choice, right above vegas.

[tazz2007]

ok well pasadena seems like it will be to far away - doesnt seem like the best option (considering coming from living 20 mins from anywhere i need to be at any time)

at the moment im paying a lot to live in the village and looking at the rentals in santa monica, i think id be able to afford a decent place.

so what are the parts of venice that i should be avoiding if i have a look around there?