Finally completed the move... (Los Angeles, Long Beach: property taxes, house, condos)

[tired of being inside]

Well, I spent a lot of time spent on this thread figuring out where to live, what to expect once I moved my wife and two young boys out here and gleaned some very valuable info and insights. And so far it is AWESOME to be here. Not everything is perfect but here is what I can say so far having been here just over a month:

1. Long Beach is better than I expected, even downtown here at one of the new loft buildings. True, the neighborhood can change quickly and feel dicey but the edge seems to be part of what this district is about. But Pine Ave, Ocean Blvd, the bike/jogging/walking path, the waterfront, it's looking great overall. Plenty of good walking to be had, even with the kids in the stroller.

2. The Blue Line works fine from downtown LB to downtown LA. It can get kind of crowded but it's much more subdued than the NY subway, I've found, even as it goes through the more infamous neighborhoods.

3. Downtown LA seems to be way behind downtown LB in terms of getting true street life. Yes, LA has way more condos built and being built but where are the people? I work in South Park and there's lots of cranes and a Star Bucks, but overall it's pretty dead. Seems like there's more action near 7th around the metro area.

4. Hollywood Blvd has been like a fantastic mix of Times Square and St. Mark's Place in NYC's East Village. H&H is nice with it's things for the kids but it gets much cooler walking east towards Vine.

5. Santa Monica may be about the best place I've ever seen as a place to live. It's like Hoboken, NJ but with the bluffs, beach and better looking people. If it had a train line I would be nagging my wife every day for us to move their once our lease is up here.

6. The suburban areas are all deadening, can't stand them. East LB near the Town Center Mall, Cerritos, Torrance, Carson...with their freeways and high end strip malls they could easily be suburban NJ with palm trees. My discovery thus far is that there really IS urban life (albeit with nicer weather) in Southern Cal.

7. This move so far feels like the best thing I did. Though there are still plenty of headaches (haven't sold my house back in NJ yet), it feels right in So Cal. Hope it feels this way years down the road!

8. Thanks again to so many posters to this forum for your words of wisdom. I love LA!

[abstrak_tokatl]

glad you're enjoying it.
a couple notes on your questions.

3. most people from L.A. kinda stay out of down town unless they have to. and usually that reason is jury duty. (for me it's too crowded).

5. the train line is coming but it's still in the works. People are protesting it. For now the best public way to go would be the blue line to the 720 (i think). Check MTA's website metro.net | Transit Services and Information for Los Angeles County for the exact route.

[TheRealAngelion]

Glad to hear you made it to town safely and so far, so good. Have you been to the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach along 2nd Street? That's another great area of LB and has a different feel from DTLB.

[Sorcerer68]

Glad to hear you finally made it. You have some very right-on observations.

[Caliguy2007]

Welcome to California and as you've noticed their is so much to see and do in Southern CA and you'll be amazed with the Variety as well.

Originally Posted by tired of being inside

Well, I spent a lot of time spent on this thread figuring out where to live, what to expect once I moved my wife and two young boys out here and gleaned some very valuable info and insights. And so far it is AWESOME to be here. Not everything is perfect but here is what I can say so far having been here just over a month:

1. Long Beach is better than I expected, even downtown here at one of the new loft buildings. True, the neighborhood can change quickly and feel dicey but the edge seems to be part of what this district is about. But Pine Ave, Ocean Blvd, the bike/jogging/walking path, the waterfront, it's looking great overall. Plenty of good walking to be had, even with the kids in the stroller.

2. The Blue Line works fine from downtown LB to downtown LA. It can get kind of crowded but it's much more subdued than the NY subway, I've found, even as it goes through the more infamous neighborhoods.

3. Downtown LA seems to be way behind downtown LB in terms of getting true street life. Yes, LA has way more condos built and being built but where are the people? I work in South Park and there's lots of cranes and a Star Bucks, but overall it's pretty dead. Seems like there's more action near 7th around the metro area.

4. Hollywood Blvd has been like a fantastic mix of Times Square and St. Mark's Place in NYC's East Village. H&H is nice with it's things for the kids but it gets much cooler walking east towards Vine.

5. Santa Monica may be about the best place I've ever seen as a place to live. It's like Hoboken, NJ but with the bluffs, beach and better looking people. If it had a train line I would be nagging my wife every day for us to move their once our lease is up here.

6. The suburban areas are all deadening, can't stand them. East LB near the Town Center Mall, Cerritos, Torrance, Carson...with their freeways and high end strip malls they could easily be suburban NJ with palm trees. My discovery thus far is that there really IS urban life (albeit with nicer weather) in Southern Cal.

7. This move so far feels like the best thing I did. Though there are still plenty of headaches (haven't sold my house back in NJ yet), it feels right in So Cal. Hope it feels this way years down the road!

8. Thanks again to so many posters to this forum for your words of wisdom. I love LA!

[dennismpat]

Welcome to the neighborhood! Glad to know you and your family are settling in nicely.

[LASam]

Welcome to LA! If you want to see where all the foot traffic is in DTLA you should check out the old historic district east of the Financial District, and the Fashion District just south of there. The Financial District is similar to Wall St in NY, people work there but there's not many reasons to be there on the weekend. South Park is a work in process, it'll be lively soon enough!

[tired of being inside]

Originally Posted by TheRealAngelion

Glad to hear you made it to town safely and so far, so good. Have you been to the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach along 2nd Street? That's another great area of LB and has a different feel from DTLB.

I have and it's great, too. What I like about downtown though is that it has so many different things to see, from Rainbow Harbor and the Pine Ave Pier, the bars of Pine Ave to the arts areas, all easily walkable. And we can always hop in the car for some nicer parks and mall shopping (if absolutely necessary) and the nicer beaches of Seal, Huntington, etc.

Only real complaint about LBC is the stupid breakwater making the beach kind of nasty (no waves, extra pollution from that and from the LA and SG river run off...).

But overall it's great!

[PureHapa]

Congratulations on your move! Another benefit? If you buy a home, property taxes are much lower than New Jersey's. But you probably already know that!

[JackSparrow]

Originally Posted by tired of being inside

I have and it's great, too. What I like about downtown though is that it has so many different things to see, from Rainbow Harbor and the Pine Ave Pier, the bars of Pine Ave to the arts areas, all easily walkable. And we can always hop in the car for some nicer parks and mall shopping (if absolutely necessary) and the nicer beaches of Seal, Huntington, etc.

Only real complaint about LBC is the stupid breakwater making the beach kind of nasty (no waves, extra pollution from that and from the LA and SG river run off...).

But overall it's great!

I love LA, and I am glad you didn't listen to the naysayers on these forums. Welcome!

I will say, the Pacific is DEFINITELY not the Atlantic. I spent my share of summers in NJ and Delaware, and the Atlantic is def. warmer and cleaner with better waves in some areas. You can find decent beaches around though, consider it another exploration session.

Welcome again!