Reality check for Los Angeles. (Westwood, Lakeview: transfer, safe area, quality of life)

[moonsparkle]

You can easily find a spacious 1-bedroom in Chicago, even in Lakeview/Lincoln Park for $700-800. It might be an older building, but it won't be that bad either. That would be considered a good deal in LA to find that in really any LA neighborhood.

[BarcelonaFan]

Originally Posted by trancedout

You can easily find a spacious 1-bedroom in Chicago, even in Lakeview/Lincoln Park for $700-800. It might be an older building, but it won't be that bad either. That would be considered a good deal in LA to find that in really any LA neighborhood.

700 bucks? Nice apartment in Chicago? I think that's a steal for a major metro city like Chicago!

So in other words Chicago really is the last affordable world city?

[stephei2000]

Originally Posted by trancedout

You can easily find a spacious 1-bedroom in Chicago, even in Lakeview/Lincoln Park for $700-800. It might be an older building, but it won't be that bad either. That would be considered a good deal in LA to find that in really any LA neighborhood.

A spacious 1 bed in Lincoln Park/Lakeview. That is a joke try around 1000. 700-800 can get you a one bedroom in less gentified neighborhoods, and yes living in old building suck. The circulation is bad and you can not control your own heat. I hate that as I not a heat fan. It dries out my face, sinus and throat so I sound like a frog. Lastly, the heat messes up my sleep as I like it cold. I look forward to only using heat maybe one week a year that I control in L.A if I ever move there/

[stephei2000]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

700 bucks? Nice apartment in Chicago? I think that's a steal for a major metro city like Chicago!

So in other words Chicago really is the last affordable world city?

You can get a small studio for that price in Lakeview but it wont be great not really Lincoln Park.

I found a owner condo for that price and one for 850 in Lincoln Park, but you have to snatch those deals fast.

If I stay another year in Chicago those will be the only apartment I will be looking for as they are about as close to modern as you get in the city.

Also, you have to remember why it is so cheap. We put up with the cold weather and conforming mindset.

People in Chicago especially in the yuppie neighborhoods are really into what do you do types 9-5. If you think outside of that good luck.

I am not even imagine trying to find apartment here without a job lined up as it is very midwestern mentality here and not progressive.

[stephei2000]

Originally Posted by trancedout

You can easily find a spacious 1-bedroom in Chicago, even in Lakeview/Lincoln Park for $700-800. It might be an older building, but it won't be that bad either. That would be considered a good deal in LA to find that in really any LA neighborhood.

Have you ever lived a true older building. In L.A a lot of things are suburban style and new. This makes a difference in the quality of the apartment. You can smell in hallway funk in some these apartments in Chicago just walking down the street. There is a big quality issue in apartment living in Chicago. The whole thing about Chicago motto is "you pay for the neighborhood" Ok fine, but does that mean not take care of your property. They get away with that here.

Unlike L.A. I have seen many nice looking apartments on craigslist, but that might not be the best reliable source.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by marilyn220

It was always about finding permanent work as an Executive Assistant. The worst thing I could have done in LA (which isn't job suicide in NY) is working "temp". I found out later that LA companies look "down" upon people that work temp. There are people that have been working for years with temp agencies not because they "want" to, but because they have no other choice. Once you do "temp" in LA, you're basically trapped. It's not a problem for a low wage gig though.

LA is a place where you need to have your own little side gigs to make ends meet. The only people I know that got a job in LA with no connections are two - both of them with accounting degrees.



You're correct that LA has just about the same type of diversity as NYC, but everyone in LA seems to hangout with their own kind. It doesn't matter if they grew up here. They won't have too many friends outside of their racial/cultural makeup and I can't stand it.

I remember growing up and all the first generation kids I knew never really repped their backgrounds. They were almost ashamed to have to speak to italian, greek or spanish to their parents in front of us. People "assimilated" back then, but now it's changed. Now, everybody wants to say what their "cultural" background is and you don't care. Okay, you're italian, but when's the last time your family has been to Italy? Can you speak the language? Yeah, you're irish, but other than great grandma Mary, when's the last time you visited the "old country"?



I never found this to be a problem in NYC for me. I never knew what "struggle" was or fear of being homeless until I moved to LA. It was the most horrible and stressful experience of my life which I do not ever want to repeat in the future.

Yeah I think different people have different experiences. My wife started as a temp and is now partners at the place she worked. I'm a manager and I hired 3 of my staff members from a temp agency. I don't think it's a general thing. Again, I think it's just about individual experiences. I've met people that lived in NYC and they said living in LA was way easier. So that leads me to believe it's all based on different people's experience.

[MechaFranko]

I honestly believe your post is too long. So I didn't read all of it, as I got bored by the whining, Truth is you're right in the things you complain about but that is the price to pay for living in one of the biggest and coolest cities in the U.S.A.

You have the beach,mountains,the Lakers and Clippers soon an NFL team and a Farmers Football Stadium worth $2 billion, beautiful weather and also gorgeous women. I honestly don't know what you're talking about when you say that the beautiful people in LA are not as good looking as in the movies. There is an overflow of mamasitas in DTLA and surroundings, the most interracial state, open minded, where homosexual are accepted and even have an important role in the fashion industry, weed is LEGAL, and we had Terminator for a Governor. problems are millions the ones I personally hate are excessive homeless, smell of **** and dog **** (This is for Downtown), Gas prices that is everywhere in the USA, Healthcare, Jobs bla bla bla bla.

I guess I feel comfortable everywhere I am, but if i had to choose somewhere to live LA is in the top list.

[IH8CA]

Originally Posted by The Illusive Man

Really? I've seen the same exact thing in Tampa and St.Louis when I went to those two towns recently. Mostly an LA thing? Get out a little more.

Moderator cut: rude

Tampa to me was like a smaller LA type place.. For a small "podunk" city, Tampa can be cutting edge. I was often surprised when I went there. Cigar City, Gaybor, good music scene. In fact its a bit more enjoyable than L.A and combine St Pete in that deal and you have it frikken made and LESS traffic than California big cities period. They highly overrate Ca.. there are many good places to live not named L.A that you can find. Even if I could make the cut in L.A, I would not go. The aggravation of living there day in and day out would get me, even if I was assured and told some truth that I'd easily make it there in acting with my charm. I'd pick Tampa Bay instead or my homecity area of Lowell MA. This comes from a guy who turns down opportunities to have his rent paid for by his mom and stepdad which most would gladly accept. I would feel very guilty as a matter of fact. I like to work for something in a more gritty environment.. I am not one for glamour. Give me a bluecollar/lower class city with a good foundation and thats where I will go or a place with real, preferably middle of the road types, but not mediocre. This place has to have decent goals or community based goals and teamwork.. Sacramento someone hinted was stuck in Mediocrity.. yes very true.. thats also not the place to be and they lose many jobs by the week it seems.

[BarcelonaFan]

Mechafranko, LA is not shangri-LA. The women are beautiful but TX and Florida take the cake on the most beautiful in the country. Weed is semi legal. The gay community is based too much around a very steteotypical niche market so that's what makes it so acceptable here, and having the Republican governater was not a good thing.

Gas, rent and lack of jobs are the only downside. But those downsides make a huge difference.

[jtamay3]

Whoever mentioned Chicago as an affordable city is only looking at one aspect, and that's rent prices. Even then, while you can get a studio or tiny 1 bedroom in Lakeview for about $900, you're dealing with the BS that comes with it. Bad odors, no parking, people walking past your door at all hours of the night, landlord management that doesn't care, shared heat, etc. That's just with housing. They're about to raise the sales tax again, property taxes are getting raised because of the stupid Chicago Teacher's Union, and they want to add a privilege tax for things such as small as getting a haircut. Gas prices are arguably higher than LA's, the city is in constant flux because of crooked politicians, and the mayor seems to upset a new group of people every week. Don't forget about our outsourced, high as heck, parking meters where it costs $8 bucks to park on a public street for 2.5 hours and that money goes to a private company since the city sold the rights to those meters in one of the dumbest decisions in recent memory.

That's just the city, not even talking about the idiocy of the State of Illinois.