Moving From NY To LA - Thinking Of Long Beach - Need Help (Vista: sales, real estate)

[find5470]

Hi,

I'm moving in a few weeks and need some help, in terms of where to live etc.

I've done extensive research and everybody is saying that traffic is bad, stay away from the 405, live where you work, find an apartment with parking, don't go inland etc.

I've narrowed my search down to the the Belmont / Belmont Shore area, and anything as close to 2nd St as possible.

I'm a 30yr old black male...

I wanted to be as close to the beach as possible.

I did searches on all the social networking sites, and narrowed it down to black people around my age and just women. I figured if the women were ok living in an area, the men would be ok with it too.

I initially wanted to do Santa Monica, but searches of the social networking sites and personal ads online, showed it to be predominantly white, so I switched to long Beach.

I'm hoping to live in a neighberhood, and not have to go far for entertainment, hence my mention of race.

Are there lounges/clubs in long beach that are not frat house bars packed with students?

Is Long Beach really my best bet, in terms of what I'm looking for?

I'm in the arts - modeling, music, acting, and I'm also a realtor.

Job offers so far - realtor with Prudential, and sales mgr for a gym.

Regardless of what I end up doing I'll still have my hands in real estate somehow...

Giving as much info as possible so the responses can be a bit more relevant instead of general.

Any help at all will be appreciated.

Interested in a 1 or 2 bed under $1300 with a garage.

Thank you for reading thru all of this.

Ps.

I'll be driving from NY,

could anyone who's made that drive before, also give some tips.

I'm not interested in seeing sights, just getting from NY to LA.

Is sleeping in the car, really ok?

are there other alternatives that are not that expensive?

Last time I slept in a motel, the bed bugs had a buffet without my permission.

Thx again...

[jessemh431]

Long Beach will definitely be OK if you're black. Most of West LA (where SM is) is white or Middle Eastern. I don't believe you can find a 2 bed that cheap, but a 1 bed is possible. Are you coming from NYC? If so, downtown LB is the best place for you since it is actually urban, unlike some believe.

LB has a pretty distinct arts district, so you will be fine with that. A realtor in LB in general is no good since we are in a market slump, but the coastal cities such as Belmont Shore are selling fine.

This one is literally right on the beach
REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

90803 Homes, Real Estate, Condominiums & More - REALTOR.com

REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

on the way here, rent an RV if you can.

[find5470]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Long Beach will definitely be OK if you're black. Most of West LA (where SM is) is white or Middle Eastern. I don't believe you can find a 2 bed that cheap, but a 1 bed is possible. Are you coming from NYC? If so, downtown LB is the best place for you since it is actually urban, unlike some believe.

LB has a pretty distinct arts district, so you will be fine with that. A realtor in LB in general is no good since we are in a market slump, but the coastal cities such as Belmont Shore are selling fine.

This one is literally right on the beach
REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

90803 Homes, Real Estate, Condominiums & More - REALTOR.com

REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

on the way here, rent an RV if you can.

Thank you Jess

[dougnaie]

I'd say Long Beach would meet your needs on many levels. Check the Grunion Gazette, if you haven't already, for rentals and jobs in the Belmont Shore area. To live, I would think you would be fine in Naples, Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights, or Bluff Park. It is hard to beat the lifestyle here, although funnily enough I am relocating the the east coast myself. I do not think as a black male you'll experience any problems living here, although I am a white female, so what do I know? . I would say that you may find some of the bars on 2nd St. to be frat like at times - you may find more variety of people downtown...I know there are several places there that I hear good things about as sort of more "big city." Long Beach, while having close to 500,000 people, and being 55 square miles, particularly in the Second St. area, has a real small town feel to it. That will either appeal to you, or you will hate it. I have always liked that about it myself.

My husband has made the drive across country several times, most recently last week. On more than one night, he slept in the car in a truck stop, and told me that he felt that was much safer than in a rest stop. He made it in 4 days taking the more southern route. I had packed a cooler for him before he left, and he felt that saved a lot of time (and crappy food) getting on off the road.

Good luck with the move.

[find5470]

Originally Posted by dougnaie

I'd say Long Beach would meet your needs on many levels. Check the Grunion Gazette, if you haven't already, for rentals and jobs in the Belmont Shore area. To live, I would think you would be fine in Naples, Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights, or Bluff Park. It is hard to beat the lifestyle here, although funnily enough I am relocating the the east coast myself. I do not think as a black male you'll experience any problems living here, although I am a white female, so what do I know? . I would say that you may find some of the bars on 2nd St. to be frat like at times - you may find more variety of people downtown...I know there are several places there that I hear good things about as sort of more "big city." Long Beach, while having close to 500,000 people, and being 55 square miles, particularly in the Second St. area, has a real small town feel to it. That will either appeal to you, or you will hate it. I have always liked that about it myself.

My husband has made the drive across country several times, most recently last week. On more than one night, he slept in the car in a truck stop, and told me that he felt that was much safer than in a rest stop. He made it in 4 days taking the more southern route. I had packed a cooler for him before he left, and he felt that saved a lot of time (and crappy food) getting on off the road.

Good luck with the move.

Thank you,

I had not heard of the Grunion Gazette till now, checking it out...

What food did you pack for your husband?

[find5470]

Are there places along the way (from NY to LA) where you can get free wi-fi access?

would like to periodically check e-mail on laptop, and also respond to rental listings during the trip...(if possible)

[find5470]

I just found a hotel on Grunion Gazette - Royal Hotel - [SIZE=3]

ONLY $165 PER WEEK*!
Weekly Rooms
Remodeled, Clean
And Quiet...Just Blocks From The Beach!
431 East Broadway
In "The East Village"
Call (562) 495-0633 *+ tax


Anyone know anything about this place?

Was thinking of a cheap weekly place to stay while I look at properties in the area.

[/SIZE]

[dougnaie]

I would stay out of that spot. I would also avoid anything in Alamitos Beach. Try the Seaport Marina Hotel or The Golden Sails. Fairly inexpensive. As for food that I packed, I bought boxed salads at Trader Joe's, Lots of deli meat and cheese - that sort of thing. We do not eat bread much, if at all, so I mostly went with protein based things that would keep him happy. I also packed water bottles and Diet Coke. Just pack what you like and will eat - I imagine it is different for everyone. As far as free wi-fi, I know that Starbucks has that - maybe keep your eye out for one on the road???

[TheRealAngelion]

There are blacks all over LA, including in Santa Monica and the Westside in general. Also, the most affluent black areas of LA (Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, View Park, etc.) are all near and closer to the Westside and not Long Beach. From an entertainment and socializing standpoint you see blacks shopping and at restaurants and bars all over LA. For example, I think you would see just as many blacks at restaurants in Marina Del Rey as you would in downtown Long Beach on any given day or weekend night.

Having said that, Long Beach, particularly Belmont Shore and downtown LB are very nice, and I'm sure you would feel comfortable there. LB also has a sizable black population, particularly in north LB, and some surrounding areas like Cerritos, have a good number of upper middle income/professional black families too.

Before you sign a lease you should definitely check things out first, and don't rule out the Westside just yet. Since you want to be near the beach, check out Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista, and Santa Monica once you get here.

[find5470]

Thank you,

I've read thru all the Long Beach forums on this site,

and it looks like I was right in picking Belmont Shore...


How different is Belmont Heights from Belmont Shore?

Paula recommended it as a cheaper alternative, in another forum...