Is LA the place for me. (San Diego, Long Beach: sales, apartments, rentals)

[travis2999]

All,

I been posting in different sections on this forum. With a new position I have an opportunity to stay in CHI, or relocate any where in the Pacific or Mountain time zone. I am 31 yr old single male with a 3 yr old boxer that will be joining the adventure. Long story short I want to live in a warmer climate and it would be easier to manage work being the right time zone instead of staying in the Central...

Wishlist
-close to airport
- good night life
- shops
- restaurants
-near a beach a plus
- vibrant area

rent $1400 - but cheaper would be nice. Any areas for consideration please let me know. I would like to entertain every idea.

Places I've considered - San Diego, Phx AZ, Tempe AZ, Scottsdale AZ.

[loloroj]

Good luck. Just how close do you want to be to the beach? Vibrant area, what the hell does that mean? You want to party your ass off, lots of jobs and families? Man, do you think that you're the only one that has this kind of mental Disneyland bouncing around their heads? The density near beach towns is horrendous, too many people living in too small an area. So your $1400 per month, depending on how close you want to get to the sand, is either going to get you a shack or it's going to get you a decent apartment.

If you're talking about Westchester, since you seem to want to live near an airport, it's either a slum or a right nice area. But you'll be paying more than $1400 for real nice place close to the ocean. Before you and your dog start trekking your way out here, you should have a much better game plan than the one you pointed out in your post. Are you going to be willing to commute? Just what is it that you think will be that great about LA?

I may be harsh, but I've seen so many people just like you come to the coast thinking one thing and getting the exact opposite. If for nothing else, think about your dog. Are you willing to have him locked up in a crappy apartment all day so that you can pursue your vibrant lifestyle?

[PDF]

If you want to live near the beach/airport and have a dog, LA is going to be too expensive for your budget.

[415_s2k]

OP may be able to find a place in Venice, Mar Vista, or Playa Del Rey. It's entirely possible. You could certainly spend more if you wanted... but I'm sure he could find a decent place. Right on the sand? No. But a few blocks to a mile in? Yeah.

[loloroj]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

OP may be able to find a place in Venice, Mar Vista, or Playa Del Rey. It's entirely possible. You could certainly spend more if you wanted... but I'm sure he could find a decent place. Right on the sand? No. But a few blocks to a mile in? Yeah.

Playa del Rey, no. Mar Vista, yeah. And Mar Vista is vibrant all right, but not in the way he thinks it is...

[woodsart]

Having a dog will be difficult at $1400 a month if you are anywhere near the coast. From what I have seen (as a fellow large-dog owner living in LA), Westside is not particularly fond of dogs. Not nearly as many affordable rentals that allow dogs.

That said, there is a place I know of in Santa Monica that allows dogs up to 50 lbs for about $1400 a month. It is nowhere near the beach (it is not reasonably walkable to the beach) but it's close for driving. However, you will be crammed in a 350 square foot apartment.

Welcome to LA.

I live over in Pasadena area and I found it much more dog-friendly and affordable. It is still expensive. And it is not close to the airport, although if you are on a metro stop like I am you can take the metro to the train station, and there is a bus that takes you to the airport, so you don't have to drive/park your car. It's only $10 one way, cheaper than parking. Works for me. I just read or work on the bus. I fly about once a month.

If I had the entire West Coast to go for, I'd go for Portland or Seattle, but I like the rain. Otherwise, if I wanted sun, I'd go for San Diego. You might also look at Long Beach.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by travis2999

I been posting in different sections on this forum.

Why?

Looking at JUST your wishlish, LA looks fine for you.

Your apartment budget will get you a below average to average 1 bedroom, and your dog will make it relatively difficult to find an apartment.

[nightlysparrow]

Pasadena has everything you request except a beach. The airport would be in Burbank.

[jm1982]

Listen to 2PAC's "To live and Die in L.A" then get back to us!

I think with your criteria , it MAY be the place for you.. it probably WILL be more expensive than those other places.


If you have considered places in Arizona..how important is the beach to you.

You should be able to rent a decent place for $1400 mo. The might be an issue. I do notice a lot of people in apartments that have dogs though.

It's hard for us to say...because while you might have all the things on your wish list...L.A also has some very real big city problems and the city (in my opinion) isn't really competent to handle a lot of them.

Traffic some of the worst in the country , big homeless problem , high crime in a lot of areas, high sales taxes, gas prices highest in nation. When you call the city for anything expect to be handled rudely or basically given the run around. I am not sure how it is where you live currently.

Some of these are things people don't really consider , but can eventually lead to dissatisfaction .

If you are in CHicago I've heard they got a lot of problems too though.

[marilyn220]

Originally Posted by travis2999

All,

I been posting in different sections on this forum. With a new position I have an opportunity to stay in CHI, or relocate any where in the Pacific or Mountain time zone. I am 31 yr old single male with a 3 yr old boxer that will be joining the adventure. Long story short I want to live in a warmer climate and it would be easier to manage work being the right time zone instead of staying in the Central...

Wishlist
-close to airport
- good night life
- shops
- restaurants
-near a beach a plus
- vibrant area

rent $1400 - but cheaper would be nice. Any areas for consideration please let me know. I would like to entertain every idea.

Places I've considered - San Diego, Phx AZ, Tempe AZ, Scottsdale AZ.

Move to LA. Either in Hollywood or West Hollywood. All the clubs are there.