Single, thrity, female - looking for a buzzy area in Los Angeles (Pasadena: apartments)

[bonnie123]

Hi,

I've been told LA doesn't have a central area, and people don't really walk anywhere. But I'm moving from Sydney, Australia and am looking for just that! Is it impossible?

I'm looking for a good area with shops and bars, not manically posh or not a dangerous area or suburbia - somewhere 'inner city'. But with a sense of community (like the Village in New York) Also somewhere reletively inexpensive - I know I'm being picky but I'm hoping that an area like this exists.

I haven't found a job yet, (am an actress) - oh no you say, not another one!

In one of the posts I saw 'west hollywood' as being an option, could anyone tell me if that is right, or set me straight?

Thanks a lot!

[Sorcerer68]

West Hollywood isn't exactly walkable and you may find housing prohibitively expensive for a struggling actress unless you want roommates. The southern part of WeHo is "boystown", the very, very gay part of West Hollywood and Santa Monica Blvd is where most of the gay bars and clubs and gay oriented businesses are. It's also the most walkable part of Weho if you want to walk up and down Santa Monica Blvd. The northern part is the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Hills laden with celeb homes. It's true, L.A. doesn't have one central area, it has many. We do have a downtown that was long neglected and is now in the process of a beautiful rebirth.

Walkable and Buzz and not expensive:
Old Pasadena is my #1 choice. ALL my friends from NYC say the same thing: it's the closest thing we have in L.A. to the Village and I have to agree. I like to hang out at the Mona Lisa Cafe on Bleeker Street when I'm in NYC. Anyay, it's a gorgeous walkable urban village just north of Downtown and an easy drive or train ride to Hollywood. Architecture is stunning, the choice of shops, clubs, cafes with sidewalk seating, boutiques, lovely parks, gorgeous tree lined streets with antique street lamps....sublime. You can find quite reasonable apartments here within walking distance of Old Pasadena. It's safe and very clean. I lived there for a few years and would move back in a heartbeat. Some people will say it's expensive and it's not. It's only expensive if you rent an expensive apartment and believe me, they're available. I love it so much I maintain an office there. It has a vibe like no other place in the L.A. area. I had 74 restaurants within walking distance of my place when I lived there 4 years ago. Since I have some time, I'll make you a little collage:
Looking north on Raymond Avenue:

City Hall:

Closeup of facade on Colorado:

Sidewalk dining on Colorado:


Los Feliz is also a nice walkable area. It borders East Hollywood, is very hip and you'll see lots of celebs like Leo and Tobey who both live in Los Feliz. It's not as extensive or pretty as Old Pas but is near many Hollywood landmarks. There's quite a little scene here. I've lived in Los Feliz 6 months (I'm an L.A. native) and I like it here. It's got a great mix of people. You can find reasonable housing here as well (by L.A. standards) despite the fact that upper Los Feliz is a hillside of mansions. Los Feliz also includes Griffith Park and Griffith Park Observatory as lovely Frank Lloyd Wright architectural creations:
Ennis-Brown House

Los Feliz Village along Vermont

Griffith Park/Observatory


Silverlake is walkable just directly around Sunset Junction and has also become quite trendy. I find apartments a little more than Los Feliz's best deals but you can still find something reasonable. Silverlake has long been a gay mecca and is now quite trendy, as is Los Feliz.

Sunset Junction in SIlverlake:

"Silvertop", one of the many examples of Silverlake modernist architecture:

Silverlake Reservoir, where cool people walk:

I think the 3 places I mentioned would serve you well. There are others like Santa Monica but housing may be prohibitively expensive for you.

[wildgift]

West Hollywood is good. Silverlake is good. Atwater Village is quieter, but still has some edge to it. Koreatown is cheap and interesting, and less dangerous than it looks. Traffic sucks, so you need to be close to audition opportunities.

[OutOfSoCal]

The lofts downtown LA. The downtown area is booming with Staple Center and now Nokia theatre opening. Lots of restaurants and always something going on. two blocks in the wrong direction its not exactly safe

[jessemh431]

If you plan on staying a while, try Downtown LA. You can get nice condos and lofts for a relatively cheap price, but most people expect downtown to become a hip and desirable area, and it may be worth it to buy a place there if you plan on staying a while.

If you are homophobic in the least, my advice is to stay the hell away from West Hollywood.

Personally, I agree with Sorcerer, as I usually do, whether I post about it or not, that Pasadena is one of the nicest areas in LA. You get much more for your money and South Pasadena is actually rated as one of the top 10 best areas in all of LA. SoPas is actually the only place I would live away from the coastal cities.

[JackSparrow]

Westwood_________________________

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

...Since I have some time, I'll make you a little collage...

Thanks for those awesome pics and comments! I'm moving to LA next spring. I'd already been thinking about Los Feliz, but based on your comments I'm definitely going to look into Old Pasadena.

[jessemh431]

Well, actually, Old Town is the hip downtown area, but South Pasadena is the upscale, safe area. Although Old Town is a safe area, SoPas is much safer.