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Old 01-21-2014, 05:58 PM
 
3 posts, read 3,594 times
Reputation: 10

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Hello everyone
I am 33 years old and single and ready to plan my next step in my life.
I am planning to move to LA from London in June 2014. I am currently in the process of applying for an 01 Visa (exceptional talent). I am a freelance makeup artist with a wealth of experience.
I have visited LA twice and love it. I have driven in LA also. Slight nightmare, almost similar to London.
All in all I have visited the USA about seven times.

I am mainly moving because it is the next step in my career in terms of level of work I will get to do. I have been taken on by an agency. So part of the battle is won. I have a few friends in LA (some European, some US), industry and non-industry and a few industry friends from London will be joining me in the next year or so. I also love the weather and the positive attitude here. I understand that LA is all about self-promotion but I am quite similar in that respect too.

I will be going to LA with approximately $25,000 USD initially and this will be topped up by another $30,000 USD.

I am trying to do as much research as possible to make the transistion as smooth as possible.
I am considering renting in the Studio City/Sherman Oaks area.
I am just asking for any additional tips/advice residents of LA can give me such as other possible rental locations (I don't want to spend more than $1,500 per month), opinions on banks, health insurance, leasing or owning a car, advice about the metro (I am used to public transport and with the traffic I may decide to use the metro sometimes), good places to meet good guys etc etc.
Thank you all
Nicola
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Old 01-21-2014, 06:53 PM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 15,034,390 times
Reputation: 12532
Health insurance:

VisitorsCoverage Insurance for USA visitors, Travel medical Insurance, Visitor Health Insurance.
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Old 01-21-2014, 07:46 PM
 
3 posts, read 3,594 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you @nightlysparrow.
I have been reading through past threads, however any opinion helps
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Old 01-21-2014, 08:15 PM
 
1,351 posts, read 2,900,273 times
Reputation: 1835
$25k to start off in LA should be plenty.

may i ask why you picked studio city/sherman oaks? if it's close to where you will be working, that's great. otherwise you definitely want to live as close to work as possible.

try to come up with as detailed a monthly budget as you can, one that includes:

rent
utilities (gas, electric, water)
internet
cable TV if you watch it
cellphone bill - highly recommend a cheap plan, virginmobileusa.com is really cheap
monthly car maintenance
gas bill for the car - this can get expensive quickly if you drive around a lot
car insurance payment - see if you can get a good insurance plan, AAA is pretty good
health insurance - not sure if your work will cover this or not, so look into it
food - cook at home if you can to save money (feel free to invite me over )
spare cash for outings etc
if you happen to have any debts such as student loans etc from back home, make sure you can continue to make those payments if you still have to
banks - will you be transferring money to/from home a lot? find one that doesn't have crazy fees
credit cards - it's wise to have at least 1 or two if you don't already have them, but im guessing you already do
gym membership (or yoga or other fitness related classes) - if you'll be working out

if you do buy a used car, make sure to get it inspected by a mechanic you really trust before you buy, and keep in mind that anything less than $8 - $10k is most likely garbage. personally i would recommend leasing a new car, or one of those dealer certified pre-owned ones.

as for good places to meet good guys - send me a PM. i'm a great guy 8-)
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Old 01-21-2014, 08:21 PM
 
Location: TOVCCA
8,452 posts, read 15,034,390 times
Reputation: 12532
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDNGirl1980 View Post
Thank you @nightlysparrow.
I have been reading through past threads, however any opinion helps
OK. Leasing a car sounds good, but many if not most people in LA end up driving more than the allotted 10,000 miles per year, which incurs substantial penalties:

How To Spot a Good Car Lease - Edmunds.com

Banks are all about the same. Even illegal immigrants can open an account.

Studio City/Sherman oaks is a good bet because Universal is right there, and you can go east from there to Disney, NBC, etc. in Burbank, and also south to the studios in Hollywood.
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Old 01-21-2014, 09:36 PM
 
1,965 posts, read 3,307,657 times
Reputation: 1913
Don't expect the public transportation in LA to be comparable to the Metro in London. The stops are far away from most useful destinations. When I last used the LA subway, which was about 6 years ago, it didn't even seem that they had an effective way of guaranteeing that the riders actually paid. I boarded in H-wood and rode down to Staples center.

Most people accept that they will require a car. I am pretty handy mechanically, and mechanics still try to rip me off. The pre purchase inspections can be somewhat haphazard anyway.

In terms of culture, I can guarantee you will love the weather and the beauty of the people around you in LA. However, the museums here (and the rest of the US for that matter) are quite lacking in terms of content that you may expect in the UK or mainland Europe. The Getty is worth seeing simply for the gorgeous view though.
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Old 01-22-2014, 01:33 PM
 
3 posts, read 3,594 times
Reputation: 10
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you so much for your wealth of information. I am glad by receiving your responses that I am researching in the right areas.
@ElysianEagle I decided on Studio City/Sherman Oaks primarly because parts of it seemed a little more European influenced. I love Beverly Hills but I have to be realistic! Also I spent time in Santa Monica in November and it can get a little breezy that way. I also have been checking out Van Nuys and Valley Village but the general consensus here is that they are not the best areas to go to.
As I am a freelancer I can be anywhere from Downtown LA to BelAir for a celeb.
I have been looking at rental properties that include water and properties that have a free fitness centre.
I have bought a US Iphone 5s which has a lock in with Sprint if I get a contract and I also have a TMobile sim card with unlimited text and web etc
I don't tend to watch Cable but I have factored the costs as I will need internet and landline.
I also researched Brits in LA and I have recommendations for Health insurance, Car insurance, dentist and accountants etc
Trust me I have taken to cooking a little bit more here just to get into the mood to cook a lot whilst I am in LA.
The only surprising thing is the car leasing. I thought I could buy a car but if anything below $8000 is no good then I may consider leasing.
I may take you up on the offer. Will be out there in June. PM coming your way
@nightlysparrow
I heard you can incur charges if driving over a certain mileage. Thank you it is good to know about the banks also
@RoaminRebel Thank you for your advice. I wasn't even beginning to compare the metro to London Underground. I just wanted to know peoples opinions travelling on it as opposed to driving all the time especially during rush hour. I am not looking at comfort but ease. I have been caught up in LA rush hour and I don't fancy it too often. As for culture I am not expecting to compare LA to London. LA is a newer city and it would be quite arrogant to compare the two. I am moving to LA to experience a different way of life not to compare.
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Old 01-22-2014, 07:47 PM
 
1,351 posts, read 2,900,273 times
Reputation: 1835
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDNGirl1980 View Post
As I am a freelancer I can be anywhere from Downtown LA to BelAir for a celeb.
if you're a freelancer, then i'm assuming you switch jobs often, like maybe once a year or perhaps even more frequently than that.

if that is indeed the case, then definitely make sure to not sign a lease longer than a year, and ideally try to find a place that is close to not just your current job but also close enough to where your future jobs are likely to be - if you can anticipate them, that is. also do take into account the neighborhoods you like to hang out in, in terms of bars and nightlife, and where most of your friends are. you don't want to have to drive out 45+ minutes every time you want to chill with your friends

a scenario i've seen played out repeatedly here in LA is that a person signs onto a lease or buys a home, then has to change jobs (or job locations) for whatever reason, and their next gig is 1.5 hrs away from where they live. they tend to be miserable most days of the week
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Old 01-22-2014, 08:04 PM
 
1,319 posts, read 2,196,022 times
Reputation: 651
Check out Burbank as well. It's close to the studios, DTLA and Hollywood. Most cars under $8000 will be used and probably not reliable.
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Old 01-23-2014, 09:29 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
175 posts, read 287,933 times
Reputation: 224
Im from London, but live in Los Angeles and Im a makeup artist. Send me a message if you like, i can help you with everything you need. Might want to check out Burbank, as said above as it has some walkability versus other areas. really really do NOT take LA metro is is nothing like the tube. Im assuming by freelance you mean each and every job is in a different place on any given day, not what ElysianEagle was envisioning. Anyway, wont blather on here, happy to help, just let me know what you need
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