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Thanks to all for the advice. I'm rather fond of Burbank, as South Pas feels a bit sterile for my taste. But I know it probably comes down to a choice between wants and needs, and needs requirement is the best school district.
I would say Burbank is significantly more "sterile" than South Pas. It's the one with tons of big box retail, strip malls, chain restaurants, etc compared to independent retailers, boutiques, and restaurants. The main thing Burbank has going for it is its proximity to the studios and being more affordable while still maintaining above average schools.
I think CV is a reasonable alternative to Burbank, but if you can afford it I really think South Pas would be the best location for what you're looking for.
Unless you are living in an apartment within walking distance to the Burbank Town Center, the distance it would take you to get to DT Burbank from suburban Burbank compared to Old Town Pasadena (driving or via Gold Line) from South Pas is negligible.
Thanks to all for the advice. I'm rather fond of Burbank, as South Pas feels a bit sterile for my taste. But I know it probably comes down to a choice between wants and needs, and needs requirement is the best school district.
If you feel like South Pasadena is too sterile but feel you need to choose it for the schools, remember to take advantage of the Gold Line stop and try and live as close as possible to it. You can go in the Old Town Pasadena direction as mentioned before, but in the LA direction you'll hit the stops for Highland Park (one stop over), Heritage Square (with several old homes/buildings from the late 1800s; tours given), Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Chinatown, Union Station with its transfers to several other lines, Little Tokyo, Mariachi Plaza, and several stops around the gentrifying Boyle Heights.
Lots of great food, events, entertainment in all those places and nothing sterile about any of them. Especially if you're in a work from home situation, you can quickly hop on the Metro and grab a weekday lunch or a late dinner somewhere other than SP.
The Gold Line is my favorite -by far- of all of the Metro lines. Even if people don't live close to it (I don't anymore) it's a great line to park near (at the stations which have parking)and just ride it to various stops when looking for something to do (including the South Pasadena farmer's market on Thursdays, which is right by the metro stop).
As for Burbank, I was thinking more about living in an apartment in the downtown area, which is the main draw for me (walkability). And I've heard good things about the schools from various sources. Otherwise, I agree -- it's just another giant suburb which, when you're not from southern California, ca be difficult to differentiate. Kind of like when you live in New York City, you call tell the different neighborhoods apart very easily. When you're visiting New York, it can all look the same. When not living in southern California full time, the entire region can be a blur of palm trees, stucco and strip malls. It takes time to appreciate the diversity and understand the areas to pursue and avoid.
And, yes, while South Pasadena is a tad sleepy for my taste, the Gold Line is a very big draw. I'm all about public transportation. My ideal would be to jettison a car altogether and rely on the trains and Uber. But, alas, in L.A. it's a tall task to be without your own set of wheels.
I agree South Pas is pretty sleepy. Sure, the area on Mission is quaint, but really, it's only several blocks, and it's not what I would call lively, even during the farmers market, even during weekends. Plus, because the neighborhood around that downtown is not densely populated, you lack the critical mass for liveliness that isn't driven in, i.e. most people drive there to hang out, then drive out. And for the most part, South Pas is *not* known for its restaurants, so really, its downtown's main draw is simply its quaintness. Not a bad thing, but it doesn't make for a lively place either.
Glendale is lively. It has an active downtown, and it has a dense enough residential population off Brand (its main drag) to qualify as lively. The town does shut down pretty early though (10 pm); interestingly, a smaller town like Alhambra (e.g. Valley Blvd.) stays open much later than a more urban place like Glendale. Glendale's school district is great. The zoning is wacky in Glendale; quite often, you'll find homes sandwiched between huge condos and apartment buildings, perhaps more so than in other cities. But tracts of single residence homes with yards do exist if that's your thing. If you live in the denser locations, you may find you hardly need a car. A good friend of mine lives near Brand, walks to Ralph's and Whole Foods, walk to Target (in the mall), to Americana, and walks to the bus stop to take a city bus (10 min ride) to Burbank to work. The city bus travels throughout the San Fernando Valley, I believe. He doesn't drive in the city except to go to a favorite restaurant of his which is across town, and to go farther away to places like Pasadena, Arcadia, the Westside, the OC, etc. Glendale has its own train stop, but it's not part of the Metro, so that is a downside. Still, you could drive a short distance and pick it up easily in downtown LA, or Pasadena, South Pas, Highland Park, etc. The buses here in LA go to a great deal of places, and it's quite easy and preferable to walk to the market, gym, optometrist, etc. instead of driving or taking the bus, provided you situate yourself in a central location.
Burbank's downtown has great potential. It's well built and attractive, perhaps more walk friendly than Glendale in that it feels more cosy. The mix of retail and restaurants is nice. But it's less active than Glendale's (keep in mind Glendale's downtown goes right up to the Glendale Galleria mall and also the mixed use Americana development). I was in Burbank's downtown recently on two weekend nights and surprised by (1) how attractive and appealing Burbank's downtown was and (2) how few people there were milling about. It could be that there's less residential density in the area to support the area, though with increased development, that likely will change. Their school district is also great; two friends have families there (grade school kids) and moved there because of the school district. Burbank has a train stop, but it's not part of the Metro system, and it's got a really funky location. But it's there. Burbank comes off to me as slightly more quiet compared to Glendale (i.e. less densely populated, probably has more single family homes compared to Glendale, I'm guessing) but it's nowhere as sleepy as South Pas. Even though Burbank's beautiful downtown is walkable, I would say much of the city is not walkable. I definitely feel it's more of a driving town, at least compared to Glendale and other parts of the LA region (e.g. K-town, Beverly Hills area along Wilshire). Of course that can change if Burbank builds more housing near its nice downtown.
Culver City has been built up over the years and is quite attractive. Plenty of apartment stock there, though houses exist. It's got a stop for the LA Metro system, so if you go there, you have access to the greater LA region along the different colored train lines. I know less about Culver City, so I can't say much more about it.
You mention you want to nix the car and use trains and Uber instead. It sounds like your kids no longer need car seats, so your plan has so real possibility. I'm based in Alhambra and much of what I do is via bus and train (city bus, regional bus, Metro train). It can be a pain sometimes, as certain bus lines aren't always as, shall we say, reliable. ;-) But even if you don't live next to a Metro stop, as long as you have a reliable bus line to a train stop, it's almost as good. A friend of mine lives along the 720 rapid bus line down Wilshire in Beverly Hills (surprisingly, her apartment is quite nice and safe but affordable and with really good schools) -- there are kids living in her neighborhood, too). That is a GREAT bus line to live by if you want to skip the car altogether. It also takes to you a Metro station, which takes you everywhere along the Metro lines. The parks and library are well-funded there, and it shows, if you're interested. Of course, there are some powerhouse museums along that route, too.
You probably already knows this, but LA can be done without a car, provided (1) you situate yourself within easy commute distance to work (sounds like this will be a non-issue for you), (2) you live in a more dense, urban neighborhood with your necessary amenities and services, and (3) you are OK bumming rides off friends, doing a car share, or hiring Uber/Lyft every now and then.
If you are OK living in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of ethnic minority immigrants (keep in mind a higher concentration of ethnic minority immigrants does not necessarily equal greater crime/ghetto/bad schools), and you are OK with a higher concentration of amenities, shops, etc. that are of the ethnic sort, you may want to consider living in such a neighborhood. Immigrants, especially those with limited English speaking skills, in my experience, tend to gravitate toward/or create walk friendly areas with smaller shops that perhaps cater to their needs (e.g. shops that offer specific grocery items they want, bakeries with specific kinds of pastries you can't get at the local Ralph's bakery section). These services are often based out of smaller storefronts, and help to create a more "human scale" street which is more walkable.
Oftentimes these communities will include people, especially older people, who do not drive (and who in some cases, are responsible for grocery shopping, etc.) and who require pedestrian access to services and amenities (grocery market, pharmacy, doctor, etc.). As a result, these kind of shops will flourish there, and there will also be more people walking around, taking the bus, increasing the walk friendliness and safety of an area (by increasing the # of people walking about). Keep in mind these neighborhoods are not devoid of mainstream shops; quite often you will see a Ralph's, a Target, a Costco, sometimes a Whole Foods, etc., so it's not like you necessarily have to choose one or the other.
Anyplace "sleepy" is prized by people who live here. Further, while South Pasadena is "sleepy" (just how the residents like it, by the way and the reason South Pasadena is a highly desirable and EXPENSIVE place for housing), you can either drive 2 miles or take the Gold line 2 stops down to downtown Pasadena get your buzz. That's how it works: a touch of action a few miles away so that home is for SLEEPING, hence "sleepy" is a good thing. Do you really want the LA west side experience? Try it; you'll hate it.
I lived in midtown Manhattan for ten years. No we live in "sleepy" Connecticut. I've really had my fill of sleepy. But, alas, we're here because we have kids.
Thanks to sydlee for the thorough reply. I actually lived in Alhambra for six months and commuted to Hollywood, which wasn't terrible in the off-hours. It was a long time ago, but Alhambra was cute. I'll bet it's even nicer now.
I definitely intend to have a car, I just don't want my vehicle to be my second home. I don't want to get into my car to find a good cup of coffee. I don't want to run out of milk or bread and have to drive somewhere to remedy the situation. In almost any neighborhood in New York, you can find everything you need within a two block walk and/or have it picked up or delivered. I was spoiled there. The wilds of Connecticut are beautiful, but in L.A. I'm hoping to find a compromise between the two.
To compromise, you give something up. I much prefer downtown Culver City or downtown Burbank to South Pas, but it's hard to find anyone who doesn't praise South Pas for its schools. And if we can find something walking distance to the Metro, that would help a lot in the compromise, as HarryKerryJr suggests. But, yeah, man, South Pasadena real estate is outrageous. I have an acquaintance with kids and a "reasonable" rental near downtown, but we won't be buying anything there unless our financial situation improves considerably.
Back to sleepy. People who live where I live now love it for some of the same reasons I don't, so it's ultimately a personal preference. We've been educating ourselves on the various L.A. options via friends who live there and forums like these, so everyone's response is very much appreciated. I'm confident will land somewhere good for all of us.
I would say Burbank is significantly more "sterile" than South Pas. It's the one with tons of big box retail, strip malls, chain restaurants, etc compared to independent retailers, boutiques, and restaurants. The main thing Burbank has going for it is its proximity to the studios and being more affordable while still maintaining above average schools.
I think CV is a reasonable alternative to Burbank, but if you can afford it I really think South Pas would be the best location for what you're looking for.
Unless you are living in an apartment within walking distance to the Burbank Town Center, the distance it would take you to get to DT Burbank from suburban Burbank compared to Old Town Pasadena (driving or via Gold Line) from South Pas is negligible.
Burbank has changed a lot in the last 10 years. The area around Hollywood Way & Magnolia is now a "busy street scene" area. Not so much for nightlife, but for shopping, restaurants, etc.
I'm all about public transportation. My ideal would be to jettison a car altogether and rely on the trains and Uber. But, alas, in L.A. it's a tall task to be without your own set of wheels.
One small thing you may not have thought of: Burbank has lousy local public transportation. Glendale has excellent local buses. Glendale has the Beeline (City of Glendale, CA : Beeline Transit System).
I lived in Burbank for many years and never even saw a local bus. In Glendale, I see them all the time. I've ridden the Glendale Beeline and it's very convenient.
Glendale has its own train stop, but it's not part of the Metro, so that is a downside. Still, you could drive a short distance and pick it up easily in downtown LA, or Pasadena, South Pas, Highland Park, etc.
Glendale's train stop IS part of Metro. It's on the Metro Blue line that goes out to Burbank and Chatsworth. You can ride it into Union Station and take other trains.
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