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I agree, if you dined on the Westside parking is a pain. Finding a side street spot is difficult, you might as well valet or park in a lot for 10-20 bucks. Less of a hassle.
All in all, ask your friend to some cheaper stuff that's just as fun in the Valley or east of La Brea.
Exactly, you can find parking on the streets and it isn't metered or the restaurant has their own lot and it's free. Plenty of good places to eat as well.
Exactly, you can find parking on the streets and it isn't metered or the restaurant has their own lot and it's free. Plenty of good places to eat as well.
Yes, I've found the Valley to have stuff just as nice as the stuff in town but with more parking, better values and a much much less hoity toity vibe. Ventura Blvd is about as nice as it's gotten for me in a while and I've been A-ok with it.
What do you like to do up north? Gotta narrow it down somewhat...
Most of my time is taken up by running around to kids activities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by russlancea
Are you buying or renting? Try and rent first so you can learn the area and find a location you really want to plant roots in.
I'm now in Orange County, but I used to frequent LA for work. I went all over the place and yeah, I wouldn't want to live anywhere--Westside, Downtown, Hollywood, Valley. Parking is a nightmare and traffic is horrendous. Now if I had to move there? I would make it work and I would learn to love it. You cope and finds ways to make it work.
LA does offer a lot of things. Zoo, museums (Getty museum on westside!), eateries...it's just a matter of timing your trip so you're not sitting in traffic for 2 hours .
Congrats on the husband's new job. Will you be working also? You need to find things that you like, but again, there's lots of stuff, so I'm sure things will work out.
Buying. Relocation benefits are too good to rent. I am planning on re-entering the workforce. I expect it will take some time to find a job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin
You have no idea if this great job opportunity is going to work out. Your husband may find his boss is a jerk, or he doesn't like the company.
It is a relocation within the company. Hubby is already going to the job and he likes it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin
And honestly there is more to life than a great job opportunity, it sounds like from this and your other posts you're coming to LA kicking and screaming, that's not good on a marriage or a family.
You picked up on that didn't you. My issue is that I don't want to move at all. We have no choice because company location where we are closed and no other jobs have come up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin
Find a rental not too far from where your husband will be working, nothing worse than moving, buying a place, and than you find out the job isn't what you thought it would be, you don't like the area, and now your stuck trying to sell a house.
Personally, I would never move for a job to somewhere I didn't want to live, jobs come and go, life is too short to live somewhere you don't like.
The issue are schools. We have to be in a good school district because we won't be able to afford private school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MordinSolus
Live closer to work than 20-25 miles. The traffic during rush hour will be brutal so just get as much house as you need, not as much as you want. If you're going to fall in love in with Los Angeles it will be because of the things outside your house, not inside. Restaurants, shops, museums, hiking trails, parks, beaches, urban exploration, night drives, concerts, comedy shows, and great weather year-round.
We have been trying but our budget doesn't allow us to live close.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Geek
It honestly sounds like you are not going to enjoy it since you have a certain lifestyle you are used to. You may come to tolerate it but I doubt you will ever like it. This is based on only knowing what you have told us.
I am trying to change that which is why I started this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by adr3naline
It doesn't sound like LA is for you. In general, people who move to LA value the weather, proximity to opportunity, and diversity. If you're looking for a sizable home and can't finance at least $1MM, you're going to have a bad time.
No it is not. I am a small town kind of girl. I am trying to be positive about the move which is why I started this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slo1318
Depends on what you like. There are lots of entertainment/music based museums and exhibits.
The Getty of course, the Getty Villa in Malibu is awesome. I love the Huntington in Pasadena, Griffith park and observatory.
The beach towns are fun to hang out in.
Amusement parks.
Ethnic foods.
World class shopping of all kinds from Rodeo Drive, The Grove, malls, garment district, to massive swap meets.
Farmers markets.
Live music venues.
Live TV shows.
I sympathize with your lack of excitement to move to LA, because I was just like you three weeks ago. I'm Canadian (from Vancouver), my husband is British, and we'd been living in Sweden for the last three years. I could walk or take good transit everywhere, felt completely safe day or night and had just enrolled my daughter in preschool that was only going to cost $100/month. So I knew it'd be quite a change in lifestyle. Aside from the sunshine, I wasn't looking forward to being here at all.
But the good news - I'm liking it WAY more than I expected to. For me, the weather has a lot to do with it. Maybe it won't be that much of a change for you. But sunshine and warmth can go a long way. The driving isn't as bad as I thought it might be. But I don't have to drive during peak traffic times. And my husband doesn't have to go too far to work.
We were hoping to be able to buy a house, but we'll likely end up in a townhouse. Mostly because we're being firm on living somewhere within a 30-minute commute for my husband to his work in Playa Vista. And I'll look for work within a similar distance. I'll take time over space any day. I spend every spare minute right now searching through websites trying to find the right place to rent or buy. I've met quite a few people at my local playground who live in big apartment and townhouse complexes (which I NEVER would've considered before), and they all love it. They've made friends with people there, have BBQs together and have a whole social scene right outside their doors.
People so far have been super friendly. I'm looking forward to being able to hang out at the beach, visit the museums, eat at lots of great restaurants (once we find a good babysitter!) ... and do it all easily in English! I'm not in love with the city yet, but I really like it and I didn't expect to.
Rather than comparing it against what you have now, try to think of it as a new adventure without any expectations. Or set your expectations low. Easier said than done, I know, but expectations are the death of happiness usually.
I've seen post after post from people wanting to move to LA area because they fell in love with it on their vacation. I am moving to LA area due to a great job opportunity for hubby but I feel so negative about the move. I found house hunting to be the most depressing thing I've done in a long time.
Can someone please help me fall in love with LA?
I drive around the whole city for my work. Today I was in Bel Air on Roscomare Road and the market there was grilling burgers and ribs outside. What an unexpected treat. The day before that I was in Carthay Circle and stopped at The Grove for a quick lunch at Dupar's and a walk around Farmer's Market. The day before I was doing a duplex in Venice and I stopped and had lunch on my boat. Monday I'll be in West Hollywood and will surely pop in to Amoeba Records on Hollywood Boulevard. My point is that L.A. is a city of a million little treasures. Just like your husband, you have to get to know it before you can love it.
Describing L.A. is a lot like the old story about blind men describing an elephant. Everyone sees it a little differently depending on what part they live in. And everyone has at least one thing that they hate about L.A. (except me, maybe). Since I moved here 39 years ago, I have learned how to bend L.A. to my will. I figured out right away that to really enjoy it all you need to make some money, so I built a very successful business. I make my own appointments, so I am almost never caught in rush hour. I bought my house 26 years ago and actually stayed there, so I don't worry about housing costs. Mostly, I take time to stop and look around and enjoy all that L.A. has to offer.
To a new transplant, the best advice I can offer is to DIVE IN. Get to know all the things this wonderful city has to offer. Go new places. See new things. Get familiar with her and you will quickly learn to love her. And if you are ever stuck on the 405 at 5:00 going 3 mph, just relax and smile. You are living in paradise where EVERYBODY wishes they lived. What can you expect?
The thing I like about LA is that people adjust to all the crap the city rains on them in a positive way. People use all the available public space they can. In a lot of other cities including pedestrian ones like NYC or Boston I could not picture some of the stuff Angelenos do on the sidewalks, lol. A taco truck could host a block party almost, lol. People are laid out everywhere where there's grass. I've seen people just park a folding chair in the most random of places and just people watch. The city limits are not limits to people enjoying and making each section of the city feel homey.
My other point is that it's a fascinating city and there are a ton of events. Free events and stuff. Never a dull moment.
The issue are schools. We have to be in a good school district because we won't be able to afford private school. We have been trying but our budget doesn't allow us to live close.
Where is your husband's job located in the metro? Schools and neighborhoods to buy could be more precisely suggested.
I relocated here for work as a single guy and it's a miserable place to live. I've tried different areas, places suggested and recommended by people on this site, as well as friends and family. And it's just not for me.
I've followed all the advice these people are giving you, and it hasn't worked.
The city takes it's toll on you and is relentless. Everything takes a little bit longer and costs a little bit more.
Want to go to the store? First, look up where the closest one is. Already know where the closest one is?...Too bad, you still have to look it up because the last time you went took 10 minute, this time it could take 30.
Ok, so Google maps says it'll take 7 minutes to get there. Cool. In reality, it takes 2 minutes to walk to your car since you're in a cramped apartment and your parking spot is far away from your door, then you have to spend another minute swapping out your car with your roommates car because you're parked tandem because that's the way it is. Then the drive actually takes 10 minutes....to get to the parking garage. 3 minutes through the parking garage to find parking. then a couple minute walk through the garage, to the elevator, now you're finally at the store....That 7 minute drive just turned into 18 minutes.
It's like this all over the place. This is your time tax...everything takes twice as long as it should.
Then there's the money tax. Trip to the doctors office? usually $20 co-pay, not only does it take an extra hour to see the doctor because there are so few of them, but there's also a $15 parking fee.
Want to go for a hike? That's cool, look it up, says 15 minutes, double that, obviously...because when you get there, there's going to be no parking anywhere and you're going to have to wait.
Oh cool, you found a spot! Go hike and come back to your $60 ticket, because you didn't read the signs right. It happens to everyone, probably because you have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand the signs.
Here's a real one: http://blogs.kcrw.com/shortcuts/wp-c...10/RGgzVCr.jpg
The people here are going to try to tell you differently, how awesome the city is because you can "go hiking, snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding in the same day". But ask the people who say that if they've ever done it...no. Because it's not possible because you'd be so infuriated by all the aforementioned taxes, that by the end of that day you'd be homicidal. It's nearly impossible to do anything during the week because either you're spending all your time commuting, or you're refusing to deal with the people spending all their time commuting. By the time the weekend rolls around all you want to do is relax, or GTFO of this town for a few days.
I relocated here for work as a single guy and it's a miserable place to live. I've tried different areas, places suggested and recommended by people on this site, as well as friends and family. And it's just not for me.
I've followed all the advice these people are giving you, and it hasn't worked.
The city takes it's toll on you and is relentless. Everything takes a little bit longer and costs a little bit more.
Want to go to the store? First, look up where the closest one is. Already know where the closest one is?...Too bad, you still have to look it up because the last time you went took 10 minute, this time it could take 30.
Ok, so Google maps says it'll take 7 minutes to get there. Cool. In reality, it takes 2 minutes to walk to your car since you're in a cramped apartment and your parking spot is far away from your door, then you have to spend another minute swapping out your car with your roommates car because you're parked tandem because that's the way it is. Then the drive actually takes 10 minutes....to get to the parking garage. 3 minutes through the parking garage to find parking. then a couple minute walk through the garage, to the elevator, now you're finally at the store....That 7 minute drive just turned into 18 minutes.
It's like this all over the place. This is your time tax...everything takes twice as long as it should.
Then there's the money tax. Trip to the doctors office? usually $20 co-pay, not only does it take an extra hour to see the doctor because there are so few of them, but there's also a $15 parking fee.
Want to go for a hike? That's cool, look it up, says 15 minutes, double that, obviously...because when you get there, there's going to be no parking anywhere and you're going to have to wait.
Oh cool, you found a spot! Go hike and come back to your $60 ticket, because you didn't read the signs right. It happens to everyone, probably because you have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand the signs.
Here's a real one: http://blogs.kcrw.com/shortcuts/wp-c...10/RGgzVCr.jpg
The people here are going to try to tell you differently, how awesome the city is because you can "go hiking, snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding in the same day". But ask the people who say that if they've ever done it...no. Because it's not possible because you'd be so infuriated by all the aforementioned taxes, that by the end of that day you'd be homicidal. It's nearly impossible to do anything during the week because either you're spending all your time commuting, or you're refusing to deal with the people spending all their time commuting. By the time the weekend rolls around all you want to do is relax, or GTFO of this town for a few days.
TLDR. Trust your gut.
We do day hikes all over glendale, burbank, San Gabriels, Angeles forest etc and there is plenty of free,legal parking and some great hikes up into the mountains all 10-45 minutes from my apartment
We do day hikes all over glendale, burbank, San Gabriels, Angeles forest etc and there is plenty of free,legal parking and some great hikes up into the mountains all 10-45 minutes from my apartment
So the take away from that guys absolutely spot on assessment of how LA sucks is that can you find some free parking near trails that are 45 minutes from your home? I think you're reinforcing his point.
I think he was saying that he can find hiking trails as close as ten mins away from his home to as far as 45 mins. If I gathered it all correctly.
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