Does anyone actually enjoy living in Hollywood? (Los Angeles, Pasadena: rental, low crime)

[majoun]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I lived in Hollywood for a year 2009-2010. I was off Sunset and Fuller right across from "Rock N Roll Ralphs"
Overall I liked it and you do feel like you are in the middle of things living in Hollywood in a way.
Definately a lot of interesting people. A lot more walkable than many parts of the city.
Hollywood is still pretty gritty , but most people say it was a lot worse before. I grew up in L.A and Hollywood has definately improved quite a bit with new development, new dining /retail options ,etc.
It still has a way to go.
Homeless issue pretty out of hand and there have been far too many incidents of people being attacked/killed by homeless in the area. Plus that's just the stuff we hear in the news.

It's definitely block by block..but I imagine it's the same in NYC too. Going 5 blocks over and you could be in an entirely different neighborhood right?

Speaking of NYC , I've never lived there only visited..but I feel like Hollywood is one of the only neighborhoods that feels like NYC , the density, the lights on Hollywood/Highland ,etc.

Maybe DTLA , but DTLA doesn't have enough tourists to feel like NYC!

Sounds like you probably don't desire an NYC type of dense area though since you were looking into Sherman Oaks and Eagle Rock,Pasadena before.
I think Sherman Oaks overall is the nicest of those .
Sounds like you were limited do to your pet ,which is too bad.

Maybe you could rent a guest house in Sherman Oaks or one of your other top picks in the house of an animal lover?
There seem to be a lot of animal lovers in L.A

Fuller's nicer than Wilcox. There's a difference west of La Brea although you still have the homeless issue and what goes along with it.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by majoun

Fuller's nicer than Wilcox. There's a difference west of La Brea although you still have the homeless issue and what goes along with it.

The block I lived on was pretty decent since it was mostly elderly people, mostly Russian/Eastern European immigrants. The only real issue I had with the building was when a younger guy moved in that had a real loud party in his apartment once until very late, and just seemed to make loud noises...might of been a loud speaker or amp paying video games or something.. Besides that everyone pretty much kept to themselves and stuff.
I parked on the street , but didn't have issues with my car getting broken into or anything.

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by jm1982

The block I lived on was pretty decent since it was mostly elderly people, mostly Russian/Eastern European immigrants. The only real issue I had with the building was when a younger guy moved in that had a real loud party in his apartment once until very late, and just seemed to make loud noises...might of been a loud speaker or amp paying video games or something.. Besides that everyone pretty much kept to themselves and stuff.
I parked on the street , but didn't have issues with my car getting broken into or anything.

Your old stomping ground is seeing a good amount of investment these days. Just a few months back I toured some apartments in the area, and if they were not already updated to demand rents north of $2200, they were in the process.

OP it's worth checking out. Super walkable.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by dylan_505

I ask this because I have been living in Hollywood for 2 months now and I really don't like it at all.

My wife and I moved here from NYC about 2 1/2 months ago because she got a promotion which moved her out here. Hollywood was one of our last choices as a place to rent, but we only had 10 days to find a place and with a pit bull mix it made things even harder. Also with only one income at the time, a budget of $1600 doesn't get you very far. After looking at a few areas like Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and Eagle Rock, we kept getting denied because of our dog. Then we found this place in Hollywood and with only 2 days left before we needed to leave corporate housing we decided to sign the lease.

The apartment itself is great for us, perfect size and close to my wifes work. I just really hate this area. I thought NYC was dirty but Hollywood is even worse. When we walk our dog we have to step around 3 homeless people sleeping with 2 blocks of us and I still can't believe how much trash is everywhere. It's really putting me down.

Sorry about the rant, but I would like to know if anyone who lives in Hollywood truly loves it?

I could definitely love it. Of course, it's block by block. Some of the residential areas with restored SFH are very, very nice (but of course, oh, the cost). Some areas of apartments are pretty scruffy. One thing you can say - there is a lot of variety within a relatively small area. It also means many price points, which is not a bad thing.

[Mr_Geek]

Your scenery (even with the homeless) will start to look nice around winter time when there's a blizzard and 10 degree temps in NYC.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by adr3naline

Your old stomping ground is seeing a good amount of investment these days. Just a few months back I toured some apartments in the area, and if they were not already updated to demand rents north of $2200, they were in the process.

OP it's worth checking out. Super walkable.

Yeah. I remember driving by somewhat recently maybe a couple months ago. The retail in that strip center changed quite a bit. Definately a lot more trendy.

There was a pinkberry on the corner back then , but it was a lot more kind of random places or businesses catering to the Russian population.
My rent was like $1100 for a 1 bedroom back then in one of those older dingbats. Pretty sure rents are considerably higher now even for the older units.

I also noticed there were several brand new buildings on that block..I think either condos or upscale apartments..it does look a lot different.
I figured it was a matter of time really.

Personally I still think Hollywood, especially that area is a better choice than an area like Echo Park.
I think Hollywood will probably be viewed as more desirable in the years to come. It has some advantages versus DTLA too, especially if one is working closer to the Westside.

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I think Hollywood will probably be viewed as more desirable in the years to come.

A local magazine (cannot recall the name) recently published an impressive spread of stats where they canvased Hollywood's resident and transient demographics, as well as its up-coming developments. The increased rate of non-CA transplants and big businesses pointed to a boom cycle, which I certainly believe as I walk around every day.

[YoungTraveler2011]

the problem with the dirtiness of LA is that it almost never rains here. So the garbage and crap just accumulates until we finally get some heavy rain... which is like twice a year.

hollywood sucks in many ways. traffic, people, dirtiness, etc.

[socal88]

Originally Posted by dylan_505

In NYC we lived on the Upper West Side so there weren't many sketchy areas. If you go up to Harlem or into parts of Brooklyn then it gets more like that.

Hollywood does have a similar feel to areas like Times Square. The bright lights, super busy and a lot of tourist traps. I'm guessing most people who live in LA don't go to Hollywood unless they really have to? I feel like NYC does a better job of keeping the streets clean and also free of homeless people. Don't get me wrong, NYC has its fair share of homeless but in LA they seem to be on every corner sleeping on mattresses and going to the bathroom wherever they please. In all my years of living in NYC I don't think I ever saw someone go to the bathroom on the sidewalk. I've seen it happen 3 times already in Hollywood!

We have noticed that if you increase the rent to around $2200 a month a lot more places allow dogs of all sizes and breeds. So we are just going wait until our lease is up and then find a new neighborhood! We love the area around the Grove and also sections of West Hollywood.

Good thinking with the Grove and West Hollywood are better areas. Cleaner, low crime, and just more upscale in terms of nightlife and restaurants.

If I were you, I'd go for West Hollywood, which is an independent city that's not part of the city of Los Angeles. With that, they've been to do some things to make the city nicer and more desirable that I believe would be otherwise difficult if it was just a neighborhood that is part of the city of Los Angeles.

It can still be congested and finding parking can be a nightmare, but it beats Hollywood by a mile.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

the problem with the dirtiness of LA is that it almost never rains here. So the garbage and crap just accumulates until we finally get some heavy rain... which is like twice a year.

hollywood sucks in many ways. traffic, people, dirtiness, etc.

True. It's always nice when it rains and cleans up the dirt on the streets. Things just seem cleaner , it's rare though as you mentioned.