Los Angeles without a car (Santa Monica, West Hollywood: real estate, insurance, apartment)

[davect1]

I have a car, but being from NYC/DC I hate using it.

I'm moving from DC to Los Angeles for an internship in the fall, and don't mind commuting to work by car.

However, I'd really like to live in an area that is walkable and/or has close access to public transportation (metro/subway preferred over bus). I've heard that Silverlake is pretty walkable and has a metro stop. I've also heard that West Hollywood and Santa Monica are walkable.

When asking people in DC about LA, they tell me that people without cars die off quickly. Is this true? Are there ANY walkable neighborhoods?

Please help!

[Charles]

Where is your internship? Is this where you will spend most of your time during the weekdays? I think you can get a lower insurance rate if you drive less than 5000 miles/year or something like that. Might think about that if you all you really use is public transport.

[CESpeed]

If you insist on walking, move as close to your job as possible. Just don't expect to be able to get around well. The buses are crowded, unreliable and not shopping friendly. If you plan to work downtown and want to walk, I suggest that you become very good friends with LAPD (good luck) or hire an armed guard. Though they are trying guard the area around the Staples Center because they want to convince people like you that downtown is a great place to live.

[davect1]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I may have typed the last post incorrectly.

I do not mind a long commute to work (an hour, whatever). It makes no difference. It's not a full-time internship.

I'm really looking for an area of Los Angeles that is the most walkable and urban. People here have suggested West Hollywood (mostly), Silverlake, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. What do you think is the closest to an east coast (urban) area?

Thanks for your help!!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by davect1

I do not mind a long commute to work (an hour, whatever). It makes no difference.

It is important that you consider the commuting advice of this forum. It really is. One hour one way in SoCal is extremely unhealthy. It will wipe you out.

[Castro Viejo]

Originally Posted by davect1

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I may have typed the last post incorrectly.

I do not mind a long commute to work (an hour, whatever). It makes no difference. It's not a full-time internship.

I'm really looking for an area of Los Angeles that is the most walkable and urban. People here have suggested West Hollywood (mostly), Silverlake, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. What do you think is the closest to an east coast (urban) area?

Thanks for your help!!

When I moved to Los Angeles from New York a while back, I lived in Westwood Village. I found it to be walkable with shops, office towers, and other things to do without a car. I sometimes spent whole weekends right there without getting into my car at all! Santa Monica is another city that you can get around on foot, probably much more so than Los Angeles proper.

But commuting by public transportation in L.A. for work? I wouldn't chance it. I luckily worked right in Westwood so it wasn't a big deal without a car, but having had to drive in morning rush hour traffic to places like Santa Monica and South Central a few times during work, it sucked. Sucked bad. And an hour on the L.A. freeways? That'll give you about 15-20 miles. Not fun at all.

And as much as you're looking for "urban" and some real estate agent tries to convince you that Downtown L.A. is "up and coming" DO NOT RENT THERE. Skid Row is still very much alive (at least on my last visit a few months ago) and the area is a ghost town at night. I mean, like, you could get just randomly capped without knowing why.

But being a native East Coaster, and native New Yorker, I loved my time in California and can't wait to go back. I lived in NorCal as well (in the Bay Area) and absolutely enjoyed every minute of my life up there. Though I'm off to Chicagoland soon, I might get back over to California once I finish up there.

Good luck. If you're anything like me, you won't miss New York much. If you're like most New Yorkers, though, you'll probably hate it.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by davect1

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I may have typed the last post incorrectly.

I do not mind a long commute to work (an hour, whatever). It makes no difference. It's not a full-time internship.

I'm really looking for an area of Los Angeles that is the most walkable and urban. People here have suggested West Hollywood (mostly), Silverlake, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. What do you think is the closest to an east coast (urban) area?

Thanks for your help!!

if by urban, you mean "mixed use zoning," that doesn't exist to the degree it does in cities like new york and chicago. except for a few places that have popped up here and there, you aren't going to be able to live above your favorite take-out place or dry cleaner, and be able to walk two blocks to your favorite bar, and stop for groceries on the way home. anyone who comes here trying to replicate their "walk almost everywhere, take the bus/train everywhere else" existence in some other city will have a hard time adjusting to LA.

like it or not, we have a car culture here, and things get built with the assumption that people will drive to them; the developers dont care if you can't walk there. if you are among the lucky few who happen to live near enough to walk to all the places they want or need to go, more power to you, but that is not the norm. this is not someplace i would choose to live if i felt strongly about maintaining that kind of lifestyle.

[NaplesRes]

downtown long beach is urban. You could take the train from dowtown lb to downtown la too if you wanted for work. It's not NY but it's the closest thing to that lifestyle in socal.

[BRinSM]

Nearly every part of LA has walkable neighborhoods: downtown, hollywood, silverlake, santa monica, west la, westwood, even parts of the valley and beverly hills. you just need to find a part of town that you can afford, that you like, and isn't too far from your internship. seriously, in certain parts of town it can take you an hour to go 5 miles, so you need to consider this when finding your future apartment.

[puffle]

All of Los Angeles is a suburb...lot's of individual suburbs. Nothing has that NY urban feel. Brentwood and Santa Monica are very walk and runnable areas. I also like the Beverly Glen area near Wilshire. Lot's of mom and pop stores and good restaurants. Also a large mall with a Nordstrom and several theaters. Good luck.