Feedback on this area? (Marathon & Maltman) (Nice: where to stay, apartment)

[heatherette]

We're contemplating an apartment at Marathon & Maltman and I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on the area. Safe or sketchy? Things to walk to? Traffic issues? Thanks in advance.

[BRinSM]

being so close to silverlake, i'd imagine its a pretty decent area. as long as you're north/east of the 101 in that area, you're usually ok.

[Cubancoffee]

Kind of a dense area, with pockets of grittiness, but generally OK. You can walk to a ton of things on Sunset Blvd and there's a decent park right there.

[heatherette]

Cubancoffee, from one of your other posts, I'm guessing you live in (near?) the area. Do you know what street parking is like around there? Sadly this building doesn't have off-street parking. The landlady said it's usually safe and usually not hard to find, but after pulling up the LAPD crime map I'm a little more worried than I was.

The apartment itself is great, but I'm worried about getting out there and hating the neighborhood as well. It's tough to tell without being able to see it first. It seems like it's on the border of Silver Lake and Los Feliz, but in a sort of residential area, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

[Cubancoffee]

Yes, we live very near there. It's a residential area. Street parking can be an adventure; drive around at night and see how many spaces you see. (You really should see the apartment in person first.) As in any big city, car vandalism is pretty common but I've not heard of any violent crime. Get a car alarm and a radio with a detachable faceplate. You're actually several blocks from Los Feliz, to the northwest, not on the border. Nicer areas are north of Sunset.

[heatherette]

Thanks for the parking tip. Unfortunately, I think the chances are slim that we will get to see any place first before renting, as we won't get out to LA until the middle of June, and we just don't have the time (or the money) to make another trip in between. Once we get out there we need to have as much settled as possible beforehand, because my fiance will be taking the bar in July, so any time that we spend trying to get things worked out once there is time away from his bar review. Plus, we will have a dog with us as well as a carload of stuff and that seems to be complicating our plans to find anywhere to stay "in between" that's not going to cost us two arms and a leg.

It's just really discouraging...we've had a couple places fall through already so now I am starting to worry since we have to be out of our place here in 10 days (oops, 8) and we'll have nowhere to go. I don't want to make a snap judgment but I'm worried about what might happen if we get out there and haven't picked anything.

[Cubancoffee]

There are plenty of "For Rent" signs around the neighborhood.