Koreatown and Mid Wilshire... (Los Angeles, Pasadena: fit in, apartments, lease)

[savagemath]

So I have read a few posts here and there mentioning Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire are good places to live in your young and want a place with a little more urban feel...

I am moving to L.A. from S.F. with my wife and I have posted on the forum about some other areas but am curious if there are bad areas in Korea town because we are finding a lot of the older building being completely renovated due to the gentrifying (spell?) of the area. I have found nice renovated apartments in the the areas around these three intersections: (Wilshire Blvd/Western Ave), (Wilshire Blvd/Normandie Ave), (Wilshire Blvd/Virgil Ave).

Was trying to get some feedback on those areas. I understand that the last of the three is getting closer to MacArthur Park, where I heard there is some undesirable elements, but wanted to know about those areas in general, and something a little more detailed reponse then the typical white person responce of 'There's crime in that area, don't move there...'

And realizing that despite my own personal ideals of what should matter in this world, I also realize that race does matter in some areas where you can become a target for being a certain color, I am white and my wife is Persian, who most often times is mistaken for being hispanic or some other minority...

thanks for all the help...

[BRinSM]

around wilshire is very lively. obviously there is a lot of korean food in the area, but also a good mix of everything else as well. western and normandie both have subway stations that will take you downtown. i've only known one person who has actually lived there and she is Korean. however, i've always thought that ktown is a very vibrant neighborhood with a diverse (although leaning towards asian) array of restaurants, shops, and bars. coming from SF, you should be fairly used to this, so i'd imagine that you would fit in just fine.

[nickdahammer]

Originally Posted by savagemath

So I have read a few posts here and there mentioning Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire are good places to live in your young and want a place with a little more urban feel...

I am moving to L.A. from S.F. with my wife and I have posted on the forum about some other areas but am curious if there are bad areas in Korea town because we are finding a lot of the older building being completely renovated due to the gentrifying (spell?) of the area. I have found nice renovated apartments in the the areas around these three intersections: (Wilshire Blvd/Western Ave), (Wilshire Blvd/Normandie Ave), (Wilshire Blvd/Virgil Ave).

Was trying to get some feedback on those areas. I understand that the last of the three is getting closer to MacArthur Park, where I heard there is some undesirable elements, but wanted to know about those areas in general, and something a little more detailed reponse then the typical white person responce of 'There's crime in that area, don't move there...'

And realizing that despite my own personal ideals of what should matter in this world, I also realize that race does matter in some areas where you can become a target for being a certain color, I am white and my wife is Persian, who most often times is mistaken for being hispanic or some other minority...

thanks for all the help...

Hey, the mayor of Beverly Hills is Persian!

Regardless, I would stick to the western end- away from Virgil. I used to work near Virgil and 5th and it was fine during the day, but I really can't vouch for it at night. There are some great old apartments on St Andrews and Manhattan Place, not far from the subway station. I can't recommend moving close to the train enough- I did it in NE Los Angeles and love it. It gives you alot more options, especially if you commute to Hollywood, downtown, Pasadena, et al.

Regarding housing: the closer you get to Larchmont and Hancock Park the better. I would stay above Wilshire, for the most part though there are some real nice places south of there, just before you hit the Miracle Mile.

Best thing would be to take a walk or drive around the area.

Needless to say, the food is incredible in Koreatown. The nightclubs can be rather expensive, but like other posters have said, the area is very 'nightlife' oriented. You shouldn't be bored.

I'm about as 'white' as they get (father Mexican, mother Scandinavian but I look more Spanish or Germanic) and I've never had any issues in that part of town. Then again, I'm also 6' 6" and ugly. I would check out some of the places listed on Craigslist, as well as taking a drive down there. My wife and I canvassed the area pretty thoroughly when we were looking to lease as place and found some really quaint old walk-ups at reasonable prices. Many of them accept pets as well, for what that's worth.

[CESpeed]

The homeless people who live in MacAurthur park take drugs out in the open. The illegal immigrants who congregate on Alvarado will walk up to you offering you a fake ID. This area is also incredibly crowded. The nicest and most "action-packed" area will be Wilshire/Western.

[King0fthehill]

The pictures I took of Ktown speak for themselves:

Koreatown/코리아 타운 - a set on Flickr

It's a somewhat lively, dense, happening nabe with awesome food,plenty to do, and a good bit of gentrification going on. HOWEVER, don't go too far south or too far east. Only select areas are being gentrified and thus really safe, those being the areas directly adjacent to subway lines (Western/Vermont).

The housing stock and density is somewhat more akin to Chicago/NYC than LA. Towards the south/west are older, single family homes of pre-WW2 vintage, and the rest is lovely brick art-deco apartments, there are even some newer developments (Solair being the main one).

The best part is that it has good transit options (4 rapid lines: 710/720/757/920 and 2 subway lines: Red Line to the Valley and Purple Line to Downtown).

PM me if you need anymore.

[timelesschild]

Beautiful pics, Kingofthehill. Have you put them in the photo sticky? They are wonderful and should definitely be in the sticky!!

[savagemath]

Thanks for the advice. After I posted my first message I found some more apartments and am taking your advice about staying further away from Macarthur park.

The train was one of the biggest priorities, because we do own a car, but believe it should be more of a 1 ton paper weight then a transportation device, and would prefer public transportation. So given the fact that buses in most cities seem to be practically worthless for getting anywhere on time, and trains seem more strict as far as timetables are concerned, we have been looking to be with in walking distance to the stations.

Thanks to the King for the pics. Ironically two apartments we have placed in our favorites list are in the pictures you took. Which is why we also love the area, my wife is a future architect/civil engineer and her passion for beautiful buildings must be adhered to when finding a place to live.

We liek the fact there is a little more population density, and the energy created by all the hustle and bustle...

so it sounds like we know where to head, and your advice helped us confirm that and give us a clearer target...

thanks for the help... if i have anymore questions i'll be sure to yell...

[kwansolo]

i actually found a place on lafayette park pl, which seems like a nice street, full of apartments, but parking is a nightmare. driving around the area, surrounding neighborhood seems kind of sketchy. just a few blocks from macarthur park i think.

does anyone live near here or know about this specific street / area? would like to hear some opinions before committing to this place. short time i was there seemed to be a lot of koreans living in the building / on this street.

[the one]

some areas by mac park can be real dirty. others are regainging their shine. i personally would not live there. but i do know people who do. they havent had many problems, but it is packed with people during the day. its not very diverse. parking sucks. higher probablity of crime. at night its not as crowded because people prefer to stay indoors. but there is still action (usually of the illicit type). for a SF comp, think TL.

if you move directly west along 8th, 6th or 3rd you move into Ktown. its nicer, has some of the best apt buildings i have seen anywhere. and it is safer. usually people tend to stay north of wilshire, but along 8th street closer to western you have some very beautiful stately old apt buildings.
for all the action (food, bars, stores, arcades)stay closer to wilshire, but 8th st is only 3 blocks south of that. k town is more diverse than the west lake area. many asians during the day doing business. the area, like many in LA is also home to a large latino pop. the asian pop shrinks at night.
the downside to ktown is the parking and the periodic crime. (and the dirty element)

if you find a good place in a decent area, it can be a dream.
also, i regularly take the metro and the bus in these areas (even at night) and i have never had a problem . the wilshire rapid(720) is pretty reliable and can get you to downtown in 10-15 minutes. gets you to east los in about 30-40 minutes.
the train can get your further faster of course. luckily the wilshire area has prety good pub trans.

good luck

[kwansolo]

Thanks for that summary! I went to look at a few more places today. Virgil and 3rd actually was a lot closer to Lafayatte Park than I thought, so neighborhood was about the same. I found another place right at Normandie and Wilshire, but the traffic was absolutely nuts. However, really good for just walking around, a lot of shops / restaurants in the area.

I also drove past the Wilshire Vermont apartments, that have all the shops downstairs. Looks great but seems like a lot of random people and shoppers hanging out where you live, which I'm not sure I like, not that I would pay that much for an apartment anyway