My son wants to go to school Musician Institue in Hollywood. Where to live safely? (Orange: apartment complex, to rent)

[Sorcerer68]

I've found most young people coming from similar areas absolutely love Hollywood! Kudos to you for sending him to the Musician's Institute. As time has gone by, the Echo Park area has improved dramatically and Hollywood has cleaned up a lot. I don't know any of these apartments specifically. I wouldn't worry about your son blending in, he will. He's about to meet a bunch of people in the same situation he's in and through shared experience they'll form lasting friendships. Wow, that sounded corny. It's always nice to be close to school. If he's close to the school. There's also tons of PT around Hollywood Blvd including the Metro Red Line.

Boy hookers are on Santa Monica Blvd, girl hookers on Hollywood Blvd. Gang members and street kids are around...it's the city. Hollywood has undergone amazing changes in the last 10-15 years.

[puroxsurenox13]

Live where there is the least crime....yet...not well known...hide yourself...thats all i got.

[FreckleFace]

I thank you all for your input. Keep it coming. It almost sounds like he would be safer joining the army and going to Iraq. At least he'd have a gun like everybody else.

BTW, he will only be there for 6 months. He plans on taking he sound recording certificate program. There are schools that offer similar programs but they may end up sending you to the LA area for an internship. So either way you may end up back in LA area.

[12001200]

Originally Posted by FreckleFace

I thank you all for your input. Keep it coming. It almost sounds like he would be safer joining the army and going to Iraq. At least he'd have a gun like everybody else.

BTW, he will only be there for 6 months. He plans on taking he sound recording certificate program. There are schools that offer similar programs but they may end up sending you to the LA area for an internship. So either way you may end up back in LA area.

why not look at something like Berklee School of Music in Boston? Boston's a great starter city. Safe. A lot of young musicians. I think I know the answer and that is your son has his mind set on Hollywood.

I'd highly recommend checking out a message board for audio recording professionals called Gearslutz. http://www.gearslutz.com (a "gearslut" is somebody who always needs more audio recording gear, a common affliction in the profession.) There are a lot of highly credentialed, opinionated, and helpful audio pros who can give you and your son advice about what it takes to succeed in that profession. And whether or not the Musician Institute in Hollywood is the best choice - or a good choice. There may even be a few local ones (in NH or northern MA) who would be willing to show him a few things or have him intern.

As a way to gauge his interest (is audio or LA his primary interest?), if your son is really interested in becoming an audio engineer he should have been interested enough to poke around the web for info and already knows about the gearslutz board. http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/ (broken link) is another well-known one.

[miracle]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

Hey again, Freckleface. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just trying to expound about a few insider tips from a local, me. (In the same spirit, I would have a hundred questions about New Hampshire so I certainly understand.)

Okay: #6. He sounds fine. I meant don't look like a tourist (rubbernecking, lost-looking, Bermuda shorts, etc.)

Yes, Hollywood still has supermarkets. The sidestreets are okay, the main boulevards are full of pedestrians, gawkers, and locals too.

And yes, I walked all around Hollywood at night for all those decades and never got jumped or had anything stolen, even cameras. Those were the days when I could find onstreet parking for the gigs I had to photograph, hence all the walking. (Most parking lots of clubs are full anyway.) I can't gauge how street savvy I am, too subjective. But you are right, had anything ever happened, I would have let them steal it: it's not worth losing your life.

I listed these suggestions because you said he was not used to big cities. If I were asking questions about NH forest environments I wasn't used to, I might find I would be getting similar advice about potential predators: don't look at them, because it engages them, and when they are threatened, they might attack.

There are very nice gated apt. communities surrounding the studios in Burbank, which is just over the hill from Hollywood, for all the folks that work for the film, tv and music companies there. There's also security buildings in Hollywood. If he had the financial choice, yes, it might be better to live in a safer haven, drive in to school. Does the school offer practice rooms with safe storage for instruments as do recording studios? This I wouldn't know.

As soon as he starts making friends there, again, there is safety in numbers.

Conmuting from Burbank may be a good option even in public transport if the boy dont wanna drive around the nightmare of Los Angeles north and westside traffic. He can take Metrolink in Burbank to Union Station and there metro red line to Hollywood. Or a bus to Universal City and there metro red line down to Hollywood, its one of the easiest conmuting areas in Los Angeles, and probably living in Burbank be good in both sides, safety and fun for a young boy.

[Christine Joan]

Since your son is only going to be here for six months, he might want to check out Craig's list and try to find a room in a large apartment or home with other young people in college or a sublet for six months. That way, he might be able to live in a nicer place and nicer area and still be within his budget. In addition to Burbank, Pasadena is a very nice and relatively safe city. It has a Gold Line light rail train that links to the Redline subway that would also get him to school every day, that is, as long as the drivers don't go on strike again. It might be difficult to find a place for six months though because when I was looking a while ago, most apartments required a one-year lease.

However, I still think that the closer your son lives to the school, the better it will be for him because he will spend less time commuting and he will live closer to the other students, so he will have friends nearby.

[TheRealAngelion]

Do you or your son plan on visiting LA before he moves here? The reality is that MANY young people from other states who are aspiring musicians or actors move to Hollywood and LOVE IT!!!

You should not rely soley on the opinions of strangers, many of whom who post here are very disgruntled and unhappy people. To get a more complete picture of what life is like for a student who attends the Musicians Institute, I recommend that you contact the school's admission office to find out if you or your son can speak with current students or alumni of the school about places to live and about what the 6 mos experience of attending the institute is like. I believe that would be far more valuable to you and to him.

Those who attend that school who are successful and productive and are making the most of their learning experience don't spend their time on this forum. You have to seek them out. It is mostly people who have something negative or discouraging to say that post here.

[petrikke]

Hi! First of all this school is great! I am a 35 year old woman, and my husband and I were students at MI in 2003. I brought my little brother over there in 2004 - because I wanted him to have this experience to. This is not my first language so please excuse any mispellings.

You might find this link helpful as well..

http://apartmentratings.com/rate?a=v...e=90028&x=0&y=

Not having a car in LA is an issue. The bus is to be frank rather dangerous, and the subway net is very limited, however pretty safe. He can get a running but not so good looking car for as low as $500, registration will be somewhere around $ 200 extra. Check out craigslist.com
We walked back and forth to school, so if he lives very clos,e he can do that to. It will - however - very much limit how much he gets around to see other things.
When it comes to gangs in LA there are 250 of them, and last year 27 policemen were killed. But we are around a lot, and for the three years we have lived here, we go to conserts, movies, visits friends - we have not seen or been in any kind trouble. A smart thing to do in LA however, is to keep ones mouth shut, because you never know what kind of person you are talking to..this is important, and smart - and will keep any sain person out of trouble.
There are certain areas most of the violence happends, and that is the areas Watts and South Central LA. These areas are fare away from Hollywood, down south of LA and south of University of Southern California. The students at USC are adviced to not walk at all - Hollywood however is a whole different story.
We live permanently in LA now and Hollywood has really cleaned up this last year, it seems like Arnold want more tourists to visit - and the police is very much visual and there. I feel safe there, even if I am a woman. That was not the fact a couple of years ago when we were students at MI, but things has really changed lately. We live five minutes walk from MI right now.

However, there is a taxi that brings students home for free, that he will be able to use after dark. They drive you all the way to the doorsteps, he must live in a certain distance from school to use this obtion, how fare a discance should be mentioned in the MI Student guidence book.

I hope this answered some of your questions, I will keep an eye on this post so please do not feel hestitant to ask more.

Mia, big sister of a formar student at MI

[Skippersf]

Hey FreckleFace,
I'm originally from Maine and have been out her in San Francisco for 10 years and will be moving to LA this summer. I can tell you that of all the places I've lived the only place I got mugged and assaulted in was Portland, ME. My advice. Take your son to Boston and spend the day and some of the night walking around, let him get a feel of what to look for and to be aware. Believe me, I have been much more afraid in Boston than I ever was in LA...he'll get used to it quickly. Good luck.

Skip

[petrikke]

Hi there Freckleface! I am getting provocated by some of the answers you are getting here. Some people in this forum are going out of their way to sound as smart and knowlegdable as they can, how to get around in the big city and now they are real experts..Excuse any misspellings, I am from Europe and english is not my first langauge.

1. stay within a mile of the Musicians' Institute.
Wow. Walking distance for my 19 year old brother is at least 3 miles. Hollywood blvd. is a long street, and the more you walk west, the more secure it is. Stay within a mile of MI is STUPID. Truth is, the area from McCadden/Hlw blvd ( where the school is situated ) towards east, is very safe until you hit Cherokee. WICH is a pretty long distance. There are a lot of nightclubs ( not stripbars - nightclubs ) and a lot of young people, it is crowded, and not dangerous. Towards west, you have all the tourist sights, and the streets are packed with police.

2. stay off the side streets
Smart in any big city.

3. It sounds to me like there may not be gangs around to school but plenty of the drug dealer, prostitues, drunks, etc. So if you avoid them you might be okay.
I used to be a student at MI and they have the drug dealers as a topic in the introduction meeting he will tend. Drugdealers mearly want to make money, and if you do not buy the first time, they will not bother you. However - IF you buy, they will aproach you again, but it is far to risky for them to get in trouble. Remember, these guys want to make money, and avoid any contact with the police. Hollywood blvd has not been a prostitute district since the late -80, jeez I sometimes wonder if these guys are sitting in Oklahoma giving you advice.
Drunks are tired and hungry, and in difference to the drunks in New York, they will say God Bless you and walk away. However, keeping a quarter in your pocket just in case is smart, as soon as the few of them that can agressive gets whatever you got, they walk away. Remember, the police is very visuable at Hollywood Blvd., they even have them on horsback right now. This is a tourist place..

4. if you happen to be accosted by a gang member asking where you are from, just walk away, don’t say anything. Hopefully they let you go.

The gang members in LA are mainly staying in the area Watts and South Central LA , wich is at least an hours drive from Hlw blvd. They will have no reason to aproach your son. Why should they? Most of them are wanted by the police, and the three strike law is very well maintained here in LA. If he is aproached by ANYBODY, and do not wish to have a conversation - all he has to do is treat that person with respect, and he will be just fine. Sorry I have to go now, my phone is ringin etc. just be respectful towards people, and the truble you get in will be from simply bad luck.

5. Know where you are going ahead of time. Walk with a purpose.
Yes. To look like you are confused or lost makes you an easy target. However - Hollywood blvd. right now is crowded with grannys from Texas and Japanese people with cameras. They do not look so smart always non of them..
6. Don’t look out of place? So how does a 19 year old look out of place?
He’s 6’ tall 170 lbs, wears tee shirts, jeans, and sneakers. Hair is fairly short now.
Same as 5.

So if he stays within ¾ of a mile from the school that can still be a distance to walk if you see a “panoply of panhandlers, drunk bikers, hookers, and dealers” all the way to school. I am sure there would be many times he would have to travel the same distance at night. Obviously the same rules apply at night but I would think there are more. What about buses? Would he be better off taking his car and living in a safer neighborhood?
The bus at night in LA is not a good place to be. However, a lot of the students takes the bus during the day. It is still a little scary, the bus is the cheapest way to get around LA - so there are some people there that are not doing very well. A car in LA is rather neccessary, mostly because the public transportation net is so poor. If he wants to get around, it is neccessary. Most likely he will find so many friends at MI and have such a good time that he will have more than enough with hanging out with people from school.
Fastfilm, you have been there for 30 years. I find it hard to believe that with all that going on that no one ever grabbed your camera from you. You must be really street smart. Do males or females have a better chance of safe survival if they follow the rules? I hate to see him loose his guitar or his life trying to keep it.
There is a taxi at MI bringing students home after dark for free.

What about gated apartment complexes? Would any of those be gated near the school?
The Victor at Wilcox are gated with security guards but they are $ 1650 a month and they are unfurnished. Oakwood ( oakwood.com )at Barham blvd is a five minutes busride from school, the bus stops right outside school and they have furnished apt with absolutely everything inclutding towels and kitchen wear, it is a fenced area with security guards all over.
I lived there for a while - it is expencive but very, very safe.
Use apartmentratings.com. You should also check with a hotel if he can have a long term rent there, some of the students at MI did just that.

Where do you buy food? Are there big grocery stores in the area around the school or just corner variety stores? Wal-marts? I’m sorry I have no idea.
There is a great, and cheap grocerystore at Yucca and Vine - go Right from MI, turn left on Wilcox, turn right on Yucca and walk into the parking lot. The store is the last one to the left, after the ladys hairdresser.
There is a Ross at La Brea and Sunset, 5 minutes walk from MI and if he continues down he has a Jons on De Longpre and La Brea, and a Ralphs right across the street from there.

Do not listen to all thouse besserwissers, they only want to show off. What is more satesfying than telling others how fantasticly experienced and smart they are??? GOOD LUCK!!!!

Thanks for all your help