Downtown la

[greggd]

Originally Posted by KnoxTown

I'm with you. I've been watching the prices there for a couple months now, and I think later in the year might be a good time to check it out.

Prices have really dropped on the condos in downtown. Keep in mind, Asking and Selling prices are two different things.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by straight outta camden

It is just about possible to replicate a San Francisco or Manhattan-style existence in LA if you live and work downtown or near Wilshire Boulevard and take the red line around. But, frankly, why? LA is a low-rise, suburban city, oriented around the car. Transplants tend to become a lot happier when they figure out how to work with this reality. Enjoy the beaches, enjoy having a garden if you can afford it, enjoy the strange patchwork of cities, enjoy the fantasy architecture, even enjoy driving (it's certainly a lot more pleasant than dealing with those maniac drivers in SF). Don't live downtown.

this is a great post for outsiders to read in regards to LA. LA is a very diverse place, you will find hints of other major US cities here, but LA is also a major city itself with its own distinct character. If you move here with the intent of having a SF, NY, DC, Chicago, Boston, etc... lifestyle, it won't work, LA is LA and always will be.

[Days1015]

U guys are definitely right about coming from SF and looking for something like SF in LA. Kinda defeats the "change" that was the initial purpose to move in the first place. Anyway I thought about it a little harder, and well, I'm really into urban living (artist lofts, brick exposed studios)..and I found them most affordable in downtown LA, I guess for obvious reasons, and my main concern was really if downtown was liveable..cuz it wasn't that bad to me when I visited, however visiting is different from actually living there.

[SouthBayTodd]

the homeless downtown can be scary. a lot of drug addicts and crazies, but from my experience they are not nearly as aggressive or angry as homeless in SF. i have driven my car right through the heart of skid row without problem. but i would not wander around skid row alone or even at night. LAPD has stepped up the police downtown and it is apparent. you see lots more cops on foot in the worst areas of downtown. i'm not sure of the stats but it seems to be helping. still, i would not want to live downtown. i'll head down there for a staples center event, for a business thing, or maybe to shop the wholesale district, or occasionally for a dinner, but i would not want to live down there...but that is me.

[nickdahammer]

I know what you mean. walking down the nickel is a rare adventure for me. I was down there about a year ago (in daylight, mind you), but Skid Row is what it is. Actually, I was at the Nickel Diner a couple of months ago (Main, just north of the nickel), but that area is nowhere near as daunting as it used to be. I am still amazed to see people walking dogs, couples with kids in strollers, and the makings of an authentic neighborhood.

That said, Skid Row is NOT all there is to downtown, and there are other places to live where the homeless/crazy issue is not so pervasive. I would look west or north. I was in Little Tokyo for lunch, and there is a new, nice apartment complex called Hikari @ Second and Central. The area is pretty safe, with a Starbucks and Quiznos and the LT shopping area behind it.

Little Tokyo Hikari Rental Apartments, New Los Angeles Apartments For Rent, Hikari Condo Rentals, 375 East Second Street, Downtown LA Renting, Lease, Luxury Condominiums, RelatedStyle Services

Westward, there is the Grand Tower which is very nice, and quite reasonable. Across from California Plaza and MOCA.

Grand Tower-255 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 213-229-9777 - Apartment Search Results

The Library Court is great as well- alittle condo-like for my taste, but right by the Library, the subway, business district.

Library Court rebuilt by Brenda Levin - Los Angeles

I knew a guy who lived at the Bunker Hill Towers. He really liked it, but again, these are more condo than loft. Then there are all those places that have opened by Staples, like Evo, Luma, The Concerto, Market Lofts/Ralphs, etc.

Regarding SF homeless: The guys on Market Street are a breed apart from the L.A. panhandlers/bizarros, I agree. My wife used to travel to SF for business, and was scared just walking from her hotel a few blocks to work! Interestingly enough, downtown L.A. doesn't phase her. We haven't been back to SF in awhile- wonder if things have improved.

[uptown_urbanist]

I love downtown LA! So many people don't even know LA has a downtown. I used to bring all my out-of-town visitors there. People or all incomes certainly can and do live there. As far as the homeless thing goes, we once took a drive around Skid Row at about 5 am on a weekend morning - it was like another country out there. The streets were literally lined with tents. Steve Lopez of the LA Times did a very good series on it a few years ago. I've walked around all over downtown, though, and for the most part never been bothered or agressively panhandled.

Another area that feels very urban (and is very walkable and with good public transportation) is Hollywood. Neighborhood Hollywood (got to get beyond the Hollywood/Highland tourist intersection) felt more like a community to me, but downtown is getting there, too. (disclaimer: I was a transplant, but I felt immediately at home in Hollywood due to its city vibrancy)