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Old 04-09-2010, 01:06 AM
R66
 
Location: Miami, Florida / Marina del Rey, California
145 posts, read 418,357 times
Reputation: 96

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In 1989 with $1500 cash I drove from a small town near Orlando to L.A.; no connections, no friends, no back up. I was alone, first time west of New Orleans, I was 23 years old driving a used, beat up 1984 VW Rabbit. For the next 7 years I lived in SF Valley trying to get my big break in Acting. Worked every kind of labor job imaginable. From painting curbs to door-to-door long distance Lockhead resells. Even shadowed a Bounty Hunter, almost got shot at out in Corona at 3AM. 1996 I threw in the towel, rented a U-Haul from Topanga Moving in Woodlland Hills, packed all I could and drove back across the USA (alone again) back to Florida and started over.... in business ( real estate ). I had some rough years back then .... slept in back seat of my car a few weeks in Hollywood Hills on Outpost Drive, a rough time indeed.

During those years I was so alone and broke. I contemplated suicide. I met a lot of well known people, saw a lot of crazy sh*t and learned a lot of things I don't care to discuss here. almost 15 years later, those 7 years produced 2/3 people I can call *friends*.

[OP: inappropriate and off-topic]

Last edited by uptown_urbanist; 04-09-2010 at 09:37 AM..
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Old 04-09-2010, 09:39 AM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,638,574 times
Reputation: 6776
Let's keep it on topic, please.
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Old 04-09-2010, 10:05 AM
 
Location: West Coast
1,308 posts, read 4,119,629 times
Reputation: 698
best advice for you is to look somewhere in the San Fernando Valley.
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Old 04-09-2010, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
142 posts, read 440,875 times
Reputation: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by vdy1985 View Post
best advice for you is to look somewhere in the San Fernando Valley.
Based on the OP's projected budget I agree that the San Fernando Valley is worth looking into as a place to live. For example, areas like Burbank or North Hollywood are "relatively" affordable yet still close to lots of entertainment jobs.

The summer temps get hot in the valley but compared to Miami it will be a walk in the park. Even in the middle of summer the nights are pleasantly cool, esp. when compared to that thick Miami humidity. We are litterally talking NIGHT vs. DAY.

A quick LA geography lesson for you: The San Fernando Valley (with 1.3 million residents) is for the most part within the CITY LIMITS of Los Angeles but "feels" like a bedroom community because it is separated from the rest of the City of Los Angeles by the Santa Monica Mountains. It is generally less dense and congested than other parts of the City, though by no means am I suggesting there is no traffic.

LA is one of the few cities I can think of that has an actual mountain chain slicing through it....makes for many beautiful drives, vistas, canyons, and hikes.

While the San Fernando Valley is not as "hip" or "interesting" as other parts of LA (thinking of Hollywood, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, etc), it is close enough to all those areas, has plenty of entertainment jobs, and is more affordable than those previously mentioned areas.
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Old 04-09-2010, 01:13 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
142 posts, read 440,875 times
Reputation: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyDR View Post
My husband and I are young professionals who are considering relocating to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry (how original! )

We would appreciate any advice regarding where/how to look for work and neighborhoods to live in.

Additional info if it helps:
-We are Hispanic and open to living in multi-racial/ethnic areas.

ANY other tips/warning/suggestions/personal stories are welcomed and greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
A few more random thoughts. LA's Latino heritage is primarily Mexican/Mexican-American but also includes large numbers of people from El Salvador and Guatemala. In fact, the largest concentration of Salvadorans in the world outside the capital of El Salvador are based in LA County.

In fact, LA has the largest concentration of Mexicans in the world outside of Mexico City. Ditto for Koreans (outside Seoul), Persians (outside Iran) and many, many other groups.

My point is that you will hear plenty of Spanish spoken in Los Angeles but I think the use of Spanish in business is LESS common than in Miami. I think this is due in part to the fact Miami's latin transformaton happened primarly since 1960 and it happend very fast. By contast, many of the "Mexicans" of LA have been here for 100 years or more (including the orginal settlers of LA in 1781 who were Mexican). As you probably well know, as the 2nd or 3rd generation is raised the Spanish langauge often gets lost.

For instance, the Mayor of Los Angeles is Antonio Villaragoisa of Mexican-American descent. He was born in LA. When he ran for Mayor he had to "practice" his Spanish so he could speak more fluently to the Spanish language media and communicate with more recent immigrants whose votes he was hoping to court.

I guess my point is that you will see MORE DIVERSITY in LA.....more groups from more places...
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Old 04-09-2010, 01:29 PM
 
Location: Hollywood, FL
22 posts, read 49,202 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnyDay70 View Post
My point is that you will hear plenty of Spanish spoken in Los Angeles but I think the use of Spanish in business is LESS common than in Miami.
I am really glad to hear this. While I am half Venezuelan, I was raised by an American mom so my Spanish isn't fluent. It made it nearly impossible to find work in Miami. I hope you're right about it being different in L.A.!

Thanks for the info about the San Fernando Valley as well! I'm going to start researching apartment rentals in that area.
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Old 04-09-2010, 01:58 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
142 posts, read 440,875 times
Reputation: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyDR View Post
I am really glad to hear this. While I am half Venezuelan, I was raised by an American mom so my Spanish isn't fluent. It made it nearly impossible to find work in Miami. I hope you're right about it being different in L.A.!

Thanks for the info about the San Fernando Valley as well! I'm going to start researching apartment rentals in that area.
For sure it's a BIG DIFFERENCE in Los Angeles as compared to Miami.

Let's face it the upper echelons of the entertainment industry in LA are primarly populated by Anglo and Jewish folks....Latinos are gaining power but they are 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation anyway. SO ENGLISH is the "official" language spoken in the entertainment industry in LA.

Also, more generally, given the large Asian influence in LA and the great success of many Asian-Americans in business and the professional class...this only REINFORCES the use of English in business. A Korean businessman might know SOME spanish but he for sure speaks English. Ditto for an Iranian or Iranian-American business person. He might speak SOME Spanish but he/she for sure speaks ENGLISH along with their native PERSIAN.
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Old 04-09-2010, 02:10 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
142 posts, read 440,875 times
Reputation: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyDR View Post
I am really glad to hear this. While I am half Venezuelan, I was raised by an American mom so my Spanish isn't fluent. It made it nearly impossible to find work in Miami. I hope you're right about it being different in L.A.!

Thanks for the info about the San Fernando Valley as well! I'm going to start researching apartment rentals in that area.
LA probably has less South Americans than Miami (at least in percentage terms). That said, there are a lot of people of Peruvian descent in the San Fernando Valley. I remember briefly dating a Venezuelan gal about 10 years ago. But you don't meet too many Venazuelans in Los Angeles.

That said, there is a restaurant/club/lounge in Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley that caters to South Americans. Tarzana happens to be a very nice area....actually quite a few celebrities live in Tarzana in the hills above Ventura Blvd. Tarzana gets its name from Tarzan because Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the orig. Tarzan, had a ranch there in the 1920's.

The palce is called Lima Lounge or Lima Peruvian Cuisine and Lounge. Gets crowded on Saturday nights with a So. American theme and many people from all over So. America. This is not a HUGE club like you'd find in Hollywood or So. Beach...more laid back but dancing and drinks to a So. American beat. See link below.

Lima Peruvian Cuisine & Lounge - Tarzana, CA 91356 | Find Local Los Angeles
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Old 04-09-2010, 02:26 PM
 
Location: South Bay
7,226 posts, read 22,110,685 times
Reputation: 3626
there is a community of brazillians on the westside of LA if that interests you at all. it's not huge, but there are a number of restaurants and shops along venice blvd that cater to brazillian immigrants.
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