Moving to the Valley (Los Angeles, Burbank: apartments, leasing agent, house)

[nlvehc45]

I am relocating to L.A. in the near future. I have read many of the threads on here about the SFV. My job will be off of Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. I had visited and looked at Woodland Hills, Tarzana (didn't like), Encino, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, and Studio City. Here are my specific questions before I contact a leasing agent/realtor later on. I can spend up to $1400 tops in rent for large studio (with full kitchen) or 1 bedroom.

I was not impressed with Studio City. People told me it was the most lively neighborhood in the Valley for a young professional, but there didn't seem to be as much as in Noho or Sherman Oaks. Was I looking in the wrong place?

Most of North Hollywood looks run down except for the new buildings in the Arts District, but they are close by the run down parts. Is the Arts District area safe? What about the area around the subway station?

Woodland Hills was really nice, a little on the expensive side for my budget. Is it worth it to live here instead of Sherman Oaks, which seems to be cheaper? I am a single young professional. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stuff to do in WH, although the apartments were pretty good (and did see a lot of people in their 20s and 30s), so that is a tradeoff.

What are people's takes on Sherman Oaks and Encino? Is $1200 in rent, which is what I want to spend, reasonable for a large studio or one bedroom there? There seems to be a wide variety in housing prices in that area.

Thanks everyone!

[Charles]

Just for fun, check out the traffic heading north through the Sepulveda Pass in the morning and south in the PM. If it isn't that bad, maybe the south side of the Santa Monica Mountains, west LA or Santa Monica or something like that. After all, you are close to the 405/101.

[Jean Jeunet]

Originally Posted by nlvehc45

I am relocating to L.A. in the near future. I have read many of the threads on here about the SFV. My job will be off of Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. I had visited and looked at Woodland Hills, Tarzana (didn't like), Encino, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, and Studio City. Here are my specific questions before I contact a leasing agent/realtor later on. I can spend up to $1400 tops in rent for large studio (with full kitchen) or 1 bedroom.

I was not impressed with Studio City. People told me it was the most lively neighborhood in the Valley for a young professional, but there didn't seem to be as much as in Noho or Sherman Oaks. Was I looking in the wrong place?

Most of North Hollywood looks run down except for the new buildings in the Arts District, but they are close by the run down parts. Is the Arts District area safe? What about the area around the subway station?

Woodland Hills was really nice, a little on the expensive side for my budget. Is it worth it to live here instead of Sherman Oaks, which seems to be cheaper? I am a single young professional. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stuff to do in WH, although the apartments were pretty good (and did see a lot of people in their 20s and 30s), so that is a tradeoff.

What are people's takes on Sherman Oaks and Encino? Is $1200 in rent, which is what I want to spend, reasonable for a large studio or one bedroom there? There seems to be a wide variety in housing prices in that area.

Thanks everyone!

It's funny that you mention basically all the neighborhoods I have lived in and currently live in. I've lived in Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Encino and now NoHo. $1200 is a pretty healthy budget, especially for a studio apartment.

Here's my take on each neighborhood I've lived in:

Studio City: Very friendly people, but you're right that it's a bit overhyped. Very safe; never had a problem.

Sherman Oaks: More to do than Studio City. Then again, Studio City is a hop skip and a jump from Sherman Oaks, so they basically have similar amenities. Has the mall and Galleria. My friend had one isolated incident of being robbed, but I personally never had a problem.

Woodland Hills: Hot as hell, especially in the summer. Has the Promenade and Topanga Mall (soon to be connected to make the largest mall in the West). Near Warner Center with a lot of employers. A bit newer than the rest of the valley in terms of recent development and fewer telephone wires exposed. Cleaner look.

Encino: Has Lake Balboa and not too much else. There's the Encino Commons, but kinda boring. Most of my neighbors were older than I was used to, so I didn't stay very long here.

NoHo Arts District: Very happy here. More of a down to earth style here with less pretense. Definitely get more bang for your buck here than previous mentioned neighborhoods. The closer you are to the subway, the more expensive; FYI. Has live theaters, my dance studio, cafes. Probably won't be moving for a while.

[nlvehc45]

I checked out the commute times from Santa Monica, which didn't really bother me as much as I thought. The traffic on the freeways was bad, but the surface streets aren't so bad. I'll def. give that more thought.

Am I right in saying Noho and Sherman Oaks have the most stuff going on?

Woodland Hills was geat for housing specifications. I just feel like there isn't much stuff to do for people in my age range (20s, early 30s).

[BluSpark]

Originally Posted by nlvehc45

I checked out the commute times from Santa Monica, which didn't really bother me as much as I thought. The traffic on the freeways was bad, but the surface streets aren't so bad. I'll def. give that more thought.

Am I right in saying Noho and Sherman Oaks have the most stuff going on?

Woodland Hills was geat for housing specifications. I just feel like there isn't much stuff to do for people in my age range (20s, early 30s).

I grew up in the Valley...no longer live there but let me add my 2 cents:

1. Studio City does have the MOST nightlife options in the Valley. But understand that the valley is not as concentrated as say Hollywood or Santa Monica where there is block after block of clubs/restaurants. So you could drive down Ventura Blvd and it will look pretty dead.

That said, NoHo is starting to add more nightlife options. Of course, the valley pales in comparison to the nightlife options available "over the hill" in Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, etc.

2. Sherman Oaks has a lot of "shopping" and "restaurant" options, as much as Studio City. But it does NOT have as many bars or clubs.

3. Woodland Hills is nice but very boring for a young single person. I wouldn't waste my time looking there. WH is also scorching hot in summer, the hottest spot in the valley.

4. Studio City does have a pretentious aspect to it....lots of entertainment industry folks. They are not all like that but you get my drift.

My personal choice would be Sherman Oaks because I just find it has a bit more character than Studio City. Yet, SO is very close to Studio City and an easy jump over the hill to places like Santa Monica or Hollywood. Woodland Hills is Siberira by comparison.

[nlvehc45]

I drove through Studio City but didn't see much in terms of nightlife. What are the main streets for nightlife there? I didn't see much on Ventura.

[nlvehc45]

I'm still considering Santa Monica. Not as big into Hollywood (except for Franklin Village). Weho would be alright though, but a little pricey.

[BluSpark]

Originally Posted by nlvehc45

I drove through Studio City but didn't see much in terms of nightlife. What are the main streets for nightlife there? I didn't see much on Ventura.

Yes...most of the "action" in Studio City is on Ventura Blvd. Like I said the spread out character of the valley does not lend itself to a concentrated district or even block or two. Some of the places aren't well identified from the street.

There is "Unversal Citywalk" which is immediately adjacent to Universal Studios. Citywalk is a separate "tourist trap" area in Universal City, right next to Studio City. I personally can't stand the place...very much a tourist trap. But there are clubs, restaurants, and movie theatres there. You drive into a parking structure and pay $10 to park and you can walk to all of the above.

[BluSpark]

Originally Posted by nlvehc45

I'm still considering Santa Monica. Not as big into Hollywood (except for Franklin Village). Weho would be alright though, but a little pricey.

Santa Monica will certainly offer MUCH more in terms of nightlife, walkability, restaurants, etc. (as compared to the valley).

The downside is the commute but by LA standards a Santa Monica to Sherman Oaks commute is really not too bad.

The downside to that commute is you pretty much have to go through the Sepulveda Pass (where the 405 Freeway cuts through the Santa Monica mountains) so you are stuck with no other alternatives. Yes, you have the option of the 405 Freeway or Sepulveda Blvd but there are plenty of other people with the same idea. The "good" part of the commute is its pretty scenic for an urban freeway.

All things considered, as a single person who likes the beach and the many amenties that come with living in Santa Monica, you should give SM some serious thought.

I've never done that commute but I'd guess it's about a 35 to 40 minute drive (at PEAK hours) from dowtown Santa Monica (3rd and Santa Monica Blvd) to Ventura Blvd and Van Nuys Blvd in Sherman Oaks.

You could post a separate thread and ask people if they've ever done that commute and how good/bad it was......

[majoun]

Originally Posted by BluSpark

Yes...most of the "action" in Studio City is on Ventura Blvd. Like I said the spread out character of the valley does not lend itself to a concentrated district or even block or two. Some of the places aren't well identified from the street.

There is "Unversal Citywalk" which is immediately adjacent to Universal Studios. Citywalk is a separate "tourist trap" area in Universal City, right next to Studio City. I personally can't stand the place...very much a tourist trap. But there are clubs, restaurants, and movie theatres there. You drive into a parking structure and pay $10 to park and you can walk to all of the above.

It should also be considered that Studio City is the closest part of the Valley to West Hollywood and one of the closest parts of the Valley to the Westside (along with Sherman Oaks) and Hollywood (along with Burbank) and isn't that far from Los Feliz and Silver Lake either. In fact, downtown is more accessible from Studio City than it is from Sherman Oaks and Encino. While the NOHO Arts District is slightly farther from the Westside it is connected to Hollywood and downtown by the Red Line (which skirts Silver Lake's outskirts).

Not all the action in Studio City is on Ventura. There are some great remaining neighborhood dive bars on some of the other streets - the Oyster House on Moorpark is like the "Cheers" of Studio City and makes some of the best Bloody Marys in Los Angeles. (Its only competition IMO is Taix in Echo Park and the World Cafe in Santa Monica.) The food there is good albeit pricey (much more so than the drinks). Ventura Blvd. in Studio City has what may be Los Angeles' best Jewish deli and one of the best in the Western US, Art's.