Moving to LA, advice please!

[Sorcerer68]

I don't find Burbank congested. It's one of the most mellow areas of all the cities up there. People are generally polite in traffic, drive slower and don't use their horns. The Equestrian area has homes with stables. There are numerous parks and the buildings are mostly on a smaller, lower scale making it feel very homey. My favorite part is southeastern Burbank and Toluca Lake. Homes and buildings aren't as close together. All of the inland of L.A. could be described as "hot and smoggy", it's all relative but I find Burbank pretty nice. It has glorious winters, nice spring and fall and an honest summer. It doesn't have the grey gloom the west side gets. I lived in Glendale for a few years, it's far more dense and feels busier. My pick of the area is Pasadena, I love Old Pas. I'm off to Burbank right now to pick up my sweetie. Priscilla's has the best coffee...

I just helped my sister find a small 1 bedroom house with a yard and a garage in Pasadena on a thoroughly decent street for 950 a month. Deals are out there if you look hard enough. She looked for a month and wouldn't give up until she found exactly what she wanted at the right price. Good luck.

[LaEscritora]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

I just helped my sister find a small 1 bedroom house with a yard and a garage in Pasadena on a thoroughly decent street for 950 a month. Deals are out there if you look hard enough. She looked for a month and wouldn't give up until she found exactly what she wanted at the right price. Good luck.

Sorcerer, Los Angeles should consider making you an abassador. Everything you say has a positive overtone, thanks. Seeing that deal you got for your sister made me feel better. Yes, things are expensive, but we can afford that. We can afford something. Thanks again.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by LaEscritora

Thank you, MrsHB, that seems like really good advice. I have heard that we should have some place to live before we go and I just was not sure how to accomplish that. I will probably go a few days earlier than my boyfriend to see if I can find something, but it's a very big decision to make alone.

I didn't realize that most places don't have AC. That's amazing, especially considering the climate. Most apartments in my area don't come with central air, but they at least have a wall unit. Oh, well.

in my experience, most places built in the 70s or later do have air conditioning, even if it is just a window or wall unit. it's true that older places generally do not unless it was added after the fact.

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by LaEscritora

Sorcerer, Los Angeles should consider making you an abassador. Everything you say has a positive overtone, thanks. Seeing that deal you got for your sister made me feel better. Yes, things are expensive, but we can afford that. We can afford something. Thanks again.

You can PM me any time if you need help. Thanks for the kind words.

[peanut35]

i moved out here 6 years ago and have lived in 5 different cities in LA: Hermosa Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Downtown LA, and West Hollywood.

The good:
weather is as good as it gets
lots of outdoor activities
beautiful beaches
great shopping
diverse

The bad:
- it's incredibly expensive (in 6 years, my husband and i have never paid less than $1,500 rent for a one bedroom apartment. also, the apartments here (for the most part) are very old. don't be suprised if there is no air conditioning. most landlords don't feel the need to upgrade anything because the renting market is so hot right now with homes being unaffordable
- crime
- homeless (i have nothing against the homeless, but it is sad there are so many)
- smog
- traffic (but hey, that's any city)

The ugly:
- unless you are making A LOT of money or you are willing to move to compton/south central, you will never buy a house or even a condo unless the market crashes
- no decent form of public transportation. i still haven't accepted this fact. it utterly blows my mind that a city of this size only has a crappy old bus system. no subway. you'll need a car and a lot of money for gas
- did i mention it's expensive?

i moved here from the east coast for the experience. i truly have had a great time hear and don't regret it all. it's good to get out of your comfort zone and try new things/places. but, like a lot of people (including myself), i think you'll find that after you experience it for a few years, you'll want to move on. my husband and i feel this way now. we'd really like to purchase a condo or house, but we don't have a million bucks. so i guess it's time for something new.

in any case, good luck

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by peanut35

- no decent form of public transportation. i still haven't accepted this fact. it utterly blows my mind that a city of this size only has a crappy old bus system. no subway.

Yesterday I got on the subway and went from my home to Downtown. I got back on the train and went to Long Beach for some business and had a wonderful day, got back on it and came home. It took 2 trains but there wasn't much waiting on either end. Today I got on the train and went to Union Station and then on the Gold Line to Pasadena to take care of an old ticket. It took me a little under 40 minutes to get there which is less than if I would have driven (rush hour). I hopped a train and immediately came back to L.A., this time to the Wilshire district to meet my sweetie for dinner. All this was accomplished without ever getting on a bus. Day before yesterday I had business in the middle of Hollywood, I was there on the subway in 4 minutes. I then had business downtown, 13 minutes and I was there. After that I had to go to stop in Hollywood and then hopped back on the train to the valley. I was there soon. A couple days before, my sweetie asked me to meet him at Universal Citywalk. I had to get there in a hurry. From my door to standing on Lankershim and looking across the street at it was 15minutes and I don't live right next to the Red Line station. Was I dreaming?

Our PT system is far from ideal but it isn't as bad as most people say it is. For the ground it has to cover, it's quite decent. (Yes, I've ridden NYC city subways).

[LaEscritora]

Peanut35, I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience and that you don't regret moving. I think a change is good right now and I am looking forward to it.

[LaEscritora]

Can I trouble you kind people for further information?

Moving plans are moving forward. We are both very excited. I feel that it is important to go out to LA once more before we move to look around at neighborhoods, etc. My boyfriend disagrees. Thoughts?

I'm also wondering when would be a good time to go. We want to move at the end of January.

Thanks so much for all the help!

[Cowboy44]

Originally Posted by peanut35

i moved out here 6 years ago and have lived in 5 different cities in LA: Hermosa Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Downtown LA, and West Hollywood.

The good:
weather is as good as it gets
lots of outdoor activities
beautiful beaches
great shopping
diverse

The bad:
- it's incredibly expensive (in 6 years, my husband and i have never paid less than $1,500 rent for a one bedroom apartment. also, the apartments here (for the most part) are very old. don't be suprised if there is no air conditioning. most landlords don't feel the need to upgrade anything because the renting market is so hot right now with homes being unaffordable
- crime
- homeless (i have nothing against the homeless, but it is sad there are so many)
- smog
- traffic (but hey, that's any city)

The ugly:
- unless you are making A LOT of money or you are willing to move to compton/south central, you will never buy a house or even a condo unless the market crashes
- no decent form of public transportation. i still haven't accepted this fact. it utterly blows my mind that a city of this size only has a crappy old bus system. no subway. you'll need a car and a lot of money for gas
- did i mention it's expensive?

i moved here from the east coast for the experience. i truly have had a great time hear and don't regret it all. it's good to get out of your comfort zone and try new things/places. but, like a lot of people (including myself), i think you'll find that after you experience it for a few years, you'll want to move on. my husband and i feel this way now. we'd really like to purchase a condo or house, but we don't have a million bucks. so i guess it's time for something new.

in any case, good luck

What's wrong with Compton or South Central? There are some good and bad areas in both parts, the media makes it seem that all of Compton and South central is bad. Any were black people lives the media seems to want to call it south central interesting. I visited a friend's house in Compton last month and the neighborhood he lives was very nice.