Moving to LA for school, bringing dog - advice (Pasadena: apartments, rentals)

[sk03]

I am a 28 yr old Canadian female student moving to LA in August to go to school in the arts district downtown. I'm bringing a medium-sized mixed breed well behaved dog, need advice on a ton of stuff:

Dog friendly rentals / safe neighborhoods with under 30 min commute - i've been looking at places in Pasadena, South Pasadena (but feeling like these are a bit far) and Silver Lake (closer and has a dog park). Safety is more of a factor to me than rent prices. I would like to be able to take my dog for a walk in the late evenings and not feel like I shouldn't be on the streets at night. Opinions on those and/or any other areas I should be looking at? I'm bringing my vehicle down so driving is an option for me, although I would prefer to be within walking distance of restaurants/shops etc.

Need to find an excellent vet in LA, and a dog food store (currently she's on a local food that likely won't be available there), preferably one with lots of healthy options.

Found some answers i've been looking for in other threads, but i'm sure i'll have tons more questions as it gets closer to my move date. Any and all help and advice is greatly appreciated, thanks

[nowincal11]

Most buildings in LA are dog friendly. I feel like every young professional female has one. Smaller apartment buildings tend to be more dog friendly.

I would reccomend living close to school until you become more familiar with LA. Most Americans are first intimidated when they come to LA at its sheer size and traffic. Otherwise I would reccomend West Hollywood too.

Downtown has mostly large buildings, but has a ton of nightlife. Pasadena is more suburban with smaller apartment buildings though Old Town Pasadena functions as a downtown and has bars, restaurants, etc. Another area I would suggest is Hollywood on Franklin west of the Freeway. In terms of safety, Pasadena is the most safe, then downtown which has gotten better in recent years, and Hollywood is least safe. Hollywood is least safe because of all the foot traffic from people coming there from all over.

Silverlake is a good option and close to downtown, but is a bit more suburban (although still urban, suburban compared to Hollywood and Downtown).

The area of Hollywood I mentioned and Old Town Pasadena have subway access to downtown, which makes commuting easy to school. Or if you live downtown your commute will be minimal.

Hollywood and downtown have a ton of nightlife. Pasadena's Old Town has plenty too, but it isn't the "LA" scene that people expect. Like you won't see celebrities in Pasadena too much, nor stretch limos carting the rich around, nor see any of those places on Entertainment Tonight.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by sk03

i've been looking at places in Pasadena, South Pasadena (but feeling like these are a bit far)

Rent in Pasadena; it will be much less expensive than downtown and better for the dog. The commute is well under 30 minutes. There's an off-leash dog park @ 3026 E. Orange Grove in Pasadena.

[JohnG72]

Is there any particular reason you would not want to live downtown near the place where you are going to school?

[TurcoLoco]

Hey I am looking for a dog friendly Canadian cutie in her late 20s myself!
I am a well-behaved mix breed as well and I hardly ever bark!
I'm also potty trained so if interested in taking me out for a walk (with or without a leash) please let me know.

[sk03]

LOL

Thanks for the advice :-) I have a couple reasons for not wanting to live right downtown, one of the reasons being my schools near some sketchy areas, and I'm somewhat over the whole nightlife thing, or at least don't want to be living right in the midst of it. Also I would prefer somewhere near a dog park for my dog. That's where I got the Silver Lake & Pasadena ideas from :-) I also have a (probably really stupid) question, are dogs allowed on the subway?

[sk03]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Rent in Pasadena; it will be much less expensive than downtown and better for the dog. The commute is well under 30 minutes. There's an off-leash dog park @ 3026 E. Orange Grove in Pasadena.

Is the commute really under 30 minutes? I was told it's around 15-20 with no traffic but more than doubles during rush hour... Although I do believe I will be starting classes around 10 am and finishing later in the evenings as well, what time is rush hour usually over at?
Thanks

[sk03]

Sooo I think I'm leaning towards the Silver Lake area as its much closer to downtown than Pasadena/South Pasadena and I really don't want to be spending a ridiculous amount of time in the car. Soooo safety-wise in the Silver Lake neighborhood, where are the best places to live? Dog-friendly apartments or other rentals that anyone can recommend?
Thanks :-)