Attending LMU (near Marina Del Ray) living options?

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by odannyboi

thanks, compy

Westchester is kind of bland though. I'm trying to live a few miles from school because I only attend in the late afternoon and evening so I would try to find a day job (professional or for spending money) and thus position myself geographically more towards the Culver City direction (i'm targeting Sony pictures).

Also, I kind of want to live somewhere cool because if LA doesn't work out, I can finish up school and easily find a job in Chicago. Looking to make the best of it just in case. On that note is Beverly Hills doable?

Everytime I hear someone on City Data post that an area is bland or boring or whatever, I just think how amazingly shortsighted they are being.

This is because generally its pretty easy to drive short distances, and rents in the "exciting areas" can be quite expensive. For instance, its about a 5-15 minute drive, even at the worst of rush hour, from Westchester to Venice, Marina Del Rey, and Culver City, and not much further to Santa Monica. Yet rents are appreciably lower in Westchester without sacrificing safety or amenities. The difference in comparable 1 bedroom apartments would be $1300-1500/mo in Culver City vs $1100-1200/mo in Westchester.

Unless you are living in the small walkable areas of those cities where you walk to entertainment and restaurants, is there really a difference between driving 5 minutes and driving 10 minutes?

In other words, I "get" wanting to live in Sunset Junction, or Downtown LA, or Old Town Pasadena. You get to walk to groceries, restaurants, bars, movies, etc. I do not "get" living in an expensive area where you still have to drive to get anywhere vs living a mile or two away where its much cheaper and you still have to drive.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

Everytime I hear someone on City Data post that an area is bland or boring or whatever, I just think how amazingly shortsighted they are being.

This is because generally its pretty easy to drive short distances, and rents in the "exciting areas" can be quite expensive. For instance, its about a 5-15 minute drive, even at the worst of rush hour, from Westchester to Venice, Marina Del Rey, and Culver City, and not much further to Santa Monica. Yet rents are appreciably lower in Westchester without sacrificing safety or amenities. The difference in comparable 1 bedroom apartments would be $1300-1500/mo in Culver City vs $1100-1200/mo in Westchester.

Unless you are living in the small walkable areas of those cities where you walk to entertainment and restaurants, is there really a difference between driving 5 minutes and driving 10 minutes?

In other words, I "get" wanting to live in Sunset Junction, or Downtown LA, or Old Town Pasadena. You get to walk to groceries, restaurants, bars, movies, etc. I do not "get" living in an expensive area where you still have to drive to get anywhere vs living a mile or two away where its much cheaper and you still have to drive.

john makes excellent points. stay within your budget and live in westchester. MDR and Venice are literally only a few miles north of westchester and you can visit when you have time to do so. there are also plenty of coffee shops, bars, restaurants and even a big park at the lincoln/manchester intersection. the beach in PDR is also easily accessible and parking is way easier than the more popular beaches north of there.

[nick2006]

agree with john and BR.. but then again, i am a mid-30's over the hill guy..so maybe i am past my abilities to think like my younger days.

[JTGJR]

I agree with John, BR, nick, etc. The western side of Westchester, where LMU is, is a nice mid to upper middle class family area. BUT, it still houses a major, private university with 7-8K students in the 18-24 yr range. That means there are a lot of 20-somethings your age who live close to campus. Living in Westchester puts you 15 minutes from MDR, PDR, Culver City, Manhattan Beach and 20 minutes or so from Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach. You could not have a wider range of cultures anyplace in LA. And I don't just mean north and south upper-income areas. If you're of a philanthropic mind, all you need to do is head due east for 15 minutes.

I can't see how renting a $1000 room in a BH "mansion" will be any more thrill-seeking than a nice $2K, 2-3BR place closer to school.

You asked. We've spoken.

[Kaizmama]

A ton of Loyola students live in Playa Vista and it is a really nice neighborhood. It's kind of a "bubble" but you can walk to the bank, a coffee bean, two restaurants (with bars), a small grocer, the dentist, pools, the library, etc. You can also bike to the beach. I live there now with my husband and young child, but two of my college age babysitters also live here. As well as professional athletes (Lakers and clippers). You are either a Loyola or OTIS college student, a young family, a young professional, or an athlete if you live here. Interesting mix! and extremely safe. Most affordable buildings are Fountain Park and the Metro. Good luck!

[odannyboi]

Hi All,

I ended up withdrawing from LMU and am now in SD (LMU didn't transfer some classes as they promised before I transferred from UA, had I known this I would have stayed in AZ).

Anyways, I basically lived around the area and attended class for a couple of weeks and the entire area is awesome (including westchester .

Thanks for the info though. I'll be back after I finish down here.