How do YOU like LA? (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: appointed, apartment, for rent)

[Cbyrd]

Sometimes I think about moving LA and can rarely get a feel for what it's like by what I read. People are usually like 60/40 on it. Sixty percent like it and forty percent gripe. Positive vs Negative people I guess, drop em' anywhere and they'll find something wrong with that area. That said as a home how do you feel about LA? Do you often get grass is greener feelings?

[BarcelonaFan]

That said as a home how do you feel about LA? Do you often get grass is greener feelings?

The city by far is amazing. the natural surroundings never get old, the dynamic energy of the city grips you tightly, the non-judgmental vibe is excellent, the never ending things to do, the beaches, the hills, the life is a dream.

Now for the downside. If you come from middle class middle america and you do not want to start at the bottom; DON'T COME TO LA. You will hate it and will want to leave after a year. Unless you're coming with a hot job paying 60-80k to start or daddy will be footing the bill for rent, then you will not be starting off in Santa Monica living ten mins from work.

If you're able to handle the downgrade from what you're used to and see it as a necessity to move up and get what you want from LA, then you have the mindset to make it here.

If not, stay home, make your 30-40k and live a secure life close to family.

[Charles]

I am proud to have grown up in LA and proud to still live in the region.
I love the weather, the sports teams, and the diversity.

I'd rather live in a lower middle class neighborhood in Southern California than in an upper middle class or executive neighborhood in a place with bad weather.

[BarcelonaFan]

Originally Posted by Charles

I am proud to have grown up in LA and proud to still live in the region.
I love the weather, the sports teams, and the diversity.

I'd rather live in a lower middle class neighborhood in Southern California than in an upper middle class or executive neighborhood in a place with bad weather.

This. It's pretty much the reason why people remain in LA when they there are better options. I included.

I guess it's the same mentality New Yorkers (for whatever reason) have.

[ccm123]

Pluses - great food at great prices, diverse cultures, relatively good weather, and "cool" vibe.

Downsides - traffic, urban sprawl, gangs

[Elle Oh Elle]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

This. It's pretty much the reason why people remain in LA when they there are better options. I included.

I guess it's the same mentality New Yorkers (for whatever reason) have.

Well, we can always move/travel back and forth between the two.

I'm getting tired of it since I'm born and raised out here. And yes, when I was younger everyone hyped it up as being palm trees and luxury cars. All the American kids from out of state (especially small towns) wanted to move to LA on blogs and reviews. NYC wasn't the city for them, LA was the paradise. But actually, they would be disappointed if they ever came out here... all those stereotypes are not true at all unless you're in Manhattan Beach (which is not part of LA) or on Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard.

I'm going away for college.

[BarcelonaFan]

Elle you sent me a message but I cannot send you a pm for some reason, but in response to your question; yes.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by Elle Oh Elle

Well, we can always move/travel back and forth between the two.

I'm getting tired of it since I'm born and raised out here. And yes, when I was younger everyone hyped it up as being palm trees and luxury cars. All the American kids from out of state (especially small towns) wanted to move to LA on blogs and reviews. NYC wasn't the city for them, LA was the paradise. But actually, they would be disappointed if they ever came out here... all those stereotypes are not true at all unless you're in Manhattan Beach (which is not part of LA) or on Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard.

I'm going away for college.

In some ways, what's actually in LA is much better than some of the stereotypes which were a bit vacuous.

Are you going away to NYC for college?

[PDF]

I felt the same way before visiting. I think Los Angeles is one of those cities that you cannot get a feel for what it is like without having been there. Because of how unique it is, and how different it is to every other major city out there. And reading all the posts on here, you will get such a divided opinion.

But before moving I decided to visit for a week in June and loved LA. It was the opposite of what I expected. Now I have a good feel for what the city is like.

[twilightfades33]

I currently live in Pennsylvania (and have lived here my whole life) but we recently spent six months in Los Angeles for my husband's job. I absolutely cannot wait to move to LA permanently, which we are doing as soon as we can sell our house. We live in the Philly suburbs, and I do like Philly, but I absolutely loved LA.

We were there over this past winter (Oct-Mar), and it was just phenomenal in terms of weather compared to a typical PA winter. I think I needed my fall coat once or twice during the coldest months of the year. We did a ton of inexpensive or free activities, like going to the beach, the museums, art galleries, television show tapings, the movies, and other cultural events like Paleyfest and Cirque du Soleil using discount websites like Goldstar. We ate a lot of great food (LA has some amazing brunch places) and we could walk to grocery stores, restaurants, the mall, farmer's markets and museums from our apartment. I chose our apartment having never even visited LA before, but luckily Miracle Mile is where it's at when it comes to walkability. I didn't have a car the whole time we were there, and I traveled all over the city by foot, bus, and train. I think people who constantly complain about LA's public transportation don't realize how good it is compared to many other cities. It was sunny most days, which is important if you are susceptible to winter gloom as I am. And we spent all of our weekends either enjoying and exploring our neighborhood or taking trips to nearby SoCal cities.

I would agree with most that living L.A. is much easier when you have a higher than average income, and we do fall in that category. But most of the money we spent was on eating out, which we did way more often than we do at home. Many of our evening and weekend activities were relatively inexpensive or free, in contrast to the high housing costs of Los Angeles. I know this was a book, but in summary, I cannot say enough good things about LA. The two biggest downsides for me? Paying for parking almost everywhere (due to restricted residential street parking) and no Yuengling.