Help Me Choose an Apartment (Santa Monica or Culver City) (Los Angeles: leases, school)

[DCtoLAviaSD]

Greetings all.

I am originally from NYC, moving to LA. I must sign a lease this Friday. I have two leases on the table and must pick one (monthly rent is about the same for each place).

Background: I will be working in LA (Bunker Hill area) and my fiancee will be going to school in either Venice or Santa Monica (she hasn't decided which school yet). In about a year, I will be going to grad school at night (the school is somewhat near my job).

Ideally: we are looking to be near the beach and her school. I don't mind driving, and will likely only hit rush hour in the am. She is a vegan, and we are hoping to be near farmer's markets, food co-ops, restaurants, etc.

Choices are:

Culver City: nice, large apartment (2BR), on the border of Lucerne-Higuera and Carlson Park areas. The area feels pretty safe. I like this choice because it is near downtown CC which has a decent nightlife.

Santa Monica: smaller apartment (1BR) north of Montana, a couple blocks from the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The area feels pretty safe. I like this choice because it is in the part of LA that we wanted to move to...essentially, this is the dream realized, and I don't know if that is clouding my judgment.

I would appreciate anybody's thoughts or opinions. Also, I am expecting my commute to be about 45 minutes from either apartment. Am I way off the mark with this expectation?

Thanks everybody.

~DCtoLAviaSD

[Dunbar42]

I think it basically comes down to square footage vs. location. That area of Culver City has a quiet residential feel to it but downtown CC is sort of one-dimensional if nightlife is important to you. I think you'll want to drive or bike 10-15 min to Abbot Kinney or Main St. in Santa Monica to get the diversity of nightlife you're probably looking for. I suspect the commute will be 15-20min shorter in CC and public transit with the new Expo line may be an option. The advantage to Santa Monica will be that the area is nicer and you can walk to the beach and nice restaurants etc. Can't really go wrong with either one IMO.

[Cloudwalker]

Either option would be pretty good, but your fiancee will probably have more food options in Santa Monica. You could walk to the excellent Farmers Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays and there are a number of restaurants and cafes around there that cater well for vegans. Plus it's the more physically beautiful place to be out of the two.

Your commute estimate is about right. It can be a lot longer (from either spot), but on an average day it should be 30-40 minutes. If you can get outside peak hours, it can often be just a 15-20 minute run along the 10.

[disgruntled la native]

The beauty in North Santa Monica can't be overlooked.

[1200RT]

I'm a homeowner in the area you're describing in Santa Monica. IMO its the nicest part (and at times most tolerable) part of "Los Angeles". Montana Ave, is a fantastic area to walk on the weekends, and really keeps you away from the Promenade, and other touristy areas.

I'm assuming the 2 bedroom in CC is in the same price range, or a tad bit more, and there is likely a reason for that.