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"She wants to one day become an actress and I want warmer weather."
That about sums it up, no? Just because you might not advise moving across the country at OMG! 40 years old, doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Especially if they're the type of the parent who wants support their kid's interests no matter what.
OP, the valley with neighborhoods like Burbank, Noho, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, and Toluca Lake will you put you right in the middle of LA with rents under 2K. I lived in Valley Village for two years and we rented an amazingly huge 3 bedroom apartment for $1600. I'd say you are going to have an easier time finding a place to rent with that budget than a home to buy. Something you can always re-evaluate later once you're familiar with LA neighborhoods.
I want warmer weather by then...I love Boston, but am willing to make the move as California also fits my lifestyle of academia and wine...lol. We want to go together because we are very close...I have unfortunately had to move several times and it has always just been us.
Last edited by asha0310; 01-02-2013 at 02:35 PM..
Reason: Thank you so much for that!! this helps me out immensely!
She needs to be involved in the theater scene wherever she is living now, maybe she could make some connections. She could try to get into a college with a good drama program, they are all over the country. What 13 year old doesn't fantasize? She will probably want to be something else by the time she graduates HS.
If this is even a serious post, which it doesn't sound like since it's too "stereotypically stupid" and everything you are asking for isn't possible. Do not move to LA so you daughter can be an actress, that's a fantasy and a soul killer right there and you will be willingly giving up your own life for nothing.
Wow...My daughter and I do everything together! I love her and want to support her!!! She has wanted this for sometime and we are currently involved in theatre right here in Boston, MA. She also attends Dance and acting classes. I also would love to get to warmer weather as originally stated in my earlier post. If you would have read, then you would know this change is for both of us! I love Boston, MA but I am not glued to it. As a matter of fact, if it makes my life and hers better, then we are all about it.
And I am sorry you think I live in a "rose-colored" world; however, I can assure you from past experiences...I get what I want and what I need....IF I want to make it to California, then trust me it will happen....all I need to know is where the nice areas are!!!
You (an adult, who will be +/-40 years old at the time) are going to move your entire life across the country for your daughter (who will also be an adult at the time...) to peruse a career for her? You love Boston? She hates it?
She'll be an adult. Why do you have to move? Just checking.
I believe my question was in regard to nice areas!! I want to move with my child because we are close and that is what we want to eventually do! I would love to go back to warmer weather just not Florida again! I hope that answers your question!!!!
Former and soon-to-return LA resident here, also in Boston for the time being. 4.5 years is a long time out, but I'll give you some advice based on assuming you'd move right now (which I recommend, will explain why later)
If you want to work in the Fashion/Arts/Entertainment industry, there is no better place in the world than LA. People will dump on you from left and right about letting your daughter chase her dreams (or whatever nasty theme they come up with) but ignore them. If you plan ahead, work hard, and have a bit of luck or talent, you can make your way. I've worked on the perphiery of the industry alongside a "real job" and it's been a fun and enlightening experience. One thing I will suggest is to do what you can to instill a serious work ethic and some brains in your daughter. Having both will put her a step above the rest. There's a lot of dumb money floating around, and a lot more of just dumb. A sharp person with some talent can sometimes get ahead of the crowd.
O-town is pretty bleh. I don't blame you.
If you don't care about beaches or surfing, your best bet is probably inland along the foothills. Cities like Pasadena, Monrovia, and Azusa might fit the bill. If you want to be near the beach, you can try for places around El Segundo and Torrance. Venice Beach and point north are great fun, but you're probably not rich enough. Same goes for west Hollywood and Malibu, though Malibu is much more boring. There are colleges all over, and the University system--though maybe a step below the ivy-leagues of MA--is excellent.
If it's not too far, the towns of Ventura county are beautiful, safe, quiet, and nice. Commuting to the valley is possible. Commuting (every day) to downtown LA or Hollywood from Ventura is not.
I would avoid the San Fernando or Simi Valleys. They're separated from LA by the mountains and getting through the passes is where the nightmare traffic is (101 and 405 freeways). You could try North Hollywood and ride the red line straight to Hollywood/Downtown, but NoHo is a black hole of failed actors. It can be sorta fun for young people, I suppose. Burbank is about the same but more expensive.
I would also avoid places adjacent to downtown LA like Silverlake or Echo Park. They're nice, but the price isn't worth the proximity. Downtown empties out at 5PM (there's literally nothing to do there after sunset except find a place to sleep on the street with the hordes of homeless) and you'll do well to think of it as a giant block of immobile traffic within +/- 3 hours of rush hour.
Shouldn't be a problem unless you are trying to live on Wilshire Blvd. or in the areas I mentioned as too expensive. I strongly suggest craigslist, and LOTS of time to look for apartments. I also suggest you save a little money by considering older apartments which cost less. SoCal is a different animal than frigid MA or sweltering CFLA. The point of living there is to get out and do things in the sprawling playground of LA and surrounding areas. There's deserts, mountains, lakes, world-class skiing, surfing, dining, shopping, etc. You can literally snowboard in the morning, catch waves in the afternoon, and then hit a top-tier club that night. There's plenty of more sedate and intellectual things to do as well, most of the out-in-the-fresh-air variety, year round. What's the point of paying through the nose for fancy digs when you shouldn't spend but maybe a few hours cooking, eating, and sleeping there each day?
LA is HUGE. It's like several different countries. Some areas are heaven on earth, some are hellish. Talk to locals in the areas you're thinking of once you narrow it down.
Yeah, that will get you a 3br/2ba in a decent area now, but not for long. That would be a grotty 2br/2ba apartment in a not-great area during the housing bubble. And California is bubbly.
East along the foothills or south along the beaches then.
Why wait? Why not move as soon as you're done with school and while she's still new to HS? Ventura would make an excellent base for you; safe, quiet, (relatively) inexpensive, with great schools. It's close enough to hollywood to drive to auditions a few times a week. Plus you can get into the housing market while it's still possible. Also, if she's going to be in the entertainment industry, she needs an EARLY start or she'll be stuck in a stern chase through her prime employment years (which start before HS, btw.). You both need exposure to the industry asap, and you won't get it in Boston. Maybe if you spend a lot of time in NYC, but even the big apple is a distant second hat to LA.
To be sure, making it in the entertainment industry (even just making a living with bit parts, to say nothing of stardom) is one of the most difficult occupations she could choose. If she doesn't go at it with guns blazing, she will fail. Plenty do. Get her a good education, force her to focus and be determined in creating/executing her plan of attack, network network network, and always have a plan B-C-D including at least one long-term plan which allows for failure in making it in the industry. Good luck.
I LOVE YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!
I plan on getting a job in a college if possible but I also have over ten years in the private sector HR business. I am trying to put her in the right area to get started; however, I spoke with her several times about other roads to go down...She is well aware of how unsuccessful this business can be!!
You are amazing and about the only person who listened...
Don't sweat it. A lot of those replies were probably from Bostonians before your post got moved to the LA forum. Not that there aren't nasty Californians, but people in the Northeast can be pretty uptight. Especially if you suggest you might want to live somewhere else.
If you get the chance, check out Ventura. The downtown where the 101 bends by the ocean is beautiful, fun, and quiet. We used to drive up for the day just to hang out in the town. Then we moved there, and it was just as great as when we visited. It's a very laid-back old-style California beach town. LA is faster-paced, and might be better for you, but I love Ventura. Then again, the surf there is great, so I'm biased. If you don't care about that, maybe it's not so amazing, but it's still pretty nice. Santa Barbara (about 45 minutes north on the 101, has UCSB)
Don't sweat it. A lot of those replies were probably from Bostonians before your post got moved to the LA forum. Not that there aren't nasty Californians, but people in the Northeast can be pretty uptight. Especially if you suggest you might want to live somewhere else.
If you get the chance, check out Ventura. The downtown where the 101 bends by the ocean is beautiful, fun, and quiet. We used to drive up for the day just to hang out in the town. Then we moved there, and it was just as great as when we visited. It's a very laid-back old-style California beach town. LA is faster-paced, and might be better for you, but I love Ventura. Then again, the surf there is great, so I'm biased. If you don't care about that, maybe it's not so amazing, but it's still pretty nice. Santa Barbara (about 45 minutes north on the 101, has UCSB)
I definitely want more of a laid back lifestyle at this point. I was born and raised in Boston but left with my mother for Orlando,FL and lived there almost 20 years. I had enough! My daughter has wanted to become an actress since age 9. So far she has only become more excited about this! I informed her of all the bad things that can happen and the pressure that comes along with that as well as helping her to pursue other career interest. California just suits our laid back lifestyle. I am an academic type, love to read and go to school and several books, but I also love wine and I absolutely have to be near water. I like the fact that California water is warmer, I think, I could never really get in the ocean here in Boston, MA. It's too cold even in the hottest months. I just know that I am going to want a change in a few years and California is a place that I can settle because it offers so much. I can be myself there and its warm!!
You have us really excited and we started doing our homework last night!!
In terms of my daughter's acting abilities. We are working on the following this year: Acting coach, singing lessons (she can sing but needs further training), she currently takes classes at Wheelock, and we are looking into other options as well. She is also dancing ballet and Lyrical.
Definitely visit as soon as you can and as much as possible. We live in NYC and want to move to LA. Have visited the past three summers for a few weeks at a time (both teachers) using vacation rentals (because hotels are too expensive). This allowed us to investigate neighborhoods "from the ground" and get a great feel for what LA is about. Still, we realized there is A LOT to LA and it's very geographically and economically diverse.
Seeing the neighborhoods firsthand is very different from any descriptions (still helpful) you may get. Also, you get a better feel for expenses. We shop at the local supermarkets, grocery stores and farmer's markets (UNBELIEVABLE STUFF!!), eat at the local cafes and restaurants, use the cleaners, laundromats, drugstores, etc. We drove on the 405 on a Friday afternoon on purpose (soooooo slow!). It's very informative if you have the opportunity.
Excellent vacation rental website - VRBO.com
P.S. - The ocean water felt cold in comparison to NYC beaches!
Well, there are plenty of hoity-toity wine bars if that's your thing. We prefer dives, of which there are also plenty! I'm sure you'll be doing kickflips over the Napa Valley and all the wine stuff there. It's a 6-ish hour drive from LA. San Francisco is up that way and also awesome, and the coastal highway (101) can't be beat for easily-accessible scenery. There's big coastal pine forests and quaint log cabin inns. When the high-speed rail is done, supposedly you'll be able to ride from LA to SF in 2-3 hours, but don't hold your breath on that one.
The water in SoCal is chilly. It's riding the current down from Alaska and never really warms up like the EC's gulfstream waters. On hot days in LA and Ventura in the summer you can skin it, but even in the summer upwellings make the water feel frigid compared to the burning sand and warm air. Of course, it's so cold here in Boston right now that even the salt water has ice this morning! You'll never see anything like this in LA. People drive up into the coastal mountains to a rare once-every-2-years snowfall. It never reaches the valley floors. San Diego has warmer water and air year-round.
Oh yeah, Ventura (and the rest of CentCal) is a big center for cash crops. So there's scads of fresh green leafys, veggies, fruits, etc. year-round and by season. The local discount stores pick up the stuff that's too ripe to hit with preservatives and ship to cold places, so you can eat great, fresh, non-chemically-ripened produce year round for cheap if you know where to look.
Before you get too starry-eyed, though, be aware that LA is pretty much an urban wasteland. It has subways and light rail, but unless you live AND work on the same line, don't bother. I did some freelancing in South Central and there are some very scary streets there in the daytime, to say nothing of night. There are gangs, and drugs, and violence on a scale that makes Boston seem like candyland. Be prepared to take the bad with the good, or do what you can to avoid the bad. Besides some petty theft, I never had a problem and we lived in some not great areas. It's not Mad Max with gangs of drug-crazed thugs coming to get you, but do learn to recognize when and where you need to be on your guard. The city itself is a wonder, but it's a thorny rose.
I just assumed because the weather was warmer, that the ocean water would be too. I guess I found out what happens when you assume!! I guess I have to stick to beaches in S. Florida (they can't be beat) in my opinion.
I am planning a visit for this February! Anyone know what the weather is normally like?
Hey Sponger42...I checked out Ventura online and I like what I see so far. What airport gets me in close?
Thanks!
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