How Difficult is it Getting Around LA without a Car? (Los Angeles: apartment, rent)

[Adaront]

Hello LA Peeps,

A few days ago, I was blessed with an opportunity that I refuse to let go. I received an internship from a production company I didn't even apply to. Apparently, a staff member at my university recommended me to her sister who happens to work for the company.

As a result, I'm looking to move to LA, probably next month.

One, I need to find somewhere to live obviously, and I know how expensive it is. Honestly, I have no idea where I should move. Recommendations are welcomed.

Two, I am from Washington, DC and we have a very good Metro system. I typically can catch the metro to anywhere I need to go. But in LA, I was told that I won't survive without a car? How true is that statement. What do you recommend? What should I do? How reliable is the metro in LA?

[GatsbyGatz]

We can't help you without information.

1. Where is the production company located?
2. What is your monthly budget?

You realize that you're going to spend thousands of dollars to work for free (most internships are not paid). Also be warned that many internships are dead end that don't lead to paid jobs. If that is fine with you and your rich parents (you're gonna need them) then I'd say that living as close as possible to this production company is an absolute necessity. You're going to need about $2,000 a month to get by here.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

We can't help you without information.

1. Where is the production company located?
2. What is your monthly budget?

You realize that you're going to spend thousands of dollars to work for free (most internships are not paid). Also be warned that many internships are dead end that don't lead to paid jobs. If that is fine with you and your rich parents (you're gonna need them) then I'd say that living as close as possible to this production company is an absolute necessity. You're going to need about $2,000 a month to get by here.

I agree, it really depends.

You can get just about everywhere in the LA area on transit - the problem is that many, many trips will take an extremely long time. However, owning a car in LA is not a very easy or inexpensive proposition (especially for the young apartment-dweller), so you may have no choice but to use transit.

Really what is most important for us is to find out where the production company is.

[disgruntled la native]

You sure you want to move to a very expensive city for an UNPAID job? How legitimate is this company? You may not be an actor, but it reminds me of these scam agents who bring midwest kids over with lots of promises but no actual work. Then the kids are ruined, sent back home demoralized, etc

[saybanana]

D.C. is probably just more expensive than many parts of LA, so it wont be a shock to you in terms of costs. So if you can get by in DC then you should be ok here.

Metro bus and rail is more than decent especially in most of the urban areas such as Santa Monica, Westwood, Culver City, Pasadena, Hollywood, East Hollywood, Downtown Long Beach, Downtown LA and areas nearby DTLA. The trains usually run every 10 mins or less during the day and weekends and 20 mins at night. Metro rail runs until 2am Fridays and Saturdays. Metro buses have local and rapid buses that come 15 mins or less during daytime hours on all major streets and 30mins-1hour later at night. There are also DASH buses, separate from Metro that have short routes and are good value. There is a small minority or transit riders that use bikes to finish that "last mile" . You can take bikes on the rail or park in somewhere. Most people prefer to only use their cars than public transit, bikes or walking to get around, even if it is just down the street because parking is often cheap and free. Parking is more expensive in congested urban areas but people are willing to pay regardless of that. I think most Metro buses have a sort of GPS system that apps like Metro or Nextbus uses to tell approx when the next bus will arrive. It is mostly accurate, but there are times when it isnt at all. So if you have time and patience then getting around most of the LA core areas isn't that bad at all. If you really need a car for a day just rent one.

[nighthouse66]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

We can't help you without information.

1. Where is the production company located?
2. What is your monthly budget?

You realize that you're going to spend thousands of dollars to work for free (most internships are not paid). Also be warned that many internships are dead end that don't lead to paid jobs. If that is fine with you and your rich parents (you're gonna need them) then I'd say that living as close as possible to this production company is an absolute necessity. You're going to need about $2,000 a month to get by here.

i get by on less that half that, you just have to be smart and tenacious. i eat alot of food from the 99 cent store.

yes, people LOVE to hire interns, and its totally illegal, by the way, to hire an intern and have them do ANY Kind of work for which they COULD legally be paid. everyone hires interns, that doesn't make it any more legal. if you don't believe me, look it up. unless they are offering you college credit, they are doing something that is illegal. so i hope they are paying you.

i doubt they are paying you enough to survive, and i would agree, 2000 is the bare minimum for most normal people in this city- people with credit cards, who like to buy new clothes, who might have a car payment. if you don't have any of those problems then you could get by on far less.

as far as transpo, i lived here a year with no car. i took the train to school and everywhere else i needed to go. if you aren't going to have a car, get as close to the train stations as possible. taking the train is far more predictable than the bus, and its quicker. yes, LA has a rep for being a city made for the car, but its an overblown rep. anybody can manage without a car here, it just takes some getting used to and some planning. if you are the ADD type with poor time management skills, it could be a nightmare. you miss your train, then you have to wait ten minutes when makes you miss your next train, and before you know it you are a half hour late for work. you gotta plan and be smart.

good luck, and i hope it works out!

[PDF]

This is really going to depend on where your work would be. LA is such a huge city and transit is strong in some areas and weak in others.

[nmnita]

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and we lived in the DC area for years, so I pretty much know the difference. As for living expenses like rent, you are not going to find much difference. So you will be safe there. The so called metro system in Los Angeles, compared to DC is almost non-existent. Whether you can survive without a car will depend totally on where you will be interning. It is doable under certain conditions.

Good luck and be prepared to spend bucks, while earning none. I know, you are young and I remember those interns in DC who were with the government. They managed to survive just fine.

[bmwguydc]

Do you know the part of LA in which the production company is located? If so, I would look to the closest transit option, with the fewest connections that meets your projected budget. The Metro in LA is not like DC, so you may not find the same degree of reliability in switching lines, or modes, from bus to rail, or vice versa. Also, be sure to check the schedules, since rush hour commuting may be vastly different than off-hours in terms of frequency, similar to DC, but I think it can be more of an issue in LA, especially if you need to cover a long distance.

As long as you do not move to a suburban area, you should be able to find most conveniences in walking distance of your apartment. And, if you have an office that has better access to grocery stores, dry cleaners, etc., you can always adapt and shop with a backpack or cart as necessary. For the short term as an intern, you should be able to live without a car, but if you were settling for a longer period, a car would start to become a necessity, especially if you wanted to explore other areas in the region.

[hipcat]

I haven't used a car in 4 years and I get around the city fine. The problems I have are going to the SFV. But most of the LA has decent public transit.