Is Santa Monica close to stuff? (West Hollywood, Rodeo: 2013, house, living in)

[HayBay]

Hey,
So let's say you were living in SM and wanted to visit all those attractions (disneyland, rodeo , etc), is it close?

How about parties and all that?


Curious to see the cons of living there (although my #1 question is something else, ie if somebody visits me)

Thnx

[jm1982]

If you are living in L.A you usually don't go to disneyland or Rodeo drive too often..
At least most people don't.

Parties?...there are parties all over. If you mean like clubs, SM isn't in the middle of all that. It's more of a laid back atmopshere in that sense..while people that live there might have a lot of money they aren't really about being that showy. It's common to see a Prius rather than a Ferrari parked in the driveway of a $4million dollar house for example.

That's mostly in Hollywood, West Hollywood areas these days.

Santa Monica is viewed as a very desirable place to live for many reasons. There is the beach, good weather with ocean breeze. You can pretty much survive just living there without leaving the boundaries of Santa Monica if you chose too.

Cons would def be ..very high housing costs , traffic can be bad which is a big issue if you work somewhere else than Santa Monica.

Another con is the homeless issue ..Santa Monica is very liberal or at least has a liberal attitude with the homeless ...they don't really kick them out. For some people this isn't a big deal for others it is.

An interesting thing about Santa Monica is that there is a liberalism with some things but not everything. For example they are not liberal with the types of business they will allow. The residents there also fight development pretty strong..but that seems to be changing from what i've heard with many projects planned..

Not sure what you mean about if somebody visits you? ..

[HayBay]

Originally Posted by jm1982

If you are living in L.A you usually don't go to disneyland or Rodeo drive too often..
At least most people don't.

Parties?...there are parties all over. If you mean like clubs, SM isn't in the middle of all that. It's more of a laid back atmopshere in that sense..while people that live there might have a lot of money they aren't really about being that showy. It's common to see a Prius rather than a Ferrari parked in the driveway of a $4million dollar house for example.

That's mostly in Hollywood, West Hollywood areas these days.

Santa Monica is viewed as a very desirable place to live for many reasons. There is the beach, good weather with ocean breeze. You can pretty much survive just living there without leaving the boundaries of Santa Monica if you chose too.

Cons would def be ..very high housing costs , traffic can be bad which is a big issue if you work somewhere else than Santa Monica.

Another con is the homeless issue ..Santa Monica is very liberal or at least has a liberal attitude with the homeless ...they don't really kick them out. For some people this isn't a big deal for others it is.

An interesting thing about Santa Monica is that there is a liberalism with some things but not everything. For example they are not liberal with the types of business they will allow. The residents there also fight development pretty strong..but that seems to be changing from what i've heard with many projects planned..

Not sure what you mean about if somebody visits you? ..

Thanks, I plan to live in Santa Monica while attending CSU Northridge.

Do you think it's a bad idea? (Just don't tell me to live in northridge, i prefer the ocean etc).
Are there many young people in Santa Monica?

thnx

[disgruntled la native]

Santa Monica is the most centrally located coastal part of LA county.

So while it's not in the heart of everything like Westwood or Hollywood, it's close enough to whatever you need. Not to mention that Santa MOnica itself has developed into a major world destination and has plenty of its own high end shopping, dining, and nightlife.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by HayBay

Thanks, I plan to live in Santa Monica while attending CSU Northridge.

Do you think it's a bad idea? (Just don't tell me to live in northridge, i prefer the ocean etc).
Are there many young people in Santa Monica?

thnx

Just a warning: You are going to hate your commute. Santa Monica to Northridge is 22 miles, which is more like 60 miles in most other places.

[HayBay]

Originally Posted by munchitup

Just a warning: You are going to hate your commute. Santa Monica to Northridge is 22 miles, which is more like 60 miles in most other places.

It's a 30min drive isn't it?

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by HayBay

It's a 30min drive isn't it?

at 2am

[PDF]

Is there even anywhere in LA that is centrally located to anything? One can find everything they want in Santa Monica, it's a great place that has a lot going on. But LA is so big and spread out that you will never be close to it all.

LA is more about finding your spot.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by HayBay

It's a 30min drive isn't it?

My commute is about 18 miles..but it can take up 1hr 30mins or more.

If you are find w/ commuting then go for it. Most people that live near the beach hardly go anyways but some like living near it for the ocean breeze.,etc.

Northridge is a decent area and there are other decent areas nearby but no its not a "L.A hotspot" or tourist destination.

Do you really picture yourself hanging at beach after busy days of classes and commuting?

[HayBay]

where would you live if you studied at CSUN? (Northridge), I would like to be in a very nice area, close to the sea, and everything. SM seems like the best option, i'd be driving agianst traffic in the morning... that's what I found out with my research.