Moby : Latest former New Yorker to praise L.A (Santa Ana: real estate, big house)

[ashpelham]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I've lived in la my whole life but haven't seen much vacant mid century architecture or empty Hollywood star mansions . Because property is so expensive it doesn't usually sit vacant .

I always appreciate hearing the opinions of those who have been around a while. Wisdom comes with time. As for me in middle America, I've visited both, and weather is a big thing for me. Relentless cloudy, drizzly winters and suffocatingly miserable summers just means I like the LA area better. NYC is perhaps more awe-inspiring to a country boy. I like them both, for completely different reasons.

But there again, Moby is a better human than I am.

[yby1]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I've lived in la my whole life but haven't seen much vacant mid century architecture or empty Hollywood star mansions . Because property is so expensive it doesn't usually sit vacant .

South LA.

[jm1982]

If there are that many vacant properties out there just sitting, that seems like a pretty big opportunity. Perhaps some of them were bought decades ago and the owners just don't care? Of course renovations are expensive. But if you can buy the property for a decent price there would be an opportunity.

What part of South L.A are you thinking of?

I do see vacant commercial properties around L.A and I always wonder about that. Who would just let land sit for years and years collecting no income?

One huge eyesore in the Valley is the old Montgomery Ward site thats been vacant over 10yrs in Panorama City. There are other buildings on this site that are vacant and it's a huge space.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=walma...12,322,,0,8.65

This is a closeup of the store:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgroi/2854653995/

Sure it's not a great part of town..but there's gotta be some use or value in the land. Housing? A hospital (there are others nearby including Kaiser on Roscoe), etc?

I wonder if Moby has seen this! LOL

[yby1]

Adams Normandie for the big houses, but there are many vacant and neglected mid-century homes throughout South LA, especially west of the 110.There is a goldmine of bungalows and Spanish style homes.

There are West Adams homes to fix up in mid-city too, but these are much more desirable.

Here are more on the historic areas: Victorian & Craftsman Homes, Los Angeles - Jim Weber Realty

Buying for a decent price might be difficult now, as there is no "undiscovered area." Here is abandoned mansion that now pending sale:

2218 South HARVARD, Los Angeles, CA 90018 | MLS# 13-657463 | Redfin

http://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Angeles...8/home/6907853

[ExeterMedia]

Doesn't Moby own a huge home in the Hollywood Hills? Why is this surprising?

[ElysianEagle]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

I don't know. Several ppl who live in NYC have said that NYC has been gentrified to death and is now a Disneyland for the rich. Even Brooklyn is going down that path.

Los Angeles to me (outside of Hollywood) is still a very creative experimental city. Sure it has its trendy elements that aren't adding anything but again outside of the ritzy enclaves it still has a lot of true artists shining through.

there have always been ppl complaining about LA's worsening traffic conditions, homelessness, etc etc as well forever and a day.

besides, if gentrification bothers you, surely you must loathe the soulless suburban sprawl of LA? i mean, i can be in torrance, north hollywood, culver city or long beach and still find the same boring strip malls, chain stores, etc etc. if anything, that is far duller than the gentrification taking place in NYC.

i should hasten to add here that i'm not exactly a fan of gentrification, not only because it pushes out low income people but also because it leads to a kind of boring sameness and robs areas of character.

the decrease in crime, though, isn't a bad thing...

[munchitup]

I find Moby to be pretty obnoxious and (he may not realize it but) he is basically part of the problem in NYC. Yes he happens to be an exception in that he is pretty talented but overall he is just a kid from the NYC burbs that moved there for his starving artist phase - which happened to work out pretty well for him.

As far as his article, I think it is true of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. However the part of Brooklyn I stayed at when I visited NYC (Sheepshead Bay), where my uncle lives sounds nothing like what he is describing. New York City is a massive city, and like Los Angeles cannot really be accurately characterized in one shallow descriptor, or a short essay. Just as is the case when people criticize Los Angeles, I think this article says a lot more about Moby and his experiences than it does about NYC - perhaps the problem is that he got stale and out of touch with the real scene in NYC.

Just as we roll our eyes at 99.9 percent of LA-related media that comes from NYC writers/filmmakers/etc (I'm looking at you Woody Allen), I think NYers should be rolling their eyes at this article.

However that being said I would much, much, much rather be in Los Angeles than New York. And I do think aspects of the op-ed ring true.

[yby1]

Originally Posted by munchitup

I find Moby to be pretty obnoxious and (he may not realize it but) he is basically part of the problem in NYC. Yes he happens to be an exception in that he is pretty talented but overall he is just a kid from the NYC burbs that moved there for his starving artist phase - which happened to work out pretty well for him.

As far as his article, I think it is true of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. However the part of Brooklyn I stayed at when I visited NYC (Sheepshead Bay), where my uncle lives sounds nothing like what he is describing. New York City is a massive city, and like Los Angeles cannot really be accurately characterized in one shallow descriptor, or a short essay. Just as is the case when people criticize Los Angeles, I think this article says a lot more about Moby and his experiences than it does about NYC - perhaps the problem is that he got stale and out of touch with the real scene in NYC.

Just as we roll our eyes at 99.9 percent of LA-related media that comes from NYC writers/filmmakers/etc (I'm looking at you Woody Allen), I think NYers should be rolling their eyes at this article.

However that being said I would much, much, much rather be in Los Angeles than New York. And I do think aspects of the op-ed ring true.

Agree. NYC and most big cities cannot be characterized by one single descriptor.

I thought this was a fascinating read about a homeless girl in NYC.
The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by yby1

Adams Normandie for the big houses, but there are many vacant and neglected mid-century homes throughout South LA, especially west of the 110.There is a goldmine of bungalows and Spanish style homes.

There are West Adams homes to fix up in mid-city too, but these are much more desirable.

Here are more on the historic areas: Victorian & Craftsman Homes, Los Angeles - Jim Weber Realty

Buying for a decent price might be difficult now, as there is no "undiscovered area." Here is abandoned mansion that now pending sale:

2218 South HARVARD, Los Angeles, CA 90018 | MLS# 13-657463 | Redfin

2067 South HOBART Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018 | MLS# SR13159685 | Redfin

Yeah that's the thing...and everyone these days can jump on the internet. The house at 2218 S. Harvard is quite something. Of course it would need a lot of work..I was thinking it would be great for filming and then the listing stated that it is used for filming.

I agree that there really aren't undiscovered areas in L.A where the housing prices are actually really cheap.

I do love that architecture , but you also gotta figure on a bunch of money to fix it up especially since it's such a big house.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by ElysianEagle

there have always been ppl complaining about LA's worsening traffic conditions, homelessness, etc etc as well forever and a day.

besides, if gentrification bothers you, surely you must loathe the soulless suburban sprawl of LA? i mean, i can be in torrance, north hollywood, culver city or long beach and still find the same boring strip malls, chain stores, etc etc. if anything, that is far duller than the gentrification taking place in NYC.

i should hasten to add here that i'm not exactly a fan of gentrification, not only because it pushes out low income people but also because it leads to a kind of boring sameness and robs areas of character.

the decrease in crime, though, isn't a bad thing...

There are a lot of crappy strip malls in L.A..but some of those strip malls actually house mom and pop places with good food. I don't really care too much if a place is in a strip mall...plus it means you MIGHT actually get a parking spot!

I just went to a good place that's in a strip mall a couple days ago. I was able to park right in front..of course some moron in a Prius had to park RIGHT next to me leaving no room even though there were other spots! ..but thats another story.

Joe's Falafel - Studio City - Los Angeles, CA

Also you mention that gentrification pushes out low income people...This gets repeated a lot in reference to L.A and NYC , but both have strong rent control laws. The landlords can't just push people out because of these laws.

Also according to this writer at least there are still parts of Brooklyn that aren't gentrified such as Crown Heights.
The writer used to live in the East Village of Manhattan..but 'had' to move to Crown heights for cheaper rent. He complains about the lack of restaurant options in his new neighborhood. This kind of minds me of myself having moved to my current place where there are very decent places to eat and it's mostly low quality fast food.

My Brooklyn Neighbors Hate Me | VICE United States
Some pretty interesting comments. The commentators bash the writer pretty strongly

It looks like you can actually rent a 1bedroom in Crown Heights for $1100 a month..well that's the cheapest I saw on craiglist. I guess if the neighborhood gentrifies that could be a great deal with rent stabilization.
**NEWLY renovated 1 BED** **RIGHT BY THE #3 LINE **!!! **NO FEE** !!!!

This is pretty interesting ..

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...outer-boroughs

""We're happy to go to the fringe because we think a lot of these areas are only a year or two away from becoming prime," said Kevin Davis, Taconic's chief investment officer. "The meatpacking district used to be the edge where no one wanted to go, and it's the same thing in areas now like Crown Heights."