Love Seattle.. can we find a good life in LAX??? (Los Angeles: 2013, houses)

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by munchitup

To put it simply, Google doesn't comprehend how bad LA traffic is. It's always super optimistic on travel times, especially at rush hour.

Agree, in the mid 90s I drove 13 miles from the Valley(Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys area) to UCLA during rush hour. It took at least that long and sometimes longer.

I find it hard to believe you could get from Agoura Hills to Santa Monica in under 40 minutes at rush hour.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Agree, in the mid 90s I drove 13 miles from the Valley(Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys area) to UCLA during rush hour. It took at least that long and sometimes longer.

I find it hard to believe you could get from Agoura Hills to Santa Monica in under 40 minutes at rush hour.

Even Marina del Rey and Culver City are more than 40 minutes from Santa Monica at rush hour. 40 minutes from downtown Santa Monica during rush hour would put someone within the borders of Santa Monica.

[bluevelo]

Stay in Seattle. Unless you can honestly increase your *net* income by at least 30-40 percent, why would you move if you love where you are now? The one thing in life you can't buy more of is time, and unless you get really lucky and find a place close to your husband's job your commute and travel times in LA are going to be through the roof in comparison to Seattle.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I think encounters with bears can be arranged assuming you move to certain parts of LA / nearby burbs, and attract them with trash. It is increasingly a problem.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

I think encounters with bears can be arranged assuming you move to certain parts of LA / nearby burbs, and attract them with trash. It is increasingly a problem.

You can definitely encounter bears in Silver Lake, West Hollywood, parts of Venice and Long Beach, and elsewhere.

[pwright1]

In my Seattle now Los Angeles experience I don't find Los Angeles to be that much more expensive than Seattle.

[HaemophilusAphrophilus]

I think a bike commute from el segundo to santa monica could be done if he doesnt mind leaving a bit earlier right? Plus itd be the beach bike path which is nice, though idk how much longer the marina del rey portion adds to the whole thing

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

^^^^^ this. From what it sounds the OP has everything her and her family need and than some in the Seattle area.

In addition her lack of knowledge of the LA area is mind boggling. A child even with mild autism is going to have difficulty with a move, has she even thought of schools? If she has to put him in private school there goes most if not all of the salary increase that wouldn't go to the increase in the COL.

And her husband isn't going to want to commute from Agoura Hills to Santa Monica, especially since he currently has a cakewalk of a commute in Seattle.

Sometimes the move you don't make is the best move.

The OP is thoughtful and insightful, and she certainly has thought about the situation with her kid. Autistic kuds all react to situations differently and her child may not have a major problem moving. Santa Monica has good, well-funded public schools and certainly one of the better public SPED programs in the region. I don't think it's right to fault the OP for asking about peripheral areas since she doesn't have any experience with LA. she just wanta to know what's realistic.

FWIW I think Santa Monica would be the best bet. I could cycle from Centinela to Ocean in about 15-20 mins in traffic and found it to be one of the easier parts of LA to navigate by bike, with generally adequate bike lanes, people who are more perceptive of cyclists, and an active cycling community. Your husband would love the year-round cycling weather, could get active in one of the many local clubs if that's his thing or go mountain biking in the hills, and you all could ride down to Venice via the beach as a family on weekends.

You have a good number of green areas in SM and in addition to the parks at the base of the hills you have the trails up in the Santa Monica Mountains which make for really wonderful day hikes.

You could also look at nearby communities like Mar Vista, Playa Del Rey, or Marina Del Rey, which may be less expensive but also probably less lively and part of LAUSD. The commute from El Segundo isn't insurmountable but you can expect up to 45 minutes some days. When I worked in Torrance and lived in Venice, I'd just drive down the beach in front of LAX and shave it down to 25.

Seattle and SM are certainly hugely different; I'm intimately familiar with both but all told prefer LA hand-over-fist above Seattle. The OP and her husband have the means and opportunity to raise a family in one of LA's nicest areas... I say go down there to scope it out and see what you think And let me know if you need any restaurant recommendations if you do!

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by pwright1

In my Seattle now Los Angeles experience I don't find Los Angeles to be that much more expensive than Seattle.

It's really not. I was paying less in rent in Maple Leaf than Venice ($1200 vs $1500) but my utilities in LA were lower since I never once turned on my heater. The cost of produce is generally way cheaper, the cost of eating out is generally cheaper I've found, and since I had a one mile commute that I walked along the beach or Main street, I paid less for gas, insurance, tires & brakes over one year so it actually came out that I spent less to live in LA than Seattle.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Agree, in the mid 90s I drove 13 miles from the Valley(Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys area) to UCLA during rush hour. It took at least that long and sometimes longer.

I find it hard to believe you could get from Agoura Hills to Santa Monica in under 40 minutes at rush hour.

Google Maps is accurate as long as you remember to multiply the given travel time by 2.3

It took me less time to ride my bike from BH to SM in rush hour than to drive it. Ugh...