Love Seattle.. can we find a good life in LAX???

[flyingsaucermom]

Wow! I wasn't expecting this thread to stay so active!

Yes, it's true.. I don't know LA at all. I've only visited a few times in high school when my brother-in-law was a graduate student there. I've had the pleasure of moving in and out of 4 states in the past 10 years and have found the candid responses on citidata to be extremely helpful when orienting ourselves with a new location.

The assumption that we have everything we need and then some in our current situation is accurate. Some of you might be thinking "well if nothing is broke why fix it?" and I have an answer... we live in a world of unknowns and it's best to be as prepared as possible. Our x factor is our autistic son more than anything else... we simply do not know what to expect or hope for (and we haven't found a single professional willing to offer them). What we have decided is to prepare for the worst... that he won't be independent or employed. This means that on top of saving for college educations and retirement we're setting up a special something for him, a trust for his younger, neurotypical, sibling to delegate/administer.. whatever...I don't know the legalese.. In any case, that's A LOT of money to save up for and we will contemplate any opportunity that provides additional financial security.

The decision to move him is fortunately, less of a concern than one might expect. He doesn't have many friends and LEGOs, Minecraft and Dr Who occupy most of his time and attention. He has a surprisingly amazing ability to keep on an even keel and as long as I can provide the right environment, he'll adapt quickly (we've moved 7 times with him and he's been in 3 schools.. all but one arrangement have worked out and it only took 5 months for me to rectify the one bad school). We've had a lot of experiences and have learned what works and what doesn't. I already have in mind what we will need to find down there and just to be absolutely clear.. I really am doubtful it will work out. But again, it's a dynamic decision and some motivations are going to be contradictory (needs of today vs needs of tomorrow).

I might come off as clueless and reckless, but I'm actually 10 steps in front of the game. There isn't an offer in hand, there isn't even an onsite interview scheduled (yet). I am simply piecing together bits of information and trying to put together a cohesive picture of possibilities so that if my husband calls me up tomorrow and says he's flying down for the interview on Friday I can sit down with him on Saturday and intelligently engage in a discussion about the pros and cons of yet another out-of-state move. It's not like I've got the Uhaul parked out front yet

BTW: Husband LOVES the idea of a bike commute along the beach... right now he deals with the rain and the hills...

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

I'm one of those crazy people that likes clouds and rain and seasonal dynamics... and coffee.... and lots and lots of nature at my front door.

Lived in Santa Monica since 1987. You won't find much rain or clouds here, though it does get overcast during the mornings from late spring till mid summer. It's called June Gloom, and it usually burns away by 10 a.m.

There's some rain during the winter, but only for a few days. And unlike Seattle, when it rains in L.A., it rains heavy, the sort that can create mudslides in Malibu and Topanga Canyon.

Not big seasonal differences. A bit cooler in the winter, and darker. In summers, Santa Monica is in the 80s during the day, 50s/60s at night. In winter it's 70s during the day, and 40s/50s at night.

I don't see why coffee's an issue. We have coffee, and coffee houses, all over the U.S. There are some 10 Starbucks within walking distance of where I live, and that's not counting the ones in supermarkets. There are also 2 Coffee Beans, and at least one Peat's.

We even have uber-pretentious, indie, poseur, Bohemian coffee houses, like the Unurban Cafe: UnUrban Coffee House - Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA | Yelp

That's true of almost every major city in the U.S., with the exception of Salt Lake City. Its large Mormon population means not many coffee drinkers. I counted 3 Starbucks in the entire city when I was there in 2008, though the number had risen to 6 by 2012.

There is lots and lots of nature here in Santa Monica, and throughout Los Angeles. There's the beach, obviously. Drive just a few miles north into the hills of Malibu and Ventura County, and you'll see ranches with horses. Looks like cowboy country.

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkyPunks

near Montana ave, that area is a yuppy (no offense, it's just a pricey area and the people there wear it on their sleeves)

Yeah, but I still see homeless dudes at the Santa Monica Library's Montana branch, their shopping carts parked outside. So even on Montana, you have SM's famous homeless.

[Hawaii4evr]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

Lived in Santa Monica since 1987. You won't find much rain or clouds here, though it does get overcast during the mornings from late spring till mid summer. It's called June Gloom, and it usually burns away by 10 a.m.

There's some rain during the winter, but only for a few days. And unlike Seattle, when it rains in L.A., it rains heavy, the sort that can create mudslides in Malibu and Topanga Canyon.

Not big seasonal differences. A bit cooler in the winter, and darker. In summers, Santa Monica is in the 80s during the day, 50s/60s at night. In winter it's 70s during the day, and 40s/50s at night.

I don't see why coffee's an issue. We have coffee, and coffee houses, all over the U.S. There are some 10 Starbucks within walking distance of where I live, and that's not counting the ones in supermarkets. There are also 2 Coffee Beans, and at least one Peat's.

We even have uber-pretentious, indie, poseur, Bohemian coffee houses, like the Unurban Cafe: UnUrban Coffee House - Santa Monica - Santa Monica, CA | Yelp

That's true of almost every major city in the U.S., with the exception of Salt Lake City. Its large Mormon population means not many coffee drinkers. I counted 3 Starbucks in the entire city when I was there in 2008, though the number had risen to 6 by 2012.

There is lots and lots of nature here in Santa Monica, and throughout Los Angeles. There's the beach, obviously. Drive just a few miles north into the hills of Malibu and Ventura County, and you'll see ranches with horses. Looks like cowboy country.

Actually, average winter days are around 65F. Some warmer than normal days may reach 70F and above, but typically a winter day in SoCal is in the 60sF.

[Dunbar42]

^ I've been in Santa Monica for 1 1/2 years and we definitely get our fair share of cool overcast days in the winter/spring. Throw in the strong wind near the coast and you won't be walking around in short sleeves for about half the year. But you have to remember at its worst it's light jacket weather. That said, this past winter was VERY mild. I can count on two hands the number of times the heater in my heater turned on overnight.

[Hawaii4evr]

Yes of course it is mild and certainly not as cold as the Northern states. But I was pointing out the falseties of that post-most winter days are in the 60sF, not the 70sF.

[torporous]

My husband and I are about to move from Santa Monica to the Seattle Eastside. You will be SHOCKED by the houses you can't afford in Santa Monica. We paid half the $$ for over 2x the square footage moving from Santa Monica to Kirkland.

And if you think traffic in Seattle is bad just wait until you get to the westside. I don't even believe in the concept of rush hour living here because you just never know when you're going to get stuck waiting an hour to go half a mile.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by torporous

My husband and I are about to move from Santa Monica to the Seattle Eastside. You will be SHOCKED by the houses you can't afford in Santa Monica. We paid half the $$ for over 2x the square footage moving from Santa Monica to Kirkland.

And if you think traffic in Seattle is bad just wait until you get to the westside. I don't even believe in the concept of rush hour living here because you just never know when you're going to get stuck waiting an hour to go half a mile.

Come back after you've lived in Seattle for a bit and have had to commute from one area of Seattle to another during rush hour.

TBT LA traffic is worse on the whole but driving intra-SM isn't hardly murder. Driving SM to WLA is another matter...

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by torporous

My husband and I are about to move from Santa Monica to the Seattle Eastside. You will be SHOCKED by the houses you can't afford in Santa Monica. We paid half the $$ for over 2x the square footage moving from Santa Monica to Kirkland.

And if you think traffic in Seattle is bad just wait until you get to the westside. I don't even believe in the concept of rush hour living here because you just never know when you're going to get stuck waiting an hour to go half a mile.

I totally get it. I do. In February 2013, just 18 months after moving to WA, my husband was ousted out of his job (well, okay, he wasn't fired, he was told at his stellar review that the group was reorganizing under a different plan that didn't include his expertese). He was growing impatient about finding another internal position. Meanwhile a company in SJ reached out and offered a job... we accepted... but goodness, I don't think it gets much more expensive than the Bay Area! Yes, we were literally cutting our sq ft in half and expected to pay about 20% more in rent than our mortgage. Fortunately, he got into another group and we didn't have to move under those particular conditions.

Traffic??? Husband is from Mexico City... any American who complains about their city's traffic really ought to drive around in one of the primate cities of the developing world. Really, it's actually kind of fun. You travel so slowly that street vendors are actually selling in the freeway lanes: candy, chips, drinks, balloons, sandwiches, ice cream, lottery tickets, flowers, pinatas... you can even watch a 13 year old "clown" perform a pyrotechnic show after he's washed your car windows!