Close to moving to LA... few questions (Burbank: apartment, how much)

[gregg25]

Hi, I have found so much information on these forums. I just wanted to thank everyone in advance!

I am a finalist for a paid internship with ABC Television/Disney. If I get it, I will have to re-locate to LA at some point in April 2008.

I currently live in Ohio and make $43K a year before taxes at a boring job.

Now, the paid internship is $50k with benefits. Can I live in LA for this? I mean I understand I won't have an apartment with space and an a/c... but I also don't want to live in a shady area.

Also, I am debating -- should I bring my car? I have a fairly new car (just a little over a year old). I'm fine with driving it to LA for my move.

I've only been to LA/Hollywood twice on vacation. But, I am ready for a change!

[atina33]

You need a car in LA. Period.

$50k sounds doable to me; depends on your spending habits of course.

[HotFudge]

Sounds excellent! Get a roommate and budget yourself, and I think you should be just fine... save yourself money and drive there, since your car is fairly new. Congratulations!

[Christine Joan]

Opportunities like this do not come around often. Seize it, if this is what you really want to do. However, keep in mind that $50,000 here will not stretch nearly as far as the money that you earned in Ohio. You might want to visit a website that does cost of living calculations between the closest large city in Ohio and LA to see how much less your salary will buy you here. Also, don't burn any bridges in Ohio because my experience here in LA is that many companies go through interns rather quickly. There is a new crop every year.

Yes, definitely bring the car. You'll need it. I'm very happy for you.

[TheRealAngelion]

That's awesome. Congratulations!!! Very few get such internships. You must be something special.

You should be able to find something to meet your budget. Maybe you could even get an apartment together with one of the other interns. I suggest you live in Burbank, Studio City, or the Toluca Lake area. Those are all nice areas close to Disney and ABC. You could even try looking in Hollywood too if you want to be a little more adventurous and closer to LA nightlife. I suspect Disney might have some housing suggestions/recommendations too.

Also you definitely want to bring your car along. LA is a car city and you will enjoy the experience of living here more if you have your own ride.

[UB50]

Ditto everyone above.

$50K won't allow you to live in a mansion, but you can get by on that in LA. An internship like this will open a lot of doors for you so you should definitely take it.

[gregg25]

Originally Posted by Christine Joan

However, keep in mind that $50,000 here will not stretch nearly as far as the money that you earned in Ohio. You might want to visit a website that does cost of living calculations between the closest large city in Ohio and LA to see how much less your salary will buy you here.

Excellent idea, I didn't think about a website like that. I have already started to re-budget here to save money just in case. Such as buying groceries at Wal-Mart instead of the more expensive chain.

Originally Posted by TheRealAngelion

That's awesome. Congratulations!!! Very few get such internships. You must be something special.

Well, right now I am only a finalist as I said. There is still another round and then they pick from that group I'm told. If anything though, even if I do not get it, it has given me the confidence that I could probably obtain work somehow in a related field, so even if this doesn't happen, I am pretty sure I will continue to look for other work / opportunities and still move to the LA area.

I suggest you live in Burbank, Studio City, or the Toluca Lake area. Those are all nice areas close to Disney and ABC. You could even try looking in Hollywood too if you want to be a little more adventurous and closer to LA nightlife.

Thanks for those suggestions on where to live. Do either of those three have any particular "shady areas" I should avoid?

Also, would it be easy for me to drive down to Hollywood for a little nightlife on the weekend? Parking I assume would be a hassle.

[Jakehorror]

Good Luck to you!!!

Having a car is nice because the public transportation is somewhat behind most other large cities. On the other hand I have a friend who has lived in Hollywood for 9 years and never owned a car. He tends to get jobs within a mile or so and he's also got the public trans schedule memorized and he gets along very well. Walks to work and home for exercise so it works out good for him. We are taking our car. Ohio and Indiana are basically the same so we get kinda spoiled in the way of having a car.

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by gregg25

Thanks for those suggestions on where to live. Do either of those three have any particular "shady areas" I should avoid?

Also, would it be easy for me to drive down to Hollywood for a little nightlife on the weekend? Parking I assume would be a hassle.

To my knowledge, not really. Burbank, Studio City and Toluca Lake are all quite nice. None have a rep for being dangerous or unsafe. Although you might find some streets/neighborhoods/apartment buildings more appealing than others. A lot of it will depend on your own personal taste and budget. For example, an apartment building that might seem perfectly fine to you might not be acceptable to somebody else and vice versa.

Hollywood is a relatively short drive from Disney Studios in Burbank. It's just over the hill. About a 15-20 minute drive. Could be more or less depending on traffic and time of day.