Moving to LA

[fairweathergolfer]

there's the Santa Monica pier with its genuine old carousel (did you ever see the 70's caper film "The Sting?" It's that carousel),

How cool is that? I had no idea. FastFilm, you are a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thanks.

[fairweathergolfer]

I also wanted to mention the Getty museum is in Brentwood up the street from Santa Monica. It is free and amazing and also some of the best views of the city. LAX is down the road from Santa Monica (far enough away to not be bothered by its sound or flight paths). Also every single day all day long you can go up and down the bike path on a bike, skates, your feet all day long. It is mostly sunny year round and very temperate (not too hot or cold). There is fog in the fall and winter at night that is wonderful (as it is really our only 'weather' until after the new year then there are a few months of rain (usually). Malibu is up the road and Beverly Hills is a hop, skip. UCLA has great extension classes and you will meet talented and gorgeous (usually only physically) people galore. In fact, you will meet too many gorgeous people. There is also lots of plastic surgery, much more then Dallas.

There are lots of people here to make success for themselves very quickly and at all costs, so plan on meeting 1. Plenty of users and 2. Lots of phony people oh and 3. The most concentrated group of narcissists in the world probably. You will learn the word narcissism quickly and need no definition as it will stare you in the face day in and day out.

But there are some nice folks here (usually those who are long termers, like FastFilm and others that were born here surprisingly.). Many others are just here for a short time and although phoney, don't have any interest in real or long term friendships.

If it is a high quality of life you are looking for here, you may have to redefine what that means once you get here. As you will be closest to some of the most richest people in the world, so even the rich here are peasants my friend. Which is always good for humility. You will find many people living beyond their means, that have little money and the very rich hiding their money or flaunting it, so whatever you do here no comparing! It would only be a deception anyway. Let me know if there are any more specifics you need. Your husband and you should have fun and get a kick out of this place and if he is an editor, he will be very excited as there is lots of work here and although it may take time to get some of those jobs it will be professionally an excellent move. I would suggest on your behalf to come here first and observe, learn about the place and then start strategizing about where to move. There is a cost for everything here. Not just financial and soon you will pick which one is best for you and your honey. That is my experience anyway and I hope it is helpful.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by gcberger

Hey everyone,

My husband wants to move to LA for a job, I am not such a fan of this idea. We currently live in Dallas, Texas. We are ready to buy a house, something I am fairly certain we will not be able to do in LA. I am hesitant to move to LA because I am assuming our standard of living is going to plummet. Also I see LA as being everything I hate about Dallas cubed, in all fairness however I have never been to LA. So I am hoping that some of you may be able to tell me about LA from the point of view from someone who actually lives there as opposed to the media version I know. (I am certain Dallas does not always look good in the media, if ever either, so no need to chew me out ) . I want the positive and negative about your city so fill me in. Also since I assume LA proper is pricey can you tell me about the surrounding suburbs?

Money tells all. If your husband can make it big time, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica, West LA, western venice, and marina del rey are very nice and cool cities. That is referred to as the west side, and i think the west side is not a bad place to live at all. If you are not working, your husband will need to make at LEAST 250k/yr to be somewhat comfortable owning in these areas. If you are renting, 120k/yr is quite sufficent. You should look at westsiderentals, apartmenthunterz, or 4rentinla. They will give you free searches so you can get a feel for the market.

[Fake Blonde]

I don't have much more to add to these folks' postings...except that I just moved to LA from Dallas just over a month ago. I miss it alot, but don't regret the move. I also work in entertainment and decided to go where the industry is. I'm making outstanding money for DFW, but not so much for LA.

I'll echo what someone said about loving and hating one place...all in one day.

I bought a house in Dallas last year and am holding on to it for the tax benefits and investment. But I'm paying 2x my mortgage in rent for a 1BR apartment...and I'm one of the few lucky ones with a washer and dryer in the apartment itself. I live very close to work, so close that I walk sometimes.

The cost of living is borderline ridiculous, but the quality of life outside my home and bank account cannot be beat. The weather is amazing, the scenery is breathtaking in certain spots, the energy is fantastic and I am never bored. Even on a tight budget, there are fun things to do, see, and explore. I may live here the rest of my life or I may only live here a few years, but it's a great experience.

It's also a crowded, dirty, loud, sometimes mean, congested, and frustrating place to be. I often miss my quiet suburban neighborhood and places like Uptown Dallas...but it's all a trade, I guess.

Best of luck!!!

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by gcberger

Hey everyone,

My husband wants to move to LA for a job, I am not such a fan of this idea. We currently live in Dallas, Texas. We are ready to buy a house, something I am fairly certain we will not be able to do in LA. I am hesitant to move to LA because I am assuming our standard of living is going to plummet. Also I see LA as being everything I hate about Dallas cubed, in all fairness however I have never been to LA. So I am hoping that some of you may be able to tell me about LA from the point of view from someone who actually lives there as opposed to the media version I know. (I am certain Dallas does not always look good in the media, if ever either, so no need to chew me out ) . I want the positive and negative about your city so fill me in. Also since I assume LA proper is pricey can you tell me about the surrounding suburbs?

How much you got for a house...500K? Be prepared to live in the LA equivalent of Oak Hill.

[montevista1]

if you compare plano to L.A. housing in a similar area like plano would cost roughly 5X as much!

[brian_2]

"I don't have much more to add to these folks' postings...except that I just moved to LA from Dallas just over a month ago. I miss it alot, but don't regret the move. I also work in entertainment and decided to go where the industry is. I'm making outstanding money for DFW, but not so much for LA.

I'll echo what someone said about loving and hating one place...all in one day.

I bought a house in Dallas last year and am holding on to it for the tax benefits and investment. But I'm paying 2x my mortgage in rent for a 1BR apartment...and I'm one of the few lucky ones with a washer and dryer in the apartment itself. I live very close to work, so close that I walk sometimes.

The cost of living is borderline ridiculous, but the quality of life outside my home and bank account cannot be beat. The weather is amazing, the scenery is breathtaking in certain spots, the energy is fantastic and I am never bored. Even on a tight budget, there are fun things to do, see, and explore. I may live here the rest of my life or I may only live here a few years, but it's a great experience.

It's also a crowded, dirty, loud, sometimes mean, congested, and frustrating place to be. I often miss my quiet suburban neighborhood and places like Uptown Dallas...but it's all a trade, I guess. "

Good insight from a transplant. I had a place for awhile in Los Feliz over two 'hot spot' Italian & Japanese restaurants. Sure, I could go downstairs & grab killer brick oven Margarita pizza and/or sushi (sushimi) and scarf it down back at the apartment five minutes after it was prepared, but..later all the noise from downstairs from diners leaving and saying their goodbyes when I'm trying to get to sleep so I could spend another LA day driving a zillion miles to get to & from where I needed to be. Ugh! The best of times, the worst of times - that's LA.

If you don't have to drive much in LA you got it made - lucky you!

[Ankhharu]

As a current Dallas resident, I will give this city one thing and one thing only, if you want to own a nice home, this is the city to do it in. Best Real Estate Market in the country for buyers. Other than that it's a miserable place to live as there is nothing to do in this town, other than fry during the summer.

[Des_Demona]

The way to TRULY enjoy living in LA is to live in the Northwest part of LA or at least on the westside, be close enough to walk to work or I'd say within 5-10 miles of work and have enough money to live comfortably. Rent in Santa Monica is around $3000 a month so if you can afford to live there and have a job that has flexible hours to enable you the enjoyment of your surroundings and you don't have to commute all day and all night then you will really like LA. Also you must be able to tolerate the feeling of bustling city life and not be the type to get overwhelmed easily. If you are someone who wants something to do ALL the time and has the time and money to do fun things then LA is the place for you definitely. For me (and I'm 25 years old) it's too much stress and too overwhelming. I used to love LA back when I didn't live near it. I would always come to LA to party and everything and it was fine back then but once you live here I think all that kind of goes away. I thought I would love living in the LA area... but I hate it. I hate it so much that I'm moving out of state. It's ruined my love for California.