Moving from Chicago to L.A. (Long Beach vs. Santa Monica) (Los Angeles: apartments, loft)

[Dreamer4]

Hi,


My partner is an artist here in Chicago and has done well for herself. But, L.A. is the place to be to make in big in the Art world, so we are looking to relocate there in October 2016. We love the Santa Monica area, but know that it maybe out of our price range at this time. Is Long Beach a decent alternative? If so, what areas do you recommend? Any areas near the ocean? We are both Master level graduates and looking to go into counseling/education. It appears the Long Beach is nicely adjacent to some of the bigger universities, which is another reason we are interested in the area. Also, what will we love about living in Cali? What will we need to get use to? I know the traffic is going be an issue. It was a nightmare when we were there in June. But, once we got where we were going it was fine. People were telling us how rude Californians were, but we received nothing but love everywhere (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Lon Beach, Compton, Koreatown) we visited while in Cali. I know its going to be hard, but I am so looking forward to living in Cali.

[Kevin_NYC]

U want Santa Monica, near Venice if in Arts

Not sure what kinda of "Artist"...might try Los Feliz, Silver Lake and other hipster enclaves near Hollywood.

Big risk in Cali is ending up in a glorified suburb (most of LA), heading to strip mall and giants Ralphs/VONs etc for next 30yrs.

Long Beach is commercial, Ports, Oil Tankers, etc. and crime after first block on Beach (Ocean Ave)

[adr3naline]

Your best bet is to spend a few weeks in Long Beach and see if it's a fit for you.

Rent a cheap AirBnB property in the area you desire for full-effect. Long Beach is by most measures a cheaper city to live in than LA proper, especially the West Side like Santa Monica. That and there are several public transit options to get to the Arts District downtown which allow you to avoid driving the 110, making it a very livable place.

[Ceece]

What kind of art? The only professional artist I know of currently lives in Sherman Oaks but she has been around for decades and that's where she wants to live so she bought a house with studio space. In my head I envision an artist working with material of some sort needing a certain amount of space, which really doesn't fit well with the idea of living in Santa Monica by the beach on a budget. The words "starving artist" doesn't really have to mean you are poor and starving, it usually means artists aren't in playgrounds for wealthy people, but in places where they can do their thing. Sure a gallery might be there, but the living/working space is different.

What I'm getting at is move to LA because you want to live in LA, but it doesn't matter what city or neighborhood you live in to be an artist. When you make connections you have no idea where they will be either. Keep an open mind about moving to LA/CA in general and don't get stuck on a particular image. You may be better off in DTLA or eastward.

[Dreamer4]

Thanks guys for the immediate feedback. My partner is a painter (mixed media, expressionism, portraits). Think Basquiat, Warhol and early 80's graffiti artists. She has done well for herself in Chicago, but its time for a change of scenery. We love Cali and always have and this is why we are relocating. I just want her to be somewhere surrounded by more like-minded individuals. Tell me more about the artsy areas. I can do a search for universities and agencies in that area for work. We are open, but I want to do my research. Location will mainly depend on the jobs we get. I am already applying and have had some successes in the L.A. area, but it seemed so congested to me. Santa Monica felt more like home when we visited. Are there more less expensive areas like that with art and the ocean and maybe dog parks? Big wish list I know. But a girl can dream.......

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Dreamer4

What will we need to get use to? .

Start by calling it SoCal. All the local news stations do.

You will need to get used to having the large body of water on the west side, not the east (and it doesn't warm up much--brrr)

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by Dreamer4

Are there more less expensive areas like that with art and the ocean and maybe dog parks?

You may like Echo Park, Silver Lake, or Los Feliz. Echo park is the grittiest of the three, but also the least expensive. No ocean, but how often do you actually plan on being on the beach? If just once a week, just make the 40min trip and keep some dollars in your pockets.

[Dunbar42]

I think the artisty areas are more like Echo Park, Silver Lake or a loft in downtown LA. But if you're going to be working full time jobs you really want to figure out where that will be before you decide where to live.

[cornsnicker3]

I can speak for my experience in Long Beach.

It can be classified in 4 areas:

1. Downtown Long Beach (Ocean, The Pike, Rainbow Harbor)

I live here. It is very well filled with shopping and restaurants. When you drive on I-710 going south and see the high rising buildings, this is area you are looking at. If you cross the river going west, you hit the ports. Areas near here are very similar to North-East Long Beach. It is pricey, but it has many city like amenities such as the Blue Line rail service to Los Angeles, coffee shops, and tall apartments. To the far south is the marina and to the east of that is the beginning of the beach. It is important to note that this part of the beach is very trashy and has small waves due to the tide break.

2. South-East Long Beach (Belmont Shores)

This is the NICE part of Long Beach. Small shops line 2nd street and has a typically beach town feel to it. People who live here are very wealthy (or their parents are wealthy). You will pay a lot to live here, but it is probably the best part of Long Beach in my opinion. The beaches are way nicer than main Long Beach.

3. North-East Long Beach (Bixby Knolls, "The Hood")

As you can imagine, North-East Long Beach is the wrong spot for you. It is characteristically similar to Compton and it has a lot of crime. Bixby Knolls is a nice oasis of good, but there is nothing worth noting there.

4. North-West Long Beach (CSU Long Beach, The traffic circle, airport, etc.)

Very suburban college area. Houses look a lot like Orange county style homes. There are quite a few restaurants and shops. The airport is decent for its size. Can't say much else about it.

In the middle of Long Beach is an enclave city called Signal Hill. There are two Home Depots, a Target, a Costco, and a ton of other business here. It is also is where most oil extraction occurs in the Long Beach area happens. Back in the day, the area was packed with upstream operations. Today, that operation is just a remnant of what it used to be.

I hope this helps a little.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Dreamer4

L.A. is the place to be to make in big in the Art world...looking to go into counseling/education.

Art counseling? Teaching art? Can't get the association