Moving to Studio City (Los Angeles, Riverside: apartments, renting, condos)

[Mai]

Hello,

I will eventually be moving to L.A. in the near future and just wanted to get a little more information.

I should be attending USC, but won't be living on campus.

A friend and I were thinking of renting an apartment in Studio City and I would possibly commute to USC.

Now is this even possible? I've seen some threads say the 101 is terrible traffic and such. Plus is Studio City even a safe place to live in SF??

Thanks in advance!!

[fastfilm]

Mai, Studio City is a very safe place to live. A great many of its residents work in the motion picture business; therefore, that indicates a bit more upscale residential living, houses and apartments, for this well-heeled crowd.

Given the choice of living in a nice place and having the same awful commute as absolutely everyone else, or living in a crummy place nearer campus, I think your Studio City choice to be sound. There are some streets that are secret thoroughfares that are alternates to freeways. They are 6-lane, long streets that initially were supposed to be part of the freeway system but were never converted. Sometimes we locals can figure out how to use them to our advantage. For instance, let's say you see online or on tv that the 101 has a significant traffic jam: you could take Laurel Canyon over the hill, cut over to La Brea, go all the way over the Baldwin Hills, and cut north on Rodeo (not Ro DAY oh) to a street that will take you to USC (I'll have to further research.) It would take the same time as a normal freeway commute, but it's an option when the freeways aren't.

[UB50]

From Studio City, you can get around the mountain via Cahuenga Blvd. then take Highland down to Washington or Adams (whichever looks emptier) and go east.

You can also take 101 until it looks like it's starting to slow down -- then get off the freeway and take any number of streets south (Western, Vermont, Normandy -- there are a bunch that go straight through the city) and then go east when you hit Adams or Washington (or Jefferson -- I think that is another east thru-street).

Fastfilm is right. There are a bunch of ways to get around having to sit on the freeway.

[Mai]

Thanks Fastfilm and UB50.

I'm glad to hear Studio City is a safe, nice place to live. Especially since i'll be trying to work in the production/film field.

Another question, if the 101 eventually is my only option, about how long would it take to get to USC/Downtown area? (Not sure about the times of day as I don't have a schedule yet. I guess normal the hours for a college student)

[Sorcerer68]

Studio City is a nice place to live. It's fairly sizzling in the summer if you're not into hot weather. IMHO, it's a little far from USC but it's doable.

[Mai]

Yeah, I figured it may be a little too far.

But the West Side is too expensive, and the East & South side...well I've been told to stay away from their. Haha.

[fastfilm]

Mai, I'm going to offer a "big picture" suggestion. The single, most important talent in the entertainment business is networking. There are hundreds of thousands of talented people here aspiring to work in the movie biz at assorted levels, but unless they can schmooze properly, they won't get work and hence into the unions and more work.

Therefore, living in Studio City as your home base is one of the best things you can do for yourself to increase your chances of working in this difficult to penetrate business. The studios (Warner, Universal, ABC/Disney) are right next door in Burbank. The production people all live around Ventura Blvd. there in nice condos and apartments, and the higher-ups are literally a little higher up in the canyon houses above there in Hollywood and Laurel Canyon (the very top level are in Malibu, Holmby Hills and Beverly Hills canyons.) Griffith Park is nearby to jog and eyeball people in your biz (they will be fitter and jogging too) although you do have to be cautious there. Best of all, when you go into any business there, even the 7-11 on Cahuenga and Riverside, you could be networking with the people you'll need in your ambitions.

One has to prioritize in life, and although you'll have the same awful commute as everyone else in Los Angeles between Studio City and SC, you'd be doing the two best things you could for your longterm production career: getting the best preparation, and getting access to the actual people who can help you in your own neigihborhood. You could hit the goldmine this way. And that's usually such a toughie in this biz.

[Mai]

Alot of good info fastfilm.

You have conviced me that Studio City would be the best place for me to live. I guess the commute to USC is worth it in the long run then.


MUCH THANKS!!

[montevista1]

I work in studio city the traffic on ventura is insane!!!!! Driving to USC from studio city will take at least 30 minutes because traffic is insane!!!!

studio city is an excellent place to live, but i am not sure if i would live here if i went to school at usc. I would rather live downtown.

[jaxx4]

hi there im from england i wanna move to studio city, and wanna try and make in the films.. where do all the stars live or should i say where would i get noticed the most?