Professional couple moving from NYC Neighborhood Guidance

[Ceece]

The landscape might look different in a year or two so check back

[s_wms]

I live in LA hopefully I can give you some pointers:

1) Koreatown is truly an excellent choice if you want the most amount of Asian restaurants/culture with a NYC city feel. It's very densely populated, and honestly feels like a city of its own. There are parts that are a little rougher than others, so keep that in mind. I recommend staying around Wilshire/Normandie and maybe even SW a bit... But it is located right by the Red & Purple trains -- Wilshire/Vermont, and Wilshire/Western--for your NYC subway vibe.

2) DTLA - Little Tokyo. Small little area off 1st St. You mentioned you like small NYC apartments. My brother actually lives in the Mikado Apartments and loves it -- it's a Japanese inspired, very modern complex with a good rooftop skyline view of LA. And Little Tokyo does have a NYC village feel to it. Lots of Asian restaurants, very clean area, hip area for young people. Good choice if you want something more lowkey. Also right by Union Station - which links you to every train in the city!

3) Culver City. I lived here briefly; it has excellent & diverse dining options. Honestly one of my favorite parts of the city. A lot of young professionals live here. It's close to the beach, and LAX airport. very clean, lot's of stuff to do, and definitley more upscale. Also close to the Metro Expo line which can take you to Santa Monica, and all the way to Union Station in DTLA.

4) West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area: A lot of young professionals live here. I worked in this area too, in healthcare & IT settings. Great area, kind of an affluent vibe, where there is a lot of opportunity in those fields. And there's high end Asian restaurants too.

Hope this gets you pointed in a good direction! Of course LA is massive so there are other good options too. But these would be my rec's based on your criteria & my personal experience.

[mike12326]

Originally Posted by Jay100

You're going to need a car and learn to drive, period. You can't walk to the mountains and the beach.
Try Westwood/Brentwood/the Wilshire corridor. Westwood has a Manhattan feel. Lots of smart young UCLA students walking around and it's very diverse. Queens would be more like the Adams District in South LA.

I agree with not being able to walk or take transportation to the mountains. But according to what I heard and read, they have been expanding the subway system all the way
to parts of area beaches... (Long Beach to be exact).....and as we speak they are continuing to expand public transportation. (im only talking about the city subway lines) They are also constructing a subway line to get to LAX airport. Its nothing like New York City but according to what I read, in another 10 years or so from now Los Angeles public transportation will be huge.

[00lucky00]

Originally Posted by nycdweller1234

Thank you for your thorough insight! Any thoughts on the gateway cities like artesia, cerritos, la Miranda, Lakewood, signal Hill and the OC counties close to LA county like cypress and fountain valley? Or are all these areas more so just quiet residential areas? I think cerritos looks to be the most busy out of the ones I listed above.

i live in lakewood....its amazing

[TimTheEnchanter]

Originally Posted by nycdweller1234

2) Not a "boring" neighborhood. Ideally we would like to live in an area with things to do like shopping/outdoor activities (hiking, beach, biking). Basically not looking for a retirement neighborhood.
3) Having a "city" feel. This is probably unrealistic coming from NYC but the better "city-like" feel the area has, the better.
OC: haven't really looked too much into OC yet but my general take away is that it is a much calmer LA county
1) Huntington beach

It's been awhile since the OP was here, but at least they were once engaged, unlike others who ask a question and never return.

I don't understand what "calmer" means in reference to OC. Have you been to OC before to see your relatives? Did Irvine seem calm?

I'd start with OC and places like Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin and Cypress.

I thought Rowland Heights was a good call, but it could be too Asian.

[Nafster]

Originally Posted by Ceece

The landscape might look different in a year or two so check back

How do you mean?