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Old 06-21-2008, 02:04 PM
 
Location: Burbank
1,203 posts, read 4,419,160 times
Reputation: 437

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Some of you know... I'm in Memphis, but will be relocated to Los Angeles next week. I recently spent almost 2 weeks in LA, job hunting, looking for apartments, and just checking out all different areas.

First I want to thank everyone here for there insights and suggestions, they were all most helpful.

I decided to give my views on different things in and around LA... hope you like it.

Driving: Honestly, I really enjoyed driving in LA. We got up at 7 every morning and took the 405N from Palos Verdes into the city. Although traffic is extremely congested, it seems to move fairly well most of the time. The HOV lanes are GREAT! While there, we seemed to move a good 30 mph faster or more then the standard lanes. In my opinion, the 101 Freeway was the worst that I traveled on. It seemed that it was packed at all times of the day(more so then the 405). I loved the 110 Freeway by Dodger Stadium going into Pasadena. It has some great views, and moves pretty well! Also, the tunnels on that stress are really cool. Suggestion: Go immediately when a light turns green. People love to give you the quick 1 honk if you take more then a 30th of a second to go. As a whole however, drivers seemed to be pretty nice, and never really had problems getting from one place to another. Most people will let you in a lane if you need to get over (city or highway).... unlike in Memphis, Atlanta... The only thing that really bothered me was that you can't turn left ANYWHERE... Ok, not really, but it is crazy when you pass like 5 roads in a row with No Left Turn signs... I understand that it regulates traffic, but still, it sucks having to go up 5 blocks and turn around to get to Pollo Loco.

Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo: These cities are absolutely wonderful! We usually ended up somewhere in the 3 every night. The area by the Hermosa Pier, off of Pier Ave. had lot and lots of things to do. Although parking is a complete pain, it really is worth it once you find a spot. There is an abundance of bars, restaurants, shops, and people watching to keep even the most restless person (me) busy. Everyone we met was really nice and actually ended up at the drummer from Ratt's son's house... HAHA. Anyways, for anyone considering moving to LA, if you can afford it, check out these areas, you'll love it.

Santa Monica: To be honest, I really didn't care for Santa Monica a whole lot. It was extremely crowded, and it is WAY to touristy. The 3rd St Promenade is really cool, as is the Pier, but in my opinion, it lacks personality. Although it is an extremely nice area with lots to do, its not for me. I'm sure many people on this board live here and love, and I can understand why, but I think the LA experience changes when you get into SM. Btw, spent 110 bucks at Hooters watching the Lakers game....

Culver City: I don't get it. Lots of people recommended CC to me as a place to live, so it was the first place we checked out. Aside from Sony, I didn't see anything there. I didn't really find anything good to do there, and most of the neighborhoods, to me, were very run down. Besides eating at Del Taco, we really didn't do anything in CC. Maybe we just missed all of the good stuff to do, but honestly, I didn't get the appeal.

Pasadena: Loved Pasadena. It has a certain character about it that stands out from everywhere else. Everyone we met were extremely friendly and helpful about finding places to eat, park, etc... Old Town was a great place, and actually we had so much fun (drinking) we forgot we had Dodger tickets. There is a countless number of shops, bars, clubs, ice cream places, and restaurants for ANYONE'S liking. We probably spent an hour or more walking around just trying to decide what to eat. If it wasn't for the weather, I'd probably like to live in this area, but you really can't beat the coastal areas with the nice cool,salty breeze.

Burbank: Boring. Lots of studios and warehouses. Really clean. Left after and hour or so.

Los Feliz/Silverlake: I now understand why people call the area "gritty". As nice as many of the places are, it still has the feeling of filth. The streets are terrible, and the roads are sometimes confusing to get around. We ate some Mexican food as this place off of Franklin (pretty good), and spent a little while by the Silverlake Reservoir, which I believe was being drained bc of chemical pollution, not sure... We didn't spend a whole lot of time here because I had a job interview in Woodland Hills that afternoon, but overall it was a pleasant experience.

Hollywood: The first thing that comes to mind is REALLY CROWDED. Getting anywhere was a pain, and I was glad to get out. The Hollywood and Highland area is kinda cool; the Kodak Theatre, the stars, and the random assortment of street musicians really made for a unique experience. There is tons to do, but you really have to dedicate a long day to the area if you want to see it all.

West Hollywood/Beverly Hills: The entire time we were around here the only vibe I got from people there was a "Holier Than Thou" attitude. Everyone is so into there cars and makeup that they drive like maniacs. Needless to say, the westside isn't my thing, and really don't get the appeal (except for shopping and having a cool zipcode).

Westwood: We spent a night walking around Westwood which was really cool. Naturally, tons of college-age kids wandering around, which kinda made for a fun night. We ate pizza at a place called D'Amores (sp?), and then headed down the street to get some ice cream and some place whos name I don't remember. UCLA is an amazing campus, and really wish I could have gone there. Everything looked relatively new, and there were plenty of entertainment options near by.

Long Beach: We had alot of fun in Long Beach. We met some girls while we were in Pasadena, and we ended up hanging out with the in Long Beach on a few different days. Although it is far from LA (driving time), it really is worth a look. Belmont Shores, Naples, Signal Hill, and the Downtown area were alot of fun. We ate, twice actually, at his place called Legends to watch some soccer. The crowd in Long Beach seemed to be really chill, and accepting of just about anything. Parking is kind of a pain, but there are tons of shops and eateries scattered around the area. We hung out at CalStateLB one night, and ended up going to a couple parties with some people we randomly met... good times.


I'm tired of typing so I'll add more later. Soon to come: Downtown, LaBrea Area, El Segundo, Playa Del Ray, Marina Del Rey, Venice, Griffith Park, more on traffic and parking. Sorry if anyone gets pissed about parts of my analysis, but like I said, it was my 2 week observation, so it really speaks more in generalities.
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Old 06-21-2008, 02:19 PM
 
303 posts, read 846,236 times
Reputation: 119
Awesome!

Quote:
Originally Posted by KnoxTown View Post
Most people will let you in a lane if you need to get over (city or highway).... unlike in Memphis, Atlanta...
And Dallas, Austin, and Houston. And I've driven in those three cities as well as L.A., so I know what I'm talking about. (I drove through Memphis also but not Atlanta.) Surprisingly, I enjoyed driving in L.A. much more than I have enjoyed driving anywhere I've been in Texas, and even I didn't expect to before I visited in 2004. I think the view of the palm trees helped me as well.
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Old 06-21-2008, 02:23 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
214 posts, read 1,084,275 times
Reputation: 150
Thanks for the writeup - can't wait for the rest!
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Old 06-21-2008, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles-213.323.310.818/San Diego-619.858.760
705 posts, read 3,298,304 times
Reputation: 445
Wow

great post for anyone wanting to know the perspective of an L.A. newcomer.
Maybe if you added some pictures Sandy would put it as a "Sticky" thread.

oh! and the tunnels on the 110 towards Pasadena are really cool...I believe theres like 6 of them.
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Old 06-21-2008, 03:05 PM
 
303 posts, read 846,236 times
Reputation: 119
Quote:
Originally Posted by SurekRZA View Post
Wow

great post for anyone wanting to know the perspective of an L.A. newcomer.
Maybe if you added some pictures Sandy would put it as a "Sticky" thread.

oh! and the tunnels on the 110 towards Pasadena are really cool...I believe theres like 6 of them.
I remember going through a tunnel on some freeway, can't remember the exact number, but we were going from my house in Rancho Cucamonga to my grandparents' house in Cypress (Orange County) and we went through a tunnel. I was amazed at the lights every time we went through.
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Old 06-21-2008, 04:05 PM
 
Location: Sunny L.A.
63 posts, read 197,316 times
Reputation: 55
Funny, I'm in L.A. and seriously considering moving to Memphis.... L.A. can be a great place but don't let it fool you, once the mystic wears off, you realize the cost of living is very high, the traffic is everyday all day, and yes there are freindly people but there are just as many pretentious folks. If you come here to get into entertainment or music then this is the place, otherwise you just live to pay the bills. Compared to the quality of life in the South, I would take the suburbs of Memphis over L.A., just depends what you want out of life....
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Old 06-21-2008, 04:09 PM
 
Location: Major Metro
1,083 posts, read 2,293,082 times
Reputation: 364
Wow, Knoxtown, you accomplished a lot in your 2 weeks of sightseeing. I think it took me 6 months before I hit all the major spots and I think your observations are spot on.
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Old 06-21-2008, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Home of King Willie the not so great
4,189 posts, read 3,481,629 times
Reputation: 820
Hi Knoxtown!!!!! I'm in Memphis too! I visited LA about a month ago and will be back for the upcoming 4th holiday. Thanks for your feedback. I am looking forward to relocating to LA.
~Push~


PhDnMe: I HATE Memphis! I am not thriving here. But maybe you will enjoy it
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Old 06-21-2008, 04:53 PM
 
Location: California
412 posts, read 1,751,961 times
Reputation: 197
I think you did a very good analysis of Los Angeles for some one that has only visited for two weeks and it is there first time. To me though, it sounds like LA is just not the place for you but who am I to say that? I just hear a lot of people similar to you that visit and then move there from the south and after a year they are about to die they hate it so much. But I love it, so maybe you are something like me! Anyway I think that you should meet some more locals before you move there and talk to them and also observe more people. There are a lot of things in LA that took me a long time to get used to (I know it says im from austin i live there half the year) that most people do not talk about and I won't but you should know. I just hope you enjoy living there and have a nice time the rest of your trip!
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Old 06-21-2008, 05:56 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,761,592 times
Reputation: 17831
Quote:
Originally Posted by KnoxTown View Post
Some of you know... I'm in Memphis, but will be relocated to Los Angeles next week. I recently spent almost 2 weeks in LA, job hunting, looking for apartments, and just checking out all different areas.
If it comes down to it, would you consider getting married (assuming you are single and childless), buying a home, having kids and raising them in LA? If so where? Where would you live? Is it close to where you work?
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