Downtown la (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica: transplants, lease, loft)

[Days1015]

Ok so I'm a SF native, no really. Not a transplant. Anyway I'll be relocating to Southern California in a few months and I recently vistited (SoCal) this past th/fri. I think it's misjudged (It's so big, some parts absolutely fit the stereotype) indefinitely however that's a different thread. Ok apart from the disclaimer, I'm wondering what people in LA think of downtown LA? I know a few people in socal and I've asked for some input about several LA locations, downtown LA being one of them. I'm aware that it is "up and coming" and an abundance of reconstruction is currently taking place. Many think it is dangerous, and not the ideal for re-location..because there are plenty of homeless, the not so glamorous demeanor etc. Obviously I'm from SF, I feel like downtown definitely doesn't represent the glitz and glamour of tinsle town that is represented in the media. I am not threatened, but more at home with this environment? And in the process of moving, I crave a sense of normalcy. I've also heard that SF's "homeless" is different from LA's "homeless" whatever that means. Has anyone visited and felt the same way? A friend (from socal) has told me that a friend of his from NY moved to downtown LA because he felt that it reminded him of home, and later regretted it. Any input would be appreciated.

[cmw2133]

I can say the homeless in San Francisco are way too aggressive. Being from NY, I thought homeless people didn't bother me anymore but it made my wife and I extremely uncomfortable to be followed around even when it was clear we weren't giving them anything. LA homeless seem more like NY homeless; i.e. passive., but that isn't a hard and fast rule.

As for downtown, there's been a slew of threads on this if you just search. We really wanted to give it a chance, but it's still just not there yet and that goal might be getting further away now that the housing market is correcting. The money that was flowing into downtown in an attempt to gentrify it might dry up, and other areas were simply more livable, so spending $500k on a downtown loft or even signing a year-long lease just made no sense.

[KnoxTown]

I love downtown LA, and will be living there in the near future.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Im with KnoxTown on this one. I love Downtown and always have. Even when I was a little kid, we'd ride the RTD bus downtown and just walk around. Something about it Ive always loved even since my childhood.

I plan on buying a condo/loft downtown but not right now. I'll probably wait for the next earthquake to scare the bejesus out of the transplants who are moving there now. They'll want to up and leave ASAP which means deals could be had then.

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Im with KnoxTown on this one. I love Downtown and always have. Even when I was a little kid, we'd ride the RTD bus downtown and just walk around. Something about it Ive always loved even since my childhood.

I plan on buying a condo/loft downtown but not right now. I'll probably wait for the next earthquake to scare the bejesus out of the transplants who are moving there now. They'll want to up and leave ASAP which means deals could be had then.

I'm with you. I've been watching the prices there for a couple months now, and I think later in the year might be a good time to check it out.

[LABornandRaised]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Im with KnoxTown on this one. I love Downtown and always have. Even when I was a little kid, we'd ride the RTD bus downtown and just walk around. Something about it Ive always loved even since my childhood.

I plan on buying a condo/loft downtown but not right now. I'll probably wait for the next earthquake to scare the bejesus out of the transplants who are moving there now. They'll want to up and leave ASAP which means deals could be had then.

That's so funny that you say that DaBeez. Everyone I've spoken to is also waiting for the earthquake....not to hurt people, but just one big enough to scare people so they move and drive the housing prices to levels average people can afford. I wonder though, if EVERYONE is waiting for that earthquake if we'll really see a massive exodus or will everyone just stay and we'll just be a wrecked city?

[buckeyenative01]

From my experiences, there are two separate parts of Downtown LA: The first being the highrises in Bunker Hill and the Staples Center/LA Live/Convention Center area. This area is typically dead after 5pm on weekdays and on the weekends except during concerts/sporting events/conventions.

The second part is the historic district, with the nucleus being everything along Broadway/east of Pershing Square. I couldn't believe what I was seeing the first time I encountered it: Wall-to-wall people (at 10am on a Saturday in December, nonetheless) and booming with activity in the Jewelery, Fashion and Toy Districts. Yeah the products being hawked on the streets might be cheap knock-offs (you can find good bargains if you look hard enough) but its like some part of LA most Angelenos don't even know exists. Santee Alley and Skid Row are still in need of refurbishing, but nobody can say that Downtown LA lacks streetlife and people. You see this again in neighborhoods like Little Tokyo, Olvera Street and Chinatown. Not exactly "downtown" per se, but close enough if you're up to walking it.

[the one]

I HAVe to agree that downtown is a desirable destination. not as much as it was in the recent years, but life keeps popping up in downtown. i too have alwyas loved DT since i was a child. so much to do. it is only getting better.

at the moment i prefer not to live in downtown, but thts because i already own a home...WITH A YARD!!!! ive lived in the city(SF) and apt/high rise living is fun. but i just couldnt live without a yard much longer. typical LA to me includes a yard to BBQ or sun worship. that really does not happen in DT. but that dont stop me from spending a large amount of time bar hopping, shopping, or grabbing culture in downtown LA.

it has all of that.

and more.

check it out.

[nickdahammer]

Well, 'downtown' is a pretty diverse area. Lots of different vibes down there. I have a friend at the Bartlett (7th and Spring) and he loves it. Wine bar, cafes open late and a revitalized Main Street closeby. I sure didn't see it coming, but thar it is. I really dig the Fashion Center vibe as well, especially around the Main Street side of the Tomahawk Building and Los Angeles Street.

Then there's a completely different downtown: the Music Center, Disney Hall, MOCA, Bunker Hill. I agree with the one: you really should walk it. Oh yeah, and there's an artwalk, second Thursday of every month which might give you a basic 411 on the Historic Core/Gallery Row:

Downtown Art Walk - Second Thursday of every month in Downtown Los Angeles

And that's just THAT part of downtown. Doesn't include the Music Center, Civic Center, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, California Plaza, Staples/LA Live!, etc.

[straight outta camden]

Good original post--great to see someone try to cut through the mythology of LA.

I think downtown LA needs to be put in perspective. When people say it is "up and coming" they mean it is better than it was, with more street life. Well, Pittsburgh is no doubt better than it was, too. Downtown is not the centre of LA and all the efforts of Eli Broad and Antonio Villaraigosa are not making it so. Most Angelenos go there very rarely--probably more rarely than they go to, say, West Hollywood. Most people who live in those downtown condos do not work downtown. There is still very, very little life downtown in the evenings, and it is often hard to meet basic needs. When a supermarket opened in downtown LA last year, the mayor turned up. Early.

It is just about possible to replicate a San Francisco or Manhattan-style existence in LA if you live and work downtown or near Wilshire Boulevard and take the red line around. But, frankly, why? LA is a low-rise, suburban city, oriented around the car. Transplants tend to become a lot happier when they figure out how to work with this reality. Enjoy the beaches, enjoy having a garden if you can afford it, enjoy the strange patchwork of cities, enjoy the fantasy architecture, even enjoy driving (it's certainly a lot more pleasant than dealing with those maniac drivers in SF). Don't live downtown.

On the homeless: I agree with the poster who said they are less aggressive here than in SF. The Skid Row homeless are depressing and sometimes scary. Elsewhere, especially in rich places like Westwood and Santa Monica, they are aimless and sometimes amiable.