Maybe moving from NYC to LA or SF (San Francisco, Highland: apartment, for rent)

[scottykick]

I'm a born and raise New Yorker, and as great as NYC is I have just grown bored of it. I want a change of pace, and you really cannot get any more different then NYC, then CA.

That said, being in NY I have never really needed a car, hence I do not own a car or drive, from what I can find out it sounds to me that San Fran would be more mass transit freindly, then LA.

I would be looking for an afforable area, that is safe. Being in Brooklyn, my deffinition of safe may be different from say someone from Maine. In other words, if I play my cards right and do not walk down a dark ally at 3AM, I should be fine...LOL.

i would be looking for a "walkable" neighboorhood, meaning I can easily get to everything Iwould need to by walking no more then say 1/2 hour or 45 minutes.

Places that have come to my attention are Venice Beach and Los Feliz, any other ideas about good places in LA, or should I just target san Fran...worse case scenerio, I could alwys learn to drive and get a car and retire my metrocard...LOL

[Charles]

What line of work are you in?
Where are you going to work?
What is your budget for housing?
Married? Kids? Ages?

[scottykick]

currently: Auto Insurance
By Then:Self Employed
Approx $1,000 Month max for rent
Single
No Kids

[King0fthehill]

Good luck finding something in Venice/Los Feliz for $1,000....Since you don't want to pay much and seem to covet walkability and transit, may I suggest the Westlake neighborhood for you?

Its really dense/walkable (some of the densest census tracts outside of Manhattan), its got the Metro Red Line -- the thing is that its really gritty, it lacks amenities, its population is a dizzying monotony of poor Central Americans, and it can be unsafe at times (Macauther Park used to be a huge hub for drugs, gangs and other illegal activities)

Here are some photos: prettyugly.: The Westlake Minute

BTW, you won't find a thing in SF for that. MAYBE something the Tenderloin (one of the worst neighborhoods on the West Coast) .

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by scottykick

currently: Auto Insurance
By Then:Self Employed
Approx $1,000 Month max for rent
Single
No Kids

lol@1G/mo.




For 1 G a month, unless you find a roommate in a nicer area, which many people do, then you will have to lock your doors and not roam dark alleys at night. Nobody walks in LA because it's dangerous. That's the truth.

Find a roommate and see how you like So Cal.

[uptown_urbanist]

Check out Hollywood. Lots of people live there without cars. Lots of buses, a subway (yes, LA does have public transit!), plenty of necessities within short walking distance, and a GREAT weekend farmer's market. There are beautiful historic apartment buildings mixed in with some more modern crappy ones. Hollywood is gentrifying, but it's still cheaper than Los Feliz. You might be able to find a studio or something in your budget. You could check out east Hollywood, too, which is cheaper than central Hollywood and Los Feliz (it's between the two), a little less safe, but also with tons of mass transit and readily available walkable necessities. (this area is also Thai Town and Little Armenia) The Hollywood/Highland intersection in Hollywood is really touristy, but there's an actual real neighborhood - a very interesting one - there, too.

San Francisco is great, too, but not as different from NYC and you'll have a really, really tough time getting anything there with your budget.

Not everyone drives in LA, despite stereotypes. You'll do fine.

[scottykick]

Thanks for all the input, it seems Hollywood area is the best section as far as access to mass transit, I even hear they now run a trolly to Dodger games...being a big baseball fan that is good to know, so i can go out and see a few games with little hassle. My Father was a Dodgers fan back when they played in Brooklyn, does not care for them too much now, for obvious reasons....LOL