New in Los Angeles.....scared about two issues (Burbank, Malibu: crime, house)

[rishi85]

Wow!!!
Thanks a ton good people.In such a short span I got so many viable replies which I would never have gotten by just casually enquiring.
Its so funny how people stereotype places....My closest american buddy is from New york city and he only praises New York but the funny thing is he HATES Los Angeles and angelos.
He told me not to bother with angelos because they are stuck up and rude most of the time but I don't seem to think so.

Moderator cut: City vs. city discussions have their own forum

Anyways thanks a lot.
Guess Rishi needs driving lessons now

[ocexpo]

LA as a city where "people are friendly". HAHAHAHAHA. It is quite the opposite. You cant even speak to over half of the population because of the language barrier.

[rishi85]

LA as a city where "people are friendly". HAHAHAHAHA. It is quite the opposite. You cant even speak to over half of the population because of the language barrier.

I dont think language barriers could be judged as being unfriendly.By unfriendly it means trying to be uninterested or even showing on the face.
I am an Indian(as in from the country of India) and I speak good english(at least understandable) but if I go to a spaniard speaking spanish or a frenchman speaking french and there are misunderstandings then I wont call it being unfriendly,infact on the contrary that would be friendlier if they go out of their way to understand.

Ahh...steriotypes!!

[impala666]

If you live 1 mile from your work and you live in an urban area maybe no car in LA.
For the rest of the population you will not function and your life will be unsafe.
Learn to drive and learn to love it!

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

lets see, the city of Los Angeles has 469 square miles of space. That doesn't include the metro area just the city itself. LA county is 4,061 Square miles. When people say they are from LA they could be saying that they are from a community many miles away from LA Proper within the county. The fact is that LA is so spread out that it is difficult to get around without some kind of transportation. It is not impossible to do though. Many do it now. Many have done it before. The city does have busses and some rail. Depends on how much time you have to devote to the public trasportation system. Many employers even have van pools from areas that are further out. I know that UCLA for one example has a van pool from Oxnard to UCLA.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

. There are buses, commuter trains, light rail lines, and a subway line.

I didn't know they had a subway system in L.A.?

[RobE]

If you want to work in the entertainment industry, you will need a car.

One other thing: everybody in SoCal is a scriptwriter (well, all the waiters and waitresses are actors, too). Well, that's an exaggeration, but not much of one. There will be a heck of a lot of competition for you in that department.

There is a growing Indian community in SoCal. You ought to see if you can tie into it before coming to L.A. Might help you ease the transition.

[Miss Pip]

I wonder if you'll be one of those people who go from loving LA to extremely hating it. You must visit LA before anything.

[the one]

its possible to be in LA without a car. but you do end up depending on rides. particularly on the weekends.

i do a combo of bus/train/bike/running/car/rides.

during the week, mostly bus and train.

for short distances (bank, store, rest) walk or jog.

for a bit longer distances, bike.

for really long distances on the weekends or at night, car.

its possible. you jsut have to live in a public trans/dense area, negotiate your time, acquaint yourself with a metro guide and timetable, Nd dont be in too much of a hurry.

its all possible.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

I didn't know they had a subway system in L.A.?

Well, just one subway line (the Red Line) at the moment, but with luck it will be expanded. It's plugged into the larger light rail system, though.

For the earlier poster who wondered about grocery shopping, if you don't have a car you can either have big, heavy stuff delivered (the local grocery stores have delivery options), or you just buy smaller amounts at at time and just either bring a backpack or pack it well. Having lived in different locations in the LA area (and done grocery shopping in many more areas) I've noticed that the clerks pack bags much better in the neighborhoods where lots of other people are also walking their groceries home, or perhaps taking it on the bus. I used to stop off at the Ralph's on Western and Hollywood after work, and they knew how to pack a bag.

LA is really spread out, but so is the NYC area. If you live near your work, or relatively near by easy public transportation, it's not that difficult to live without a car. Most people don't have to bounce back and forth between Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena, etc. on a daily, or even weekly, basis, just like most people in Manhattan aren't always heading out to Coney Island. Maybe people who don't mind driving and have cars do more activities that require driving, but you can live a full, enjoyable life without doing so.

I lived more than one mile from my work, didn't drive, and was perfectly safe, to respond to anothe rposter. Not sure where the safety thing comes in, especially since driving itself entails many safety risks.

I think a lot of New Yorkers don't like LA because they don't understand it; it's a very different kind of city, and based on reading things on these forums it's clear that many people bashing LA haven't spent much time here. I think it's tough to really "get" LA as a tourist. I'm not a native Californian and don't know the average view towards NYC, but I'm a very city-oriented person, absolutely love NYC, but also love LA. They're both exciting, diverse, big cities, and you've just got to appreciate both of them for what they offer.