What's the deal with LA?

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Baron

Culver City is a new hot spot - lots of great new restauants and a Gallery Row at La Cienega and Venice with some very well regarded galleries. About once a month there are mass openings at all the galleries and these are fun social events and tend to be very well attended. I don't know the residential side of Culver City very well, but it should be more affordable than Santa Monica. I also would like that you're better situated there to go to Hollywood or Silverlake or Downtown - you'll find that most of the L.A. nightlife is in those three areas.

I generally agree, and I'm a big fan of Culver City (I live just a bit north of there). My only concern would be that the north-south rush hour commute can be a bit ugly. But you'll be close enough that it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Santa Monica and Brentwood are definitely doable, as someone else said, as is Westwood.
I take it you're thinking of renting an apartment apartment rather than buying a house? There are lots of decent rental options pretty close to where you'll be working.
And to again echo what's already been said: you don't want to live in one of the big towers in Century City (where I happen to work). There's no residential life to speak of. It has a business/professional population and a soccer mom shopping population at the Century City mall.

 

[novalis]

Originally Posted by bryce330

I was wrong, it is actually Olympic and Sawtelle (not Sepulveda), but it doesn't look like that makes a big difference.

I used to work around Olympic and Sawtelle and was commuting from Santa Monica. It all depends where in Santa Monica you'd be coming from, but my commute took me about 20 minutes each way.

 

[novalis]

I enjoyed reading this provocative quote from German filmmaker Werner Herzog (from the current issue of Esquire):

Los Angeles is the city with the most substance in the United States - cultural substance. There is a competition between New York and Los Angeles, but New York only consumes culture and borrows it from Europe. Things get done in Los Angeles.

 

[Doc Martin]

Sorry for the hijack, but I am also trying to find a place to live in LA. My wife (expecting) and I are looking for a safe, family-friendly place within 30 minutes commute from LA County Hospital.

I've been looking on craigslist and it seems like Highland Park/S. Pasadena is the closest and also has the best housing for the dollar. I am considering commuting by motorcycle if the benefits outweight the risks. Is Santa Monica still a possibility? Are there any other suggestions?

TIA

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by Doc Martin

Sorry for the hijack, but I am also trying to find a place to live in LA. My wife (expecting) and I are looking for a safe, family-friendly place within 30 minutes commute from LA County Hospital.

I've been looking on craigslist and it seems like Highland Park/S. Pasadena is the closest and also has the best housing for the dollar. I am considering commuting by motorcycle if the benefits outweight the risks. Is Santa Monica still a possibility? Are there any other suggestions?

TIA
if you can afford it, santa monica is the best place to live out of those 3. south pasadena comes in second. if you can afford one of those two, don't even consider highland park. it's essentially a "nice ghetto."

if you have a wife and are about to be a father, you shouldn't be on a motorcycle. l.a. probably has more pot holes and road hazards than any other major city and the peole here drive like maniacs.

 

[Doc Martin]

Thanks for the input matadorpoeta.

I know about the motorcycle... my colleagues give me hell about it constantly, "It may not be your fault, you have to watch out for the other drivers".

But would Santa Monica still be w/in 30 minutes by car?

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by Doc Martin

Thanks for the input matadorpoeta.

I know about the motorcycle... my colleagues give me hell about it constantly, "It may not be your fault, you have to watch out for the other drivers".

But would Santa Monica still be w/in 30 minutes by car?
it depends on your schedule, but even in a best case scenario you will hit heavy traffic around downtown. however, i'd much rather drive 45 minutes to go home to santa monica than drive 20 minutes to s. pasadena. south pas and pasadena are good neighborhoods, but rather bland compared to the rest of the city.

 

[retronotmetro]

If "LA County Hospital" means County SC in East LA, there is no fricking way you will make it in 30 minutes to/from Santa Monica except for late at night. You should allow something more like an hour each way during the morning and evening commute times. When I lived in Westwood and worked downtown, my average commute time was about 40 minutes door to door on a good day.

If your "family friendly" criteria include good public schools, you cannot beat South Pasadena in the radius you describe without getting very spendy. Pasadena has disappointing schools for the most part.

 

[Doc Martin]

Thank you matadorpoeta and retronotmetro for your input.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'll reiterate that. You can take surface streets from South Pas to LACH and driving from Santa Monica would be a nightmare most of the time, unless you were leaving at 5 in the morning and returning very late at night, and even then, it's LA, so things are unpredictable. I recently got into a 45 minute traffic jam at 4:30 AM because someone tried to go around a tow truck and hit two people standing on the side of the road and two cars... ugh.

 

[phooi]

I agree with with drizz, retro, and matador. My recommendation is for S. Pas but prices are steep (~$1M) if you're interested in buying. I would also recommend Pasadena (school's suck but you can always go private), La Canada, San Marino, and Arcadia. All of these are good to great neighborhoods with good school districts and are in the 30 min to LAC. Let me know if you need more info as I'm pretty familiar with the area.

 

[Doc Martin]

Thank you all for the great info! I'll try contacting you via PM if I have any questions so I don't hijack this thread any longer.

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by phooi

I agree with with drizz, retro, and matador. My recommendation is for S. Pas but prices are steep (~$1M) if you're interested in buying. I would also recommend Pasadena (school's suck but you can always go private), La Canada, San Marino, and Arcadia. All of these are good to great neighborhoods with good school districts and are in the 30 min to LAC. Let me know if you need more info as I'm pretty familiar with the area.


those are all $$$ neighborhoods. Pasadena is the cheapest average at around $750k+

imo, Alhambra is an underrated neighborhood (esp the northern part above valley blvd) whose prices are still "affordable" (average around 500k) and borders S Pasadena and San Marino it its immediate north.

also Temple City and San Gabriel, tho their prices are a tad higher (600k)