West coast members? (LA?)

**stack_it** · 03-19-2011, 11:07 PM

Right now I'm in the Midwest but I have the chance to move to LA in June. I'm concerned about the cost of living tho. Right now my 1100 sq ft, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apt costs me $650 a month. In LA the sane seems to cost atleast $1500 per month and that's if your lucky. Most are $2k and up. Is it affordable for 2 college students working part time? I'm guessing the jobs have to pay more out there? I've done a little reading and it seems they do but want to get real life opinions.

What price range should I be looking in for apt's?

What areas of LA (+ surrounding towns) should I be looking in?

This isn't set in stone but I would like to take the opportunity. I just don't want to end up losing a ton of time and money and having to come back in two months.

**Twist** · 03-19-2011, 11:13 PM

I'm not in LA atm but if you go inland you get better prices. North of LA I think is a little cheaper... Really I would say its not affordable unless you want to live in some ghetto place. I mean nothing in LA is that ghetto but its not the LA feel you are thinking of. NO HOT girls and shit is way overpriced. The clubs aren't even that cool. Girls all want guys who are buying $1k bottle service. I don't like LA but go a little south to San Diego and that is where its at. Not worth the money imo

PS. Right now I'm paying $800 for a 600sqft apartment... NOT WORTH IT

**Tigershark** · 03-19-2011, 11:16 PM

A good friend of mine lives in an Diego and he pays $1400 a month for his 2 bed 1 and a half bath apartment. He makes $22-$25 an hour working with computers. He said with utilities he has to have a roomate. Couldn't tell you what his other expenses are stack.

**Twist** · 03-19-2011, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Tigershark

A good friend of mine lives in an Diego and he pays $1400 a month for his 2 bed 1 and a half bath apartment. He makes $22-$25 an hour working with computers. He said with utilities he has to have a roomate. Couldn't tell you what his other expenses are stack.

Yeah but if you go north, or inland a little bit (15 minutes) you will have cheap ass living. I prefer north as its more classy people. Everyone is super laid back and there is yoga places all over. Not to mention THE BEST natural eating places I have ever been. I mean they got quinoa omelets and just the best food I have ever had. Worth every penny.

**lifeforce0019** · 03-19-2011, 11:54 PM

The Topanga Canyon area in the San Fernando Valley is very nice and more moderately priced than LA proper. Great mountain biking and hiking throught the Topanga Canyon area. You might also look into Glendale and Los Feliz.

But if you can swing Santa Monica you will have a great time.

**Times Roman** · 03-20-2011, 02:37 AM

I love it over by Long Beach area.... i'm a water dawg and could hang on the beach all the time

**songdog** · 03-20-2011, 07:22 AM

I lived in Cal for 9 years.People are leaving there for a reason.People buy a house out by Riverside so they can afford it.150000 for a yard you can spit across.I aint even going to get into the daily traffic jams.

**DSM4Life** · 03-20-2011, 08:00 AM

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 08:17 AM

Questions: how far away do you want to be from the beach? if at all?
Will you be looking for a job?
or do you have one already since this will determine a lot....
or do you want to pick the area first and then the job?

what is your "idea" of LA? what do you expect from it? ex: surfing? nightclubs? riding bike? rollerblading? muscle beach?
and I assume GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS.....

more details please......I have lived there several times....

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

Questions: how far away do you want to be from the beach? if at all?
Will you be looking for a job?
or do you have one already since this will determine a lot....
or do you want to pick the area first and then the job?

what is your "idea" of LA? what do you expect from it? ex: surfing? nightclubs? riding bike? rollerblading? muscle beach?
and I assume GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS.....

more details please......I have lived there several times....

I'll be looking for a job once I find an are to live.

I don't expect much from la honestly. I grew up on the beach and actually don't care for it much. Something about the sand in my crack that doesn't sit well lol. I'm going mainly for the warmer weather and for the change of atmosphere. I love change. Clubs are everywhere and so are girls so I'm not worried about that. I guess school will be the big thing. I'll probably attend ucla after a year at a community college so I get in state tuition. I want to live in a decent area(not ghetto) but I'm not a person who needs to live luxurious. Give me a bed, shower, and kitchen in a nice little town and in gtg.

Basically my only concern is the money and housing. I'll have a good time anywhere.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 10:09 AM

As far as the beach....do you want to see that horizon? the water? the feeling you get just being by the sea? or does this not matter? personally? I would not bother if the ocean means nothing to you.....I would not travel half-way across the country to not be near the ocean....but that is me....but if you do not care, then this will help determine where to live.....if you would like to experience the beach feel like the Venice strand where there is a sideshow 24/7 or merely gaze at the sea, then this will help with more info.....LA is huge! and so many small towns within it.....and some are ridiculously priced and some are not......

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 10:26 AM

Santa Monica if you get lucky since for some reason i think it has a rent law which keeps prices down but a hunt is necessary
Venice Beach sometimes has deals if you find them but can be dicey
Mar Vista is a sleepy little town which is a 10 minute ride to the beach and cute bungalow houses
Westwood might have some student type rent since so many students
Playa del Rey is a beach community which is cozy and off the beaten track but airplanes fly over
Brentwood...pricey
Hollywood can be pricey as West Hollywood can be too
Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana. Glendale all in the valley and hot as heck in the summer with desert weather
Topanga Canyon which is nestled between the beach and the valley is an interesting 60's throw back place
Malibu oddly enough you can find places there and you might be surprised
Pacific Palisades is pricey
Marina del Rey can be pricey but sometimes not
Bel Air, Beverly Hills pricey
downtown LA where Watts is..not good
Leaving LA proper....points south...
Manhattan Beach area can be pricey and the smoke stacks bother me
Laguna Beach is beautiful but pricey
San Diego is pretty but I do not know the market
Points north?
once you leave Malibu/ Zuma beach, you are heading out of easy driving to LA

**DSM4Life** · 03-20-2011, 10:27 AM

San Fransisco !

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by DSM4Life

San Fransisco !

West Hollywood would be closer......

**Tigershark** · 03-20-2011, 11:13 AM

Hey Stack if you do not already have a job lined up I would wait to move. My buddy who lives in San Diego had a job, got laid off, then waited over a year to find another one. He wasn't being picky either, nobody was hiring at the time.

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

Santa Monica if you get lucky since for some reason i think it has a rent law which keeps prices down but a hunt is necessary
Venice Beach sometimes has deals if you find them but can be dicey
Mar Vista is a sleepy little town which is a 10 minute ride to the beach and cute bungalow houses
Westwood might have some student type rent since so many students
Playa del Rey is a beach community which is cozy and off the beaten track but airplanes fly over
Brentwood...pricey
Hollywood can be pricey as West Hollywood can be too
Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana. Glendale all in the valley and hot as heck in the summer with desert weather
Topanga Canyon which is nestled between the beach and the valley is an interesting 60's throw back place
Malibu oddly enough you can find places there and you might be surprised
Pacific Palisades is pricey
Marina del Rey can be pricey but sometimes not
Bel Air, Beverly Hills pricey
downtown LA where Watts is..not good
Leaving LA proper....points south...
Manhattan Beach area can be pricey and the smoke stacks bother me
Laguna Beach is beautiful but pricey
San Diego is pretty but I do not know the market
Points north?
once you leave Malibu/ Zuma beach, you are heading out of easy driving to LA

Awesome. Thanks for the help slimmer. I'll look into these areas.

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by Tigershark

Hey Stack if you do not already have a job lined up I would wait to move. My buddy who lives in San Diego had a job, got laid off, then waited over a year to find another one. He wasn't being picky either, nobody was hiring at the time.

I'll have work lined up. I'll do a work study if I have to

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

As far as the beach....do you want to see that horizon? the water? the feeling you get just being by the sea? or does this not matter? personally? I would not bother if the ocean means nothing to you.....I would not travel half-way across the country to not be near the ocean....but that is me....but if you do not care, then this will help determine where to live.....if you would like to experience the beach feel like the Venice strand where there is a sideshow 24/7 or merely gaze at the sea, then this will help with more info.....LA is huge! and so many small towns within it.....and some are ridiculously priced and some are not......

I love the weather that comes along with beaches aswell as the atmosphere and type of people. People in areas with beaches seem to be friendlier and more laid back. So I guess I like the surroundings of a beach better than the beach lol.

**Tigershark** · 03-20-2011, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by stack_it

I'll have work lined up. I'll do a work study if I have to

Awesome to hear.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 02:39 PM

okay....from what little I know of you here is where I suggest and let me tell you why:

Venice Beach area

With your love for New Orleans, Venice is another carnival...a different one but none-the-less continual entertainment. Very colorful. And free to just be there hanging and doing nothing. All walks of life. And the bonus? Muscle beach where you can workout literally in the open air with free weights along with sturdy legit gymnastic equipment like rings and parallel bars and balance beam and hang a speed bag to knock around.....and sports all around like shooting baskets and skating.

Plus lots of girl watching more than just about any area of LA during the daytime.

And Venice has a mixed culture from the bottom of the barrel to top drawer.

IF you found a place on the west side of Lincoln Boulevard (real estate term so you know) going towards Venice Beach on one of the side streets coming off Venice Blvd, I could see you there.
Or better yet, if you REALLY looked around, it would be fantastic to get a place within walking distance to the workout/Muscle beach area on the strand. I used to hang out around there all the time..... skating and loved it.

( note: some consider muscle beach to be in Santa Monica ....where Big Deans is...I kinda think of it as both places at different times)

Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more to have lots of entertainment at your fingertips rather than hoping in a car riding all over urban sprawl spending tons of cash on gas and time getting there and driving home after drinking. It all adds up. And Venice would entertain you for quite awhile. Day and night.

Plus Santa Monica is a community college, if I remember correctly, and you could pick up some classes there and Venice borders Santa Monica.

Once you head inland, it is more like other parts of the country to me. Not the edge the beach area has nor the casual lifestyle that comes with it. It is not a flip floppy type of beach. And quite honestly very rarely do people even swim in the ocean much. It is rough and cold. Surfers? yes off the pier area which I love too just to walk out on the pier which is another free activity. The LA beach does not have that "salt in your hair" feeling like East coast beaches do. To me it is the beauty of seeing the vast ocean with the mts going into it plus the good all year 'round temperature.

**Kingweb50** · 03-20-2011, 03:15 PM

I live in San Diego and would suggest that over LA but I have a few friends in LA and one of them lives a few minutes north of LA in a place called stevensons ranch and he rents a nice house for not to much money and you are just minutes away from LA off the 5

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

okay....from what little I know of you here is where I suggest and let me tell you why:

Venice Beach area

With your love for New Orleans, Venice is another carnival...a different one but none-the-less continual entertainment. Very colorful. And free to just be there hanging and doing nothing. All walks of life. And the bonus? Muscle beach where you can workout literally in the open air with free weights along with sturdy legit gymnastic equipment like rings and parallel bars and balance beam and hang a speed bag to knock around.....and sports all around like shooting baskets and skating.

Plus lots of girl watching more than just about any area of LA during the daytime.

And Venice has a mixed culture from the bottom of the barrel to top drawer.

IF you found a place on the west side of Lincoln Boulevard (real estate term so you know) going towards Venice Beach on one of the side streets coming off Venice Blvd, I could see you there.
Or better yet, if you REALLY looked around, it would be fantastic to get a place within walking distance to the workout/Muscle beach area on the strand. I used to hang out around there all the time..... skating and loved it.

( note: some consider muscle beach to be in Santa Monica ....where Big Deans is...I kinda think of it as both places at different times)

Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more to have lots of entertainment at your fingertips rather than hoping in a car riding all over urban sprawl spending tons of cash on gas and time getting there and driving home after drinking. It all adds up. And Venice would entertain you for quite awhile. Day and night.

Plus Santa Monica is a community college, if I remember correctly, and you could pick up some classes there and Venice borders Santa Monica.

Once you head inland, it is more like other parts of the country to me. Not the edge the beach area has nor the casual lifestyle that comes with it. It is not a flip floppy type of beach. And quite honestly very rarely do people even swim in the ocean much. It is rough and cold. Surfers? yes off the pier area which I love too just to walk out on the pier which is another free activity. The LA beach does not have that "salt in your hair" feeling like East coast beaches do. To me it is the beauty of seeing the vast ocean with the mts going into it plus the good all year 'round temperature.

You may have just sold me on Venice lol. I'll look into places there tonight. Apt hunting online sucks especially for an area you know nothing about. Hopefully Venice will offer some reasonable rent.

**stack_it** · 03-20-2011, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Kingweb50

I live in San Diego and would suggest that over LA but I have a few friends in LA and one of them lives a few minutes north of LA in a place called stevensons ranch and he rents a nice house for not to much money and you are just minutes away from LA off the 5

I'll look up stevensons too. All options are open right now. Thanks for the suggestion.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 07:24 PM

http://www.soulofamerica.com/cgi-bin...ale=0&slide=17

http://www.venicepaparazzi.com/busin...cle-beach-gym/

http://www.musclebeach.net/

http://www.seeing-stars.com/play/goldsgym.shtml

And you HAVE to go to BIG DEANS! and see all of the photos on the walls of all the bodybuilders thru out history...it is a landmark..and at the bottom of the Santa Monica Pier....

http://www.bigdeansoceanfrontcafe.com/gallery.nxg

also note: strange but true, many places in LA do not include a refrigerator....I am not kidding so ask before you rent! it is up to you to get your own and I have no idea why this is the case

**SlimmerMe** · 03-20-2011, 07:30 PM

An outdoor gym area on Venice Beach, Muscle Beach is a world-class California original. When visiting Venice Beach in Los Angeles, the gym lies directly south of the volleyballs courts and is a site to take in. Muscle Beach was created in the 1930′s and has been a favorite for locals and celebrities alike. Kirk Douglas, Clark Gable, Tyrone Power, Jayne Mansfield, Jane Russell, and Mae West are a few of the celebrities while bodybuilders like Vic Tanny, Joe Gold (founder of Gold’s Gym and World Gym) and Pudgy Stockton have used the gym’s resources to sculpt their body and stay fit. The gym is one of the most popular attractions in Venice Beach and has been fully restored and refurbished. The area features chin bars at various heights, parallel bars, rings, small jungle gyms for children and a padded safe gymnastics area for tumbling. People have flocked here since the 1930′s to experience the feelings of working out in the great California beach outdoors.
Summer Hours:
Mon-Sat: 8am – 7pm
Sun: 10am – 4pm
Winter Hours:
Mon-Sat: 8am – 5pm
Sun: 10am – 4pm
Membership Rate: 2010 = $150.00 per year; effective 2010 = $170.00 per year
One-Day Workout Pass = $10.00 / 7-Day Workout Pass = $50.00

**songdog** · 03-20-2011, 07:31 PM

I knew she wasa Cali girl.For sure for sure

**Twist** · 03-20-2011, 08:34 PM

Muscle beach sucks now... Sorry to say it too. Just a load of creeps now.

**Knockout_Power** · 03-20-2011, 09:44 PM

Its that bad here and we dont even have the weather to make it worth it ( which also equates to not having the bikini's)

**Beefkake31** · 03-21-2011, 03:23 AM

I've lived here for more than 25 years, I was going to write a long detailed response but it's late and I'm lazy, I'll try to write one tomorrow. I'll give you 2 pros and 2 cons to think about though.

Pros: Top 2 or 3 places in the world when it comes to beautiful women. I know you said every place has girls but trust me it's not the same. This is coming from someone who has been to over 20 states and Europe, etc. It really spoils you, I would really get depressed when I would go to other places when it came to the women.

Pro: The weather, it can't be beat. You think of places like Miami where it's warm all year also but then realize the humidity is so high and that it rains all the time. You don't have that problem here.

.........................

Cons: The prices, I'm a realtor/contractor so I'm familiar with all the areas. If you want a something "in a nice little town" it's going to be expensive no matter what. Even the semi-nice areas are expensive compared to what you're used to in the midwest. California in general especially right before the bubble burst, prices were down right ridiculous.

Con: The people, LA people are a different breed and not like anything in any place I've ever been. A lot of fake people, people obsessed with image. A lot of people that will stare at you for no reason whatsoever. Also people aren't approachable, etc.

Anyway, those are 2 pros and 2 cons off the top of my head, if you have any specific question I'll try to answer it tomorrow.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-21-2011, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Twist

Muscle beach sucks now... Sorry to say it too. Just a load of creeps now.

PROBABLY RIGHT.....but this is true a lot of places unfortunately! But I get where you are coming from especially since Venice can be very dicey at best.

Originally Posted by Beefkake31

I've lived here for more than 25 years, I was going to write a long detailed response but it's late and I'm lazy, I'll try to write one tomorrow. I'll give you 2 pros and 2 cons to think about though.

Pros: Top 2 or 3 places in the world when it comes to beautiful women. I know you said every place has girls but trust me it's not the same. This is coming from someone who has been to over 20 states and Europe, etc. It really spoils you, I would really get depressed when I would go to other places when it came to the women.

Pro: The weather, it can't be beat. You think of places like Miami where it's warm all year also but then realize the humidity is so high and that it rains all the time. You don't have that problem here.

.........................

Cons: The prices, I'm a realtor/contractor so I'm familiar with all the areas. If you want a something "in a nice little town" it's going to be expensive no matter what. Even the semi-nice areas are expensive compared to what you're used to in the midwest. California in general especially right before the bubble burst, prices were down right ridiculous.

Con: The people, LA people are a different breed and not like anything in any place I've ever been. A lot of fake people, people obsessed with image. A lot of people that will stare at you for no reason whatsoever. Also people aren't approachable, etc.

Anyway, those are 2 pros and 2 cons off the top of my head, if you have any specific question I'll try to answer it tomorrow.

Very true....the people are not the same at all.

I have been thinking about this fact and since Stack is in his early 20's I thought he might want to discover this for himself plus he could very well have a different reaction. But since it has now been brought up, I agree 100%.

LA is the most opportunistic town I have ever been in my entire life.

**stack_it** · 03-21-2011, 10:13 AM

I love when people stare at me and compare themselves. I'm cocky enough to know they are wanting to look like me so I'll prolly fit right in lol. I'm not a huge guy. I've got that celebrity body I guess. The type most people would love to have and my face is nice to look at.

Slimmer and beefcake what do you think of a town called sylmar? There's a few two bedroom apt there for right around a grand.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-21-2011, 10:19 AM

Isn't that way out in the valley? I do not know it. I know the valley just a little bit.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-21-2011, 10:21 AM

If I recall....it is right on a fault line!

**stack_it** · 03-21-2011, 10:23 AM

It's basically San Fernando.

**stack_it** · 03-21-2011, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

If I recall....it is right on a fault line!

maybe that's why it's so cheap lol

**SlimmerMe** · 03-21-2011, 10:28 AM

A whole different part of "LA" with all of the agriculture and the mts with the snow caps year round.

LA is not what I would associate with San Fernando. First of all, you would have to drive at least an hour to the beach more than likely. Plus all of your driving would be interstate. It is another world out there. Dry and hot. It is the desert!

For an LA experience you need to come inland. But I do not know what you want. LA is basically a big desert by the ocean if you really look at it.

Do you want to get into Hollywood at all? Is this a deep secret desire? Come forth if so.

**SlimmerMe** · 03-21-2011, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by stack_it

maybe that's why it's so cheap lol

There was a BIG earthquake in Sylmar....I knew it rang a bell.

But there are earthquakes there all the time. You will get used to sleeping with your shoes upside down.

**stack_it** · 03-21-2011, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by SlimmerMe

A whole different part of "LA" with all of the agriculture and the mts with the snow caps year round.

LA is not what I would associate with San Fernando. First of all, you would have to drive at least an hour to the beach more than likely. Plus all of your driving would be interstate. It is another world out there. Dry and hot. It is the desert!

For an LA experience you need to come inland. But I do not know what you want. LA is basically a big desert by the ocean if you really look at it.

Do you want to get into Hollywood at all? Is this a deep secret desire? Come forth if so.

It's not really a secret desire. It's something I would like to do but not too worried about. I've been offered modeling deals in the past and told by many people including people in the industry that if I was on the west coast I'd do well. The main purpose of this is just because I'm young and I love change, travel, warm weather, and new experiences. If I get lucky and something Hollywood comes out of it then that's just an added bonus.

**Knockout_Power** · 03-21-2011, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Beefkake31

Con: The people, LA people are a different breed and not like anything in any place I've ever been. A lot of fake people, people obsessed with image. .

question, besides the obvious risk of cancer from too much sun, are these people healthier/less occurance of obecity? Sometimes vanity can be a good thing for health purposes... otherwise they're just dicks

**JDawg1536** · 03-21-2011, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by stack_it

I love when people stare at me and compare themselves. I'm cocky enough to know they are wanting to look like me so I'll prolly fit right in lol. I'm not a huge guy. I've got that celebrity body I guess. The type most people would love to have and my face is nice to look at.

Slimmer and beefcake what do you think of a town called sylmar? There's a few two bedroom apt there for right around a grand.

Sylmar is pretty much the northernmost area of the valley. There are lots of great restaurants in the valley, but I wouldn't want to live there.