Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 23, 2012 - 03:51pm PT
|
I started this several times with various jokes involving the horrors of LA and why I'd want to go there when I now have sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Mt Tamalpais from the verdant hills of Berkeley. But I'm trying to focus on the good parts of living in LA, where the next long chapter of my life will likely be centered. This is likely to go down over the next 6 months. I'm checking out neighborhoods next weekend.
If any of you live in these places or have direct recent experience, please chime in with your impressions, warnings, or otherwise non-obvious beta:
 Silver Lake (well north of the Sunset Blvd ganglands)
Santa Monica (mid-town or below, can't afford the north end)
Playa Del Rey
Pacific Palisades (can't afford the average here, but maybe find scraps)
maybe some Glendale neighborhoods in the hills?
La Canada / Flintridge??? if traffic is really light on Hwy 2???
I'm looking for family-friendly, safe to walk around, good schools, as much nature as possible, as little smog as possible, as little gang violence as possible, greenery and shade is good... well that's a tall order and it needs to be near the 10/110 freeway junction (USC) and either LAX or Burbank airport.
It seems the weeknight climbing situation is tough... a gym in Santa Monica and another in Arcadia??? Stony Point is too far... purple stones or other spots up Topanga Canyon or Hwy 1 for outdoors?
Weekend climbing destinations look good, but Friday 2pm departures from west LA toward Jtree or Idylwild or Whitney Portal look masochistic.
I'm not into the makeup and big hair and fake boobs and fancy car lifestyle. I don't want to hide in a gated community. I wear $12 Kirkland bluejeans with holes (from climbing), and 20 year old Cheetah sweatshirts from Mervyns. Sometimes my socks don't match. Yesterday I went to the grocery store in a bathing suit, long sleeve shirt, dark socks, and leather loafers. I have long hair and a beard. I want a safe neighborhood where kids can walk to their friends' houses, but I don't want the neighbors calling the cops on me or reporting me to the HOA because they think I look scary.
Of course I've googled and found various nice websites (e.g. lalife.com and various traffic and crime maps), but I'm looking for feet-on-the-street feedback from real folks.
Thanks all!
|
|
Studly
Trad climber
WA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 03:54pm PT
|
We know who you are from all your TR's. You're a freak!(ina good way) May I suggest Hollywood? Lots of cool locals there and shopping cart friendly.
|
|
JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 03:57pm PT
|
La Canada-Flintridge can be quite nice, although anything on the East Side averages more smog than farther west.
I lived in both Westwood and Pasadena, and strongly preferred the latter. Not only were rents cheaper, but a commute to and from downtown (where I worked -- or to U$C, for you) had the sun at your back from Pasadena, but in your face from the west side.
One word of warning: Now that the Dodgers are winning, getting past Dodger stadium on any of the relevant freeways will take a while if they're playing. Then again, reality may set in, and this won't be a problem since LA fans root for their teams thick or thick.
Good luck!
John
|
|
nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2012 - 04:03pm PT
|
Studly, thanks for the reminder on Hollywood (I was considering Laurel Canyon and similar communities along the hills)
The crime stats seem pretty outrageous there, but it's hard to tell how much is concentrated on Sunset Strip vs. residential areas. When I look at crime maps, it seems that every damn block of most towns has burglaries and car break-ins in the the last month or two, which makes it tough to compare. And traffic toward USC or airports looks exceptionally tough.
JEl, Pasadena is on our radar too. Thanks. I do recall some sitting in traffic with sun-in-the-face as being quite challenging in socal from years ago. I was also worried about Dodger Stadium, but it didn't occur to me to think about whether they're winning or losing :)
|
|
apogee
climber
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 04:12pm PT
|
"I'm not into the makeup and big hair and fake boobs and fancy car lifestyle."
You won't enjoy Santa Monica, then. Aside from the fact that stuff is everywhere in SM, there's a lot of cool stuff to be had there- good restaurants, music, the beach scene...of course, it's all in the context of WLA...SM may have once been a hippy-groovy beach place, but now it's an uber-gentrified, ultra-liberal, mega-$ place to live and work.
|
|
Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 04:14pm PT
|
Traffic is your #1 concern, full stop. Do you need a car at work, or would riding transit be ok? I ask because there is fairly easy access to downtown via light rail/trains.
Pasadena has light rail to metrolink and can get you to Union Station (within a mile of the 10/110) fairly quickly, and Pasadena is a pretty nice town. I've ridden this rail route (Pasadena->Union Station) before and was pleased.
|
|
zBrown
Ice climber
Chula Vista, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 04:19pm PT
|
La Crescenta is right next door to La Canada, it's less expensive, very green due to being foothills, near Mt. Wilson, JPL, straight-shot down the HWY 2 to downtown, but there is heavy traffic at normal commute times. The schools have a good reputation. There is gang activity, but nothing like hardcore areas of LA. Probably (I'm guessing) the second largest non-white ethnic group is Korean. Lee was a very common surname on my street.
I bring this up because from observation and conversation, the Korean students study very hard, which brings up the rep of the schools.
You could get over to Stoney Point via the HWY 118 which has good flow on that stretch most of the time.
Kevin Costner, before the divorce, used to live about 1 mile from me (in La Canada). Presumably he could live anywhere, but chose the area due to it's kid-friendly nature.
|
|
nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2012 - 04:23pm PT
|
Public transit doesn't look like an option because of safety factors near the USC campus and long/irregular work hours of a researcher.
So traffic is indeed a major concern for daily quality of life. As short as possible is better, but beyond 45 minutes is getting untenable.
I'll check out Culver City more and La Crescenta.
|
|
Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 04:29pm PT
|
I suspect apogee is not actually from Santa Monica. BTW, we don't do big hair down here. You must be confusing us with Texas.
In short, (though I can already hear the howls of dissent), lots of LA isn't really that different from San Francisco. It's multi-cultural, affluent, except where it's not, and liberal. None of the areas you've mentioned have notable crime, so I'd suggest avoiding the paranoia by the constant review of the crime stats. I'd suggest that all of the areas you're looking at have far lower crime rates than Berkeley.
It really boils down to what kind of commute you want and whether you're looking for something family oriented. Here's my take on your choices:
Flintridge/La Canada: has very good public schools, close to the mountains. There's a good bouldering gym in Arcadia, which is a ways away, but it plays really loud, aggro music. I just can't hang there. Probably the best if you're heading up to 395 or the Valley for the weekend.
Playa del Rey: close to the beach and kind of laid back, but that's about it. I live next door in Westchester, which is a total breeder, suburban stronghold. Not super exciting but quiet. There's a good gym in nearby Manhattan Beach. Close to LAX.
Silverlake: the most urban, though good if you're more of young, single person. Lots of hip restaurants, bars, etc. Close to Griffith Park.
Santa Monica: I work here. Close to the beach, Echo Cliffs, Topanga, Malibu Creek, mt. biking and good road riding (in fact, I'm probably going for a ride later today--trailhead about 15 min. from my office). Lots of good food. Maybe it's a beautiful person scene, but I don't notice much less care. Rockcreation in SM is OK.
Pacific Palisades is pretty similar to Santa Monica (next door in fact), but probably more yuppy.
Topanga is awesome, but not close to anything (other than the hills).
Edit: Westchester/Playa are really convenient to USC (and LAX). It's probably only about 20-25 minutes on surface streets.
|
|
apogee
climber
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 04:45pm PT
|
Actually, I was born in Glendale, partly grew up in Manhattan/Redondo Beach/Torrance...nowadays I'm in SM fairly regularly for business reasons.
I'd agree that SM is pretty similar to SF...very gentrified, upper income, yuppie-hippie. It's still a cool place to visit (for that kind of experience), but I've been pretty put off by the pretentiousness you run into too often, in a place that used to truly be Dogtown.
|
|
Dos XX
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 05:03pm PT
|
@nutjob -- your relocation would be Berkeley's loss and L.A.'s gain :-)
We're such barbarians -- are you sure you can stomach the grittiness of L.A.? (seriously)
On L.A.'s Westside I've lived in Century City and Bev.Hills (the slummy part), so maybe I can give you a read on the Santa Monica and P.Palisades option: everything is more expensive compared other options, including housing, food, fuel. One thing that I found particularly annoying about the Westside was the difficulty in parking your car for even the most mundane chores such as food shopping or going to the dry cleaner.
Silverlake may not be a bad option of you pick the right neighbourhood -- bohemian (in a good way) with an increasing number of younger families. When you go on your fact-finding recon, you really ought to take a look at Atw#ter Village also (my office has been there for the past 12 years): it's got a bohemian flavour like Silverlake, and again, you'd just need to be careful about picking the right neighbourhood. Atw#ter Village is close to the 10/110 interchange as well as the Burbank Airport (my favourite airport on the planet).
Edit: I don't know why I keep getting "#" symbols every time I type Atw#ter, but it is A-t-w-a-t-e-r.
|
|
klk
Trad climber
cali
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:04pm PT
|
honestly, nutjob, i think you'd look great with big hair and a boobjob.
|
|
JMC
climber
the swamp
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:15pm PT
|
I'll second/third what others have chimed in about - you'll want to live somewhere reasonably close so as not to waste your life in traffic or on the commute.
Forth-generation southern-Californian, I have lived in Altadena, Pasadena, La Canada, Pomona, and Lake View Terrace, so will limit my comments to the northern side of the region. Glendale, some parts of Burbank would work. South Pasadena, and the southern parts of Pasadena are good. Eagle Rock and some parts of Mt. Washington, hmm, hit or miss, keep an eye on the kids. La Crescenta is a good recommendation, as well as Montrose, a small part of Glendale that sits just below La Crescenta (look up "Honolulu Ave, Montrose" on the Google machine to get more info. La Canada also, but it's coin.
There are more good/great neighborhoods, but I would recommend drawing 10-15 mile radius around USC and look in there.
From La Crescenta, Stoney Point is not that far on a weekday evening, just try and get out there before the rush hour crush starts. Summer evenings start of warm, then a breeze cruises through there and makes everything fine. Maybe hit up Batrock with a pm for more info if he hasn't chimed in - I know he lives in Burbank.
Aloha and it's not bad in that part of the state at all (could be Houston),
John
|
|
Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:16pm PT
|
Depends on where you're going and what time of day.
For years I worked a night shift (3-11p) in Hollywood and going from the Westside and back was about 20-30 minutes give or take. The only thing to slow me down was stoplights.
I've been working some on the Paramount lot on a 7a-3p schedule and it's about the same, 20-25 minutes each way. But I know shortcuts and am going against the flow of traffic.
I've been VERY fortunate to not need a freeway to get to work. I feel for those folks, one stalled car and you're an hour late.
I live on a weird border of Westwood/Century City/Rancho Park but I love it. May not have a lot of "character" but when I worked a night shift and came home at 11:30, I never felt scared.
|
|
Steve L
Gym climber
SUR
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:19pm PT
|
I grew up in Silverlake/Echo Park. Lived there from '75 to until the early 90's. Ho man, has it changed. It used to be this odd mix of blue collar latino and filipino families, latino and filipino gangs, and gays of all colors. Now its waaay gentrified and pure hipster. The neighborhood has gotten much nicer. It used to be a total dump, not safe at night, not so much anymore. That being said, I would avoid it if you find hipsters as annoying as I do. Atw#ter and Eagle Rock are similar versions.
Santa Monica is ok, but a daily commute to USC will kill you. And its crowded, very crowded. I pretty much avoid Santa Monica like the plague because its so damn congested, and traffic within (and getting to) SM is a nightmare. Similarly, commuting from PDR or Pacific Palisades on a daily basis will kill you. If your dead set on a beach town, consider Manhattan Beach. It ain't cheap, nothing close to the water is, but the commute to SC is a little more manageable, or at least that's what a buddy of mine who does that commute says.
Picking a place to live in LA is all about managing your commute. If I worked in 'SC or downtown, I would look at South Pasadena, La Cañada, La Crescenta/Montrose, or Hancock Park. South Pasadena, La Cañada, La Crescenta/Montrose are definitely family friendly and have good schools. I went to high school in La Cañada. The biggest danger there is rich kids with too much time and money, and the corresponding coke problems. My sister lives in La Crescenta and put her kids through the local school system. Its not perfect, but it’s pretty good considering the property values. If I was going to raise a family, I would choose La Crescenta/Montrose. Its up in the foothills above LA, so it has more of a small town feel. There is also a deeper sense of community there which I haven't experienced in too many other parts of LA. Driving there feels like you are leaving LA, even though it’s a relatively short hike up the 2. I lived there for a few years when I moved back to LA. The rest of my family lives in Pasadena. Beware…not all parts of Pasadena are created equal. There are some real nice parts, but some real sh#t holes too. I like South Pas, and the commute down the 110 to downtown is one of the easiest in the area. Pasadena proper is very crowded. Hancock Park is sort of like a suburban enclave right in the middle of the city; close to Hollywood, etc. Nice, but expensive. The hills above Hollywood are pretty cool, they've got their own unique culture. You've got to check it out for yourself and decide if you'd want to raise kids there.
I do the 2pm Friday commute to JT every week. From my office in century city, it can take anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours. 3.5 is standard. With no traffic its 2.5 hours. Whitney Portal is 3.5 hours, 6 hours to Mammoth, 7 hours to Tuolumne, 5.5 to the Valley. I go to Rockreation in West LA for the climbing gym. Getting back to my place in the Melrose/La Cienega area after a gym session is a pain in the ass. Anything farther east would be a non starter. I think there is another gym in the South Bay, one in the Valley, not sure about Arcadia.
Haha. Everyone rips on LA until you live here. Then the lure of 70 degrees and sunny 360 days a year, the gorgeous women, and the cool pacific keep you here forever. Yeah, LA is a pit, but it’s the only big city I'd ever live in. LA is a big place, and there is something for everyone if you know where to look. The whole plastic, fake tit, superficial thing is definitely a part of the city, but its easily avoidable, and for the most part concentrated in only a few areas. Most of those d-bags aren't even from LA, they're just living up to an image that they think LA is about. Most people down here are pretty chill and just do their own thing. A couple of other things to remember…..we put a "the" in front of freeway numbers, and no one in LA has heard of the SF/LA rivalry. We all think SF is a cool place to spend the weekend.
|
|
Dos XX
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:25pm PT
|
I just thought of another possibility. A slightly more expensive alternative to Silverlake or Atw#ter Village would be Los Feliz. And if you're a bachelor, I swear, I've never seen such a high concentration of fine-looking women of all ages as I've seen in Los Feliz (must be something in the water there). Los Feliz would be just as close to the 10/110 interchange and Burbank Airport as Silverlake and Atw#ter Village.
|
|
Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:29pm PT
|
Or just see the above. Steve has lived here all his life. Since I moved here as a midwestern girl I've lived n Westwood, Rancho Park and here now. I'm not a native. I Just love June gloom without the Souith Bay commute.
|
|
Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:40pm PT
|
I don't get the whole SM commute to USC commute is horrible but La Canada is great. They're pretty comparable. Just pick your poison: the 10 at rush hour or the 5 and and 110. Both equally grim I'd say.
The best commutes you're looking at are So. Pas., Westchester/PDR and Silverlake/Los Feliz (if you drive surface streets). I have to drive to the courthouse downtown for morning hearings two to four days a week and drive by SC on the way. About 20 minutes unless the traffic is really bad. I worked part-time at SC while living in PDR and it was a pretty easy commute. The part that took the longest was parking in my a*#igned lot and waiting for the shuttle to campus.
Culver City is close as well, and all of those far better than Manhattan Beach, which takes you too far south and pretty much commits you to taking the 110 north.
El Segundo is another, underrated prospect. It's got a small town, Mayberry feel on the underbelly of LAX where you'd never expect it. Good public schools and a nice little main street. The commute is a little longer to SC, but just by a little.
|
|
Brian
climber
California
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:45pm PT
|
If you are looking for family-friendly, decent schools, and near the 10/110, there is really only one choice: Culver City.
There are a number of other decent places to live in LA, but you would have to compromise on one of the three criteria above. Only Culver City meets all three.
I'm no cheerleader for LA, but being in Culver City is one of the things that has kept me sane while here. PM me if you want more information or details.
Brian
|
|
guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2012 - 06:46pm PT
|
look along the 118 fwy, I think it's called North Pasadena. west of the junction of the #2 fwy and 118. The 118 is almost never stop n go. you can be at Stoney in 30 min. Also driving up Angeles Crest gets to good stuff. Driving north to Sierra Mts is a breeze from around there.
Welcome to So Cal. Don't live in the LA city proper, Pasadena, La Canada, Burbank and Glendale all have there own tools, LEOS who serve local population of the city. LA cops runaway at the first hint of trouble
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!