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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Apr 25, 2012 - 12:42pm PT
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Monrovia in January:
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 25, 2012 - 01:59pm PT
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Thanks for advice on waiting until July to see if we can tolerate the heat and sub-optimal air opacity. We were planning to rent for 3-6 months to figure out neighborhoods etc., but I can imagine getting swept away sooner by impulse. Now I won't!
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zBrown
Ice climber
Chula Vista, CA
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Apr 25, 2012 - 02:14pm PT
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If you go to this website you can see all sorts of info about weather.
You can select from various weather stations near the city you chose, can view monthly historical info etc. It's pretty comphensive.
http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/La_Crescenta.html?MR=1
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Dos XX
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Apr 25, 2012 - 02:46pm PT
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A few parting words if you're headed down here soon for a recon:
With my suggestion of looking into Atw#ter Village and Los Feliz, I didn't put that into a climber's perspective. If your climbing aspirations outweigh other factors such as distance from USC or ocean-moderated weather, then I'd direct you more toward the Encino/Tarzana/Woodand Hills parts of the San Fernando Valley. If you have the flexibility of going to work early, say 6am, and leaving early, say 3pm, then your commute time between USC and the south side of the San Fernando Valley will be 25 min in the morning and 45 min in the afternoon. What you gain by living in the Valley is quick & easy access to Stoney Point on weekdays. What's kind of weird about the San Fernando Valley is the complete absence of a climbing gym; here's a place with a population (~3.5 million) that is greater than many states of the US, but no gym. The closest options are Rockreation on L.A.'s West Side, and Boulderdash in Thousand Oaks (each is roughly equidistant from Tarzana, for example). And these gyms are pretty modest in size and scope compared to the Planet Granite franchise. The San Fernando Valley is well known for its Summer heat, but it's a dry heat, as they say ;-) Having lived both on LA's West Side, and in Tarzana, when I think back on my time on the West Side I get sort of a gloomy feeling -- I see gray skies, struggles to park the car at the supermarket, and dealing with lots of uptight people. My life now in the San Fernando Valley seems bright, cheerful, and sunny.
Following up on what @locker said, I think the quality of the air (or lack thereof) in most parts of the L.A. is exaggerated by non-residents. When I lived in So.California as a kid in the mid 1960s, yes, the air was nasty -- it really did burn your eyes and make you cough. Now, 50 years later, the air is much, much cleaner though the population has more than doubled.
In summary: if you want to enjoy ocean-moderated weather and keep your work commute to a minimum, consider Silverlake, Atw#ter Village, Los Feliz; if weekday access to climbing is more important (and you have some flexibility in your work hours) consider Encino/Tarzana/Woodland Hills. Good luck!
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Sheik aka JD
Trad climber
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Apr 25, 2012 - 02:48pm PT
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Funny bunch of posts here...
I think you should check out Culver City. It's a bit of a compromise, but a decent slice of LA life. Central in a good way, good food, down to earth people, west side clean(er) air, direct access to coastal climbing and surfing, jump on the I-10 for Jtree or Idyllwild, you can avoid the I-10 via access streets heading east/west back and forth to USC, hipster-lite, annual festivals, interesting downtown for higher-end restaurants, you can bike to the climbing gym or the beach. Just don't live on top of a major highway; check out the leafier, more affluent/suburban neighborhoods of Westwood/Culver City/Mar Vista/Rancho Park.
Google maps states it is a 15-25 minute commute. It is sometimes longer than that, but you could always stop halfway for Korean BBQ around mid-wilshire (La Brea tar pits /museum district).
I have biked from Westwood/Culver City/Mar Vista over to Malibu climbing; it's a long enduro day. I have also biked to (even closer) Tick Rock, but the local climbing inhabitant(s) there suck b@lls.
For the record I have lived in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Westwood, Mar Vista, Hermosa Beach, Newport Beach, and San Diego. I recently move to the SFO Bay Area. If I move back to LA, but had your commute, I would probably still live on the westside and simply steel myself for the off-hour commute. That stated, I would consider buying a home in Mar Vista or Ocean Park.
I will leave you with some additional beta:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/15/the-californians-snl-skit_n_1426953.html
Good luck!
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Apr 25, 2012 - 02:55pm PT
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I have to echo Gary's comment above - Sierra Madre. No other place like it in LA county. No traffic lights, volunteer fire department, no grafitti. You could drop it into the middle of Iowa and it would fit. Trailhead to Mt. Wilson is a five minute drive from anywhere in the city. 10 minutes max to the Gold line. If you have to live in LA, and can't afford to live on the beach, this is the place.
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zBrown
Ice climber
Chula Vista, CA
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Apr 25, 2012 - 03:24pm PT
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^ I have friends in Sierra Madre, it is very nice too.
They did find a body on the lawn just around the corner one morning, but that's an anomaly. Also, adds a bit to the work compute comp'd with some of the other eastside recommendations and that freeway gets very busy.
Earthquakes??
Sierra Madre definitely has better photos
SM
La Crescenta
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Apr 25, 2012 - 03:37pm PT
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Like Dos XX, I'll offer some parting words. If you want to live near climbing, you have to either live near Stoney or toward the east side of town, where you can be c. 20-30 min. closer to Idyllwild/Josh. Both of those choices have significant drawbacks in terms of real hot summers, poor quality and, heck, they're just not as nice. I don't get to Stoney nearly as often as I like though I'm self employed and could, in theory, live anywhere in town. However, I just don't think the area is that nice and so choose not to live near it. Plus, your commute to SC would SUCK.
If you want to live someplace with cleaner air, cooler temps and not sketchy, you'll probably need to be closer to the coast. It'll be more work to get out climbing (unless you're hitting a gym, in which case it'll be easier), but I believe your quality of life when you're not climbing (which, let's face it, is most of the time) will be much higher. Though I love LA, I honestly believe it's not a convenient place for those who want to climb midweek.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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Apr 27, 2012 - 11:57pm PT
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Who besides Tony Bird has climbed the Box Canyon area? The movie ranch?
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Russ Walling
Gym climber
Poofter's Froth, Wyoming
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Apr 28, 2012 - 12:00am PT
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Another vote for Sierra Madre.... my home town!
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zBrown
Ice climber
Chula Vista, CA
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Apr 28, 2012 - 12:40am PT
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The boundary between La Crescenta and La Canada is distinct (Briggs Avenue), but the reality is blurry.
Descanso Gardens (LC/LC)
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!