Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > USA
Reload this Page >

Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Old Jan 16th 2011, 5:41 pm
  #16  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 760
goldenstate31 is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
"How could it hurt you when it looks so good"
Hollywood - Madonna (excellent lyrics)
goldenstate31 is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 4:50 pm
  #17  
Just Joined
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5
snih is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

thanks all, for all your advice - including the link to the funky track.

My son is 3 years old, so as yet the schools isn't an immediate concern. Its more like can I actually afford to live there.

It's no use getting offered 50k extra a year when 55k is going on rent, if you know what I mean. So my price range is between anything up to $4k a month, and am happy to live in an apartment for the short term and take it from there.

Didn't realise Wiltshire is so big. Its adjacent to S Santa Monica Boulevard. Does that help??

Are there trains that go near this area from the subburbs? Or would I need a car to get there?

Cheers all for your help...
g
snih is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:00 pm
  #18  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Sally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by snih
thanks all, for all your advice - including the link to the funky track.

My son is 3 years old, so as yet the schools isn't an immediate concern. Its more like can I actually afford to live there.

It's no use getting offered 50k extra a year when 55k is going on rent, if you know what I mean. So my price range is between anything up to $4k a month, and am happy to live in an apartment for the short term and take it from there.

Didn't realise Wiltshire is so big. Its adjacent to S Santa Monica Boulevard. Does that help??

Are there trains that go near this area from the subburbs? Or would I need a car to get there?

Cheers all for your help...
g
That sounds like Mid-Wilshire, where we were.

It's a car city.
Sally Redux is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:03 pm
  #19  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Yo yo ma playing background music
Posts: 285
aviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to all
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
That sounds like Mid-Wilshire, where we were.

It's a car city.
Little Santa Monica (s santa monica) is in Beverly Hills maybe?
aviva is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:06 pm
  #20  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Sally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by aviva
Little Santa Monica (s santa monica) is in Beverly Hills maybe?
Santa Monica Blvd bisects Wilshire fairly close to the museum area, as I remember.
will try to find it.

Yes it is close to Beverly Hills, but it is the area I was thinking of, there is some more affordable housing around there and Hollywood.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/pro...rly_hills.html

Last edited by Sally Redux; Jan 17th 2011 at 5:18 pm.
Sally Redux is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:18 pm
  #21  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Yo yo ma playing background music
Posts: 285
aviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to all
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
Santa Monica Blvd bisects Wilshire fairly close to the museum area, as I remember.
will try to find it.

Yes it is close to Beverly Hills, but it is the area I was thinking of, there is some more affordable housing around there and Hollywood.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/pro...rly_hills.html
That's right in the middle of BH by the country club. Perhaps Westwood would be affordable. I don't think they'll find much reasonable in BH or Beverly Glen. You never know. $4K is a hefty sum to pay for rent.
aviva is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:20 pm
  #22  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Sally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by aviva
That's right in the middle of BH by the country club. Perhaps Westwood would be affordable. I don't think they'll find much reasonable in BH. You never know. $4K is a hefty sum to pay for rent.
Yes but Park La Brea is really close to there. Westwood is still v. expensive.

Long-term, they might want to move to the suburbs as we have, but it's deadly dull and a long commute.
Sally Redux is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:23 pm
  #23  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Yo yo ma playing background music
Posts: 285
aviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to allaviva is a name known to all
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
Yes but Park La Brea is really close to there. Westwood is still v. expensive.

Long-term, they might want to move to the suburbs as we have, but it's deadly dull and a long commute.
I thought Park La Brea was all the way down by Fairfax and Wilshire near the museum. Doesn't seem that close to me, but it's all relative.
Truly OP, don't think about living here without a car.
aviva is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 5:28 pm
  #24  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Sally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by aviva
I thought Park La Brea was all the way down by Fairfax and Wilshire near the museum. Doesn't seem that close to me, but it's all relative.
Truly OP, don't think about living here without a car.
Yeah you couldn't walk it, but it's a short car journey, I think there are some buses there, I could get a bus 2 stops to the Beverly Center.
Sally Redux is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 8:38 pm
  #25  
Bob
BE Site Lead
 
Bob's Avatar
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,167
Bob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by snih

My son is 3 years old, so as yet the schools isn't an immediate concern. Its more like can I actually afford to live there.
Childcare could be a concern though if you're paying $1500 a month for a couple days...plus waiting list hassles, so that might influence some thought into location as well.
Bob is offline  
Old Jan 17th 2011, 10:09 pm
  #26  
Forum Regular
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 168
mmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to allmmhendrie is a name known to all
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Ok, Wilshire actually runs adjacent to Santa Monica for several miles also, from the ocean to around Beverly Hills. If you can provide a zip code - perhaps if you google your company name and Wilshire Blvd, you'll get the full address, and if you don't want to post that, you could post the zip code only and that would help us figure out your area better.

Yes, consider childcare also unless you have a partner that will take care of the kid. If your company is large, perhaps they have facilities (unlikely), otherwise consider at least $1200-$1500 per month for childcare.

LA is all cars. Public transport is a joke here. It can be the biggest source of frustration about living here. But, if you can get past having to drive everywhere, you'll love it. Before I lived here, I used to think when visiting LA, that you had to drive 20 minutes to do anything. After living here a bit, and getting over the driving element, you realize yes, you have to drive 20 minutes to do anything, but, you're 20 minutes from doing almost ANYTHING, and the weather won't ever hold you back. Great place to live. That said, if you don't have a car, it may be the most inaccessible place on the planet!
mmhendrie is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2011, 1:10 am
  #27  
Misses Los Angeles
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Location: London
Posts: 436
MoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond reputeMoshiMoshi has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Not that the OP is any danger of taking the bus (his upper rent budget is more than me and my husband's net monthly income, sob!) but we've been pleasantly surprised by the public transport options on the Westside. We were prepared for the worst -- I have a carless friend in Dallas who has to take a taxi to the supermarket...

The Big Blue Bus, based in Santa Monica but reaching as far east as Beverly Hills, has a good local network and a semi-decent schedule, and costs a mere $1 a trip. They're in my good books after the holidays because a) they let us take our Christmas tree on board as we were trying to drag it home in torrential rain, and b) they even ran buses on Christmas day. Beyond the BBB area there's mainly the Metro bus system, which is somewhat -- for want of a better word -- edgier (I run into more drunks and crazies on the Metro; the BBB is frequently just full of UCLA students).

It's **not** perfect, but from the Westside we've managed to get as far out as Malibu, Downtown and Griffith Park on public transport, and my husband uses it for work every day, so it really could be worse. Having said that, I'd sell my grandmother for a car. She makes nice scones -- people, get in touch if you're interested. Imported from Somerset!
MoshiMoshi is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2011, 2:37 am
  #28  
BE Commentator
 
S Folinsky's Avatar
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 8,403
S Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond reputeS Folinsky has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by snih
thanks all, for all your advice - including the link to the funky track.

My son is 3 years old, so as yet the schools isn't an immediate concern. Its more like can I actually afford to live there.

It's no use getting offered 50k extra a year when 55k is going on rent, if you know what I mean. So my price range is between anything up to $4k a month, and am happy to live in an apartment for the short term and take it from there.

Didn't realise Wiltshire is so big. Its adjacent to S Santa Monica Boulevard. Does that help??

Are there trains that go near this area from the subburbs? Or would I need a car to get there?

Cheers all for your help...
g
I'm amused by your description of Randy Newman's ode as "funky." That said, there has been a tongue-in-cheek debate for years that L.A. doesn't have an "official song" while San Francisco has two. "I Love L.A." has become a de facto song -- the recording is played at Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers win [it is really neat when there is a walk-off win].

Wilshire & Santa Monica cross the western border of Beverly Hills. There are nice rentals around "Century City." [So named since it was once the back lot of 20th Century Fox].

By the way, I would recommend not using the term "suburbs." One of the wikipedia links has the famous Dorothy Parker quote about L.A. being multiple "suburbs in search of a city."

The trains are not located at Santa Monica & Wilshire -- however, both streets happen to be major bus thoroughfares -- which include "Rapid" buses [the red ones] which are favored by the traffic signals.

The general rule is that it approaches necessity to have a car -- in fact, two for a family. However, it is becoming more common for people to adjust their work/living patterns to make use of transit. You may get by with just one car.

Also, one advantage of the climate is the mild weather makes for cars that last a long time [except right on the beach due to salt air].

Another way to figure out the rental market is to make guest searches of www.westsiderentals.com. The "guest" searches don't give the actual address and contact information. The landlords get to list for free, but the prospective tenants pay -- $60.00 for 60 days. This is a better way than CraigsList to find good rentals. [That said, CraigsList has people selling the passwords for their the unused time]. The landlords feel that a listing on Westsiderentals generates reliable tenants. A few hours of play on that site will give you a better idea of what is out there.
S Folinsky is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2011, 1:13 pm
  #29  
Banned
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
UK_in_USA is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

I moved to America a few years ago and spent some time living over in LA, there the only thing i missed from home was the television. The need to live away from hollywood is understandable however i must say if there is cheapish avaible housing around the Santa Monica area that would be perfect. The beer and coffie maybe a little more expensive around 4-5 dollars but will be great once your there

good luck
UK_in_USA is offline  
Old Jan 18th 2011, 4:14 pm
  #30  
Democracy advocate
 
Cape Blue's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,447
Cape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond reputeCape Blue has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Moving to LA in 3 months!!! HELP!

Originally Posted by S Folinsky
I'm amused by your description of Randy Newman's ode as "funky." That said, there has been a tongue-in-cheek debate for years that L.A. doesn't have an "official song" while San Francisco has two. "I Love L.A." has become a de facto song -- the recording is played at Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers win [it is really neat when there is a walk-off win].
I have to say, when I think of SF neither of those two songs come to mind - more like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Fra...s_in_Your_Hair)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edihl...eature=related
Cape Blue is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.