LA Associates: Where to live? Forum

[Lieut Kaffee]

Maybe they are changing that with new lofts or condos downtown,

I think that is the key. The impression I have gotten from everyone is that it's changed A LOT just in the last year or two. I think there are now certain areas that have what people are looking for and are not dreadfully boring. I have to find out where they are...

[desertlaw]

Where in downtown can you actually live other than the one company that has like 4 mega-complexes (I'm forgetting the name of them)?

My architect friend told me why downtown LA isn't like a mini-Manhattan. Essentially, the biggest reason was because there are no "eyes on the street." Because people don't actually live there in the downtown/business areas (like Manhattan), then the nightlife is non-existent, the crime is higher, and there's just not as much to do.

Maybe they are changing that with new lofts or condos downtown, but it seems like most attorneys I've talked to would rather have a home in a nice neighborhood a bit outside the city and just deal with the commute.

my bad, this was me.

[Anonymous User]

For those of us from east coast schools who are spending the summer in LA - Do the firms help you with long term car rental?

I have never had a problem with long term car rental

[Anonymous User]

bump? will be working in CC next summer, but i'm from the east coast and have no idea where to even start, what are reasonable price ranges, decent areas, etc.

[desertlaw]

Santa Monica seems like the ideal place to live if you're working in CC.

[Anonymous User]

currently live in Santa Monica. It's extremely legit. Highly recommended. Try to find something between Wilshire and Montana. Montana is an upscale strip of boutique-y shops and some good resturaunts. Living closer to the promenade/downtown santa monica/main street could be fun, but in my opinion the neighborhoods aren't as nice (more homeless, more traffic, less "go for a walk with your dog after dinner and enjoy the neighborhood" type place, more urban feeling). The only downside to santa monica is that there are not a lot of high rise luxury places that make it easy to apartment hunt from the other side of the country. I had to take a day to come down here before school started and spend a day searching for places. That being said, I found a great place and love it. If you want to chat about santa monica, let me know and I"ll PM you.

[Anonymous User]

bump? will be working in CC next summer, but i'm from the east coast and have no idea where to even start, what are reasonable price ranges, decent areas, etc.

West Hollywood, Westwood-ish (not near UCLA, but more between Wilshire and Olympic), Culver City, and Santa Monica are the best places, I'd say. Prices differ based on area, but from my experience last summer, you should be able to get a 1br apartment sublet for about $1200/month or so.

[Anonymous User]

bump? will be working in CC next summer, but i'm from the east coast and have no idea where to even start, what are reasonable price ranges, decent areas, etc.

currently live in Santa Monica. It's extremely legit. Highly recommended. Try to find something between Wilshire and Montana. Montana is an upscale strip of boutique-y shops and some good resturaunts. Living closer to the promenade/downtown santa monica/main street could be fun, but in my opinion the neighborhoods aren't as nice (more homeless, more traffic, less "go for a walk with your dog after dinner and enjoy the neighborhood" type place, more urban feeling). The only downside to santa monica is that there are not a lot of high rise luxury places that make it easy to apartment hunt from the other side of the country. I had to take a day to come down here before school started and spend a day searching for places. That being said, I found a great place and love it. If you want to chat about santa monica, let me know and I"ll PM you.

West Hollywood, Westwood-ish (not near UCLA, but more between Wilshire and Olympic), Culver City, and Santa Monica are the best places, I'd say. Prices differ based on area, but from my experience last summer, you should be able to get a 1br apartment sublet for about $1200/month or so.

Awesome, thanks. How'd you go about finding the sublet?

[NoleinNY]

To all those who are saying, essentially, Santa Monica or bust... Not really. (For the record, I <3 SM and want my first house to be there.)

Where you work should have a big impact. Santa Monica to DTLA is TORTURE. That said, DTLA is expensive in the non-shitty areas.

For DTLA jobs: Pasadena (if you take the Gold Line), Los Feliz/Silver Lake (if you don't mind hipsters), or some parts of Hollywood (like Larchmont Village, etc.) I go to school downtown (Loyola) and live in the area between Culver, BH, and WeHo. It's equidistant to both DTLA and the beach. Save BH or a place in SM (commute and all) for when you have some financial stability and/or less loans.

For Century City and Beverly Hills firms: Culver City is a very good option, as are some parts of WeHo and WestLA. At this point, Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Ray also become realistic. The Beverly Hills Flats (i.e., south of Wilshire) can sometimes be reasonable, but at that point you're paying for the BH name and not much else. Studio City and Van Nuys wouldn't be terrible, but I'm not a fan. IMO, the valley is where you go when you are 45, have a spouse and kids, and want to buy a large house in Calabasas/Hidden Hills.

For Santa Monica jobs: Duh... Maybe WestLA, Palms, or Westchester if you want some distance, although there are few good commuting options from there; Lincoln, the biggest North/South thoroughfare in that neck of the woods, is killer even in the off-peak hours. Don't commute from El Segundo or the rest of the Southbay unless you have a DAMN good reason (like a spouse).

[Anonymous User]

Awesome, thanks. How'd you go about finding the sublet?

My firm emailed once a week with listings. They put out an advertisement at the local law schools (UCLA, USC, Loyola) and other law students who were going elsewhere sent their pics and info to the firm. Really low stress. Others just found in the normal ways, e.g., Craigslist, nalpexchange, etc.