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Sorry if this has already been asked/answered elsewhere...

Moving to LA for a summer associate gig in Downtown. Anyone have advice on where I should live, expected costs of living, etc.? Do I want to be near Downtown? I have some friends in the Santa Monica area; would it be crazy to live there and commute?

Thank you!

Might as well jump on this and ask about living options for a Century City office. Any recommendations?

If you're working downtown, I would recommend living downtown for the summer if you can find a place just because it's a growing area and a fun place to live right now. Sadly, rent is fairly high, so expect anywhere from $11-1200 (on the low side) per month for a room in a 2 bedroom up to $2-3k for a 1 bedroom or a nicer building. Someone in my summer class last year had luck renting through AirBNB, and you can also try Facebook groups for USC, Loyola, and Southwestern and see if anyone is subletting. Also check craigslist. That being said, you certainly don't need to live downtown, but other areas will be dependent on 1) whether you have a car, 2) how much you are willing to commute, and 3) if you want to live in any particular area. Note that traffic heading downtown in the morning can really be a pain. Some people do commute to downtown from Santa Monica and swear it's not that bad, but, I'm not sure how.

For Century City, people live all over, and I don't know anyone who actually lived in Century City over the summer (it is quite expensive, from what I've heard). You can try anywhere from Santa Monica/Venice/Manhattan Beach to Hollywood to Downtown. Try out an area where you might want to live if you get an offer. Note that traffic in the morning sucks going into Century City from almost everywhere if you have bad timing.

Anonymous User wrote:Sorry if this has already been asked/answered elsewhere...

Moving to LA for a summer associate gig in Downtown. Anyone have advice on where I should live, expected costs of living, etc.? Do I want to be near Downtown? I have some friends in the Santa Monica area; would it be crazy to live there and commute?

Thank you!

There is a SM->DTLA train opening soon that will be open during your summer, also the commute isn't the worst. Depending on traffic you could do the drive in maybe 45 minutes and I believe the train will be similar. It's a longish commute but not unbearable.

You can save some money and time by living in Los Feliz / Silverlake / Echo Park, although those areas are getting more expensive as well. Places worth living in DTLA are going to be just as expensive as Santa Monica. Koreatown / Hollywood are also options.

To the Century City summer associate: you can make do living pretty much anywhere west of La Cienaga and above the 90, plus West Hollywood. Some of those commutes won't be quick (e.g. Marina or Venice) but they're doable if you really want to. Depending on who you are it might be smart to avoid certain parts of Culver City and Palms.

Anonymous User wrote: To the Century City summer associate: you can make do living pretty much anywhere west of La Cienaga and above the 90, plus West Hollywood. Some of those commutes won't be quick (e.g. Marina or Venice) but they're doable if you really want to. Depending on who you are it might be smart to avoid certain parts of Culver City and Palms.

Culver city was actually on my short list for places to live after graduation (assuming I get an offer). Why do you say certain parts should be avoided? Are they bad areas or something? I was thinking about staying close to the downtown area.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote: To the Century City summer associate: you can make do living pretty much anywhere west of La Cienaga and above the 90, plus West Hollywood. Some of those commutes won't be quick (e.g. Marina or Venice) but they're doable if you really want to. Depending on who you are it might be smart to avoid certain parts of Culver City and Palms.

Culver city was actually on my short list for places to live after graduation (assuming I get an offer). Why do you say certain parts should be avoided? Are they bad areas or something? I was thinking about staying close to the downtown area.

Culver has improved quite a bit over the last decade or so and the downtown area is pretty lively these days and you'll probably be fine. The area closer to Inglewood (around the intersection of the 90 and 405) has improved less so.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote: To the Century City summer associate: you can make do living pretty much anywhere west of La Cienaga and above the 90, plus West Hollywood. Some of those commutes won't be quick (e.g. Marina or Venice) but they're doable if you really want to. Depending on who you are it might be smart to avoid certain parts of Culver City and Palms.

Culver city was actually on my short list for places to live after graduation (assuming I get an offer). Why do you say certain parts should be avoided? Are they bad areas or something? I was thinking about staying close to the downtown area.

Culver has improved quite a bit over the last decade or so and the downtown area is pretty lively these days and you'll probably be fine. The area closer to Inglewood (around the intersection of the 90 and 405) has improved less so.

Okay cool, thanks!

LA native here, and I live and work in LA. I just can't get down with the neighborhoods around downtown. I really think it is worth commuting from West LA. To make the commute easier, live east of the 405 and reasonably close to the 10. Crossing the 405 is a nightmare.

The parts of Westwood south of the UCLA campus/Wilshire are really good value-good location and reasonable prices. Rancho Park is nice and convenient as well, but is mostly single family homes (with some apartments/condos). Beverlywood/Pico-Robertson is a good choice too, note this is a largely Jewish neighborhood (read=awesome kosher food). You can actually get some decently priced rentals in Beverly Hills, but it is a bit far from the 10.

My advice wouldn't be too different for the CC summer associate, aside from BH being a better option than for the Downtown person since being near the 10 isn't a factor. You could live in Santa Monica or Brentwood realistically, but again, crossing the 405 is terrible and it is better to stay east of the 405.

On prices: prices can vary wildly, particularly in "up and coming" neighborhoods and Santa Monica. Prices are more consistent in the older neighborhoods (including those I mentioned above). You can easily get a 2 BR/2 bath in the 2800-3200 range that is large and very nice (with two parking spaces). I am not as familiar with 1 BR pricing since it has been a long time since I lived in a 1 BR.

Just kick it in K-Town and take the subway to downtown!

For Downtown commuting, don't forget about the east side. Eaglerock, Highland Park, and South Pasadena are cheaper neighborhoods than stuff on the westside that are pretty convenient and not terrible. If you won't have a car, the gold line is really solid, and its really accessible with like 4 different stops in Pasadena. With the new extension you could live out all the way in Azusa now and still have a real chill commute. The red line also makes Burbank/Studio City a good choice, although that train is dirtier.

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Lived in SM, worked in downtown two summers ago. Commute was not bad at all. I had to be downtown between 8-830 am and left around 430-5 pm. Took me about 25 min each way on average. Getting there was a bit easier.

As this thread illustrates, people either like DTLA and surrounding environs or they hate it. I spent 7 years in los feliz and another three in echo park, but I always worked on the westside. Personally I can't stand the westside and I would really not want to live there, but the grittier eastside is definitely not for everyone. Visit the city and check out some different neighborhoods if you get the chance; if you walk down Sunset Blvd in Echo Park and you're afraid for your life, the eastside is probably not for you. Similarly, if you find West LA to be the vapid wasteland of tastelessness that I always found it to be, look eastward.

This is all incredibly reductive, btw. LA is ridiculously diverse and your quality of life could vary dramatically from one block to the next. Even when you know what you're looking for it can take a few apartments to find the right neighborhood fit. Good luck.

Glasseyes wrote:As this thread illustrates, people either like DTLA and surrounding environs or they hate it. I spent 7 years in los feliz and another three in echo park, but I always worked on the westside. Personally I can't stand the westside and I would really not want to live there, but the grittier eastside is definitely not for everyone. Visit the city and check out some different neighborhoods if you get the chance; if you walk down Sunset Blvd in Echo Park and you're afraid for your life, the eastside is probably not for you. Similarly, if you find West LA to be the vapid wasteland of tastelessness that I always found it to be, look eastward.

This is all incredibly reductive, btw. LA is ridiculously diverse and your quality of life could vary dramatically from one block to the next. Even when you know what you're looking for it can take a few apartments to find the right neighborhood fit. Good luck.

As much as I am a the-westside-is-the-only-place-in-LA-to-live sort of person, this is really credited.

Airbnb was huge in my summer. I got a one bedroom guest home to myself via airbnb in a bad area for <1k/month (by bad area I mean traditional gangland, but great area for commute since it straddled the 10/110). I never really felt unsafe, but it was awkward telling partners with pasadena mansions where I was renting for the summer (some lol facial expression). Overall it was worth it b/c I enjoyed the privacy, had my own driveway, a short commute, and my SO could visit and stay easily.

People got all sorts of crazy airbnb situations though. Some were walking distance from across the 110; some got entire houses in silverlake. I know a guy that did Santa Monica but that requires waking up early AM, which I'm not physically capable of. The easiest thing is just to be from the area and live at home, which a lot of SAs end up doing as well.

Downtown was tough on my budget since I didn't want a share, but obviously if mom & dad are fronting it then there are terrific flats to rent through the summer.

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Jessuf wrote:Wait, people's parents pay for their rent when they are making $3k/week?

Oh ya

You clearly didn't go to harvard-westlake

jbagelboy wrote:

Jessuf wrote:Wait, people's parents pay for their rent when they are making $3k/week?

Oh ya

You clearly didn't go to harvard-westlake

The area around Harvard-Westlake is actually probably not too bad for the CC SA. You can get decent places in Studio City for reasonable prices if you can live with the shame of living in ~the valley~, and Laurel Canyon spits you out near where all the CC firms are.

Visited K town once and liked it. Why does it suck? Didn't seem bad just kinda sleep, but only there 3 days. Kinda thinking it would be cool if I could get 2-4 air bnb over the summer to get an idea of different areas.

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Jessuf wrote:

hdunlop wrote:Visited K town once and liked it. Why does it suck? Didn't seem bad just kinda sleep, but only there 3 days. Kinda thinking it would be cool if I could get 2-4 air bnb over the summer to get an idea of different areas.

Maybe what you thought was Koreatown was something else? I like going there to eat, but it is too dirty urban pawn shop bail bondsy for me to live there.

My husband grew up in K-town. We recently moved his mom to a different part of the city. Unless I am seriously missing something, it is really not a desirable place to live.

Just west of Wilshire and Vermont. Didn't seem terrible, not great but not like scary. Thinking in terms of eight to ten weeks tho not years.

Question -- My parents live in Encino and I have a firm job in Downtown. Saving money by not paying rent would be awesome. Are there any reasons why living at home is a bad idea? Commute's not ideal, but I think I can manage. Is it common for partners/associates to want to go out for drinks at the end of the day? As in, would living in the valley be a restraint on my ability to attend social functions?

Jessuf wrote:

hdunlop wrote:Visited K town once and liked it. Why does it suck? Didn't seem bad just kinda sleep, but only there 3 days. Kinda thinking it would be cool if I could get 2-4 air bnb over the summer to get an idea of different areas.

Maybe what you thought was Koreatown was something else? I like going there to eat, but it is too dirty urban pawn shop bail bondsy for me to live there.

There are definitely nice parts of K town. Saying the entire area is "dirty urban pawn shop bail bondsy" is a bit ridiculous.