I'm moving to Los Angeles, any advice for me?

[janitorC7]

Okay the traffic is NOT as bad as people say, as long as you know your way arround.

You will have a great time.

Culver city is great (my girlfriend lives there), but south park is a great place to live. But I also like the valley, I'm in north Hollywood

Have fun and enjoy the weather... West LA is a nice area to live in. I personally like Culver City area. Tree lined streets, nice houses, but they don't have many apartments there. Marina Del Rey area could be nice as well. Unfortunately, traffic in LA is probably gonna be worse than described and it will get worse as time passes.

There was a good and inexpensive Thai restaurant on Westwood Blvd across from Borders. I hope it is still there. That area is close to UCLA campus with lots of movie theatres. If you go south from there you'll see quite a few Middle Eastern restaurants, as well. There was also a place called Junior's, on the same street close to Westside Pavilion (a nice mall) if you feel like a more home cooking type of meal.

During the day, there is not much in LA other than hitting the beach. Try Manhattan Beach, especially if you like playing beach volleyball. That area has got some nice bars as well.

At night, Santa Monica 3rd St. Promenade is cool hang out. Usually teeming with people. I remember a Radisson close by with a bar on its roof that has nice views and live music on Fri and Sat nights. If you are into movies, try Westwood and Century City. I'd check out Old Town Pasadena as well. It's got a lot of bars, shops, restaurants and a lot of people roaming around. However, it is a bit of a drive.

Are you into museums? The area has a lot of good, but not so famous museums.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Dunno about the rest of that stuff, but want to help me raid E3 this year?

There's a nice Japanese restaurant called Matsu, but I was driven there last year and have no clue where in LA it is.

At night, Santa Monica 3rd St. Promenade is cool hang out.

Is that where the Apple store is? I met Shigeru Miyamoto there once. In fact, my avatar picture was taken directly in front of the Apple store (facing out) with me and Miyamoto. There's also a small-to-medium size videogame publisher with a US headquarters right in the middle of the place, unmarked so nobody knows what it is; address is 1337 3rd St. Promenade (yes, it's 1337 ).

 

[taylorwilsdon]

Los Angeles has always felt too "big" to be one city to me. It has such clear dividers that they should just split some of the neighborhoods up into their own little cities. LA should be a county, not a city imo.

Anyways, it wouldn't be on my top list of places to live but you could do worse; thats for sure. All I can suggest is to get a feel for things when you show up - drive around town, spend a day exploring (and get a GPS for the car)

 

[balamw]

Today's high was 60 degrees and you are currently living in Toronto. To people who live places w/four seasons there is no such thing as winter in Los Angeles.

We get spoiled so quickly! Out here in the 'burbs we get down into the low 40s at night, and that's just cold.

When I lived "back east" some years ago, 60 degrees was shorts weather, it feels MUCH colder now.

I'll concur with your comments on the Valley, it's not much like the rest of LA.

B

 

[LethalWolfe]

Los Angeles has always felt too "big" to be one city to me. It has such clear dividers that they should just split some of the neighborhoods up into their own little cities. LA should be a county, not a city imo.

Some areas have been able to do that such as West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Burbank (Hollywood tried to incorporate not too long ago but failed).

We get spoiled so quickly! Out here in the 'burbs we get down into the low 40s at night, and that's just cold.

When I was back in Indiana for the holidays I was like, I don't remember it being feeling so cold here. I've only been in LA a few years and already my blood is thinning.


Lethal

 

[Macky-Mac]

Today's high was 60 degrees and you are currently living in Toronto. To people who live places w/four seasons there is no such thing as winter in Los Angeles....

What is all this about no winter in Los Angeles???? Why just the other day I had to close the windows and if it gets any colder, I'm going to have to consider turning on the furnace.....or at least put on a sweater

 

[3nm]

welcome, and here's some of my favs.

-on good restaurants (best sushi, chinese, vietnamese, thai, sandwiches, pizza, bagels, deli, italian, seafood, indian, etc),

yoshi's sushi - always fresh, reasonable prices. street parking can be tough. the closest walkable parking lot doesn't make it much better.
8274 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 848-9105

fat fish - awesome decor, decent sushi and reasonable prices. valet/street parking, but you can also park at the library, park, melrose, or PDC if you don't mind walking a little. ppl watching afterwards at the abbey can be fun.

hugo's - a bit of everything. casual atmosphere, i like goin there for brunch. has own parking lot + city parking structure on kings in west hollywood.

full house - real chinese restaurant - good, fast, and cheap. opens till 3 a.m. street parking.
963 N Hill St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-8382

jr cafe - one of my fav cantonese restaurants. i go there when i crave for british tea mixed w/ coffee, congee, etc. has parking lot and they close at like 2 or 3 a.m.
512 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 457-8898

ruen pair - awesome thai restaurant. nothing fancy, just casual atmosphere. has parking lot and iirc parking is like $1. opens till 4 a.m., really crowded after 2:30 a.m. on weekends. cash only.
5257 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-0153

larchmont village spirits+cheese - some of the best deli sandwiches i've ever had. don't know much about wine but they got great selection of cheese. street parking.
223 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 856-8699

bay cities - small itaian deli, quality meat + fresh bread. try godmother if you like meat. better order online cos it's crowded all the time. has parking lot.

bagel broker - cheap and yummie, perhaps the best in the city. has parking lot. bring cash, $10 min on CC.
7825 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 931-1258

sam's bagels - heavenly cream cheese. too bad the brentwood store is closed. street parking.
150 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 469-1249

divino - low key small italian restaurant in brentwood w/ great decor. valet and street parking.
11714 Barrington Ct
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 472-0886

the stinking rose - go only if you like garlic and don't mind eating at a restaurant that's like a haunted house. valet parking.

malibu seafood - very chill atmosphere. self serve, not for the spoon fed. fresh and reasonable prices. has valet parking but can still be tough. good for lunch and dinner.

pinkbrerry - yummie forzen yogurt. parking at the west hollywood location is impossible.

shamshiri - middle eastern, casual. yummie kebab, awesome bread. goin there tomorrow. parkings are easier to find on massachusetts.
1712 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 474-1410

lawry's - a must if you are a prime rib lover. valet parking.

bcd tofu house - korean, opens late. delicious, has own parking lot.

in n' out - the only fast food place i would go.

honey's kettle - okay, i lied. honey's kettle in culver city is the other fast food place i'd still go once in a while. street parking and it's always crowded.

-cool coffee shops (with internet access),

groundwork - great selection of beans and teas. multi locations in la.

urth cafe - organic, multi locations in west la. can get real la (attitude). not sure if they have wifi.

-cool places to hang out (we are in our early 30's) during the day and at night,

3rd st promenade - i think you already know

venice boardwalk - don't go if you don't like teh hippies.

-a good gym,

(in the order of my pref)

la fitness - clean and they fix broken machines rather quick. $$

24 hr fitness - money gym. can be great but ymmv depending on location. many locations, but not all open 24 hr. you see all types of folks. $

crunch - world class, only for the fittest. $$$

equinox - somewhat like crunch. $$$

sports club la - elite, great place to chat w/ trophy wifes (or trophy wife wannabes). bentleies + maseratis are the norms. $$$$$

-the best internet, cable, and phone service (not cell phone though, it's an iPhone FTW for me!),

cable/internet provider depends on your location, am afraid you don't have much choice unless you go satellite or dsl.

-the best places to shop,

trader joe's - teh bestest grocery store.

whore foods - the ritz carlton of trader joe's.

amoeba - awesome music store, new and used.

beverly center - one of the better malls in the area, has an apple store.

the grove - an outdoor mall, nice but very un-la. it's like orange county w/o the drive. good thing is there's a flagship apple store. parking can get crazy even w/ its own parking structure. avoid the american girl store unless you like creepy plastic dolls.

century city - mini version of the grove, also has an apple store.

melrose - many little fashion/furniture stores, from brand names to independent designers.

giant robot, and other japanese stores/markets/restaurants on sawtelle.

fry's - a must for any geeks.

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Los Angeles is super humid!you wake up all sweaty trust me

Even though it's all relative, LA's humidity is normally pretty low, this is a completely misleading post.



Oh, and don't forget about my Yang Chow suggestion. I'm telling you, it's authentic and great.


And the poster above me made a lot of good suggestions. If you're in to very expensive cuisine just cruise down La Cienega off of the 10 freeway (you get the beverly center if you keep going down this road) and there are excellent places. Lawry's, Fogo de Chou (maybe spelled wrong), lots of other stuff. And Westwood is a great college town, bunch of cool little places to explore, too bad it's home to the Bruins...

 

[maceleven]

Eat @ KING TACO

if you like mexican food eat there" google" it it's LA famous
The Original Restaurant
1118 Cypress Ave.
Los Angeles,Ca 90065

Phone: (323) 223-2595

Su-Th 0830a-1130p
Fr 0830a-0200a
Sa 0830a-0230a



oh yah and try Kojis JApanese food inside or outside the Neighborhood: Hollywood
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 871-0200
www.kojisjapan.com

 

[3nm]

You're moving to LA - and need some advice?

Well then, don't move to LA.

To each their own (obviously) but generally, I refuse to live anywhere that:

People don't know how to drive in the rain. (don't give me the oil buildup excuse)

Is governed by the Terminator.

The air is actually dangerous to breathe.

A nine-killing homicide via machine gun in an auto-parts store is channeled into "other news". (aka NOT the big story)

People commit and/or join in on a crime just to be on camera.

Your "nice home" also has 3/8" tempered steel bars on all of the windows - yet, it's supposedly in a "nice neighborhood".

Yeah, good luck with that.

All of that - sadly - is true. (even the auto-parts store bit) First hand experience.

I've been there too much to be honest. Maybe I just saw all the BAD places.

If you've got a great job offer down there or something - go for it - like I said - to each their own.

wow, you sound really bittered. you must have had really bad luck. i'm sorry that you chose to focus on the negatives instead of living life and enjoy what los angeles has to offer.

fwiw, the benzene vapor you breath in at any gas station is carcinogenic. will you give up your VW?

also, most news networks are biased nowadays. if you get manipulated so easily, i don't know where you can live in the U.S., or any other part of the world i'm afraid.

every metropolitan city has its good and bad areas. having lived in los angeles for almost a decade, i have yet to see a house w/ barred windows in a "nice" area. however, "nice" is such an ambiguous word.

 

[hayduke]

I'm also moving to LA soon. I grew up in one of the beach towns nearby. I've been in San Francisco for three years and now I'm in New Zealand for three months!

We've looked all over LA for new places to live. I'll be working in West LA. We have a family and we are leaning, pretty heavily toward Culver City, but we are also considering Beverlywood, Cheviot Hills, and Brentwood. I think Santa Monica would be great too. I think the tricky thing with LA is that you can be in Santa Monica, but it can be a bad/sketchy part of Santa Monica, but 3-5 blocks away is great. It all takes a little getting used to; you have to know your neighborhood.

Good luck with the move and live as close to work as possible. You'll be happier and the earth will thank you! FYI the bus system in LA is really good.

 

[Surely]

Wow, I wake up, and look at all the great help everyone has provided. Thank you very much everyone.

A big thanks to BiTurboMunkie for your extra long post and lots of ideas. You have given us a good restaurant list for us to start with.

We'll be going for DSL or satellite. Luckily for us, my wife's company will be paying for our internet and phone service. They're even giving her a laptop, since she'll be working from home (Too bad for her, but it won't be a Mac).

I really liked the Grove. We were there last year at the end of Dec, and they had fake snow falling. I hear that the Farmer's Market next door is really good- yes/no?

Thanks so much for the gym recommendations. Joining a gym will be one of the first things we do (after getting the iPhone, of course. Unless a new one is announced at MWSF, and I have to wait until it comes out ). We're hoping to find one that has multiple locations, so if we move, there will be another one nearby. We care mostly about cleanliness. Obviously, we would want the gym we choose to have a good selection of equipment, and a place that isn't overcrowded.

Thanks also to maceleven, we like the Mexican food.

Thanls to theBB for the Thai recommendation and other advice. Sounds good to me that there isn't anything else to do during the day in LA except go to the beach. In Toronto in the winter, the only thing there is to do during the day is to walk around a mall.

And to Badandy, I will try Yang Chow. We go for a nice, expensive dinner once a month. We went to Crustacean last time we were in LA- the crab and garlic noodles were excellent.

When I was back in Indiana for the holidays I was like, I don't remember it being feeling so cold here. I've only been in LA a few years and already my blood is thinning.

I have a friend that moved to LA from Toronto 8 years ago, and she was complaining about "freezing her ass off". I thought she was joking, but she was being serious.

Sorry if I didn't mention you- there's so much!

Keep it coming- this is awesome.

 

[Iscariot]

Lessee. It's been a while since I've been to L.A., but I lived there for a bit in my late teens/early twenties. I live in Toronto now, and I wouldn't move back to L.A. unless you paid me a very significant amount of money -- a sum large enough that I could buy a condo in Toronto and come back -- so my advice is a bit on the "jaded" side.

I didn't find the crime to be as bad as other have said, but I was in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. My advice would be:

Don't rely on public transit for anything. It's completely hopeless. The traffic situation is also pretty dismal, so if you can live within walking distance of your work so much the better.

Never underestimate the hole-in-the-wall places. Most of what's good about L.A. are the joints that almost feel like secrets. This is especially true of theatres; skip the AMC 24s and go for the places that have only one screen. There's so much more atmosphere that it's always an experience and always worth it.

If you're like me and you're into health food, check out Whole Foods as a grocery store, and Real Food Daily for a restaurant. RFD has the tastiest mashed potatoes I've ever eaten in my life.

Don't trust California girls for anything.

 

[Surely]

Lessee. It's been a while since I've been to L.A., but I lived there for a bit in my late teens/early twenties. I live in Toronto now, and I wouldn't move back to L.A. unless you paid me a very significant amount of money -- a sum large enough that I could buy a condo in Toronto and come back -- so my advice is a bit on the "jaded" side.

I didn't find the crime to be as bad as other have said, but I was in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. My advice would be:

Don't rely on public transit for anything. It's completely hopeless. The traffic situation is also pretty dismal, so if you can live within walking distance of your work so much the better.

Never underestimate the hole-in-the-wall places. Most of what's good about L.A. are the joints that almost feel like secrets. This is especially true of theatres; skip the AMC 24s and go for the places that have only one screen. There's so much more atmosphere that it's always an experience and always worth it.

If you're like me and you're into health food, check out Whole Foods as a grocery store, and Real Food Daily for a restaurant. RFD has the tastiest mashed potatoes I've ever eaten in my life.

Don't trust California girls for anything.

Love Whole Foods, I do my shopping there at Hazelton Lanes every week.

I'll definitely check out RFD- we eat as healthy as we can. I can't even remember the last time I ate fast food.

Hole-the-wall places are the best kind of place. Some of my favorite restaurants are those.

I married a California girl.... but I don't think I'll trust any of the others.

 

[gauchogolfer]

For out-of-the-way restaurants, check out Jonathan Gold's column in LA Weekly (Counter Intelligence), particularly if you're looking for Asian food. He always has excellent recommendations.

 

[abijnk]

I had the privilege of living in the LA area this summer. I was born and raised in Southern Illinois, so it was a big BIG change for me, and I absolutely loved it! I was an intern with Boeing, and lived in Marina Del Rey. I don't know all the lingo or how the area works, and I do know that the following recommendation is south of what you were saying, but I am head over heels in love with the Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, Redondo Beach area. Speaking of which, in regards to restaurants, you should check out Ragin' Cajun in Hermosa, a little unorthodox as far as LA goes, but amazing food.

I am living out there again for a co-op starting this summer, and am so looking forward to it. Good luck with the move!!!

 

[JudgeDanny]

I hear that the Farmer's Market next door is really good- yes/no?

Figure i might be able to chime in a lil bit slightly

I'm actually a 5 minute walk away from it (from work anyways) and they've definitely got some great food in that area. Love the sushi.. as well as the pizza and lausgana there

havent tried the ribs and other BBQ type foods there yet.

 

[Surely]

For out-of-the-way restaurants, check out Jonathan Gold's column in LA Weekly (Counter Intelligence), particularly if you're looking for Asian food. He always has excellent recommendations.

Thanks for the link. That's gold, Jerry! Gold!

I had the privilege of living in the LA area this summer. I was born and raised in Southern Illinois, so it was a big BIG change for me, and I absolutely loved it! I was an intern with Boeing, and lived in Marina Del Rey. I don't know all the lingo or how the area works, and I do know that the following recommendation is south of what you were saying, but I am head over heels in love with the Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, Redondo Beach area. Speaking of which, in regards to restaurants, you should check out Ragin' Cajun in Hermosa, a little unorthodox as far as LA goes, but amazing food.

I am living out there again for a co-op starting this summer, and am so looking forward to it. Good luck with the move!!!

There was a possibility of us living in Marina del Rey- my wife's cousins own a condo there, but they have rented it out and don't feel like evicting the current renters (Not that I would want them to). We would consider that area too if the right place came along.

We'll be sure to check out the Ragin' Cajun- We like Cajun food- I like the spicy.

 

[Big-TDI-Guy]

wow, you sound really bittered. you must have had really bad luck. i'm sorry that you chose to focus on the negatives instead of living life and enjoy what los angeles has to offer.

fwiw, the benzene vapor you breath in at any gas station is carcinogenic. will you give up your VW?

also, most news networks are biased nowadays. if you get manipulated so easily, i don't know where you can live in the U.S., or any other part of the world i'm afraid.

every metropolitan city has its good and bad areas. having lived in los angeles for almost a decade, i have yet to see a house w/ barred windows in a "nice" area. however, "nice" is such an ambiguous word.

Benzene is a carcinogen, but I don't have to worry about it.

A - My exposure at a gas station is limited - smog on the other hand, is a LOT harder to avoid / limit if you live there. Reference Line C.

B - I did have mainly bad experiences at LA (read: work) - not super bitter about it - just not somewhere I would live.

C - My VW is a Diesel - pumping B100 is fairly safe for me.

 

[kitki83]

Well I live in Inglewood probably has very negative reputation but honestly the crime and problems really decreased a lot since the 90s and there are really nice neighborhoods in some "ghetto" cities. Reason is these cities are trying to revamp their image which is hard because of rap music. I love Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach and that side of town.

I hate traffic so I learned how to change my schedule to best fit it. I say avoid getting the 9-6 job. Get something bit different in hours. Learn how the freeway traffic works, honestly I work at 9am, but at 9:15am sometimes 405N is so empty that I don't have to go on streets.

Yeah my dad taught me the zig zags of commute, and always have 3-4 different routes to and from work. Check out if school zones are in your commute that makes a difference.

Los Angeles has its pros and cons like any other city

 

[Surely]

Well I live in Inglewood probably has very negative reputation but honestly the crime and problems really decreased a lot since the 90s and there are really nice neighborhoods in some "ghetto" cities. Reason is these cities are trying to revamp their image which is hard because of rap music. I love Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach and that side of town.

I hate traffic so I learned how to change my schedule to best fit it. I say avoid getting the 9-6 job. Get something bit different in hours. Learn how the freeway traffic works, honestly I work at 9am, but at 9:15am sometimes 405N is so empty that I don't have to go on streets.

Yeah my dad taught me the zig zags of commute, and always have 3-4 different routes to and from work. Check out if school zones are in your commute that makes a difference.

Los Angeles has its pros and cons like any other city

I'm glad to hear that they are revamping some of the areas that have bad reps. LA is not the same city that it was in the 90's.

I hate traffic too. Luckily for me, I don't have a 9-5 job either. I'm in health care, and clinic hours are never 9-5.

I'll have to learn all the short cuts. Luckily for me, I have a GPS unit that will be helpful. Weird coincidence: The suction cup mount for my GPS unit broke yesterday, and in doing research on where to buy a new one, I came across the fact that it is illegal in CA (and Minnesota) to suction anything onto the windshield. Lucky for me it broke! So, I ending up ordering a friction mount that will sit the GPS on the dash.

 

[LethalWolfe]

I really liked the Grove. We were there last year at the end of Dec, and they had fake snow falling. I hear that the Farmer's Market next door is really good- yes/no?

Yes, the Farmers Market is really good. I used to live a few blocks away from the Grove and while the location was good (close to the Grove, eateries on Fairfax, cool shops on Melrose, and close to more shops and restaurants at the Beverly Center) the traffic and parking sucked. Few of the apartments in that area have parking places and many times I spend 20-30min driving around looking for a parking spot after work.

Speaking of hole in the wall places, in that same neck of the woods (La Brea and Beverly) is a cool, if not slightly dingy, revival movie theater called The New Beverly Theater. They show double features that change every few days and the cost is just $7. Not $7 per movie, but $7 total!


Lethal

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

Reason is these cities are trying to revamp their image which is hard because of rap music.

Just represent the 2-1-3! haha.

 

[zephead]

Go to In-N-Out. Seriously. You don't know what a cheeseburger is until you've eaten there, and you've never eaten french fries until you've eaten there. And don't just wolf it down like a regular burger, chew slowly and savor it. I swear, it's like having an orgasm in your mouth.

edit: ooh 1,000th post... *pokes*

 

[Surely]

Go to In-N-Out. Seriously. You don't know what a cheeseburger is until you've eaten there, and you've never eaten french fries until you've eaten there. And don't just wolf it down like a regular burger, chew slowly and savor it. I swear, it's like having an orgasm in your mouth.

edit: ooh 1,000th post... *pokes*

Well, I'm honoured that you used your 1000th post on my thread to recommend In-N-Out! I'll try it, but I don't eat fast food. The only fast food burger place that I eat at is a place called Hero Certified Burgers here in Toronto, and that's because they're grilled free range Angus beef burgers. And they have awesome toppings. But I'll try In-N-Out- I'll call it my 1000th comment burger.

Thanks again to everyone that put in their 2 cents. You guys (and girls) have given me some great info for my move.