Moving London to LA - what should I know

Hi all,

in the process of moving with my firm from London the LA (hopefully) second choice is NYC followed by Chicago. Any words of advice you can give me on which to choose / generally differences between living in the UK vs US?

Background - Liberal political views, love the beach and hot weather chose LA largely because of this and I have some family my age there which would be nice.
Want to move to the states because i'm young, have always wanted to go, salary will increase by c.3X and have just got out of a long term relationship so nothing to tie me down. I want to come back to the UK eventually because my family and friends are here but want to try something different (also why LA>NYC I feel NYC is just London on steroids)

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Not a ton of groundbreaking advice here but I think LA seems like a great choice.

  • You have the luxury of coming a place people in the States like and respect. You'll be met with a lot of "ooohs" and "aaaahs" when you tell LA guys and gals that you're from London
  • Your political views will mesh well with mainstream Southern California politics
  • The weather is good in LA pretty much year round. Beach and ski slopes are both within feasible driving distance
  • LAX is a solid airport for consultants and there will also be some local work opportunities (depending on which industries youre focused on)
  • NYC is great (and my current place of residence) but agree that it is very similar to London

Put yourself out there, meet people, make an effort to take in the new scenery and culture, etc. and it should prove a life-changing experience. Good luck!

 

NYC is London on steroids.. That is such an accurate description.

I would say that in NYC (compared to Lond) - weather is better - more food choices and good food choices of all cultures (a larger melting pot) - everything is much closer and easily accessible. In London, it seemed to me that everything is so far apart and you would have to spend some time commuting if you want to get somewhere.. In NYC, everything is much closer to each other - You have beaches in Brooklyn, Long Island, NJ

Pros of NYC vs LA: - You don't need a car. Cars are expensive, traffic is time consuming. You can go ham at a club and still take the subway, or just get a cheap uber. Subways run 24/7, so you don't have to worry about not getting home after 1pm. - Airports are easily accessible via train or bus. - Everything is really spread out in LA, which means spending time in traffic, and only being exposed to events that are occurring in your area - California culture - people are "fake nice". In Europe, people don't often bs or say things they don't mean. In California, people have the art of saying the right thing at the right time down. You'll think someone is your best friend and wants to hangout with you, and then you'll never hear from them again. Just keep this in mind as a promise made by someone in California doesn't mean much. In NYC, people can be sort of like this, but in general are more upfront.

 

Somehow missed these responses but wanted to say thanks all! 

CFA - would you recommend I reconsider going to LA as opposed to NYC then? Currently the move is on hold due to Covid + exec order.... I want an experience vastly different from London, I grew up around here and after many years I feel the grind and constant feeling of struggle of London is something I need to get away from. Unsure if that is replicated in NYC?

 

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about specifics— I grew up here! Greatest city in the world, imo, but your experience will vary a lot based on where you live. Westside is more stereotypical beverly hills; people can be a bit stuffy, but it’s beautiful and you’ll have the classic LA experience. People like to hate on the Valley, but I live in Studio City and love it; I’m walking distance from Universal and Warner Brothers, and everyone around is in the Industry. Lots of young people too. Venice and Silverlake are more hipster-y, very young. Because of the diversity, you really can’t go wrong— it’s basically 6 different cities in one! Just beware of the expensive parking :)

 
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