Moving to LA for a new role, but spent most of my life on the east coast. Ideally, I’d like to cut the commute to 15-20 minutes each way, if possible to downtown. I know public transit isn’t the best, but I’m strongly considering places with access to it to get to work.
Would also like a neighborhood that’s pretty walkable so I can be more or less self contained on the weekends.
Would love to hear folks’ opinions on living in the area and the best neighborhoods.
Public transportation has improved so much in LA, I would say try getting a place near the line.
15-20 minutes is nothing in LA, it won't be far away during rush hour.
Santa Monica
Brentwood
Wilshire
Culver City
Pasadena
Glendale
Yeah, I know traffic can be horrendous, that’s why I figured taking transit might be the move.
Appreciate the suggestions. Glendale seems like a pretty good spot. Its close to Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Echo Park too, which I keep seeing are the more popular areas near DTLA.
There are countless areas around DTLA which are positive, inviting, with the right amenities, and good neighbors. The tricky part is - we don't know you. We don't know your hobbies, your sports, your people, your lifestyle or what kind of property you are looking for.
The easiest part would be to simply get an AirBnB for the first weeks and discover what you like about each region. Then make a decision. Make sure to also check the street/area at night or during the weekend. Maybe it's look active/loud or you don't like something about it.
Every neighborhood in LA is different and I moved around a lot. They all have something positive, but often also something negative you may not like.
Santa Monica:
I didn't like the amount of action during the day, it was fairly packed
Brentwood:
Good quality place, a bit too residential
Pasadena was a good place
Metro has worked hard to make LA more accessible and I believe this could work out.
Surprisingly, they have also brought new cycle lanes/network between certain spots, so there are more options than before.
Rent an entire floor of an office building in downtown. WIll be chaeper than an apt.
Orange County drive up to office early in the morning
My brother in law lives in OC and works in LA. He rides his bike to the train and then bikes to work in LA. Although lately they have been super WFH so not sure how much he goes into the office anymore.
Just stay far as f*ck away from downtown LA
The vast majority of junior finance folks in LA live in Santa Monica. Traffic runs away from downtown in the morning, so commutes aren't bad at all. It's more expensive than many of the other parts of LA (if you can believe it gets more expensive) but well worth it imo.
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One of the guys in my office lives in SM/Venice area. He said he’s always traveling against traffic to DTLA, so usually only 30-35 max each way. Sounded like the biggest hurdle was just getting on the free way.
Culver City is dope and pretty central
Every neighborhood is so different, it really depends what your vibe is. Santa Monica is where lotsa yuppies hangout and its fairly walkable. Mediocre food scene, cute girls, and a handful of bars / right by the water. Another spot worth checking out on west side is Culver City, just make sure you're close to the 10 - the downtown has a few good spots but its not that walkable. I love Venice but I'd avoid it if you need to commute to DTLA, too far from highway access to make it worth it.
Obviously you could live near DTLA, Arts District/Japantown are cool walkable areas. There are also neighborhoods in the middle of the city like WeHo that are walkable. What vibe are you going for and whats most important to you?
Great points here
Check out Sawtelle and Century city
What will your hours be? Makes a huge difference. If you're going to be in the office until at least 7 - 8pm every day, then you will have a 15 - 20 minutes commute to several west side communities. Shortest being Culver City, followed by Brentwood / Sawtelle / Westwood, followed by Santa Monica.
Similarly, if you are going to be working past 6-7 most nights, I wouldn't count on the public trans as it can get pretty sketchy. Not saying every night will be an issue, but probably a few times a year you'll have something happen where you really start to ask yourself what you are thinking.
Culver City sounds like a good fit for you. Walkable, mixed-use community. The metro runs from there to downtown if you choose to use it (thought it takes longer than driving). Commute will be 30 - 40 minutes most days during rush hour, but only 10 - 20 minutes if you're leaving your house before 6:45am or leaving the office after 7pm. Get a nice gym membership and work out in the morning (leave at 6am and you'll be downtown in 12 minutes), shower at the gym, and if you work past 7pm you'll be home in a breeze.
Seems like hours aren’t terrible. 9-6/7 most days. Probably closer to 8am -9pm when things pick up, possibly later.
Walkability, commute and safety are the biggest factors for me. I looked at Culver City but the walkability doesn’t seem all that great, at least for the places that still have availability.
Is DTLA THAT bad? Particularly if you’re within FiDi and away from Skid Row. Seems to just have the most walkability and convenience…biggest cons are just the homelessness problem/crime, ofc.
Yes, it is THAT bad, even in FiDi. You will literally never walk more than 3 - 4 blocks without seeing some super sketchy homeless activity. Every day you will see people doing hard drugs in the open (I'm talking shooting up or racking up lines in the middle of the sidewalk while everyone walks around them), you will see people screaming, and a few times a month you will likely watch someone taking a piss or sometimes even #2 in front of everyone walking by. This is coming from someone who prior to COVID was pushing for DTLA to become something, so I'm not one of the typical west side naysayers. If you're ok with all of that, it does offer some nice luxury apartment communities at good rates, but you're never going to feel pleasant walking around down there regardless of the time of day.
If you still choose to live down there, probably the least sketchy area is probably around LA Live. Arts District too, but you won't have walkability to work from the Arts District and it feels more secluded from the rest of LA.
If you want to live near Downtown: Silver Lake, Arts District, and Los Feliz are all bright spots that have actually improved post-COVID. If you want to live on the Westside, the Expo Line runs from SM to DTLA and prob takes 35-45 minutes end-to-end. Culver City stop near the Platform is a cool area that's about halfway and a bit cheaper than SM.
I'd caveat that Silver Lake, Arts District and Los Feliz all have a specific type of vibe compared to more traditional neighborhoods like Culver City, so without know what OP is like I'd reccomend they spend a few days in each one first
You’re asking for something that doesn’t exist (15-20 mins to downtown, walkable and self contained on the weekends).
Neighborhoods in LA are so different. You need to bop around a short term rental in different neighborhoods until you know what type of person you are in LA.
Are you a typical straight finance bro who likes sports? There’s really only a handful of neighborhoods for you in LA. Are you gay / artsy / working in entertainment? Then you have a few different neighborhoods you’d want to prioritize. Just depends on who you are
Are you going to be working 70 hours a week? That changes my answer too
Definitely looking for less of an artsy/hipster vibe. My gf and I spend a lot of our weekends watching college football and the NFL or staying active outdoors. Love good food spots and cafes, but we won’t appreciate the artsy/creative type stuff as much. Seems like a lot of neighborhoods have more of a hipster vibe to them, which is cool, just not sure it’s our speed.
Sounds like 70-75 hours/week isn’t the norm, more 50-60 on average, so that makes living further away more feasible…just not sure I care to be in the car an hour a day. I’m later in my career and have already spent enough time commuting, so trying to cut back on that. Understand there will be trade offs though so maybe that’s not feasible.
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