LA / OC I-Bankers - Where do you hang out?

Labanker hit the nail on the head. People in LA don't know what banking is nor do they care to know. I can't speak from experience but i'm assuming in places like NY saying you are a banker could be a good thing. Whereas in LA people will think its lame. LA is lala land, people have bs jobs in the entertainment industry or are "trying to make it" and question why one would want to do finance. As far as telling people what you do just play it off and be as ambiguous as possible.

As far as places to go i would agree with labanker but also add the southbay.

any other takers?

Do many bankers bother to live in downtown LA? It looks like a smog polluted shithole from what I've heard.

lapsling:

For those of you with some time to hang out, what are the hot i-banker spots in LA / Hollywood / OC?

There are plenty of "hot spots", but you'll need to know someone in the industry (as in entertainment industry) to get into some of the really trendy places. I personally prefer some of the more low key beach bars when I'm in town.

Are bonuses in LA comparable to those in NY?

Thanks aspiring. Do you know about Associates?

To the original poster: This question gets asked every other month or so. There are no "hot spots" or "hot bars" in LA for "banker types." In NYC, you can hop in a cab and meet up with your buddies at 1AM; in LA, after working into the night, you still have to drag yourself to your car, call up your buddies, and hope to make it to a bar before the 1:30AM last call. Odds of that happening are 0%.

To address the other comments:

1. The Westside (Beverly Hills, Venice, Santa Monica, and parts of WLA) are by far the most reliable for entertainment. If you're a banker, odds are you work in Century City, Santa Monica, or Downtown. No one lives Downtown as it's filthy and expensive (kinda like New York). I live and work in Santa Monica, so I'll agree that there are a few dependable bars (Barney's, Q's, Cabo, and a few spots in Santa Monica's Main Street) that everyone gravitates to.

2. Invest time in meeting club promoters. Ironically, everyone in their 20's here is some kind of promoter. Always sign up for e-mail lists at Hollywood clubs as that means you can usually get the hook-up on a VIP list for multiple clubs on any given weekend: that means that you’ll usually get an e-mail on Thursday for an open bar on Friday, a club on Saturday, or a pool party at some Sunset/Downtown hotel on Sunday. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather NOT pay cover charge AND be able to get into these things (they’re usually fun 50% of the time).

3. To address the “lifestyle”: In the few days I get out early-ish, I call up a couple of buddies and catch a late happy hour. Fridays are designated “kill-yourself” nights. I’ll go to Sunset/Hollywood once a month or if a friend’s in town (there’s just no real reason to go every weekend). At a bar, you can spot the analysts by the overly starched Brooks Bros. shirts and khakis while hanging out in groups of 3 or more, buying drinks to the ugliest girls there (you know who you are). You can spot the associates because they are wearing $300 jeans with a blazer and dress shirt in an effort to look “casual” and ordering way too many shots of expensive tequila (by the way, ordering Patron does not automatically make you a hot shot; ordering Sauza makes you a douche).

4. Also, please don’t mention “The South Bay” in the same breath as the Westside. You might like an area where 30-yr. olds want to relive their college years by drinking themselves into a comma every weekend, but that just doesn’t cut it. Wearing Rainbow flip-flops while acting like a drunken meathead doesn’t really make anyone cool.

Hope this helps. If you want specific names of places to go to, let me know as I've made the rounds in Santa Monica for the past 3 years.

Hey Westcoast,

Do you mind if I ask... which firm do you work for in Santa Monica? I'm working at a BB at a relatively small office in westwood. I know most of the banks are in century city, and didn't realize there were that many banks here in santa monica.

Here's the biggest joke about LA... unless you know someone who can get you on a "list" for the swankiest clubs in the city, you're stuck in a f'n line feeling like a total loser. To boot, most all places close at like 2 AM, so if you got to a club at say 10:00 (which is way early) and you're stuck in line until about 11:00, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!? That's why these house parties in the hollywood hills or Manhattan Beach etc. are better because there's no freakin' LA curfew.

As far as a place in Santa Monica, I've been to a wine bar called "Bodega" a little too often :-)

Party promoters rent out the Playboy Mansion for parties about twice a year. Guys pay between $1,000-1,500 for a ticket, girls pay the same but they can get on the "list" if they send face and body shots (no joke: you're hot, you're in). It's really not a big deal if you feel like blowing that much cash, but Hef's not there and neither are the playmates.

Hollywood Hill parties: not that cool. No one knows anybody but pretend they do and you end up talking to a bunch of "industry" douches.

By the way "Bodega" is a good addition to SM. The happy hour's tremendous as you can score a $3 Stella and some decent food.