Moving To and Living In Los Angeles

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Chiggs

Chiggs

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I believe I could potentially get a lucrative job offer in Los Angeles in the next several weeks. Currently living in Denver, Colorado right now and I enjoy the city quite a bit, but I have been there for five years now and change is usually a good thing.

Things I know about LA

1. Traffic is terrible
2. Freeways are horrendous
3. Cost of living is higher than normal

The job itself would be located in El Segundo. I've visited the area a couple of times and it seems okay to me. A big plus is that the folks at Square Enix are right down the street so I can annoy them on their breaks and provide insightful commentary on what should be included in the FF7 remake for PS4.

Any tips for moving to LA or living in it? Just looking for some insight into daily life there, be it pros or cons.
 
Gas prices are nuts...you're probably better off taking the bus.

But then that all depends on travel and vehicle too. The traffic really isn't a joke out here.
 
You pretty much nailed it TC. Also, expect that everything you ever want to do, there are about 5 million other people with the exact same idea, whether that be going to the beach or theme parks or whatever.

I grew up in SoCal and Ive spent some time in Denver, IMO, you are downgrading.
 
DrGonzo615 said:
You pretty much nailed it TC. Also, expect that everything you ever want to do, there are about 5 million other people with the exact same idea, whether that be going to the beach or theme parks or whatever.

I grew up in SoCal and Ive spent some time in Denver, IMO, you are downgrading.
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But I've got a unique screenplay idea!
 
Fictive said:
Gas prices are nuts...you're probably better off taking the bus.
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Only if he has 2 1/2 hours to get everywhere he wants to go.

Chiggs said:
Any tips for moving to LA or living in it? Just looking for some insight into daily life there, be it pros or cons.
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LA doesn't come to you, you have to go to it. Do some research into the subjects/hobbies you enjoy and find out what's happening related to them in the LA area. You'll never run out of things to do.

Related, LA is only as good as your social support network. Make some friends ASAP. This generally isn't too hard to do, as most people here are from out of town and are also looking for people to hang out with.

If you're working in El Segundo, I wouldn't live much further north than Culver City.

You'll need a car if you don't already have one. Ignore the "take the bus" people, they're crazy. If you can afford a car, it's by far the best option. Note that "best" does not necessarily mean "good."

Learn side streets and alternate routes. Knowing which parallel local streets have lights at major cross streets can mean the difference between it taking 30 minutes to get somewhere versus 10 minutes. Only suckers sit in Fairfax traffic.

The pizza here sucks, on the whole. Just be ready for that. The Korean and Mexican food is fantastic, however.

Enjoy yourself and get outside when you can. As someone told me when I first moved to LA, "This is a ridiculous city, but it's not a bad place to live." If you can roll with the absurdities of the place, it's a surprisingly good time.
 
Gas is cheap but get used to driving if you don't live in selective neighborhoods.everything is a short drive off. I love living in socal
 
El Segundo is pretty great. From my experience it's quite safe and a good community with plenty to do. Traffic and parking is the worst part of Socal, but you're in for a good time.
 
I'm looking to do the opposite! Denver is my end goal. I'm getting the hell out of this ridiculously overpriced and overpopulated state.

RIP OP.
 
I moved here from Alabama and I'm actually enjoying it way more than I expected to. Really, the only major annoyance is traffic/parking, because it truly is as bad if not worse than everyone says. There's some funky stuff in this town (some people really are fucking nuts!), but I'd say there's no need to stress about moving here. It's not a hard city to get acclimated to.
 
Fictive said:
Gas prices are nuts...you're probably better off taking the bus.

But then that all depends on travel and vehicle too. The traffic really isn't a joke out here.
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On the flipside, I really really would hate to live in LA and take the bus. Traffic isn't ideal but at least you're in your own space and in more control of when you get to where you want to go. Plus, it's hot and uncomfortable to stand ouside in LA. (Also as Matt said, they take forever. It's not like taking the subway in NYC.)

OP, we used to live near El Segundo, on the Redondo Beach/Torrance border. Traffic would not be nearly as bad coming to work from the Beach Cities vs. LA proper, so that'd be a big plus for you. That area is gorgeous, a bit more affordable, and a great cultural melting pot with plenty of excellent shops and restaurants of all shapes and sizes. Not to mention lots of beach. We were a 10 min walk from the beach. We felt pretty safe there, too. Just a terrific area and we loved living there.
 
Congrats! LA is an incredible place to live (horrible, terrible place to visit).

Once you get used to the flow, the traffic isn't nearly as horrendous as it seems, as long as you live in an area fairly simpatico with your work.

For El Segundo I would look into one of the beach city areas, Redondo B, Hermosa B, Venice, or Inglewood, Culver City, Torrance for inland areas.
 
Live close to work. El Segundo is nice so you have plenty of options.

There's a nice Trader Joe's right across the street from the Konami HQ building.

And you'll be close to the beach, too.

Vilam said:
My condolences. It's the worst big city in America.
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This is worse than your post in the ebola nurse thread.
 
Get a short lease somewhere to start. LA is a HUGE place. You need to "find" your spots. I really didn't like living in LA until I figured out what areas I enjoyed. Just find those. You probably won't want to live too far from work, though, unless your hours allow you to avoid traffic. California is awesome. There's a reason the real estate is absurd.
 
All your assumptions are correct, OP.

I'd also recommend living in Torrance. It's close enough to El Segundo but far enough where it feels suburban and cozy, and you won't find better Japanese food than what's available there.
 
I love the metro rail. Too bad it costs me time and money to get to it unless I plan ahead. If I lived near a station it would be awesome.


Torrance is underated.
 
El Segundo is pretty nice and walkable. If you would be working there, I would try to live close by. I work near LAX but live in Pasadena and the commute is so brutal, the biggest piece of advice I can give is live close to your work.

LA is great though. Always stuff to do, perfect weather (minus the drought), lots of stores that break video game street dates.
 
Guys/girls, thanks for the insight. Keep it coming.

I'll definitely make it a point to live within walking/biking distance of work if at all possible. Commutes suck. I had a 1.5 hour commute in Denver and it was terrible. It would just put me in such a horrible mood. As great as Denver is, its traffic is severely underrated. It's as bad as some of the larger metro areas I've been to.
 
No one takes the fucking bus, get outta here with that shit.
OP, we tend to bitch about traffic, but eventually you learn to just sort of deal with the ins and outs of each freeway. For every direct path to a place there are always alternate routes that can save you a shitload of time too. Just come with experience.
 
Chiggs said:
Guys/girls, thanks for the insight. Keep it coming.

I'll definitely make it a point to work within walking/biking distance of work if at all possible. Commutes suck. I had a 1.5 hour commute in Denver and it was terrible. It would just put me in such a horrible mood. As great as Denver is, its traffic is severely underrated. It's as bad as some of the larger metro areas I've been to.
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Nothing compares to LA. The only time there isn't traffic is 6am on Sunday morning.

I lived there for a few years and it was okay. LA is one of those cities that would be great if you were rich and had tons of free time. For a working stiff; not so much. That said, the weather is awesome, the food is excellent, the movie theaters are amazing, the girls are incredible looking, and the cars are stunning. But you'll literally waste half your life in traffic on the way to do anything.
 
studyguy said:
No one takes the fucking bus, get outta here with that shit.
OP, we tend to bitch about traffic, but eventually you learn to just sort of deal with the ins and outs of each freeway. For every direct path to a place there are always alternate routes that can save you a shitload of time too. Just come with experience.
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Two of my best friends take the bus to and from work every day. One of them doesn't even own a car, going on 6 or so years now.

Protip: get a Thomas Guide and get to know all the alleyways that run parallel to major streets.

Los+Angeles+November+2011+472.jpg
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^^^These alleys are all over the city and are primarily used for delivery trucks or residents going to their apartment building carports, but if you know where they are on your commute, it makes driving a breeze.
 
Chiggs said:
Guys/girls, thanks for the insight. Keep it coming.

I'll definitely make it a point to live within walking/biking distance of work if at all possible. Commutes suck. I had a 1.5 hour commute in Denver and it was terrible. It would just put me in such a horrible mood. As great as Denver is, its traffic is severely underrated. It's as bad as some of the larger metro areas I've been to.
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I recently moved from Boston to Denver to get away from the traffic. It's pretty bad if you need to use the I25 for any reason during peak times. Fortunately I only need to use the 70 west of the 25 so I don't have many problems with the traffic. Denver's a great town but I would understand why you'd want to move to try something different. It'll take a really good job offer for me to leave.

What I noticed with west coast cities (or many of our cities for that matter) is that a lot of them are designed for the car which makes growth difficult and a nightmare as that just brings in more traffic as long as people keep building sprawled out subdivisions for housing and business.

I've also considered moving to LA in the future as that's where most of my girlfriend's family is so this thread is helpful.
 
TheKaeptain said:
Bullshit. The traffic's only shit around rush hour and when Obama is in town.
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Maybe that's your perception; I have friends who were born and raised in LA and they don't think it's that bad, but I certainly think it's the worst I've ever experienced. And I live in NoVA, which is usually ranked #2 in worst traffic. The only time I didn't encounter a jam somewhere was early, early mornings.
 
ezrarh said:
I recently moved from Boston to Denver to get away from the traffic. It's pretty bad if you need to use the I25 for any reason during peak times. Fortunately I only need to use the 70 west of the 25 so I don't have many problems with the traffic. Denver's a great town but I would understand why you'd want to move to try something different. It'll take a really good job offer for me to leave.
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Like you said, Denver is a great town. Really no complaints, but I do like to throw myself out of my comfort zone every now and then to spur growth.

The only criticism I can provide for Denver is this: get a beltway for Christ's sake. I-25 and I-225 can be absolute train wrecks from 4pm to 630pm.
 
Inner city traffic isn't even an issue, just learn to deal with that shit. It's getting around to everywhere else that requires some vehicle. I'd be hardpressed to have to ask someone else for a ride to get around all of LA and Southern California in general. LA alone is a big ass fucking place, and if you're moving to California you might as well experience everything else we have out here, it a lot and all of it is spread the fuck out.
 
Vilam said:
My condolences. It's the worst big city in America.
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Not even close.

U n i o n 0015 said:
Nothing compares to LA. The only time there isn't traffic is 6am on Sunday morning.
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Totally untrue. Rush hour is terrible, but that's true of any city. Overall Boston and DC are much worse, and Denver, Houston, and San Francisco are just as bad. Stay off the freeways in Los Angeles and half your traffic problems are solved already.
 
TheKaeptain said:
Bullshit. The traffic's only shit around rush hour and when Obama is in town.
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It also depends where you're coming from. For example, Culver City is closer to El Segundo than Torrance is, but your commute could very well take longer because traffic is so bad around there.

I've also found that, like how Gotham manufactures villains to suit Batman, LA will manufacture traffic just for you. Driving around late at night with no other cars around? Freeway closure. Take a detour. Freeways all clear? Lane closure. No lanes closed? A cop will show up and slow everyone down with his serpentine driving move.
 
PseudoKirby said:
pick the SF bay area instead, much better place!
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I probably would if the job was located there. SF is beautiful. But the costs.... I mean, they rival NYC.
Septimus Prime said:
It also depends where you're coming from. For example, Culver City is closer to El Segundo than Torrance is, but your commute could very well take longer because traffic is so bad around there.

I've also found that, like how Gotham manufactures villains to suit Batman, LA will manufacture traffic just for you. Driving around late at night with no other cars around? Freeway closure. Take a detour. Freeways all clear? Lane closure. No lanes closed? A cop will show up and slow everyone down with his serpentine driving move.
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LOL, that's awesome.
 
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