IGX

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:I live in Boston now, I'm not sure the cost of living will be much worse. I want to get out of this city for a while and this is the opportunity, it's just a two year commitment. It's possible that I could keep my current job but I'm not sure yet and don't want to ask until I've got something else lined up.

Soooo it doesn't seem like me working in Newport beach and her working in DT LA is an option, amirite?

You are 100% right.

If this is just a two year deal, a young couple can have a ton of fun in SoCal. Hollywood, LA Zoo, Santa Barbara, jaunts up the coast, sunny warm winters and much much more. But....everything that's been said here regarding traffic has not been overstated. It literally becomes your life and people in SoCal discuss commutes and traffic jams the way other people discuss the weather. SoCal is the only place I ever lived where there were huge Sunday evening traffic jams as people returned home from weekend getaways.

People with more contemporary knowledges might feel differently but if your wife works in downtown LA, you might want to take a look at the Pasadena area..nice hills, Cal Tech, etc. Don't even think of living in Orange County.

Also, what's been said about ghettos and nice areas being adjacent to each other is true. Slums can also be less obvious than they are in the east.

WildGorillaMan wrote:

BucketHead wrote:

Bedlam 1946 wrote:the 5

Only in CA are the highways proper nouns

They are in many places.

The WildGorillaMan has spoken

Dan Martin wrote:LA is awesome.

I expected to hate L.A. and it's pretty great in the nice parts.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:I live in Boston now, I'm not sure the cost of living will be much worse. I want to get out of this city for a while and this is the opportunity, it's just a two year commitment. It's possible that I could keep my current job but I'm not sure yet and don't want to ask until I've got something else lined up.

Soooo it doesn't seem like me working in Newport beach and her working in DT LA is an option, amirite?

You are 100% right.

If this is just a two year deal, a young couple can have a ton of fun in SoCal. Hollywood, LA Zoo, Santa Barbara, jaunts up the coast, sunny warm winters and much much more. But....everything that's been said here regarding traffic has not been overstated. It literally becomes your life and people in SoCal discuss commutes and traffic jams the way other people discuss the weather. SoCal is the only place I ever lived where there were huge Sunday evening traffic jams as people returned home from weekend getaways.

People with more contemporary knowledges might feel differently but if your wife works in downtown LA, you might want to take a look at the Pasadena area..nice hills, Cal Tech, etc. Don't even think of living in Orange County.

Also, what's been said about ghettos and nice areas being adjacent to each other is true. Slums can also be less obvious than they are in the east.

This is what I'm thinking- no more fucking snow, no more driving around for an hour looking for a parking spot, no more tiny ass apartment, better beaches, TJ, etc. Plus, we're actually getting married in January and if we do decide to have kids towards the end of the stay out there the maternity leave is double what's required in Mass. Seeing as though this isn't a long term thing I don't give a fuck about the state's fiscal problems, I already live in Taxxachusetts anyway.

You live in most big metro areas in this nation and you deal with traffic, high taxes and high rent... CA is not exclusive to that. Boston, NYC, Chicago, Miami and Philly are also on that list.

There are perks to living in a major metropolitan area that you will never get in the burbs or sticks. Cultural events, shit to do besides count fireflies and have bonfires with the same fucking people time after time, etc.. Not that there is anything wrong with those things but if you are even considering moving to LA you are obviously the kind of person that would enjoy it.

So forget about high taxes, traffic, blah blah, make the best of it and have fun

Lived in SoCal for five years. Since I moved away, ever year, from December to March, I miss the weather but not much else. There are cool things about the area, for sure, but there are so many other things about that region that absolutely suck I would only move back if I simply had no other choice.

How's your Spanish, BTW?

Yo no hablo español (I had to google that)

We're heading out to LA next Thursday and will presumably have some time to explore neighborhoods. Most of her colleagues live in Santa Monica. We are also considering checking out Manhattan and Long Beach areas. Can someone local give me a rundown?

I understand that not many people live in the city but I'm not really keen on moving out to the burbs so I'm interested in opinions of the hoods closer to downtown.

Since we'll be on the corp account- also looking for restaurant suggestions and shit to do on the weekend.

TIA

Also- if anyone knows where I might be able to find a Pliny it would be much appreciated.

Compared to Boston, LA County is all suburb.

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:Yo no hablo español (I had to google that)

If you're moving to a foreign country, you should try to learn the language.

Yesterday my brother told me a story about when he was traveling the country looking for the perfect place to start his business. He found a building that he wanted to buy on the central coast of Cali but it had an ugly palm tree in the back yard that he wanted to cut down. Well, he wasn't allowed to cut it down w/o a license AND he had to pay $700 to have another tree planted somewhere else in California. Getting the picture he asked what other gov't rules and regs he had to consider. Turns out that he'd have to interact with 27 different gov't agencies including an Indian group that would sift around in the soil to see if artifacts were present. He said farewell to California forever and established his business in Florida.

Now this from the Chicago Tribune

While America's debate over immigration has been dominated recently by crackdowns in states like Arizona and Alabama, California legislators are trying to turn that tide with a bill to protect illegal immigrants that they dub the "anti-Arizona."

Last week, the top U.S. court upheld the most controversial aspect of Arizona's immigration statute: a requirement that police officers check the immigration status of people they stop, even for minor offenses such as jay-walking.

Enter California, a border state that is home to the largest number of illegal immigrants, most of whom are Hispanic, and is considerably more liberal than its neighbor Arizona.

A bill currently working its way through the California legislature would block local law enforcement from referring a detainee to immigration officials for deportation unless that person has been convicted of a violent or serious felony.

Mexifornia is el condenado (doomed).

Alright fuckers, I pulled the trigger on this move. Wifey's been out here since March and we saw some apartments today. Santa Monica and Brentwood.

Is there shit to do in Brentwood? I know there is some stuff on San vicente but it doesnt seem to be as fun as SM. the place we saw in Brentwood was pretty awesome but I'm worried about being far away from the bars/restaurants in SM.

I'll be working market hours in century city and she's only in the downtown office once a week so we should be fine commuting from the beach.

Santa Monica.

How old are you and the wife?

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:Alright fuckers, I pulled the trigger on this move. Wifey's been out here since March and we saw some apartments today. Santa Monica and Brentwood.

Is there shit to do in Brentwood? I know there is some stuff on San vicente but it doesnt seem to be as fun as SM. the place we saw in Brentwood was pretty awesome but I'm worried about being far away from the bars/restaurants in SM.

I'll be working market hours in century city and she's only in the downtown office once a week so we should be fine commuting from the beach.

You were warned dumbass.

We're turning 30 later this year.

Went out in brentwood last night, bar Toscana, it was good but all the people in there seemed fuckin snooty and the whole place just had this pretentious vibe. Plus we seemed like the youngest people in there. Or close to it. Tavern the night before, same deal but to a lesser degree. It that pretty much how this area is? Gonna have a hard time finding a "local" around there.

The thing is, the apartments in brentwood seemed to be nicer at the same price point, especially the kitchens. The few places we saw in Santa Monica had kitchens from the 70s, literally 40 year old cabinets that had been repainted a hundred times, old ass appliances,etc. Or were the yuppie-buildings which are carpeted, lacking character, and expensive.

I'd imagine well still end up going out down by main st and abbot Kinney or wherever else in santa Monica. So I guess the question is, is that going to be a pain in the ass if we live in Brentwood?

Yes, it is. Don't live in Brentwood.

Gut it out and go to Santa Monica. OJ used to live in Brentwood. Before, well, you know.

I

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:We're turning 30 later this year.

Went out in brentwood last night, bar Toscana, it was good but all the people in there seemed fuckin snooty and the whole place just had this pretentious vibe. Plus we seemed like the youngest people in there. Or close to it. Tavern the night before, same deal but to a lesser degree. It that pretty much how this area is? Gonna have a hard time finding a "local" around there.

The thing is, the apartments in brentwood seemed to be nicer at the same price point, especially the kitchens. The few places we saw in Santa Monica had kitchens from the 70s, literally 40 year old cabinets that had been repainted a hundred times, old ass appliances,etc. Or were the yuppie-buildings which are carpeted, lacking character, and expensive.

I'd imagine well still end up going out down by main st and abbot Kinney or wherever else in santa Monica. So I guess the question is, is that going to be a pain in the ass if we live in Brentwood?

I find that the closer you get to an address that people seek because it its eliteness, the greater the preponderance of snooty assholes.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:We're turning 30 later this year.

Went out in brentwood last night, bar Toscana, it was good but all the people in there seemed fuckin snooty and the whole place just had this pretentious vibe. Plus we seemed like the youngest people in there. Or close to it. Tavern the night before, same deal but to a lesser degree. It that pretty much how this area is? Gonna have a hard time finding a "local" around there.

The thing is, the apartments in brentwood seemed to be nicer at the same price point, especially the kitchens. The few places we saw in Santa Monica had kitchens from the 70s, literally 40 year old cabinets that had been repainted a hundred times, old ass appliances,etc. Or were the yuppie-buildings which are carpeted, lacking character, and expensive.

I'd imagine well still end up going out down by main st and abbot Kinney or wherever else in santa Monica. So I guess the question is, is that going to be a pain in the ass if we live in Brentwood?

I find that the closer you get to an address that people seek because it its eliteness, the greater the preponderance of snooty assholes.

Figured this was the deal w brentwood, but easnt totally sure. Not really my type of place.

baffled wrote:Yes, it is. Don't live in Brentwood.

Gut it out and go to Santa Monica. OJ used to live in Brentwood. Before, well, you know.

I

He got framed for murder?

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:

baffled wrote:Yes, it is. Don't live in Brentwood.

Gut it out and go to Santa Monica. OJ used to live in Brentwood. Before, well, you know.

I

He got framed for murder?

Never found the real killer....

Santa Monica is a cool place. Brentwood is a really nice place, but it's not for the 40 and under crowd.

I'll be 30 this summer and would never consider living in Brentwood, even if I could afford it. Which of course, I can't.

Expand your horizons a bit before committing to Santa Monica. You may want to look a bit further south: Manhattan Beach, Redondo all have nice spots, and if you don't mind a bit further of a drive in to downtown Palos Verdes is worth a look.

Brentwood is chock full of a-holes.

Stay out of trouble! They are pushing for illegals and non citizens to be allowed on Jury duty there.

When I was younger there was a lot I wanted to go and see out there but the more Californians I talk too the more fucked up the place sounds.

I'd rather see the woods in BatBoyville now.