Possibility Of Moving to Santa Monica...any advice?

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In a few weeks I'm gonna be checking out Santa Monica and the surrounding area....

Never been to the cali...never been anywhere west of Chicago...

But there's a strong possibility I may take a job out there, provided I like the area and environment.

Anybody have any input on the area? Scenary? Night life? Cities surrounding the area? etc etc

I've done a lot of basic research but havent heard from anyone straight up so I was just curious if anyone has anything to say about it...

thanks ahead of time
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hahahaha I hope you're getting a good paying job.

I live in West LA, but its Santa Monica adjacent (short walk to the city boundary line)

I was born and raised in so cal, so its hard for me to compare it to much else, but I did grow up in Orange County which according to some folk, is night and day different than LA. I've lived up in this area for about 3 years now and I love it.

Granted this is just my personal opinion as a resident, so take it for what its worth.

Pros:
Can't beat the weather. It's fairly moderate at all times. It will sometimes get hot, but its more of a dryer heat, not humid. Being close to the coast, theres usually a nice breeze blowing in at all time. I would compare it to any other coastal so cal city. I dont know if its just global warming or not but I feel that it is SLIGHTLY warmer than some of the Orange County coastal areas (I grew up in Huntington Beach and both in HB and in LA I lived/live about 3-4 miles inland from the ocean)

It is a relatively safe area, well some parts more than others. I guess this just applies to my specific part of the city/area, but where I'm at, I have no problems walking around at night by myself, granted I am a larger sized dude. My girl goes running by herself around the neighborhood at night with little concern. In my 3 years I have never been a victim of crime, whether pickpocket, assault, anything.

Lots going on in close proximity. In SM proper there is always the promenade for shopping. That whole area is nice to walk around, not just 3rd street. For shoe shopping there is Active SM, Conveyor at Fred Segal, and a handful of other spots. LOTS of nice restaurants to eat at. There is also a nice area of bars and shopping just south of the Promenade towards Venice area where UNDFTD SM is. If you venture a bit East/NE there is Westwood which is a college town. Again, lots of walkable area to eat, shop, hangout. If you are smackdab in the middle of the city, I would say none of these areas are more than a 10 minute commute (not counting traffic).

Great area for foodies. If you like food like me, there are lots of good places to eat around here. From comfort foods like Pizza (there was a whole thread awhile back about best pizza in the city. My favorite place is Wildflour on Main St. across the st. from UNDFTD SM) to high end restaurants, you can pretty much find it all. If for some odd reason you cant find anything that you like in SM, theres a whole bunch of other restaurants near by in Bev Hills on La Cienega and the surrounding areas there.

Cons:
Gotta have a car. Can you get around with public transportation? I guess... I wouldn't know though because in my 27 years living in CA I have never ridden a bus. This doesnt just apply to SM though, pretty much all of so cal you need a car to get around.

Large homeless population. Especially around the beach area. They dont really bother me much unless they are begging for money, but if youre not used to seeing homeless people on every street corner it could be a bit of a shock.

Expensive. The cost of living is not like SF or NY, but its not cheap. I'm sure you've been looking for apts if you are seriously considering moving out here so you know what its like. A 1bd apt will run you bare minimum $1000. If you want something that doesnt have 20 year old carpet, linoleum, and an oven range as old as your grandmother, you will be looking at more than that. For example, I pay $1250 a month for a 1 bd and its not even that nice of an apt. I would say its a C level building, pretty average. If you want to live closer to the coast, an average 1bd is gonna be closer to $1400+. Gets pricey.

Traffic. Like most of LA you're going to be stuck in traffic. There is always traffic. Just becomes a part of life.

Overall the area is pretty mellow, a nice beach town. I think its a GREAT place to live if you are a young professional, 20's-30's in age.
UFC 60 Gracie v. Hughes​
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HAHAHAHA for all those who think that Gracie is gonna win, care to do a Sig bet (i know its lame, but i guess we cant really bet in person) Loser must keep a SIG made by the winner for a month. Anyone game?
NTer tinkerhatfield: aite im game...but youre like 4 sizes too small for me....i have some sz 12 retro ix's i'll definitely put up tho..

 
:wow:
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i never lived in Santa Monica, but i have friends that did and in the surrounding cities--West LA, Brentwood, Century City. i'll chime in later if other current/former residents don't. i gotta get some stuff done.


but to answer a couple of your ??'s right quick.......

--yes, they have "literal beach bums." some of those folks pull in a real decent amount of change, esp the ones that chill out on the 3rd St. Promenade, which is has one of the busiest shopping areas per sq ft in the US. i believe it's right up there w/the Caesars Palace Forum Shops.

--there is a public transit system in the Greater LA area, but it is embarrassingly inefficient. you are in for a real surprise/letdown coming from NYC. it's always puzzled me how one of the biggest and most reknown metropolitan cities in the world can have such a pi$#-poor public transit system. then again, SoCal is basically the car culture capital of the world.....hence, the horrendous traffic.
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it's always puzzled me how one of the biggest and most reknown metropolitan cities in the world can have such a pi$#-poor public transit system
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I didn't read the other posts, but like it was probably said already, it is expensive out here. Look around for a bit before you sign a 1 year lease. Craigslist is a good option. Don't live too far from where you work, the traffic is a pain in the *** and you don't want to waste 60-90 mins. each way in traffic, wasting gas (which is still over $3 out here).

Most of West LA is nice, but come look around before you settle for a place, pictures can be deceiving. The nice thing about West LA is you are near the freeway and the beach. Downtown (with no traffic) is not very far (you can come watch the Clippers and Lakers beat down on your Bulls, j/k unfortunately it might be the other way around. Holla at me if you are looking for tickets). There are a few bars down in Santa Monica that are ok to go out to. They are not exactly the hollywood scene, but convenient. Hollywood and the whole club scene is also not very far away (without traffic). I have no idea what you are making and what your lifestyle is. You will not get as much for your money as you probably did in Chicago. Culver City is a very affordable area, I used to live there. I live more towards UCLA right now which is West LA, just west of Santa Monica. Let me know what you would pay for a nice place and that would help as far as where to steer you.
Another tool you can use besides craigslist is westsiderentals. There is a fee, but they also have lots of listings.

I just saw someone trashing the transit system and while I do not ride it, I must agree that it is pretty poor, especially compared to the east coast and the bay area. The systems I have used and found to be great are: in the bay area (SF/Oakland etc), DC, and NY. I guess the bus is not bad, but unless there is an express route to where you want to go it is pretty bad. Send me a message to my inbox if you need more help or have questions. I don't have anymore time at the moment. Good luck.
Hit me up if you need penny foams!
tyclef1@hotmail.com
 
Whoops, I thought you were from Chicago, but I just saw you were from NY. Substitute Bulls for Knicks, and we will probably still have some problems against the Knicks this year.

If you are down to spend around 1500 you should be able to find somewhere pretty nice (century city, santa monica, brentwood, Marina Del Rey)
Hit me up if you need penny foams!
tyclef1@hotmail.com
 
Ayo I live in Los Angeles mid-city area and I want to live in Santa Monica/Venice/Marina del Rey when I get my funds up so its great in my book. Def pricey but I guarentee if you see the beach everyday youll be happy. @#%$ is so f'n peaceful.

Oh and the females in Santa Monica :wow:
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The bums? I can deal with that too but I dont really get it...They just hang out at the beach all day? They are literal beach bums?


yeah theres bums but their more around the Venice area which is south of Santa Monica. Still though, there are alot of bums but its nothing really. They dont really bug you that much. They should know that if they put up a "Give me money to smoke weed and do drugs" sign at Venice Beach they'll make a decent living :lol:
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man...i just moved here (to cali) this week...and i LOVE it..I am from Omaha, Nebraska...but i've spent the last year in dallas, tx.....I was told to NEVER move to cali but when I sat and thought about what people were saying everyone told me they loved cali but they moved away and/or told me not to move here for 2 reasons....1. the traffic 2. the cost of living.....and those both are true but to me the pros SUPER out weigh the bad....i wasn't gonna move here (cuz i thought i couldn't afford it) but after i came for a visit I was standing in line at burger king and I noticed they had a entire crew of workers..lol ...i thought to myself...THEY live here and i know I can double maybe triple what they make....so i can live here too..lol....I do agree with the earlier post which said you need to comeout here first and see the apartments for yourself......they will try to make it look nice online...lol but my advice is if u like the city life...make the move!
 
thanks a lot kidd...thats pretty encouraging

and yea, when im out there (end of july) im gonna check some places out. Probably fly out there again in september and if I like it, I'll visit again before a decision is made.

tyclef i appreciate the response


money aside, it seems as though everyone is pretty positive about the area...
References: Dstylesz, DippedinSauce, 160jordansdeep,John Nike VA, Comradess,mike493961, collie, whitetbluejeansnnikes...5 positive feedback points on ISS.com
 
Quote:
i thought to myself...THEY live here and i know I can double maybe triple what they make....so i can live here too..lol
UFC 60 Gracie v. Hughes​
Quote:
HAHAHAHA for all those who think that Gracie is gonna win, care to do a Sig bet (i know its lame, but i guess we cant really bet in person) Loser must keep a SIG made by the winner for a month. Anyone game?
NTer tinkerhatfield: aite im game...but youre like 4 sizes too small for me....i have some sz 12 retro ix's i'll definitely put up tho..
 
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