Thinking of moving to L.A

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Permalink Reply by Afrokitty on February 4, 2010 at 7:26pm

Everyone I know that has moved out here either loves it or hates it.
L.A. is VAST. There is no central point. Instead their are mini mini communities and if you are lucky, have ok income, and a brave attitude, you just might find yourself a pretty sweet spot.

But overall it is expensive. Do not underestimate the expense. I always tell people that if you can make it in L.A. you can make it anywhere. But if you are already having a hard time where you are at, think about it ten times and just go with your gut.

- la native

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Permalink Reply by Miss Lashea on February 4, 2010 at 7:40pm

Ok, cool thanks for the info....I will definitely have to make a trip out there. But yeah I am keeping my options open....but thanks again for taking the time out to answer me...helps me out a lot.

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Permalink Reply by frodeep on February 14, 2010 at 8:28pm

Where are you coming from? What's driving you to L.A.? Your motive for moving to L.A. may have an affect on your experience. I have a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles. I totally dig the amount of free events in the city. On any given weekend you may find free admittance to art galleries, cultural events, parades, movie screenings, celebrities receiving a star on hollywood, tv shows, etc. During the summer, downtown and surrounding cities have free outdoor music concerts. The L.A. area has farmers markets that sell incredible fruits and vegetables that are unavailable in other parts of the country. If you like sun and no seasons, L.A. offers that as well. -----------If you're coming from NY or San Franscisco, L.A. cost of living won't shock you much. You may find a decent place in Koreatown, for $750/mo. or up (some apartments there have old art deco feel with hardwood floors and built ins, but parking there sucks and its not a fun place to walk around unless you're near Wilshire). A nice place in the L.A. area may run you over $1200/mo. It depends on your taste, whether you choose to rent or own, and what amenities you want from your neighborhood. Some artsy types enjoy Silverlake, Venice, Little Tokyo, and live/work warehouse renovations in downtown. ----------The downside for me is that I'm used to having good transportation. L.A. offers bus/train, but its not always convenient, and some modes don't offer 24/7 service. I also got nostalgic for NY pizza, snow, changing leaves, trees, effortless green lawns, and sincere conversation. My friend best summarized a typical meet and greet in L.A. as What do you do, where do you live, what kind of car do you drive? Then afterwords, the networking takes place to see if being a friend is of material value. The good side of this is, people like to talk and you can learn from some of the words they say, but don't get caught up if money and "can you give me a ride" or "would you like to see my incredible apartment" comes up in conversation. The majority of my interactions with people, even middle-aged ones, led me to believe that most Los Angelians were trapped in a high school mindset and ignored the truth about there well-being and there talent or lack- thereof. Perhaps this was just the experience I had, because my job moved me to L.A. when I would have rather lived in Canada or Washington State. After a few years, I became less bitter, stopped comparing L.A. to other places I've lived, and ended up having a better time ;-) I had to remain aware that I have the power to control my environment regardless of the city I live in. After the realization, I started visiting more galleries, concerts, and investing time in people I felt would be loyal, reliable, and trustworthy. I finally left last year to return to grad school, but depending on where the jobs are, I might be back in California after graduation. When I return, I'll try to avoid L.A. all together and move to one of the cities/towns that I've grown to like. Take time and enjoy surfing the www. Check out http://www.rent.com or craigslist for apartment prices. http://flavorpill.com/losangeles for Art. http://www.laweekly.com/ for music and events. http://lafreebee.com/ for free things to do in L.A. If you have any questions, send me a message. Hopefully, more people can chime in to give the good, so you can make a healthy decision. Depending on what you're looking for you may also want to consider cool talent-focused cities like Brooklyn, NY and Austin, TX. Take Care

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Permalink Reply by Miss Lashea on February 14, 2010 at 11:26pm

@frodeep, I think your response by far has given me the most thorough feedback, not to take anything away from everyone else who took the time out to respond. But thanks frodeep for going more into detail and sharing your experience. Anywho, to answer some of your questions, what draws me to this city in particular is the seemingly "laid-backness"(I know this is not a word, lol but work with me) of the town. Even though I've heard stories about the traffic and also some stories about stuck-up people there....I've also heard about the laid-back, down to earth people there as well; and that is one of the traits that draws me to people. Here in little rock, alot of people are "bible fanatics" and "stuck-up", especially the people I see on a day to day basis, they are stuck in this mindset and I am on a whole nother level. I am not like most people here "who look like me" if you know what I mean....and that kind of get's in the way. And also for the career I am looking to go into, I would have to move closer to the bigger cities; so it's not just a "wanting to meet different people" thing, it's more of a "life-changing....need a change of secenary, type of thing...yanno" so...and also being able to meet more people who , again "look like me" who are into the rock music scene as well as the metaphysical, and other things as well. Not saying that's all they'd have to be into, just that it would be refreshing to find other black folks, who aren't so scattered out, (in one place). I am definitely aware of the cost of living and such...I am trying to plan on coming out there to visit before I decide to move out there; just to get a feel for it and to see if it is what I am hoping it is. I am definitely doing my research....thanks again, to everyone who has commented.

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Permalink Reply by blaqvenus on February 16, 2010 at 4:44pm

So true, I feel the sam way..

Afrokitty said:

Everyone I know that has moved out here either loves it or hates it.
L.A. is VAST. There is no central point. Instead their are mini mini communities and if you are lucky, have ok income, and a brave attitude, you just might find yourself a pretty sweet spot.

But overall it is expensive. Do not underestimate the expense. I always tell people that if you can make it in L.A. you can make it anywhere. But if you are already having a hard time where you are at, think about it ten times and just go with your gut.

- la native

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