A Year in Hollyweird.

For everyone, the new year is a point of reflection. This month marks a year since my fiance, Michael, and I moved out to Los Angeles.

Before I came to LA, I spent hours looking up advice on moving to Los Angeles. A city filled with transplants, there is endless information on moving and living in LA. The information is overwhelming and sometimes irrelevant, as many people come to LA for many different objectives. Therefore, it is difficult to make a comprehensive guide to schlepping across the country and moving to Los Angeles.

Trust me, there’s a lot of things I wish I did differently. But even if you take everyone’s advice for everything, you will still wish you did something differently.

However, I receive many requests for my sage-like wisdom people on moving to Los Angeles.

So, I decided to write a “most frequently asked questions” about LA, as the tone is more personal advice rather than an absolute. Moving somewhere is a big life change and everyone adjusts in different ways. That’s always my greatest piece of advice- take in things and apply it to yourself.

Michael and I’s first home-cooked meal in LA. So young and innocent.

How is the weather?

Sunny. Very sunny. I assume you expected this. Last January and February, there was an incredible rain season with flooding of Biblical proportions. The main roads in the valley looked like mountain streams. But once May hit, I do not think I saw rain for a solid six months. When visiting Michael’s relatives in Minnesota, I watched a normal rainstorm with a child’s delight.

But yes, it is sunny. So much so that it can get super old sometimes. However, it never gets too hot, which is super cool. In North Carolina, it is heat hell from May 15th until September 30th. I do not think it hit eighty until early July. And Southern California is rather diverse, so you can find snow. It is not Florida where you suffer in 100 degree humidity in November. Allegedly, there are ski resorts two hours away. Michael and I are thinking about going up to Big Bear but I am nervous about driving along snowy mountains.

 

Is the traffic really that bad?

Yes. It’s terrible. And it’s not only slow, but it’s bad at all times of the day. In the city, by the beach, in the valley, everywhere. All the time. When you think it cannot be that bad, it is that bad. I can never imagine living in Los Angeles without a car. Maybe if I lived downtown or somewhere close to their work, but you will need some sort of automobile to get around. Also, because Southern California, California, and The West have so much physical beauty to offer, it is a good idea to have a car, if only for exploration.

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as Joshua National Park are only possible by car.

In LA, car culture is everything. It affects not only sitting in traffic, but your commute, your relationships, and your errands. Car culture is what I dislike most about Los Angeles and why I don’t think I could ever live there for life. Everything about Los Angeles runs on car culture, for better or worse.

And for all the New Yorkers out there, do not jaywalk. Legally, pedestrians have the right of way, but that’s not how it works. You will get hit. And the law will not be on your side.

Is there really no public transportation?

There is public transit! I take the red line into downtown. The red line is about a half-mile walk from my house. While a bit expensive and infrequent, from my experience, the train is clean and functions well. LA understands the need for public transit and for what it’s worth, I think city officials genuinely care. LA’s public transit is rapidly growing. However, there is only so fast a city can build and LA is only getting bigger and sprawl-ier. Public transit is useful when it is there, but LA is huge and living by a transit station comes at a price. I was lucky with my housing situation, but I will address that later.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown- close to public transit. What a time to be alive!

There are some bike lanes, but generally, the city is not designed for bikers. Biking can be unsafe around the city. Same with scooters. Especially scooters. The scooter issue is atrocious. I know we all want to be more environmentally friendly. However, please stop using Lime. Scooters are new and there is limited regulation and/or enforcement. I was almost hit by a Lime several times on the sidewalk, and I almost hit a Lime-er going up the canyon on a blind turn…at night.  Please- be safe.

Where should I live?

Short answer-close to work as per above. I highly recommend doing extensive research on neighborhoods as there are so many variables to unpack. I live in a section of The Valley that is very urban. I am very happy with my neighborhood choice but I did an enormous amount of research. For example, not only could I never afford to live in western LA, but the vibe around those neighborhoods in not my thing. I am a cranky old man with a short temper around hipsters so no Silverlake or Echo Park for me. A simple Google search will mention that Hollywood proper is the worst place on Earth. Downtown is too expensive. Koreatown is too hit or miss if you are first moving to LA. There are places in the valley that are way too far and/or remind me of the lost dreams of suburbia. Michael and I have friends in Hollywood so we did not want to move further south than Downtown.

And of course, commute.

Do you see celebrities?

No. But take that with a grain of salt, as I am oblivious to today’s celebrities. I do have a super fun story about hiking onto the set of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Michael and I took a hike around the Griffith Park abandoned zoo when suddenly, we come across a concession stand and a bunch of people in uniforms. It turns out that we walked onto the TV set of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

The cool thing about Los Angeles is that well, duh, you are located near the entertainment industry. So there are some amazing things and events of which you can take advantage. For example, Michael and I attended the “El Camino” event at The Alamo, where some cast members of “Breaking Bad” made an appearance, including Aaron Paul. And I love the excitement of finding a film location of a movie or TV show I love. I even saw the drive-in next to my office on TV the other day. That’s super neat. And hell, I drive past the Disney animation studio on the way to work.

A unique menu from the El Camino event.

Is Los Angeles really that expensive?

Short answer- yes. Rent is out of this world. This means that restaurants and stores are expensive since their rent is expensive. Electricity is expensive. Car insurance is expensive. Gas is so high that there is an investigation to see if prices are rigged.

But also….I mean…there are so many cities that are outrageously expensive. For example, Michael and I were thinking about moving to Boston a year-and-a-half ago, and I can say with confidence that Boston rent was more expensive. New York City rent is more expensive. I know that rent in SF is more expensive. So if you are coming from North Dakota to Los Angeles, yes, it will be super expensive. It will also be expensive from a larger city like Atlanta or Denver. But the cost of living in the US is just pretty outrageous now. So while I think LA is expensive, it’s not the worst.

On that note, the homeless crisis is abhorrent and should be declared a national emergency. The city is not asking fast enough, and while many suffer from addiction and mental illness, hard times can fall on anyone. My biggest advice for expenses is to come with an ample amount of money and have an emergency plan. Homelessness is no joke. Thousands of people year end up on the street where many have limited access to upward mobility. Be smart. 6 more months of saving is not long in the grand scheme of things.

How do I find housing?

Short answer- research. As mentioned, I was very lucky regarding my housing situation, but that was because of research. I ended up receiving an amazing deal but rent is still a hefty sum.

I recommend finding a “boutique” landlord. You are more likely to find someone more understanding. In my experience, large complexes are more likely to screw people over with rent increases and annoying rent applications. But then again, complexes have cool facilities and I know people who like their facilities. For me personally, I am rather easy to please in that department.

Some people come to LA and sublet. I don’t know anyone who has ever sublet. Subletting is probably the same as everywhere else- hit or miss. In terms of roommates, Michael is my roommate. I know people who have success with Facebook roommates and others who are living in Hell. My advice is be smart.

I am an *insert creative thing here.* Should I move to LA?

People ask me this quite a bit. For those of you who do not know, my fiance, Michael, is in the industry. We came to LA for more job/creative opportunities and a new adventure. One of my favorite thing about LA is that if you are in a creative industry, people get it. People understand the odd hours and non-traditional work situations. It is a lot easier to pursue writing in LA. Creative opportunities abound.

There is a revolving door of transplants in Los Angeles. They are usually 20-something transplants who were their small town’s hot shit. But alas, within a year, they realize that they are not hot shit enough for LA and end up going home. Which is not the end of the world. If you are not happy in LA, then what’s the point in staying? I hear a lot of actors and musicians who complain about LA and ya know, just go. There is no point in suffering. In my honest opinion, more artists and creative industries in different cities is a great thing.

My general observation is if you are really good and have lots of experience, LA is a good place. If you were the star in your school play, LA is so not worth it.

Is everyone in LA full of themselves?

I mean, you can’t judge the second largest American city with a single stereotype, but uh…no. LA locals and immigrants are generally really cool.

The LA stereotype you are thinking about are the 20-something transplants who were their small town’s hot shit. I referenced these guys above. They are a revolving door of people who are gone within a year when they confront their mediocrity, and then a new crop comes by. I see it all the time. And I know it sounds trite, even harsh, but it is true. I always tell people- it’s select transplants who create the snobbish, materialistic stereotype of Los Angeles. Of course, there are transplants who are freaking awesome. But yes, there is a subset of people who are incredibly materialistic. Then again, I also aspects of American society promote greed and materialism. I have a post about Joshua Tree National Park where I write at length about this subject.

Me, trying to be cool and hip.

That is where I will leave it for today, everyone! I think this helps a lot more than sporadic musings about my life in LA the past year. It can be super tough some days but then super great. Let me know if you have any more questions or if there is anything LA-related you would like to see in the New Year. Happy 2020!