Moving to LA: yay or nay?

[NicolettaRose]

Like many San Franciscans I'm lost and confused as soon as I pass the city limits, but I do go through San Rafael nearly every weekend. I know absolutely nothing about that area except that I do anti-death penalty work and that's where San Quentin is. I take the long, boring 2-hour bus ride out there and have never seen anything interesting along the way.

From my very limited experience with the area it seems like a boring place to be and I can understand why you want to leave. And it seems like you're pretty much set on going to SoCal, so I wish you good luck and happiness down there!

San Rafael is a great city, full of diversity and stuff to do, Marin on the whole is a great place, very beautiful, but the house prices are insanely high. I recently saw a one bedroom, one bathroom fixer upper in a real estate magazine, they said " A bargain a only $999,000!", the rent in SF is insanely high as well. Marin is best left for people who are married with kids who don't want to go out on the weekends or at night. The nightlife is pretty abismal and some of the people are kind of stuck up and snobby.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I have a friend moving to Palm Springs from LA, and I have seen on Craigslist you can get a lot more for your money in Palm Springs rentwise, how far is the commute to LA?

Read Raymond Chandler's half-written novel Poodle Springs and you'll find out! Marlowe drives 3 hours back and forth over and over.

 

[NicolettaRose]

Read Raymond Chandler's half-written novel Poodle Springs and you'll find out! Marlowe drives 3 hours back and forth over and over.

When the novel was set, there probably wasn't the traffic there is today....

 

[Mike in Seattle]

When the novel was set, there probably wasn't the traffic there is today....

The novel was written pre-freeways, but Palm Springs is certainly not to be considered an LA suburb. In Chandler's time, it entailed a lot of driving on city streets & traffic lights stopping you until you got out of town onto the highways. As others have said, expect at least a 2 hour commute to LA...and LA's a pretty big area, and depending on what part you're heading for and what time of day you're hitting the road, the drive from the Springs might be two hour or it may take four hours or longer.

If you're already established in the Bay area, why not consider warmer, drier areas around there? Pleasanton/Livermore is definitely warmer and lower humidity than Marin or SF proper, and the BART ride is pretty do-able compared to driving the freeways.

But I think the best idea, if you're serious about such a drastic move, is visit some of the areas you're thinking of, check out "affordable" apartments (for some $500 a month is considered affordable, others wouldn't blink at $1500), prices in the area stores, if you're near the ammenities you want (shopping, theatre, customers, vendors, other items). As others have mentioned, the grass is always greener and there's usually a lot of "movers remorse" when you move a long way away from friends and family and areas you're used to, unless you've done your homework and are sure the move's really for you.

 

[Lincsong]

You never know until you've done it. So go on down, move and stay there for 18-24 months. You can always move back to gasp The Bay Area. (From a native Bay Area son)

 

[Mike in Seattle]

You never know until you've done it. So go on down, move and stay there for 18-24 months. You can always move but to gasp The Bay Area. (From a native Bay Area son)

Exactly.

 

[NicolettaRose]

You never know until you've done it. So go on down, move and stay there for 18-24 months. You can always move back to gasp The Bay Area. (From a native Bay Area son)

That's right, its not like I'm moving to China.

 

[Barbara]

"When asked if I like Los Angeles my pat response is "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here!" That is truly how I feel about it. There are pockets, rare ones, that offer some sense of neighborhood and community, but they are buffeted by far greater stretches of mini-malls, nail salons and uncalculable amounts of Starbucks. I don't like it here. It is the pernicious peak of conspicuous consumption; all flash, no substance. The entertainment industry is built on illusion and that illusion pervades the entire swath of land from Santa Barbara to San Diego, even for those whose closest contact to the movies is their weekly excursion to the multiplex. If there were a slogan on the license plates, ala "Live Free Or Die", I would suggest "The All About Me State". No humility. No character. History is to be plowed under."


I agree with Mr. Lucky, 100% I'm afraid. We moved here 5 years ago from London for work for my husband are raising a child here and everyday I cannot wait to leave. It is empty for me, devoid of a soul. Illusion is right. We have made good friends here, but it takes great effort to see people and great distances. If you are used to a walking city you will be disappointed. Pockets of nice architecture, pockets of culture, just pockets and in between, nothing. At least spend time here on an extended visit before you come. I suppose many will say it is the city for them, who can deny the beautiful weather, but that's not enough for me. I am constantly thinking about the day we will leave.

 

[NicolettaRose]

This is why I keep thinking back to Palm Springs. Several of my friends really seem to like this town.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Barbara's description of LA, taken to the 10th power, would be Palm Springs. A great place to visit, but to live there, expensive. Art Deco? Non-existent - most of the town was built after that. A 50 year old 1800 sq ft house needing a lot of work (new plumbing, a/c, roof) starts around $750K...if you're lucky. But again, check it out - hop in the car, it's only about a 6 hour drive from the Bay area. Spring break would be an excellent opportunity to see it at its most crowded - but not its worst. That would be August, when added to the crowds, it's 115. I love Palm Springs and the heat's not a big deal to me because we had a vacation home there when I was growing up, but lots has changed between the 60's & 70's and today. The small town feel's long-gone.

 

[ITG]

Housekeeping Note: moved from PR to OB.