Okay, I just need to clarify: "west side" basically means everything between downtown Los Angeles and the ocean, right?

And when people mention "West LA", they're talking about the actual city named "West Los Angeles"?

Speeder, I think it was you that mentioned going from West LA to Santa Monica in 15 minutes... isn't that just two or three miles?

The problem with Sepulveda is the amount of time you spend sitting at red lights.

As I said, the devil is in the details. While Denis claims that Santa Monica is "the worst", having lived here for a couple of years, and in west LA (that is a semi-official area, bounded by Culver City on the south, Westwood on the north, Santa Monica on the west and Century City on the east) for 7 years before that, I don't find it the worst at all. Prior to that I lived in Pasadena, before that Claremont. So I've progressively moved west :D

If she has to be at UCLA 5 days a week, I'd want to live fairly close. And no, Thousand Oaks isn't necessarily "the valley" proper - it is even further west/north. You're in Ventura County at that point. But it also depends on where you end up working. Some couples who have jobs in different locations split the difference, others live close to one or the other. Some live close to neither for some reason(s). I don't get that - the last thing I want to do is waste my life in a car commuting to work in LA. imho that makes the place unlivable.

The problem with SM/west LA for commuting is the stretch along the east border of SM and just east of the 405. There are *a lot* of people who work in SM and live east. So around 5pm (plus or minus 2 hours) too many people are trying to get east. The 10 can be a parking lot, and the main E/W streets (SM Bl, Wilshire, Olympic, Pico) can be gridlocked. It can be really suck. I've been caught in it before when I had to be someplace at that particular time, but I'm usually able to avoid it. And for some reason yesterday there was almost no traffic going east.

I live in SM, work in Playa Vista. I can commute by fwy or surface streets, max time is 20min. My fiancee works in Valencia, but only has to be there 2-3 days out of the week, and once she gets past the nasty Sepulveda Pass section it usually isn't a bad commute.

I love Santa Monica other than the high housing costs. I can walk to the beach and to a ton of great restaurants. The air is clean and temps are reasonable in the summer. Yes, it is crowded, but you just need to understand the patterns and be in the right place. There are some places I wouldn't want to live in SM. Just like any other area. There are some areas of Pasadena I wouldn't want to live either.

Given your price range you should look in west LA (lots of UCLA students live there, but it can be congested), Culver City, Palms, even down to Venice or Marina del Rey. You could also look east to West Hollywood (I find that even more congested and is further from the freeways - one reason I don't like Hollywood/HancockPark/K-town but that is a personal bias). As you move east of Culver City south of the 10 it begins to get cheaper but also sketchier. You can also look in Brentwood and Pacific Palisades but I doubt you'll find anything for $1400 except maybe a studio.

You'll need to seriously reset your expectations if you move to the westside wrt housing. Assume you'll pay double or triple for the equivalent size you have now.

I agree with nearly everything in this post. Living in SM is the cat's ass if you work in Playa or any of the beach cities nearby. I love SM and started out in the SM canyon in 1982 but instead I've moved steadily east. From SM beach to Brentwood/Palisades/Beverly Glen canyon/Laurel canyon/K-town. :)

My world for the most part exists within the borders of DT/the valley/WeHo/Hollywood Hills. I don't have a normal commute and move very easily between all those places. I love the beach and have 3 or 4 close friends in Malibu that I visit, just not during drive-time. When I say that SM and the west side is "locked down", I mean that you cannot get in or out during either rush hour. I stick by that statement. But it's awesome if you don't have to leave.

As for the definitions of "west side" or "west L.A.", that's a good question. WLA is a definite geographical location as explained by Todd but people use "the west side" to mean anything west of them. There is a running joke in L.A. among hipsters that they either A) "Never go west of LaCienega" or B) Never go west of LaBrea/Vermont/downtown/etc. depending on just how hip they want to appear.

To someone in east L.A. or Highland Park, (where look171 lives), "the west side" can mean everything west of DT. The generally accepted definition of "the west side" is everything west of Hollywood including WeHo and Beverly Hills. That's what the media means when they talk about "rich west-side liberals", etc...:cool:

My fiancee lived in Highland Park before we moved in together. I did the HP to Playa commute on occasion. I'd rather slit my wrists while rolling around in ground glass.

For someone in Upland, Pasadena is the westside :D

Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking before this thread! I figured that would put us off the 210/134, easy access to the east, "close" to UCLA. I'm no stranger to So Cal traffic but I certainly have never had to commute right through downtown LA so I'm glad I'm finding out from you guys now rather than later after moving in somewhere. I have to read every post along with Google Maps, and I've lived 40 miles from LA my whole life!

Yeah, he also cheats and doesn't go to a 8-5 job. Any time you can be off peak commute hours really helps. I hate driving neighborhood streets. Chances of getting into a wreck (even not your fault) are high ...

G

I would suggest to go over google maps with the traffic ionformation at the times you want to travel. You can also use the historic records there to get a look at typical situations at any time of the day.

This is what I had in mind:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334266977.jpg

In the google map above, you want to be south, southwest, southeast of the "A". $1,400/month? I don't know rent, but I think that will get you a garage with no running water or toilet.

It can, it just doesn't.
Actually that's not entirely true, there was a stabbing at an apartment complex about 3 years abo in east anaslime about 5 miles from my house. That's as close of any violent crime as I can 'member.

But .... we occcasionally get meth heads who stray into the neighborhood and break into the houses to try and get the spensive stuff.
That has happened a couple times in the last three years.

The last time it happened the homeowner "detained" the perp until the cops got there and took the bad guy to the hospital to get all stitched up.
I heard he didn't look so good.
Now that I think about it he committed a crime and it got violent, but everythnig worked out fine ;)

I'm in Mar Vista. 2bd/2ba around here is $2000. Probably similar in Palms. Think about the extra hour or more per day you're going to spend in your car to live where you can find your target $1400/mo (if anywhere) and you might want to cut down on other things in your budget to buy proximity.

No violent crime in the neighborhood at all, BTW. You can research police reports online.

i say off fairfax and wilshire near the tar pits is your price range all you have to do is drive up wilshire to ucla or up by melrose between la cienega and fairfax

I thought it was Laural Canyon.

Topanga. That's where all the hippies still are.

Sound easy, but do that in the morning or at 5:30 or 6pm.

I am 5 minutes south east of there. Its an hour to UCLA from there. The good thing about that area is that you have several ways to get out to UCLA, the valley or Downtown. never go through DT unless you have to or depending on the time. After a certain hour, my wife or myself do not use the Fwy unless it is a certain part or the fwy or the traffic is going the other way. Like you, you know better to get on the 210 going east after 5pm. You would take Lemon to get around that mess, until you pass the 15, right? She use to work out at LAX. She would take the fwy out near downtown ans actually get off and go around the area where the 110 and the 10 is, and get back on to go around traffic. it will shave off 10-15 minutes. She gets out to LAX in 45 minutes.

Those traffic map is great if you don't know LA. I don't have GPS or a fancy phone to get that info. You just need to learn different way to avoid the madness. I just came back from Anaheim during rush hour today. It took me all of one hour. Had I stay on the 5, I still will be sitting there.

Yeah, I am a little old school. West side is known to us from the old days is the area from Bundy to LaCienega and Olympic or Pico to Sunset. Yes, and I think its still very truth that they do not cross LaCienega. They are getting bold and many are coming all the way to Labrea. Damn, the couple lawyers who bought lives across the street from me have gotten tired of renting in Santa Monica.

HA! 30-45 minute commute to UCLA!

HA!

Seriously.

HA!

The south bound commute from the valley I hear is not as bad as the northbound into that area.

I live in El Segundo myself and when I go to the office that office is right off the 405 at Santa Monica blvd. Via the 405 during the rush hours (anytime between 7am - 10am or 4pm to 7pm) that commute can suck. Completely.

Still, I can get to that office on Santa Monica BLVD in 30-45 minutes using surface streets (Head up persing and over via Jefferson/Culver to either Centinila/Bundy or straight up to Sepulveda. Then either Centinlia/Bundy north to Venice or so and then over to Sepulveda north. I take Sepulveda to the office and I'm there. It's not horrible usually but once minor glitch and it can be.

The 405 is pointless in the morning going north.

South in the afternoon however is less pointless. I can even sometimes make it home from the office in 20-30 minutes.

One problem is your commute 'today' might change drastically over time due to construction in that area on the major routes. It's constant - it won't end soon and who knows what it will be like when it is done. You're trying to get to the heart of LA's Carmageddon zone.

Anyway - Santa Monica is nice and worth a look though in your price range I think maybe you'll fail.

You might look to go east but the quality of the neighborhood drops as you go east.

You might consider West Chester or Mar Vista which are just north of LAX and south of Venice and well within your zone.

Further south is El Segundo and the other areas you mentioned but they probably get pricier too. I've never rented in El Segundo but I know what my mortgage is!