Advice on Santa Monica

Welcome to California. I am a bit familiar with St John's Hospital in SM. Right across the street from St. J's, UCLA has a significant amount of property where some of their doctors practice some specialties. The air quality in SM is very good. If you want to PM me for further info, feel free.

I lived in Santa Monica for two years and loved it. it is expensive to live there, though. your best bet may be to find a roommate or a studio apartment. sign up at www.westsiderentals.com. when I used it, it was $60 for two months. I can almost guarantee that you'll find a place to live through them. if you wanted to get a bit more for your money, you could move to the South Bay (Torrance, Hawthorne). I wasn't a big fan of that area, though, because it didn't really embody what L.A. was to me. its pretty boring down there.

there are quite a few hospitals in the area. St. John's is right in SaMo, then there's Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. I worked at Santa Monica and I really, really enjoyed it. when and if I move back to L.A. I will definitely be going back there. UCLA on the main campus is a very short drive. and there's Cedars-Sinai in the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area. there is also a VA hospital right near UCLA.

there is a ton to do in that area. we were able to walk to restaurants/shops/the beach all from our apartment. and Hollywood is a short drive away. Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are all really close. the Sunset strip is a great place to go out.

there is a TON of traffic at pretty much all hours of the day. its not unheard of for a 10 mile trip to take an hour. its a very crowded city.

that said, L.A. is not for everyone. but I loved it and can't wait until I can move back.

if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

As a 18 year resident of Los Angeles County, I can tell you this. You will probably love it as long as you remain single, childless, and employed. I moved there fresh out of high school, worked as a hairstylist, usually had roommates, and had a ball. I met the most creative, interesting people, went out to fantastic clubs, parties, concerts, met plenty of celebrities, (dated a few minor ones lol), went to the beach, drove to Mexico on holiday weekends, married a super-cool guy who ran nightclubs, basically had the best young adulthood anyone could ask for. Then the kids came along. We moved inland (Pasadena area) so we could afford a house in a school distict that didn't have daily gang activity. I was only able to stay home with the kids until they were 3 & 18mo. Then I went back to work to help make the gigantic mortgage and car ins. payments. It is rare to see a stay-at-home mom there, unless dad makes INCREDIBLE money. I think the number I heard was $70K a year is poverty level for a family of four in LA County. Right now a 1200sq ft house will cost you over $500K.

Once you try to buy a house or raise children, all the lousy things about L.A. will be come issues for you. After dealing with lousy schools, crowded freeways, and craaazy expensive cost of living, we up and moved to NC where we are so much happier. I am in school, my kids have MUCH better lives, and we made enough on our house in CA to buy one twice the size, with a yard 10x the size, on a lake, CASH. As in No Mortgage. A fair trade for gving up access to the Pacific Ocean, I thought.

So living in L.A. was definitely not a mistake (we did the equity happy dance), but I would not recommend planning to stay your whole life. It's a great place while you're getting what you want out of it. If not, it will make you miserable.

That said, have fun and enjoy it while you're young! It was the best and worst place I have ever lived. Good luck to you.

and where a nice pad doesn't command astronomical prices?

As another noted, you can live the life and even afford it, but you would have to share the apartment and have a bit of luck in finding a rental that's decent for a decent price (eg a family owned building that keeps the rents low).

Santa Monica can be a fun place to live and has lots of entertainment options but it's not a laid back beach community. Not sure where one can find that AND nearby employment AND great entertainment. Laid back beach communities generally don't have much else going on.

Venice Beach is just south of Santa Monica and a very cool place to live... thus it can be pricey. Still, I've met folks who have found places to rent nearby there that worked for them. You'd be spending a bigger chunk on less apartment and may have to fight for parking every night, but it's worth it to some to have the experience at least for awhile.

Other alternatives near the beach include the South Bay (as another noted) and Long Beach. I don't know South Bay well, but Belmont Shore in Long Beach is a nice area. The rent can be high, but I've seen rooms for rent that are quite reasonable.

I lived in westwood/UCLA area for 4 years and loved it (and would be thrilled in end up in santa monica someday) but I think LA is only laid back in comparison with other big cities like NYC or San Francisco. Otherwise there are many other areas of Cali that are way more laid back than LA.

I have several friends living in Long Beach. Also have a friend in Seal Beach who loves it there. I also suggest looking into the oxnard/ventura area. It's north of LA about an 1hr drive. I've only been there for weekend visits but I thought it was totally cute and the beaches are cleaner and not nearly as crowded as LA beaches. Definitely a laid-back vibe.

I also suggest looking at cities along the central coast.

Hope this helps.

Towards nothern cal, there's Santa Cruz. Very laid back!

I've never lived there, but I've heard great things about Wilmington, NC. I know there are a few big hospitals there, it's coastal, and lots of ppl in central NC where I live go there for vacations. It's also not a far drive to Myrtle Beach, SC, where there is plenty to do.

But if you really want to try Los Angleles, consider renting a room or guest bungalow. I rented a room in a couples' house, they worked and traveled a LOT, so I had use of their pool etc. That was nice. A guest house would be a detatched bedroom & bathroom in a converted garage type thing, or a room over the garage like Fonzie in Happy Days and you would probably use the kitchen in the main house, so if the family is nice, that's cool. I only had my own real apt. for like 6 months when I lived there. It was in a borderline scary neighborhood and the rent went up when the building changed owners. I usually had roommates. Once I shared a 2br apt. with 3 other girls, dorm-style. Cheaper, but no privacy. I also shared a studio with one other girl for a while, I slept on a futon in the walk-in closet LOL. Now, I made okay money, and probably could have afforded at least a studio on my own, but I was more interested in financing my fabulous party-girl existence as described in my previous post, so I was spending more $$ on clothes, sushi, cosmopolitans etc. I really only needed somewhere to wash my clothes, shower, and crash. I don't know if it's feasible for a single working girl to afford a nice 1br apt. in a relatively safe part of L.A. without some REAL budgeting and sacrifice. You said you like entertainment, so it probably means you'd need to find something where you can still afford a concert ticket now and then.

The above poster is right, Belmont Shores in Long Beach is charming and cool and walking distance to sand, but it borders some really sketchy areas and there is crime there for sure. My roommate (I lived platonically with a gay guy) was "gaybashed" one night in front of our apt in Belmont, and my car was broken into at least once there.

Oh and no matter what else you do, make sure you have parking where you live. Nothing sucks worse than coming home at 0330 and having to park 4 blocks from the house.

Well, that was a lovely trip down memory lane, boy an I glad to be in the country with my 2.5 kids and a dog LOL. Keep in mind all the above took place from '85-'92 ish and things are probably a bit changed now. That's why I'm not giving you rent prices, they are too outdated.

It's probably pretty much like NYC, where it's just really hard to find a decent place that's affordable. I would recommend asking everyone you know, if they know anyone there who can keep an eye out for a place for you.

Again, good luck. I hope you find someplace nice to live, even if it's not Santa Monica.

And by the way, there probably isn't any better place to experience "a variety of thoughts". Living in CA I met people from more cultures and religions than I proabably ever will for the rest of my life. One time, I was in Venice Beach and I recognized a guy I met at a concert a few weeks before...except now he was in an orange Hare Krishna robe and was meditating on the sand! You never know what you'll find, that's what made it exciting.

Again, good luck. I hope you find someplace nice to live, even if it's not Santa Monica.

Sorry this was so wordy, I figure anyone who doesn't want to read it doesn't have to!