Young gay male taking job in Santa Monica, but wants to live in West Hollywood. (Los Angeles: apartment, home)

[destroycreate]

Hi everybody,

I live in SF but will potentially be taking a job in Santa Monica. Even though I grew up in San Diego, I'm really not that familiar with the LA area, specifically with regards to commute/travel times. I know traffic is generally horrendous, though.

Here's the deal - I'm 25 and like to a live a very active social life. Ideally, I'd like to live in West Hollywood because I go out a lot, enjoy fashion, trendy places, and of course, the gay community. More importantly, I value walkability of a neighborhood and a place that has a lot of character.

However, I'm concerned about the 9-6 commute to Santa Monica. Just how bad it is it Monday-Friday from WeHo? Is taking public transit viable (even bus?)? If bus/car takes the same time, I don't mind the bus as I can read and kill time more productively, not to mention save on gas. I'll admit though I don't want to live my entire life in the car...

I have no real desire to live in SM because I'm not into to beach culture...I like urban life.

If WeHo doesn't seem realistic, what other neighborhoods/districts could be a good alternative as an in-between? I.e., Koreatown? Or how's Culver City?

[Mike121]

Look. Just don't do it. The most important rule of living in greater Los Angeles is to live near your job. If you have the option to live near your job, you will be happier. I know that you'll ignore this advice (newbies always do) but, I can't stress it enough.

For what it is worth, The 704 express bus goes from the gay part of West Hollywood to near Santa Monica, and it takes about 50 minutes to get from Santa Monica and San Vicente in WeHo to 2nd and Santa Monica in Santa Monica.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by Mike121

Look. Just don't do it. The most important rule of living in greater Los Angeles is to live near your job. If you have the option to live near your job, you will be happier. I know that you'll ignore this advice (newbies always do) but, I can't stress it enough.

For what it is worth, The 704 express bus goes from the gay part of West Hollywood to near Santa Monica, and it takes about 50 minutes to get from Santa Monica and San Vicente in WeHo to 2nd and Santa Monica in Santa Monica.

For now the 704 is your only option for PT. The problem with the commute from Weho to SM is there are no freeways, it's all surface streets through a surprisingly long distance.

Here's a schedule:
http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bu...images/704.pdf

[BRinSM]

i know people who commuted from weho to century city and it would take upwards of 45 minutes by car. SM is double the distance at a minimum. SM blvd is a tough street to commute on and wilshire is worse. you could go down to olympic or pico, but those can be slow as well. there's no easy way around it, getting to SM is extremely difficult from every direction so the other places you mentioned won't be any any better. as for urban life, SM is on par with west hollywood, it just doesn't have the 'gay' factor you find in weho. there are certainly gay people who live in SM though. and you'd be surprised about beach culture in LA. People do go to the beaches in the summer, but it doesn't define the lifestyle as much as some outsiders tend to believe, even in the coastal communities.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Mike121

The most important rule of living in greater Los Angeles is to live near your job. If you have the option to live near your job, you will be happier.

Maybe, but not necessarily. My best friend commutes 600 miles a week around LA County. He listens to recorded books (the 24-CD unabridged kind---he has really become an expert on some topics!) and does his heavy thinking. It's his "alone time." He no linger stresses on the idiot drivers. He's been doing this for 14 years now.

[bpeeps]

I feel you OP.

I live in West Hollywood (Santa Monica & La Cienega) and work in Beverly Hills (Wilshire & La Cienega) and I have to agree with others. Live where you work. When I first moved here I had to commute from Valley Village to Century City; a 45 minute commute isn't the worst. But driving with agressive LA drivers in stop and go traffic can be really stressful when all you want do is get home after a long day's work.

The lack of a freeway to Santa Monica from West Hollywood isn't necessarily a concern. I drive in LA avoiding freeways as much as possible. I've always found surface streets to be much more desirable during rush hour. But that said, even the surface streets from Weho to SaMo will be difficult. The westside is one of the most congested parts of LA. Santa Monica, Wilshire, Sunset during rush hour? Forget about it. Why don't you try googling gay bars or gay life in Santa Monica. A good number of gay people are concentrated in WeHo but they really do live everywhere. And Santa Monica is a nice area to live in as well if you can afford the rents.

Live where you work and make sure your place has parking.

[Carlite]

Most people go to work more often than they go out. So I'd lean toward staying in Santa Monica and playing in West Hollywood. The buses on Santa Monica Boulevard run all night.

[Spikett]

Living where you work is great if you like the area. Personally, I have zero desire to live near my office in West LA as I just don't like the area. Sure, I could be home a lot faster but that just means more time in an area I don't care for. So I prefer to commute. Is it a pain? Yes. Is it worse than living in an area you don't like? Not to me. My commute ends a few miles east of SM and I generally take Olympic, Pico or Venice depending on traffic. My hours are somewhat flexible but I still like to get there at a decent hour in the morning. Santa Monica Blvd is out - it is always a nightmare. Depending on where in WeHo you are, you can go south and pickup another E/W street like Olympic or Pico. It takes me about an hour in the morning and a bit more in the evening on average. To me, it's well worth the drive.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

i know people who commuted from weho to century city and it would take upwards of 45 minutes by car.

45 minutes from Weho to Century City?? What were they doing, pushing their cars??

When I lived in Koreatown, which is double the distance to Century City from Weho, it took me about 15-20 minutes... Weho to Century City shouldn't take much more than that if you're in your own car.

SM is double the distance at a minimum. SM blvd is a tough street to commute on and wilshire is worse. you could go down to olympic or pico, but those can be slow as well. there's no easy way around it, getting to SM is extremely difficult from every direction so the other places you mentioned won't be any any better.

Olympic is generally the best east/west road to get to Santa Monica/Venice, IMHO; no freeway entrances, so a lot of people avoid it.

as for urban life, SM is on par with west hollywood, it just doesn't have the 'gay' factor you find in weho. there are certainly gay people who live in SM though. and you'd be surprised about beach culture in LA. People do go to the beaches in the summer, but it doesn't define the lifestyle as much as some outsiders tend to believe, even in the coastal communities.

Yeah, Santa Monica is much more yoga and pilates than surfing and beach bonfires... not too many surfer duuuuuudes have $1.2m to plunk down on a 3-bedroom bungalow or $2,500/mo for a 1-bedroom apartment on the sand

There's still certainly a gay community in Santa Monica as well - it's not as entrenched as it is in Weho, but it's certainly there.

[bpeeps]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

When I lived in Koreatown, which is double the distance to Century City from Weho, it took me about 15-20 minutes... Weho to Century City shouldn't take much more than that if you're in your own car.

15 minutes from Koreatown to Century City? Even Google disagrees with that. Either you're doing 100+ on the 10 or you're in a helicopter.

And if you're talking just about the distance from Ktown to Weho, might I add the surface streets are significantly more congested once you get into West Hollywood. Weho to Century is not the same as Ktown to Weho. Eastbound, once I pass LaBrea on 3rd, 6th, Beverly, or Wilshire, traffic is clear. The reverse is simply not true.