where to live in los angeles and why
December 7, 2006 4:14 PM   Subscribe

I just found a job in Glendale, CA right next to the I-134 and I-5. Where would you live in the Los Angeles area if you were me and why?
posted by mrkohrea to Work & Money (23 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Silverlake. you can take surface roads to the 5, you're still connected to the main city, and all the fun, cool people live there anyway.

Where are you coming from, though?
posted by dentata at 4:24 PM on December 7, 2006


Eagle Rock, 'cause it's not that bad, and still LA. And living close to your job is essential.
posted by Rash at 4:29 PM on December 7, 2006


Eagle Rock, because 5 years from now Silver Lake will be all yuppies and the fun, cool people will have moved here. Great restaurants, still-affordable housing, and proximity to your job as well as Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Hollywood.
posted by maxreax at 4:33 PM on December 7, 2006


Eagle Rock. I'd live there if I could.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:39 PM on December 7, 2006


Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, and Silver Lake would all be good non-Valley options (Los Feliz and Silver Lake of course being much trendier and more expensive; Eagle Rock and Atwater Village are getting there, though). Studio City, North Hollywood, and Toluca Lake are all good Valley options.
posted by scody at 4:53 PM on December 7, 2006


Well, if I were me, I'd live in Eagle Rock. Hard to say what I would do if I were you. What are your preferences/priorities?
posted by mr_roboto at 4:56 PM on December 7, 2006


Ummm... why not live in Glendale itself? Pasadena is lovely but usually expensive. Also, Studio City 91604 is nice, close by work, and more centrally located than Eagle Rock. You can get to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown, and the Beaches fairly easily from Studio City.
posted by GIRLesq at 5:01 PM on December 7, 2006


live in eagle rock, silverlake or los feliz and take the 2 to glendale. going out of town on this one in the morning means no traffic at all - everyone is going into the opposite direction. check out the corner of monroe and hoover in silverlake (or anything around silverlake junction), that's where I used to live and I loved it.

you could also consider pasadena, which is very nice if you like that upscale suburbia kind of thing. the 134 (or 210, as it's called up there) makes it a very brief ride, largely avoiding the traffic nightmare that is the 5. do not move to altadena.

get yourself something with a pool. seriously, consider an apartment building if you have to. it's the best thing ever if you've just moved from somewhere cold.

need more answers? email. I lived there for 6 years.
posted by krautland at 5:02 PM on December 7, 2006


studio city? damn, forget that. the traffic is death delivered in a daily dose.
posted by krautland at 5:02 PM on December 7, 2006


studio city? damn, forget that. the traffic is death delivered in a daily dose.

Don't know when you lived (or drove) there, but I'm in Studio City/North Hollywood 3-4 nights/mornings a week, and it's certainly no worse than anywhere else in rush hour (and lately, it's been downright hospitable). I'd guess it's about 8 miles, tops, from Studio City to the 134/5 exchange -- that's a perfectly decent straight shot on the 134, or there's a variety of good surface street options.
posted by scody at 5:21 PM on December 7, 2006


Are you Armenian? Move to Glendale.

No? Burbank or Eagle Rock
posted by clh at 5:53 PM on December 7, 2006


I live in Los Feliz and love it, so I'm biased, but I would recommend Los Feliz, Silverlake, Eagle Rock, or Atwater Village. I worked right at the 134/5 junction and it would take me 15 minutes to get into work at 9, leaving from my garage. Pretty sweet. LF and Silverlake are both great walking neighborhoods, Atwater has its charms, I don't really get the appeal of Eagle Rock but maybe I just haven't seen the good parts. Welcome to the hood!
posted by Bella Sebastian at 6:08 PM on December 7, 2006


Perhaps you could tell us what kind of area you want to live in. Quiet? Fun? Trendy? Which are you most interested in proximity to - bars, restaurants, parks, shopping, beach, movies etc?
posted by Joh at 6:39 PM on December 7, 2006


I live in a decidedly Armenian neighborhood of Glendale (right on the border of Burbank). I've lived here for 3 years and I love the neighborhood. My rent is relatively cheap, and the Armenian corner store has great produce and imported wines. I can walk to the mall and to many great restaurants, as well as any other shop that I require. Drop me an e-mail if you want more info. I've lived in various parts of LA and this neighborhood is probably my favorite. Bonus: I get to take surface streets to work. I wonder if you aren't working for the same company since we are so close to that intersection...
posted by kamikazegopher at 8:29 PM on December 7, 2006


I too have a job near the 134 and the 5. :)

I live in La Crescenta so my kids can go to CV schools.
posted by shino-boy at 11:05 AM on December 8, 2006


I lived in Atwater many years ago and loved it. Take a look at the very wonderful little houses on Brunswick, just south of Los Feliz Blvd. Each is in a different quirky style (like a castle). I especially like the one with trapezoid windows.

Atwater is cheaper than Los Feliz (but close). It's very close to Glendale for the restaurants, movies, etc. And the Costco is right there.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 11:15 AM on December 8, 2006


I grew up in the Valley Village part of North Hollywood--you can take Riverside Drive through Griffith Park on your way to work. Closer to the mountains and west of Tujunga are the better areas of that part of the Valley.
posted by brujita at 3:51 PM on December 8, 2006


Response by poster: Thanks for all the comments. Somehow, looking at map of the are makes more sense. The info about Armenians in Glendale and Riverside Drive (not the most obvious commute from a first glance at a map) was particularly interesting.
posted by mrkohrea at 9:50 PM on December 8, 2006


I like echo park, visit me here at my art gallery
posted by puppy kuddles at 12:01 AM on December 9, 2006


Los Feliz is a great option. I lived near the intersection of Hyperion and Rowena and it only took a few minutes to get to my office in Glendale. Plus Los Feliz is beautiful in most places, with lots of trees and hills.

I live in Pasadena now, and it only takes 8 minutes to get to the office. Pasadena is not necessarily more pricey than Silver Lake or Los Feliz. It's certainly not as trendy as those areas, which is part of its appeal in my opinion.

Burbank, Glendale, and Studio City are good distance-wise, but seem like they would be kind of bland places to live.
posted by univac at 1:57 PM on December 9, 2006


scody: compare that to the 2. much much better.

art center college of design has a student housing office. drop by the hillside campus and pick up a list, if you're looking for a share or a cheap apartment. you'll often find stuff on there you won't see on craigslist.

I don't think they'll give it to you if you're not a student but when I went there, they kept the lists outside the office for anyone to grab. go after hours, if you like.
posted by krautland at 7:38 PM on December 9, 2006


scody: compare that to the 2. much much better.

Again, have you commuted on the 2 lately? Have you commuted from Studio City lately? I'm not disputing that traveling via the 2 isn't a perfectly good option (though the 2 has, in my recent experiences gotten a bit stickier than it used to be even a year or two ago); I'm disputing your pronouncement that traffic from Studio City is "death on a daily basis," which it most certainly isn't. (Especially with several excellent surface street options like Riverside, as brujita pointed out).
posted by scody at 2:11 PM on December 10, 2006


yeah, I still do drive the 2 all the time. if the OP lives in silverlake, he will end up going against the traffic at all times.

he will go away from the 5 in the morning when everyone is tring to go into LA and vice versa in the evening.
posted by krautland at 10:53 AM on December 11, 2006


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