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Apartment finding in LA, shoot me now
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Make friends with anyone who owns a truck
I drove for three days to Los Angeles with not a friend, family member, job, or apartment. I had been to LA once in my life but knew this was my home. I told you I was crazy. I had no clue about which area was safe, which was most central to things I was interested in. Grab a pen, take notes ...
Your best resource to everything LA is Craigslist. It is an absolute lifesaver. There you can find everything from a room mate, apartment, to furniture. It is a one stop pop. I have had fabulous luck with Craigslist, it is how I found my first place.
When I landed in LA I lived in a place called "Palms" (courtesy of a listing on Craigslist). A great area for someone so new to LA, but man it can be dicey. We lived next door to the 18th street gang and my room mate's car wound up getting blown up one morning. I swear, the true life stories of Los Angelinos are far greater than anything seen on the big screen. I paid about $400 a month to share a room, and live with a total of three people and all of their significant others. Happy, happy, joy, joy. That lasted about a year (a very, very long year).
I then won an entire apartment worth's of furniture courtesy of Bob Barker and the legendary The Price is Right. That was sheer luck my friends, but again please see Craigslist for furniture listings. I then moved to a nicer part of Palms into my own townhouse. It was fabulous. I had a great room mate, life was peachy.
Then came the dreaded boyfriend. The "love of my life." We moved in together in the Valley. Another place I would suggest to live for those who can't quite live in the heart of the city. It is more family orientated and a little less jaded. I lived in the Valley for a year and then during the big break up, I moved to Miracle Mile.
Keeping up yet? My stay in Miracle Mile was short. I wound up losing everything I owned during a massive cockroach infestation (I can't disclose too much about it, as the legal case is pending). Another thing to remember about LA, is that this is a big city. So often we forget after we have been here for so long. S**t happens!
I picked up myself and moved to West Hollywood. A fabulous location for anyone looking to enjoy the nightlife which is just a $5 cab ride away. I can walk just about anywhere which during tough times like this saves a lot on gas. West Hollywood has a lot of culture. There are plenty of parks including one of my favorites Runyon Canyon.
Here, you are also very close to all the tourist attractions in Hollywood. Which has an upside and a downside. The upside being at any moment you can walk and put your hand prints of your favorite celebrities. The downside being, Hollywood Boulevard is often closed for filming. The detours can be treacherous.
During my 5 years and counting in Los Angeles I have lived in a total of 5 places. Do not become too attached to anything you have in Los Angeles, the one thing that you can count on is moving.
My rent for each apartment:
Utilities not included.
1) Palms apartment: $400 to share a bedroom.
2) Townhouse Palms apartment: $1650 (split with room mate) for a two bedroom plus loft.
3) The Valley: Prices vary greatly, I paid about $700 to live with my boyfriend and sometimes an extra room mate for the two bedroom townhouse.
4) Miracle Mile: $900 for a studio in an old 1920's hotel - cockroaches lived rent free.
5) West Hollywood: $1080 for a studio.
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