Southern California - Moving to Los Angeles Probably-- eep

Preface to say I now live in Miami (1 year as of last week).

So after two phone interviews with a potential job in downtown LA, they want to fly me in for a real meeting, dinner, and a show. I think it's safe to guess that they might offer me a job.

So what's the deal with LA? I've done lots of searching about riding around there, but haven't found too much that is helpful. It seems like all the action is in Pasadena. Is LA-Pasadena-LA doable?

Any insight or quirks are appreciated!

~Josh

I live very close to downtown L.A. and frequently go riding out in Pasadena. Griffith Park is also very close. From the downtown area most of your riding will be towards the north and into the San Gabriel Mountains. :)

From the downtown area most of your riding will be towards the north and into the San Gabriel Mountains. :)

I almost remember mountains...

Many club rides start in LA and go to Pasadena and back in 30+ miles. It's very doable, as well as other areas that are nice to ride in (Palos Verdes, Agoura, etc.)

I hope you've looked up how much it costs to live in Los Angeles as well. My friend moved from Upper Peninsula Michigan and was shocked that the cheapest apartment in LA was about 3 times as much as her apartment in U.P.

I think 900 is the highest I'll be willing to go.

Workable if you look in the right places?

check out rent.com and apartments.com to find out if they have anything for those amounts, but I doubt it.

you can also check out craigslist.com if you want to go the roommate route.

for a 1BDR place, look at $1300+

check out rent.com and apartments.com to find out if they have anything for those amounts, but I doubt it.

you can also check out craigslist.com if you want to go the roommate route.

for a 1BDR place, look at $1300+

Some parts of the valley still have one-bedroom apartments for $900-$1,300, but they are hard to find and will doubtfully be very large or in the most desirable areas. You just have to look.

I think 900 is the highest I'll be willing to go.

Workable if you look in the right places?
You'll need a roommate.


Some parts of the valley still have one-bedroom apartments for $900-$1,300, but they are hard to find and will doubtfully be very large or in the most desirable areas. You just have to look.
True, but usually tiny boxes of apartments on crime riddled streets with no air conditioning in the part of the valley that gets above 115 in the Summer. On a related note, my brother-in-law shared a house in Los Angeles very cheap... because the backyard included an old cemetary! :eek:

You'll have to decide whether to have lower rent but have a long commute, or live close to work and pay more in rent. I know someone who had a 1-BR apartment by Wilshire/405 for $1000/month - but that was 15 years ago! The rent has to be at least double that by now.

Also, where you decide to live is going to give you vastly different riding options close to home - as long as different summertime temperatures. If you're in the Pasadena area, the good riding is in and near the San Gabriel Mountains. If you're out by Santa Monica or the westside, a lot of the rides are in the Santa Monica Mountains and through Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu.

Yeah..expect to pay $1,000 minimum for an apartment (1 BR).

As for riding, wow...just lurk here in the SoCal thread. Incredible amount of opportunities for rides/riding. And probably only a small fraction of what actually exists is discussed here.

As for mountains...better get used to the thought. FWIW, cannot go anywhere in greater LA without stop signs/lights (in the valleys, flat rides) or mountains/hills (around the valleys, few stop signs).

If you want to keep your rent under a grand and live in a decent neighborhood your best bet is to share a two bedroom apartment or rent a room in a house.

My rent in Pasadena just increased to $1,500. My apartment is huge, I have two bathrooms and underground garage, I like the neighborhood, and my commute downtown is not too bad. Glendale is nice, probably a little less expensive than Pasadena, and the commute to downtown is still decent by LA standards.

Just to echo what's been said, a $900 dollar one bedroom either won't be in a very good neighborhood or will be out of the city a bit. The nicer northern part of Pasadena will be out of that price range but you might be able to find something for close to that in South Pasadena, although the neighborhoods there can get sketchy. I don't know how it is FL but you'll probably need deposit+first month+last month to get into a place. I live in "The Valley" and really like it here for cycling but as a rule I keep to the east side of the valley. I've got Mulholland Dr and Griffith Park within easy riding distance and for dirt I have some trails in riding distance and several within a short drive. If you're working downtown you can ride the subway in if you don't ride to work.

I agree with most of you regarding the apartment rent, only I'd like to point out that I live in a nice 1-bedroom in Sherman Oaks for under $900. I got lucky when I found it seven years ago (when 1 bedrooms were running for $1,000-$1,200, now they go for $1,500 and up in SO). Point I'm trying to make is that if one digs enough and searches enough, he/she may find an apartment in a decent neighborhood that won't be as outrageously high in rent as most out here are. Also, I'd suggest looking in Eagle Rock and Glendale for sure. Both areas have access to riding spots (Rose Bowl, Decanso, Griffith Park...), not to mention that the San Gabriels aren't too far from either area.

But as most have mentioned in here, realistically, if $900 is your limit, you really should consider a roommate. Good luck with your search! :)

I had a place in Los Feliz for $850 about 8 Years(!:eek: ) ago. That had good riding with easy access to Griffith Park and the LA Bike path. Plus the 134 /101 gives fast access East for Pasadena / San Gabriel Rides and the 101 for San Fernando/Santa Monica Mountain rides. No idea what the rent would be like these days.

Burbank would also give you good access to these areas.

If you're in Pasadena, you can take the gold line train into downtown and avoid the hellish traffic. I think there's a train from the Los Feliz area to downtown also, maybe that's hollywood though?

Either way, you'll remember mountains quickly. You just can't avoid them out here, nor would you want to. They're the best riding LA has to offer since they're the only way to avoid traffic.

Keep in mind that the problems in the housing market may mean that more people are looking to rent. I know that L.A. and close environs haven't been hit as badly as the outlying areas, but it may give landlords an excuse to raise their rents in the coming months.

all the hipsters are starting to leave echo park for eagle rock.
echo park prices will soon go down.

Not certain if you were asking about riding or housing...

Here's the deal - many people work downtown or mid-wilshire but live relatively far away, Essentially the closer to downtown the less desirable the area (but there are exceptions of course - pockets of beautiful areas surrounded but not so beautiful).

I worked downtown and mid-wilshire for a number of years and live in "South Bay" (ie Redondo, Hermosa, Manhatten Beach an El Segundo). As far as cycling goes South Bay is an awesome place to live. No doubt you have read of the many posts about Palos Verdes and riding the strand up to Santa Monica. Downtown is only 15 - 20 miles away but unless things have changed it was an hour or so commute. Traffic is horrific just about any time of day. South Bay however is not a cheap place to live.

Pasadena or So. Pas is also a great place to live. Also look at Sierra Madre. Alittle farther out and housing is more reasonably priced plus there are some great cycling clubs in the area and good riding. Again give yourself an hour to drive into work.

There is lots of good cycling around - just know that housing and traffic suck. You want to work things out so you aren't driving 4 hours a day so you can possibly do some riding, well at least you have the weekends!

Good luck on finding the $900 apartment. I can't imagine where it would be???? You can try East LA or maybe Hawthorne/Lawndale. I wouldn't live there but prices are lower.

all the hipsters are starting to leave echo park for eagle rock.
echo park prices will soon go down.No way...I own a house in upper Echo Park.

No way...I own a house in upper Echo Park.

Do you have a room I can rent? :p

One advantage to being downtown is that it's one of the better places for access via public transportation. So that opens up other options, such as living in Orange County and taking the Metrolink train into downtown, if you're willing to deal with an hour or more train ride each way (although that same drive would be longer). There's lots of good riding in central and south Orange County.

Speaking the South Bay - I have a friend who works in El Segundo (near LAX), but he hates the South Bay (too crowded for him and he couldn't get a house there), so he lives in Long Beach, near the university. That gives him the option of some good riding south down Pacific Coast Highway.

I live in Orange County (south of LA) and have a 20 minute reverse commute (to even further south) and great road riding out my front door (one block from Santiago Canyon). If my office moved to LA, personally I would prefer to change jobs and/or relocate to another part of the country, rather than dealing with either (1) a long commute from where I live now, or (2) moving closer to work but having to live in a more congested area.

Do you have a room I can rent? :pYou know, I actually have two rooms I can rent. But since our daughters moved out of the house a few years back the spare rooms have turned into storage rooms as my wife has been hoarding things into all available living space. Not good...

the spare rooms have turned into storage rooms as my wife has been hoarding things. Not good...

Well, your bikes do own that garage, George... :rolleyes:

I've got it backwards, work in OC and live in LA. I recommend you do whatever it takes to limit your commute time.

Welcome to SoCal and good luck with the job opportunity and housing situation:)

ppl must be making really good $ to pay them outrages rents.

ppl must be making really good $ to pay them outrages rents.
Or getting some really good loans.

Or getting some really good loans...like those interest only loans...:p

Don't forget, they tax the crap out of you out here. http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/ind_inc.html
That's the stuff you see, then there's fees, fees, and more fees, aka taxes. Anyway, the weather is nice, way less humid. Be prepared to regear your bike and learn to climb. 12-27 is a popular cassette, coupled with a compact double. :) I hear a bridge overpass is a cat 1 climb in Florida. :)

I hear a bridge overpass is a cat 1 climb in Florida. :)

Best climb in all of Miami!!!!! Maybe 300-400 feet? Hahahaha...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rickenbacker+causeway+miami+fl&sll=25.853623,-80.181118&sspn=0.068589,0.11673&ie=UTF8&ll=25.742926,-80.179167&spn=0.034327,0.058365&z=14&om=1