how do transplants like living in LA?

ego amigo

ego amigo

housewifery
#1
#1
hey west coasters,

out of (not really) idle curiosity- how do you like living in LA? i'm born and raised in new york and contemplating a move there. i've heard good and bad things about it- i.e. more jobs, great weather, fun people vs isolation, extreme traffic and superficiality. is it awesome or would my cats and i cry cry cry? i also have no idea what the improv scene is like out there except that there are some awesome places to study and perform.

thanks,
christina
 
C

chavi00

I am Ben Oren
#2
#2
I've been here 15 months and...

There is more work, which is good.

I have a front porch and a BBQ, which is good.

However, if it wasn't for my girlfriend and bestfriend being here, I'd be crawling out of my skin to get back to NYC.
 
Gwyn

Gwyn

Old School
#3
#3
Yeah, it's isolating. My lifestyle has changed drastically, and it's not ONLY because I have to drive.
I have friends here, but I never see them.
ever.
 
Capt.Dope

Capt.Dope

first in flight
#4
#4
two cents

I've been here for 10 months. I came from NYC and I love it. The weather is unreal. I've made some good friends and there are a lot of cool NYC people out here too.
It is a slower pace, real mellow, but I like that. It's more of a daytime town ie hikes through the hills, going to the beach, taking in a movie.
The night life is different but fun. A lot of hanging out at friends houses making dinners playing games. If your a night owl the bars close at two, but there are grips of hip dinners that are open late. And theres usually a cool house party somewhere on Friday or Sat..
The weed is wonderful and being high around palm trees and sunshine is unmatched.
Also theres a lot of industry out here. A lot.

What do I miss
my friends
pizza
spring
east village
Central Park

What don't I
Subways
businessmen
taxis
noise
smell
having to walk (as opposed to choosing to take one)
apartments
the extream amount of assholes

LA works for me but some freinds out here hate it. As Sara Connor said 'No fate but what you make'

your cats would love it
 
Gwyn

Gwyn

Old School
#6
#6
If your main problem is cold weather, you'll love it here.
It never was mine, but 2 of my very good friends would never move now that they've lived here because of the weather.
 
ego amigo

ego amigo

housewifery
#7
#7
ahhhhh! thank you! your posts give me hope :)

last winter kicked my ass. weather aside- how is the improv scene? i am performing quite a bit here and the theaters are so close i can check out a couple of shows in one night or perform and still see something later (when i have the juice). are there a lot of opportunities to play or is it mega competitive? maybe it's a stereotype but i somehow suspect that LA would be more cut throat.

mellow sounds good. mama needs to sloooooowwwww ddooooowwwnnnn.
 
Gwyn

Gwyn

Old School
#8
#8
mmm, not mega-competitive. I'd say the L.A. scene is mostly, now, made up of NY and Chicago transplants, re-establishing their programs from elsewhere, or starting up new groups.
I'd call it a little older than an infant....Like a toddler. Just starting to head that way of the competitive, some places faster than others, and some places already past that point and onto cliquey already.
But not mega-competitive.
And theatres NOT within walking distance of each other! This is how you will end up drinking less and less, because you'll have to drive from place to place. Audiences are hard to get.
I can't speak for NY, but it's more difficult to put a show up here than in Chicago. Spaces are EXPENSIVE. Rehearsal spaces are unheard of and costly.
I had such a hard time with the show I put up in February. Just nuts.
 
SamRiegel

SamRiegel

Man In Shark Costume
#9
#9
Since moving to Los Angeles I have become famous.

So, thumbs up from me.

(Also, I swam in the ocean yesterday. That was nice.)
 
ego amigo

ego amigo

housewifery
#10
#10
Gwyn said:
And theatres NOT within walking distance of each other! This is how you will end up drinking less and less, because you'll have to drive from place to place. Audiences are hard to get.
I can't speak for NY, but it's more difficult to put a show up here than in Chicago. Spaces are EXPENSIVE. Rehearsal spaces are unheard of and costly.
I had such a hard time with the show I put up in February. Just nuts.
Click to expand...
drinking less is generally a good thing, though i've been pretty chill since i almost kicked it last winter. how does one drink in LA anyway? car pool? the whole concept of those dudes who will drive you home for 50 bucks makes me wonder how many DWI's get logged out there.

i've heard that producing is harder out there... that sucks. wah!

thanks for the tips everyone! i am starting to make a list of what i would actually have to do to get the hell out of dodge. it's not short.

do famous people swim? i thought they got someone else to do it for them.
 
T

TrueBlue

New Member
#11
#11
Gwyn said:
...2 of my very good friends would never move now that they've lived here because of the weather.
Click to expand...
If swimming in the ocean and the outdoors are things you appreciate when you move to CA you should do more to keep them clean. It's a responsibility to living the CA life not just to come and enjoy what it has to offer but also to "give back" to its unparalleled beauty -- to contribute .
 
Capt.Dope

Capt.Dope

first in flight
#12
#12
good call Blue!

i think we can all agree with that! Keep it clean ya'll! Donate what you can.
I'm poorish so my donation comes in the form of picking up the needles, lil meth baggies and beer bottles the junkie homeless guys, and the russian drug dealers leave in my parking lot. the kids next store play tag there.
 
ego amigo

ego amigo

housewifery
#14
#14
i was about to ask you how you could live in california and not go to the ocean. then i realized how often i go to central park, lincoln center, ANY of the museums or a broadway show.

urp! :wishy: :wishy: :wishy: :wishy:
 
Capt.Dope

Capt.Dope

first in flight
#15
#15
ocean trips...

yeah. when I first got out here I rocked the beach like everyday. now I rock about once or twice a month. But everytime I go I say the same thing, and I remember saying this about Central Park. "I've got to get out here more"
Then I go home and play halo 2 for days and days. mmm halo 2.
You never have to find parking for halo 2. mmm halo 2. It never rains or gets to chilly on halo 2. mmm halo 2. and there's never any traffic coming back from halo 2. mmm halo 2. hold me, closer, touch it. ah. yes.
 
Gwyn

Gwyn

Old School
#16
#16
Actually, one of the reasons I like where I live is that I could, technically, just hop on the Santa Monica bus which stops at my corner and take that the 12 miles straight to Santa Monica Pier/beach...etc.
However, I don't like Santa Monica beach, and I don't often feel like doing this by myself. No one is ever around, and if they are, they don't want to take the bus ANYwhere. But even more than that, I work so much that, when I do have time to do something like that, I'd really prefer to chill around my apt. Something close and easy.

It's a shame though, it really is.
 
Gwyn

Gwyn

Old School
#18
#18
Eh, don't get them excited about that.
Coming from Chicago, and Navy Pier, Santa Monica Pier is a severe disappointment. It looks.....shabby.
Don't go for the pier. Go to the 3rd St. Promenade or for the beach, not for the pier.
Actually, I prefer Venice beach, but it's not a convenient bus ride like Santa Monica is.
 
Capt.Dope

Capt.Dope

first in flight
#19
#19
hmm

I like the ramshackled old pier and it's dust bowl throwback ferris wheel. But Venice beach is cooler. It has good pizza, cheap sandels, and a dude in a turban, robe, and rollerskates playing electric guitar.
 
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