Living in LA
Introduction
Living in LA neighborhoods is literally like living is a world of your own, so it wasn’t surprising that the movie industry decided to center itself on the town. Situated in a flat basin surrounded by the sea, beaches, mountains and deserts there’s just about every geographical and geological feature imaginable on your doorstep. As if all that natural beauty isn’t enough, you’ll also find plenty of the ‘beautiful people’ living in LA. Palm tree lined side-walks, beach fronts, exclusive shops and shopping malls all provide opportunities for everyone to reflect and live that ‘celluloid lifestyle’. Don’t think living in LA on campus at USC will immune you to the lifestyle; LA has that habit of simply driving people more and more towards this uniquely Californian ‘American dream’.
Expensive living in LA
Starting in the west of the city is Santa Monica. If you’re looking for the beach life whilst living in LA, Santa Monica is the place to head for. Beach parties have been popular here for well over 100 years but it wasn’t until the 1920s and ‘30s that movie stars like Cary Grant starting buying properties along what is now the ‘Gold Coast’. After a mid-20th century lull in popularity, the TV series Baywatch again made it one of the places to be seen living in LA. The Santa Monica Pier was built in 1908 and its carousel featured in the famous Paul Newman film - The Sting. The Third Street Promenade has recently been refurbished and is now once again one of the livelier spots for people living in LA to go to for theaters, clubs and shops. The other main shopping district in Santa Monica is Main Street, heading down towards Venice. Developed out of swampland by a tobacco tycoon - Abbot Kinney - the district of Venice was, not surprisingly, about 100 years ago deliberately made to look like Venice, Italy. Many of the original canals have now been filled in, but Dell Avenue still invokes images of what it would have been like. For many people living in LA means being able to pose and ‘posture’ and Venice beach can be more like a circus than a beach. This is the place for cycling and skating down the boardwalks, not to mention just strutting your stuff or hanging out on ‘Muscle Beach’. You never know perhaps Arnie will drop by again? However, the really expensive living in LA is denoted by the Golden Triangle. Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard and North Crescent Drive form the Golden Triangle that is Beverly Hills. Simply think chic and expensive houses, apartments, hotels, restaurants and vey exclusive shops; all topped off with one of the ‘El Dorado’s’ of shopping - Rodeo Drive. Living in LA doesn’t come much more expensive than here. As if that wasn’t enough just off Rodeo Drive they’ve built a street deliberately designed to look like one of the classic European shopping streets. Known as 2 Rodeo - it is said to be one of the most expensive retail centers anywhere, and is definitely the place to see all the rich and famous LA residents and visitors.
USC student living in LA
Whilst our counterparts at UCLA are just west of Beverly Hills, living in LA as a student at USC means you’ll be situated at the south of LA in the Exposition Park district. Clearly the ‘cultural’ part of LA it has several fine museums as well as being the site of the USC campus. In the early 1900s a local Judge turned this area around from one of crime and drinking to an area suitable for anyone thinking of living in LA. Also in this area, and just opposite USC, is the Los Angeles Coliseum - home of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. The oldest part of the LA is correctly known as El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Although essentially this is ‘Downtown’ LA - it is of course the Spanish/Mexican heart of the city. Anyone living in LA should at least visit this area, just to appreciate how the city has grown and developed. Here you’ll find the Old Plaza Church and the oldest house in LA - the Avila Adobe. Essential for getting to and from LA is the Union Station which is on the border of Downtown and China Town. A splendid fusion of architectural styles makes this late 1930s building a delight to arrive at, or depart from, if you’re living in LA.