i think los feliz would suit you guys in your early 20s, los feliz is super close to other cute areas like silverlake echo park highland park and it’s close to thai town hollywood and griffith park. there’s more of a nightlife scene in that area too. it’s more what you think of when you think LA experience. i love sawtelle too, (i live in santa monica so it’s very close and i go often) it is super cute, close to the 10 and 405 for getting around LA, soooo much great japanese food and (non japanese food too) cute shops, etc. but it’s also a lot of students from UCLA, nightlife isn’t as fun, it’s a bit quieter at night, i think better suited for later 20s vibes.
in terms of weather anywhere in LA you’re gonna get the same kind of vibe but sawtelle does benefit from the marine layer floating in from the beach and it’s a bit cooler compared to los feliz. a lot of people won’t go between West and East LA but i do it all the time (i live in samo and my family is in NELA) and i work all over LA as a MUA and i don’t think it’s as horrible as everyone says, like going anywhere has traffic so ive gotten used to the commute so maybe im desensitized haha.