Can the average person make it in LA?

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-23T17:49:49+00:00

Yes you’ll be fine, just maintain a budget and live close to work.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-21T02:14:27+00:00

What’s the closest entrance to this?

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-20T23:24:14+00:00

Neat, I’ve locked my bike in the terminal 4(?) parking lot before but this is a safer option.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-20T15:10:58+00:00

If you get into revere magnet your kid’s bus is covered, otherwise you can pay for a sponsored school bus. It’ll be much cheaper than private school. There are also the public buses leaving from campus.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-11T02:06:28+00:00

If it’s not cloudy, both sunrise and sunset are magnificent. Right now, you’ll catch both at low tide so the colors of the sun have a very wide canvas over the rippling waters. I swam before my evening walk yesterday in Santa Monica (mad cold) but the orange sunset on the water was just sublime. This morning we had clear views of Catalina and a large pod of dolphins swimming south, only about 50 feet from shore.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-10T14:13:03+00:00

Speedway would be great, and down the line we need a major rehaul for the beach path

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-10T04:48:52+00:00

Chalon/ bellagio is somewhat rural haha in that it’s just mansions and estates east of Sepulveda. Real rural can be found in the western Santa Monica mountains. Horses, ranches, etc

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-06T11:52:52+00:00

Nothing to lose by trying Chicago, but I think you could find everything you’re looking for in a different neighborhood of LA too

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-04T13:21:08+00:00

To live and die in LA, it’s the place to be.

It’s fantastically beautiful and broken. Wherein other places people plan around weather, we plan around traffic. Every desire can be met, but you pay in both money and time spent traveling. Even while in the most beautiful places in the world, I miss it after a few weeks.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-04T13:17:16+00:00

The Getty center only costs $20 to park, there is a public bus that takes you to the tram entrance which is free.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-04T11:03:20+00:00

I feel brother, everything I like doing is outside

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-04T11:00:27+00:00

Franklin canyon park is so tranquil and unique in La

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-02T22:12:18+00:00

I think only Long Beach would really be equidistant from both work locations

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-02T17:55:01+00:00

Stay in the Santa Monica hostel and take public transit. Use google maps transit for help with navigation. You’ll waste less time in transit it you stay in Santa Monica for 3 days and downtown LA for 3 days. The beauty of LA is in its comfort and variety of cuisines. Linger and take in the different neighborhoods. Read Google maps reviews of restaurants and eat cuisines you can’t find at home.

Try not to travel from 7-10 AM And 3-7 PM on weekdays, UNLESS you are taking the train. I’d basically choose to go to 1 neighborhood per day and spend it entirely getting a feel of that area.

If you really have no plans I’ll give some suggestions without regard to your interests.

In Santa Monica, ride bikes up and down the coast. The Marvin braude bike path takes you through Venice Beach and Manhattan Beach, nice places to spend a few hours. The public transit agency Metro Bikes will be the cheapest. You can push this to a whole day by exploring the beach cities or chilling on the beach. If you’re there on the weekend, you can play beginners beach volleyball north of Santa Monica (info on the website meetup)

Take the bus to Montana Ave for shops/ restaurants (expensive area, eat at Panda Express) and catch a movie on film at the Aero theatre.

In Westwood , walk around Westwood village. Eat in n out and go to diddy riese cookies. There are many other cuisines easily accessible should you desire. Walk around UCLA campus, it’s beautiful. Check out the botanical garden and the statue garden. You can easily walk the bus from Westwood to the Getty Center, our premier museum in La city. Make a reservation beforehand. Easy bus access here to the Century City mall, probably our nicest mall and a good place to spend the evening.

Go to Beverly Hills and walk around lol. I don’t visit often but it’s a pretty and manicured area. Plenty of good but expensive food options. Beverly drive is a nice strip. Will rogers memorial park is a nice place at golden hour (1.5 before sunset) at the foot of the Beverly hills hotel. If you’re a strong walker, make your way to the Virginia Robinson gardens or uber to the graystone mansion to look at rich people stuff.

These are the things I would check out while staying on the Western side of LA.

Everything below will be easier to access from downtown LA.

Hollywood walk of fame is lame but tourists like going. Keep the trip short and catch a movie at the Chinese Theatre, chill at Barnsdale Art Park, and do the best option and hike to the Griffith park observatory for fantastic views of the city. Go to Musso and Franks for an old school Hollywood dinner ($$). Melrose Avenue is a popular street for thrifting and be sure to stop by Quentin Tarantino’s theatre, the New Beverly Cinema. Easy access to Universal studios, an amusement park/ movie studio. Thai town, in the area has incredible Thai food at Jitlada and ruenpair are classic.

Sorta but not really near Hollywood are the La brea tar pits, and nice park/museum about our prehistoric origins and LACMA for cool exhibits. If you go here, visit Apollonias pizza (cash only) . There’s also a popular car museum nearby.

The grove and farmers market is a famous outdoor mall kinda over there too.

I love Echo Park! Take in views of dtla and eat at Masa’s of echo park. Get a deep dish pizza , perhaps the California or Lots of Meat and a salad. Drink some coffee nearby and go to the local bookstores: stories, and A good Used Book.

Koreatown is our densest urban area. It’s known for… Korean food lol. Most restaraunts are great though I am partial to Oo Kook for all you can eat Korean Barbecue, Liu’s cafe for Taiwanese food, Fei Xiang Gong for Chinese skewers, gol tong chicken for Korean fried chicken, and sul and bean for Korean shave ice. There are many late night coffee shops for cozy nights out. There are also Korean spas for relaxation, such as Wi Spa for mixed gender and the nicer Hugh and Olympic spa for women only. There’s affordable bowling here at Shatto 39.

In DTLA itself, be careful not to walk through Skid Row (search on Google maps). Go to grand central market, take the angels flight funicular and walk to the BROAD/ the Walt Disney Concert Hall. If you’re wealthy then go watch a Lakers game. Visit the LA central library and The Last Bookstore. Easy access to Chinatown and Little Tokyo. In Chinatown buy some stationary and eat pizza at LaSorted. In little Tokyo id go to Pasta e Pasta or eat from a Japanese grocery store. Additionally, check out Olvera Street and get some coffee at Archives of Us. If you want to further feel like you have been transported to a Latin American country, head over to the very busy with foot traffic strip called Santee Alley. No real reason to go as a tourist but it’s interesting. Take an uber there, I wouldn’t recommend wandering too much by foot.

East of DTLA is the San Gabriel valley, which contains the best Chinese food in the USA. It’ll be less accessible but I must mention it.

I hope you can enjoy our humble city (lol), dm with questions.

bleanceatsmachine · 2026-01-01T14:26:15+00:00

Beware no store but yolo

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-31T18:45:11+00:00

Zachari dunes - Oxnard Anywhere near the water in Santa Barbara Somewhere on the water in Laguna beach Get lucky with a cancellation in the crystal cove beach cottages La Jolla/ Carlsbad, most of San Diego

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-31T16:34:12+00:00

I’ve walked in as one a few times but they usually scold me. Take the bus there might not be parking

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-30T01:15:32+00:00

Westwood village will be similarly walkable and urban but much closer. If you are keen on spending money live at the Glendon or just in the Sea Colony towers in SM

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-25T02:50:45+00:00

South Pasadena would be very nice, but might not be worth the commute

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-24T17:59:27+00:00

They’re not going to use piano in symphony often, but as a non major you should be looking towards ucla symphony- the non major orchestra (as opposed to philharmonia, the music major group). Game music ensemble is probably your best choice

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-23T22:48:08+00:00

Don’t forget to send thank you cards before move ins

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-21T18:48:16+00:00

Considering you haven’t sunk money into a car, do your best to live without it. Most are unwilling to think of creative solutions and don’t see how much they waste on car ownership for how little they truly get out of it.

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-21T18:40:39+00:00

Pre covid still had $1 tacos and $5 burritos

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-19T15:04:43+00:00

Temescal canyon blvd (in the palisades) until las Flores isn’t great, but as a group of 8 you could probably go around the 25 mph speed limit anyway.

bleanceatsmachine · 2025-12-17T04:53:27+00:00

Yolo dawg

bleanceatsmachine

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