turnstiles Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hey everyone, I've been on this board for 5-6 years now and I've lived in Chicago all this time. A lot of people on here know that I recently graduated with my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling but that I also do stand up comedy. I love comedy and I love helping people. I am looking for a change of pace and I figure California would be a nice change of pace. I have four thousand dollars saved up for the move to LA and I was just looking for any advice on jobs, neighborhoods, roommate situations etc. This will be the first time I've ever lived in a different state. I am applying to jobs at the universities in California to do academic counseling and guidance related things. Any advice would be very much appreciated. This could be a catch all thread for moving in general. Any tips. I'm 27. So I know some of the more seasoned members could give me some good feedback/ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youspinmeround Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 As someone who has moved a few times...never move without a job You will burn through that 4k fast before you find anything worthwhile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiatorhums Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 As someone who has moved a few times...never move without a job You will burn through that 4k fast before you find anything worthwhile I've done it before and it was fine. I had to look sooner than I had expected, but that was mainly because I drank through most of my savings. Turns out not having a job (and being in a new city) made me go out a lot more than I normally would. I do think 4K seems a little light if you still have to find an apartment. Deposit, first + last month's rent will probably wipe out a good chunk of that. I'd recommend maybe 4K after that and moving expenses. To my understanding, if you want to do comedy seriously, it's either LA or NY. So that would be beneficial if you want to take that more seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnstypls Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I lived in California most of my life, and I can't imagine living in LA. There's definitely always something to do, but it's just kind of a nasty place. I'd look at areas surrounding LA that are much more livable. Of course, you're used to big city living. Ventura is pretty cool, and a quick commute to LA. I'd suggest you make a trip out there first before taking that plunge. And yes, get a solid job locked down first. LA is ridiculously expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 What amnstypls said. I don't mind going to LA for a show once in a while but I couldn't imagine living there. Yick! It's ridiculous, and not in a fun or exciting way haha. You'll burn through that cash quick, the cost of living in CA is crazy, more so in bigger cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just a normal guy kevin Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Check out Pasadena. Close to downtown LA and Hollywood. Not a cesspool of piss, crime, and parking meters. Parts of Burbank are cool to live too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psus2h Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Move to LA, if you're a city person you'll love it. Check out the Melrose district (Groundlings), I'd imagine it's similar to Chicago. As far as shipping your stuff out to Cali you can probably get a 7x5 foot ubox shipped for around $2k. The area around USC sucks and near UCLA is boring. The tricky thing is finding a place w/o a job. You might have money in the bank but a lot of land lords will think you're just another deadbeat actor who won't make rent at so some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I live in a area outside of LA nicknamed the South Bay, it's about 30 minutes to anywhere in Hollywood/Downtown. It's pretty much a small beach community and I love it. LA is ridiculously expensive especially if you're looking anywhere near Hollywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnstypls Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Plus, if you haven't noticed yet, moving to CA will cause you to use the word "ridiculous" a ridiculous amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psus2h Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Can LA really be that much more expensive than living in Chicago? Doubtful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzersonKillwell Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Chicago is pretty cheap compared to the other major cities. We are pricing a lot getting prepared for a move. Chicago beats LA, NYC and SF, in my research anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnstypls Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Can LA really be that much more expensive than living in Chicago? Doubtful. Oh yes it can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Oh yes it can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 that question was real? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avery Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Oh yes it can. i'm 36, have owned a home in a beach town in orange county for a little over a decade so i don't have any pertinent advice regarding rent, roommates or jobs (i'm a stay at home mom), but we definitely burn through >$4k in less than a month. if it were just me, that might last 2 months... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnstiles Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Just to put it in more perspective my total rent/bills/insurance in Chicago is 1250 a month. I live in a one bedroom, have a parking spot, and pay all the utilities for my apartment. I have no roommates. I am open to living with roommates but all the 'shares' spaces I find on Craigslist are 2 people sharing a bedroom or sharing a living room for around 800$ a month. I am looking at west Hollywood and I would like to be less than 2 miles walking distance from the comedy store. I am still only considering moving. I am still applying to jobs in Chicago at the universities here. I was asking in case I get an interview for one of the positions I've applied for in LA. I have 4 friends there. But I have a very strong social support network here in Chicago. I'm nervous about moving to a new place, especially an expensive one, it took me a long time to come up with the 4k in savings. I'm super thankful for all the advice you guys have given thus far. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hxcoliver Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I used to live in CA when I was younger in the South Bay area, hell my older sisters still live there. LA nad Hollywood are fucking rad, there's no doub about that. But I would never want to live there. Way too goddamn expensive. And there's like a million people there. Silverlake is a pretty cool area too near Hollywood. And like others have said, much better to live in the areas surrounding the city. Ventura is rad Again, I would never want to go live in LA again. It's gotten way stupid expensive and the traffic is seriously the absolute worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiatorhums Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 A lot of people are saying LA is expensive and I'm just wondering what expensive is? Like $1100 for a small studio expensive? Is driving everywhere factored into it being expensive? I'm not trying to argue that it isn't, I'm just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidroje Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Nothing beats Chicago in the summertime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 A lot of people are saying LA is expensive and I'm just wondering what expensive is? Like $1100 for a small studio expensive? Is driving everywhere factored into it being expensive? I'm not trying to argue that it isn't, I'm just curious. My brother in-law was paying $1,375 for a single bedroom apartment in North Hollywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiatorhums Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 My brother in-law was paying $1,375 for a single bedroom apartment in North Hollywood. Damn, that's cheaper than here! Just browsed 1 bedrooms in my area and I'm not seeing too many for under $1500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Damn, that's cheaper than here! Just browsed 1 bedrooms in my area and I'm not seeing too many for under $1500. Not sure if that includes utilities. I imagine water and trash. My mortgage for a 4 bedroom house is half of that. I'm cool where I am for the time being, and when I do retire I'm just going to get a cabin in Big Bear, CA and just get blasted drunk with raccoons and shit every night. Let's see how bad this drought gets. I hear a lot of people are moving to Arizona but I'm Mexican so that state is kinda off limits for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seangj Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Not sure if that includes utilities. I imagine water and trash. My mortgage for a 4 bedroom house is half of that. I'm cool where I am for the time being, and when I do retire I'm just going to get a cabin in Big Bear, CA and just get blasted drunk with raccoons and shit every night. Let's see how bad this drought gets. I hear a lot of people are moving to Arizona but I'm Mexican so that state is kinda off limits for me. Everyone should just move here to Colorado. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Let's see how bad this drought gets. I hear a lot of people are moving to Arizona but I'm Mexican so that state is kinda off limits for me. Ive said this out loud so many times. never will I go there. I'll be pulled over Too many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiatorhums Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Let's see how bad this drought gets. I hear a lot of people are moving to Arizona but I'm Mexican so that state is kinda off limits for me. I've only driven through part of Arizona, but I cannot think of a single reason to ever go to that state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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