MSlacker

This area of Los Angeles is one of the most central areas, located between hollywood and long beach, between downtown and the westside. It features art museums, major business centers, and apartment living. This is one of the areas of town that most feels like a major city without feeling like endless urban sprawl.

One of the things about Los Angeles is that Downtown is one of the least notable areas of the city. I forget who said it, but its been said that standing on the streets, looking up at the skyscrapers, you cannot help but get the feeling that this is where the action cannot possibly be.

As a residential area Figueroa st is plagued by the fact that it is downtown. The only reason to live nearby is that you're a high-paid office worker living in a loft apartment, or you were born into one of the nearby neighborhoods.

As a commercial area Figueroa suffers from bad traffic patterns, bad traffic, and simply the fact that it is downtown.

The primary reason people come to S Figueroa is the Staples Center, for Lakers, Clippers, or Kings games.

If you can afford the cost of housing this is one of the nicest sub-millionaire neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The apartments are simply beautiful, the beach side views are amazing. Just a short walk (about a mile) north of the Venice Beach boardwalk, and featuring the 3rd st promenade Santa Monica Blvd is Venice Blvd's higher-class cousin.

The Venice area is an interesting part of Los Angeles. Like all of the city that is west of the 405 freeway, it is an astonishingly expensive place to live. But unlike the hillside areas further north it is not as nice--but it is right on the beach, and it has its own peculiar local culture. Venice is home to the Venice Beach Boardwalk, and the Muscle Beach gym. The boardwalk is filled with all sorts of street vendors, and bohemian/hippy types. Its a great place to go, lay a few towels on the sand and just sit back and enjoy the crowds.

Venice Blvd itself runs inland from the beach itself, up the 405 and beyond. Lined with apartments and businesses for the most part, it is not the nicest neighborhood on the westside. But if you're looking for a place near the beach with a colorful community identity, then this is probably the place for you in LA.

If you are looking for LA nightlife in between the 405 and Hollywood, then Sunset Blvd is where you want to be. The famous Sunset Strip is here, along with a number of famous clubs (such as the Whiskey A-go-go), the Sunset Mall, a huge Guitar Center store, and a number of other reasons to visit. Towards the eastern end you are pretty much in the center of the Hollywood tourist areas. So whether you're a single out clubbing or a family on vacation, Sunset Blvd is a place you will have to go in LA.

However, if you have lived in the are for more than a week, you will have learned that there are certain times of day you just don't want to have to be on that Sunset, or any of the streets that run parallel to it. During commuter hours the street is a mess. And so are Hollywood Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, and Wilshire Blvd (the nearest main thoroughfares going in the same direction). It will take you an hour to go five miles during rush hour traffic. So I advise not trying to run your errands from either 6am-9am or 5pm-8pm. Any other time of day though is not so bad.

The city recently redid all the traffic patterns in this area that runs inbetween residential districts that it serves. I used to work in one of the restaurants along the street and most of our business came from the neighborhoods around us. The area is much improved since the recent construction work. This is one of the lower income regions of the city, though by no means a 'blighted' area. If you live in the area, and you're looking for goods and services, then you already know about it. If you're new though then this is the street to go down. One catch though: the new traffic pattern since the contruction is a bit of a mess, I suggest taking the street in only one direction depending on the time of day: go north in the mornings, south in the afternoons.

This neighborhood is just a few blocks from the UCLA campus and as such its residents are overwhelmingly young college students in their low-20s. While rents are expensive (my friend pays $650 a month as one of four people in a two bedroom apartment) the nightlife is superb, and the area is simply beautiful on the edge of Bel Air and the Westside beach communities. If you're a UCLA student looking for housing nearby, or a young single looking for a neighborhood with an active nightlife, then this is pretty much THE place in Los Angeles (unless you also happen to be a millionaire). The affluence of the neighborhood means crime is low, and the streets are safe at night (as opposed to the student community around USC, across town.)

Sherman Way is the kind of street that you would expect to see in a movie set in hollywood--except its in the wrong part of Los Angeles. The street is line with palm trees and most of the zoning along it is either mid-level apartments or mid-level commercial. The atmosphere is almost paradoxical--the street looks like something out of a movie, but head a block either north or south and you're in classic suburbia--white picket fences and all. Overall its one of the nicer areas in the San Fernando Valley.

Balboa Blvd is a long thoroughfare through the San Fernando Valley. It is one of the primary North-South traffic arteries in the area (aside from the freeways) and has problems that come with it. The majority of the residences are low end apartments, but most of the zoning is low end commercial--gas stations, liquor stores, fast food.

If you live in the general area then the street will likely be unavoidable to you, but my suggestion would be to not live on balboa. In general, the further west of Balboa you go the nicer the residential zones will be, and the further south along it you are the nicer things will be.

Balboa Blvd is a long thoroughfare through the San Fernando Valley. It is one of the primary North-South traffic arteries in the area (aside from the freeways) and has problems that come with it. The majority of the residences are low end apartments, but most of the zoning is low end commercial--gas stations, liquor stores, fast food.

If you live in the general area then the street will likely be unavoidable to you, but my suggestion would be to not live on balboa. In general, the further west of Balboa you go the nicer the residential zones will be, and the further south along it you are the nicer things will be.

I visited this neighborhood while volunteering for a a state assembly campaign in the district. I was going door to door talking with prospective voters and so I was able to get an idea of the kinds of people that lived there.

The neighborhood is filled with small homes typical of the San Fernando Valley. Yards are well kept and the people were very friendly. Many of the people I met with were older retirees mixed with younger families with kids. The neighborhood has two schools within walking distance (I believe they were 1 elementary school, 1 middle school) and the street is not a traffic artery (though Sherman Way is behind the houses) so its safe for kids to play in the yards.

Overall, if you're looking for houses with yards, picket fences, and quiet neighborhoods then Enadia Way (at the corner of Amestoy) is a place to look at.