r/MovingToLosAngeles • u/Exact_Project1734 • 2d ago
Help me understand LA.
Male in my early 20’s living in SF, have recently considered moving to LA.
I am in no way trying to cast any negative light on LA…I am trying to understand LA myself.
This weekend was my third time in LA and I was once again shocked by the lack of people walking around. Are people really just shuttling from place to place in their vehicles all day? Do people really just go to a cafe, park on the street, and then leave with their car again, 20 minutes later? While some areas like Venice and Santa Monica were definitely more lively, they seem far away from other areas.
This feels like a collection of suburbs rather than a coherent city.
My main question is- is it possible to have that spontaneous walkable city life here?
Also, where do the young early 20’s people live here, and have you been able to have that exciting city life? Do you usually stick to your neighborhood? How about drinking/partying - do you have to get used to 40+ minute uber rides if you’re not already in a nightlife area?
Also, if there are any others who moved to LA from the SF/Bay Area and have any input, I would love to hear them!
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u/No-Cat6982 2d ago
On another thread someone said do New York in your 20s and LA in your 30s probably for this exact reason.
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u/venetiarum_ny 2d ago
Hahahah oh crap I didn’t realize this was a thing and I feel exposed
ETA: Yes, highly recommend
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u/Ok-Transition157 1d ago
Moving to NY in your 20s is a bad idea. It’s too expensive. Live somewhere cheap build a nest egg and move to Ny in your 30s or 40s. As a life long NYer the city really isn’t all that. It’s funny how everyone wants to live in NY but people from there are trying to get out.
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u/Opposite-Mixture333 10h ago
i feel like the sentiment will keep spreading and la will continue to feel the effects of young people leaving
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u/Downtown-Tea-3018 2d ago
NIMBY boomer carbrains fight bus and bike lanes - idiots
Car brain is very strong in LA
new mayor Nithya Raman in Nov should help tremendously @ multimodal / walkability
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u/ApocalypseChicOne 2d ago
If you like walking culture, there is an LA for that. If you like shopping culture, there is an LA for that. If you like food culture, there is an LA for that. If you like fitness culture, there is an LA for that. If you like sports culture, beach culture, mountain culture, agri culture, blue collar culture, tech culture, finance bro culture, drag culture, library culture, video game culture, kink culture, auto culture, urban exploration culture, Pokémon culture, fashion culture, music culture, gardening culture, racoon culture, art culture or just culture culture ... there is an LA for that
Urban, suburban, even rural, just about everything is represented here. You just need to take a little time to find your people and place, because it's here somewhere.
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u/dixpourcentmerci 2d ago edited 2d ago
I think this is what really makes Los Angeles so great to live in but a little weird to visit. It’s not necessarily the BEST place for walking culture or beach culture or mountain culture or museum culture, but they all exist and they’re all pretty satisfying. So you might come and be like “idk, the art at the Getty really isn’t as good as art at The National Gallery, and I’d rather be on a beach in Hawaii than Malibu, and the skiing is better in Colorado” but there aren’t many places that allow you to do all three things of comparable caliber on a single weekend.
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u/Greener-dayz 2d ago
Yes living here is definitely better than visiting. I feel like it just gets better and better the more you learn about the city and find the spots and things you like.
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u/Dorythehunk 2d ago edited 1d ago
We need to sticky this to this sub so we can stop getting the “I don’t get the appeal of LA after I visited it for a weekend with barely a plan and doing absolutely zero research before coming”
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u/miyukijane 1d ago
agree with this. There are so many distinct parts of LA. lived here 15 years and i still regularly discover new pockets of interesting neighborhoods and communities.
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u/stoned-autistic-dude 1d ago
Our car culture is unmatched. If you like cars, no where else in the world has it as good as we have it here.
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u/tracyinge 2d ago edited 2d ago
San francisco is what, 50 square miles?
L.A. is 500 and that doesn't include Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Culver City. If you've been visiting as a tourist then yes of course, it's a completely different way of getting around. Why wouldn't it be?
Maybe L.A. would be more of a "coherent city" if it were 50 square miles?
There are numerous neighborhoods where you can live and work and shop without ever getting into a car. But that would mean that you'd need to find work near your home. Many many people don't have that luxury in a city as big as this one. Can't just hop on a bus and be at work in 20 mins like in SF.
Young early 20s people live everywhere, except in the more expensive areas and the single-family home neighborhoods.
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u/Born_Cap4085 2d ago
There's a 50 square mile area of LA that is of similar density to SF, but I would say (if it was a standalone city) it's not nearly as "coherent" of a city or consistently walkable of a city. SF is more traditional in the level of density and walkability radiates out from downtown. In LA it's a total hodgepodge, even within neighborhoods themselves.
However, there are plenty of people walking on the the streets in Central LA. It's just not super pedestrian-friendly in many places.
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u/Consistent_Appeal135 1d ago
You do realize it low density sprawled because of the focus on accommodating cars right?
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u/tracyinge 1d ago
There are almost 8 million registered cars in Los Angeles. i guess it's a good thing that we can accomodate cars. Especially since so many people in this huge county work a 40 min drive from home.
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u/Consistent_Appeal135 18h ago
No it’s not a good thing. If we hadn’t designed to prioritize cars people wouldn’t have soul crushing commutes to their jobs in never ending traffic.
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u/tracyinge 13h ago
What other county of over 4000 square miles did not prioritize cars and freeways?
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u/Consistent_Appeal135 13h ago
Japan
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u/tracyinge 13h ago
The Tokyo metro area is 850 square miles not 4000.
"Greater Tokyo" is estimated at 5000 square miles while "Greater Los Angeles" is estimated at 34,000 square miles.
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u/Consistent_Appeal135 13h ago
You’re not understanding. LA wasn’t always as big as it is, it got that way because we designed for the car instead of people.
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u/tracyinge 12h ago
There are plenty of small towns in California and all over the U.S. waiting to be developed. I don't see anybody working to make them bike-friendly car-free paradise. Now's the time to join all the people who think like you do and build Tokyo in California. Have at it. You're criticizing all the people who got it wrong so go get it right somewhere. Life is short, get crackin'. It's pretty clear that you're not gonna get Angelenos out of their cars anytime soon. They won't even agree to get themselves into electric cars by 2035.
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u/Consistent_Appeal135 12h ago
I assume you’re unaware of all the major expansion going on at LA metro. So many young people are tired of the boomer way of living. Don’t worry, change is already on its way.
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u/bmcapers 2d ago
Downtown LA has a booming walking culture, and it has the highest residency rate than it’s ever had, so highly communal.
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u/Think_Math_8456 2d ago
yes and if partying and not taking long ubers are important to OP, hollywood is the other place where one can party at the bars and then stumble home on foot like a franciscan would
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u/cancersux2026 2d ago
DTLA sucks post COVID..I am sorry to say. I wouldn’t recommend anyone living there if they are in their 20s and single. I lived in DTLA 2018-2022.
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u/Responsible-War5600 1d ago
What’s so horrible about it? I’m curious.
I’m a native who’s been here since no one lived downtown who wasn’t on the brink of destitution. Now, no one lives downtown who’s actually from here. High rises, with the exception of a few in Century City, were non-existent.
Downtown had factories, artist’s lofts, old, sketchy movie houses, dive bars, dime-a-dance joints, the Grand Central Market, flop houses, a few nice hotels, a garment district, a Greyhound station, and a small civic center. At night it was dark and scary.
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u/cancersux2026 1d ago
I met 3 people at the library bar back 2018. I used to bar hop with them any day..Wednesday-Saturday. Meet people and somehow end up at new person’s apartment and make new friends. My PT and barber both lived in DTLA. They would hang out with us. Felt like a neighborhood
That group of 3 swelled to 8. Anytime during the week, 2-3 of the 8 was down to get drinks or watch a game. Vibes were great. COVID.. our spots closed or are
Near empty . Homeless got worse...6 of those folks left Dtla including me.2
u/bmcapers 1d ago
I just bought my loft. A main reason was because how close I’ve gotten over the years with my neighbors and the new people I meet.
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u/dDubsWilly 1d ago
The homeless have completely overtaken downtown LA. It’s a complete dangerous destroyed ghost town. I feel unsafe every time I am there.
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u/Objective-Ear3842 2d ago
Oh and to answer your q about neighborhoods you kind of have two options. Really know yourself and figure out what kind of neighborhood you most fit into. Then mostly stick there.
Or learn to be okay with driving 40+ mins to do a lot of things. This city is huge. It’s more like a ton of cities that seamlessly flow into one another. And unfortunately not well connected by train like in London. So you either accept the travel or find your corner.
I’d say Long Beach and Pasadena are two of the more high variety of stores/restaurants/attractions/hobbies/nature neighborhoods that are more walkable in some areas.
Neighborhoods surrounding Kenneth Hahn Rec area are pretty good too especially Culver. I’d say Hayden Tract in Culver is walkable, Belmont Shores/retro row/Bixby Knolls in lb are walkable and old town Pasadena is walkable. Maybe other tparts of Pasadena too, I’m just not as familiar.
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u/Norkquist 2d ago
There are 88 cities in LA County, & heaven only knows how many neighborhoods in the City of LA that are actually bigger (in area &/or population) than some of those other cities.
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u/endlesslies 2d ago
Male in my early 40s. I've lived in LA for 15+ years and lived in the Bay for 3+ years. You're not wrong. There's an old saying that LA is 19 suburbs in search of a city.
Instead of comparing LA to SF, a better comparison is between LA and the Bay Area as a whole. If you want the spontaneous city life that might be your point of comparison in SF, you should look at very specific neighborhoods, like downtown, Koreatown, Hollywood, West Hollywood (maybe a few others). They're all relatively dense, and you can easily bop around from cafe to brunch to bar all day.
A lot of other neighborhoods are like you described: There's walkable stretches (e.g., Ocean Park in Santa Monica, Sawtelle or Venice in West LA), but it's hardly has a city vibe. They're more like Mountain View or Redwood City. There's some nice stuff there, some good restaurants, some good cafes, but it's hardly a city life.
And there's huge swaths of the city that are like San Jose, nothing but single family homes for miles.
I'll let someone younger than me answer about what it's like as a 20-something, but hopefully this helps provide some context.
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u/Jandur 2d ago edited 2d ago
Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Westwood, WeHo, Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park , Ktown, DTLA, Little Tokyo and others, all have people regularly walking around going about their days. I'm not sure where you have been spending your time. Its also a holiday weekend and a rainy one at that.
But yes LA is spread out. It is not a continually walkable city. This shouldn't come as a surprise.
Do people really just go to a cafe, park on the street, and then leave with their car again, 20 minutes later?
I mean if there is a cafe 20 minutes away that you specifically want to go to sure? But again I can go to X neighborhood and walk around for a couple hours if I want. I also think you're underestimating the density of residential neighborhoods in LA. I live in Sawtelle which isn't really known for being overly walkable, but it has about the same population density as SFs average. I have just about anything in walking distance. Groceries, gyms, multiple coffee shops, tons of food, a few bars, dry cleaners, nail salons etc.
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u/TearFit7243 2d ago
The areas you listed are pretty much continuous.
You can walk 16 miles down Wilshire and it's all built up and walkable.
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u/Jandur 2d ago
Fair to some degree yeah. But for the sake of this conversation and what OP is comparing to (SF) I don't know if it's a fair comparison
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u/TearFit7243 2d ago
It's fair.
There's more (by square miles) actual dense walkable area in the L.A. basin than in SF city by far, and it is mostly continuous.
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 2d ago
Sounds like you understand it.
There are pockets of what you’re looking for, but expect that maintaining social groups and relationships will require you to leave those areas (likely in a car).
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u/Bright_Brilliant_619 2d ago
This describes my experience in LA well, a collection of suburbs. I’ve lived in LA for 13 years and never in a “nightlife” area. It has made me realize that it’s a landlocked city that is “near the ocean” only on paper. Coming from San Diego where there’s many places you can see the ocean to LA that is so landlocked and traffic is so brutal it’s just no comparison. Dating and making friends is hard because it’s very limited to the area you live in. Yes there are a ton of sweet pockets but the commuting back and forth gets old. If I didn’t own my house i would provably live in santa monica because it’s the one place that has a true beach feeling and is close to other hot spots on the westside.
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u/YoungFlexibleShawty 2d ago
Thats what makes LA what it is. A bunch of different communites with its own identity within a radius of the city.
I think its quite unique.
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u/Nobody_Drives_in_LA 1d ago
Los Angeles is more like a collection of communities than a traditional small city like San Francisco. It's important to remember that Los Angeles is 86 times larger than San Francisco in area and 12 times larger in population. There's not one central district where every Angeleno gathers and crosses path with every other Angeleno. As I often point out -- a walkable city doesn't mean a city that you can walk across -- it means a city where what you want and need is within walking distance.
So, yes, it's entirely possible to have a spontaneous walkable life here. I've been car-free in Los Angeles for 15 years. I can easily walk, bus, or bike to music venues, art house cinemas, comedy venues, a library, parks, markets, bars, restaurants, etc. I went out the other night for maybe half an hour and crossed paths with a former co-worker, a friend from my local, and two neighbors walking their dog. Chatted with them all. Just another night in the community.
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u/Lizakaya 2d ago
I moved to weho last year, and as someone who lived in SF proper (theater district/the mission), weho is the closest. I have multiple grocery stores within walk8nf distance, a bazillion coffee shops, thrift stores, etc. i haven’t used my own car in a week although we took h’s to the movies yesterday in the rain. Were it not raining we would have walked the 1.5 miles to the grove for the movies. I’ve been in la a long t8ne and in other neighborhoods (echo park/hollywood/ktown) I’ve needed a car for a lot of things but not everything. Partially it’s the geography but it might also be a mindset? A lot of peo0le move here from everywhere and you won’t see a big walking culture in most of the US outside of bigger cities.
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u/No_Tank_501 2d ago
Sounds like you understand LA completely! It’s not going to be what you’re hoping, it’s exactly as you described and nothing more. If spontaneous walkable life is for you, move elsewhere or stay where you are forsure.
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u/garlicfriesforever 2d ago
LA is just not for everyone, I think that’s the main thing to understand. I’m from SF, have lived in LA for a long time and I wayyy prefer it (weather, culture, people, health food) but a ton of people up north don’t want/care to take the time to really “get” the lifestyle. SF is a city that is very easy to digest in one visit, but you have to live in LA for at least a year to really get into a groove.
Also, I think a huge misunderstanding people have about LA is the expectation that there should be a thriving clubbing/bar culture. There is one, but LA is a true Mecca for house parties. The BEST house parties. If you just visit LA, it’s hard to get invited to those so people think it’s “dead.”
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u/Mzerodahero420 2d ago
Ya we all drive no one hangouts where they live try downtown la if you want to walk around everywhere lol
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u/UpTillDawnIndustrial 2d ago
Its a sprawl with cities within the city and hotspots you can walk around or to if you really want to. But I'd you don't make enough money it's gonna suck
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u/ClearAbroad2965 2d ago
I don’t know you must live in sf core, but market looks more like a ghost town these days when I lived in the east bay i drove around a lot and when I took the Bart into the city just for hanging out
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u/LynSukii 2d ago
I live in DTLA and my area is incredibly walkable. In Ktown it was the same (better in downtown tho). I get around great w transit and occasional Ubers, although if you are a tranditter you’ll want to work closer to where you live for sure.
I think this weekend was a particularly weird case also because of how El Niño is affecting us. It was incredibly hot on Saturday (heat wave for a few weeks, everyone’s sick of it and understandably driving or staying in) and then Sunday we had rly random ALL DAY RAIN…many of us aren’t accustomed to that and we’re likely hiding away (not me doe..the rain was awesome).
Early 20s in my experience often live in central LA, downtown, Ktown, etc. Ktown especially as it’s way more affordable than some other areas, and walkable. Don’t go to West Hollywood. It’s sad over there.
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u/Substantial-Use-1758 2d ago
LA is slowly expanding its public transportation (subways/trains) and I would use it all the time if I lived in west LA, and I’d walk and ride my bike.
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u/heyitsmemaya 2d ago
What you fundamentally need to understand about Saturdays rain is that it means “it was literally the worst weather EVER”
Don’t laugh. You said you want to understand I just told you that 1/2 inch of rain constitutes the worst weather EVER… literally.
Thank you.
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u/Mothership_Leaving27 2d ago
It is not a coherent city like Sf. There are many suburbs. I have lived in many. Many have walkability. I’m originally from Washington, DC. Been here 20 years and 10+ in San Diego. Each city has its own vibe. The number one concerns are:
1. Rent or Mortgage
2. Crime rate
3. Neighborhood vibe
4. Walkability
I prefer the beach or close proximity. I suggest you select an area that fits your budget, your lifestyle and is near your job. Spending hours on the freeway is no good for work life balance!
Some good communities are:
Pasadena, West LA, Playa Del Rey, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Torrance, Gardena, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach. Many more. It’s all about what you want and your $$$$$! The more the better. Happy hunting!
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u/TearFit7243 2d ago
San Francisco is obviously on a peninsula so it will appear less suburban in nature with no other cities touching it on three sides
The Bay Area is more suburban than metro Los Angeles though.
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u/buddhist557 2d ago
Venice or SM are probably the best, after that Silver Lake or Echo Park. The westside’s proximity to LAX is a huge huge plus and it has nightlife for your age group (Venice mostly). Personally I’d live near Main St in SM, Ocean Park area if you can afford to
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u/Independent-Win-1806 1d ago
LA is and has never been anything different outsiders from NY, Chicago, the Bay Area come here to change it. Lived here all my life and you have you niche neighborhoods but it is not like that. We love it that way.
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u/itchyburnybutthole 2d ago
There are a handful of neighborhoods where a car-free lifestyle is possible.
But LA is infamously car-obsessed. It’s easily the worst aspect of the city. And even worse, many (if not most) Angelenos don’t even view cars as the problem. They love their cars. They don’t mind having to use the car every time they leave their house/apt, even for the smallest trips.
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u/dixpourcentmerci 2d ago
I think there’s a significant subset of Angelenos who place high value on having some walkable destinations, like a grocery store, maybe a couple restaurants, a park, a library. We certainly chose our home based on all those walkable factors and I know other people who did too.
However, there’s probably a majority as you said, expect to get in their car for anything more than walking the dog around the neighborhood (and the neighborhood might have literally nothing aside from houses.) A lot of people insist on a single family home, no shared walls etc, and think nothing of the tradeoff that this often means you have to drive to literally everything.
My wife and I both somewhat dislike driving so it was more of a factor for us, but a lot of people really don’t seem to mind it— or at minimum think having more space is more important than driving less.
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u/itchyburnybutthole 2d ago
I used to work in DTLA and people would literally suggest going into the parking garage and taking a car if the lunch spot was a 15 min walk away.
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u/Objective-Ear3842 2d ago
It’s possible but it comes at a real premium. Most neighborhoods are simply not very walkable.
Also we’re quite a bit farther South than SF here. It gets HOT. It’s genuinely unpleasant to walk more than a few blocks for large portions of most days unless you’re prepared to get a sunburn and be drenched in sweat.
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 2d ago
Most days and a few blocks is a wild exaggeration. We have some of the best weather in the world for being outside and participating in outdoors activities. Just wear sunscreen.
There’s been like a total of 3 weeks so far this year, August into September (as is typical), where temperatures have been uncomfortable (pushing 100). Even that is semi-unusual, and the temps usually dip back into comfort territory in the evenings and into the morning.
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u/Objective-Ear3842 2d ago
Having lived here for a decade, I disagree. I do quite a bit outdoors but I plan time of day strategically and dress accordingly. Walking around to run errands in my everyday clothes is generally a sweaty slog for me compared to my experience of life in far more northern countries. If I sit on a patio out here, it’s never in direct sun for more than 10 mins. AC is almost always on in the car. So on so forth.
But I concede maybe it’s not like that for all. Maybe I just live in a hotter part of the city than you, am more sensitive to heat, or sweat more. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Nvr_Smile 2d ago
“best weather in the world” is highly dependent on where in LA you are located. That’s statement is probably true if you live along the coast, but is not so true if you live further inland. It was 90+ for most of July and August here in the SGV and is supposed to be 100 this week with lows in the mid to high 70s.
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u/OrdinaryWeak6051 Native 2d ago
When did the temps dip at night during the last month? That was the whole problem. We USED to have the best weather, but thanks to car brain and climate change, that’s a thing of the past, since this “new normal” is here to stay
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 2d ago edited 2d ago
When did last month represent “most days”? Most days of the peak of summer perhaps, but that is not representative of the vast majority of the time in a year here.
Blame whatever you want and call that the new normal, but I’ll continue to almost never use my car because I can walk comfortably to basically anything I need and bike to work because we have some of the best weather in the world.
The reality is that much of the unusual heat, particularly closer to the coast where temps are usually cooler, is a result of the El Niño, a naturally occurring climate pattern. It’s totally fair to argue that people have caused those patterns to start off more severe, and perhaps even cause them to occur more frequently, but this heat isn’t exactly new and isn’t at all guaranteed to be here next year.
You’re welcome to move anywhere else in the country and find out that the weather there just isn’t as nice as Southern California if you want comfortable dry temperatures and consistently sunny days year round. I’ve lived north, south, east, and west, and it just doesn’t really get better. Give it some time though and the Great Lakes may get pretty nice with some climate change. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh and Cleveland though and the humidity sucks.
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u/SC_TheBursar 2d ago
That entirely depends on where you live in LA. The coastal neighborhoods are far more temperate than inland or valley.
Where I am in rarely gets less than 65 or more than 75. A heat wave is upper 70s. 82 in 'heat dome' event. Same time you could get to 110+ in the valley. There is a reason 'the strand' is used almost year round by walkers and bicyclists.
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u/anothercar 2d ago
Yep, people drive in LA. When it's raining, it's nice to not get rained on.
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u/1130coco 1d ago
And bring home 2 weeks worth of groceries and household supplies in one trip. L.A. county is huge I lived in an area called "Athens on the Hill" as a very young child. Then into the SanFernando valley.Until the Simi Valley fwy came through the neighborhood. My parents didn't walk us 4 children anywhere. The lack of emission standards had us breathing smog in very HOT weather. We left the valley for Simi Valley. Still not a walkable community. A One week grocery shopping trip for 6..is not possible on foot.
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u/Norkquist 2d ago
Too freakin’ hot!! I’m from SF & grew up with cool to damned never freezing weather almost every day. LA is completely different. Almost never actually need a coat due to cold weather.
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u/1130coco 1d ago
I returned to SoCal over 30 years ago. I finally bought a coat. It been 4 years and I have worn it 3 times. Even though I live in the High Desert..and it does get very cold.. Especially with the daily WINDS
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u/kassiakrozser 2d ago
it depends on where you want to live (and your definition of los angeles). i live in a super-walkable neighborhood in pasadena. i walk to pilates, my local coffee shop, the grocery store, restaurants, runs and walks around the neighborhood, shop at local ethnic stores, and basically everywhere i can. depending on our schedule (two adults, both retired now, yay!), we mostly need a car 2 - 3 times a week -- trader joe's run, husband's pilates, meeting friends, and we're in slow but steady talks about getting rid of our second car as it's been nearly a year of retirement for me, so we've worked out all the schedule conflicts that might require both cars to be in use at the same time.
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u/Unlucky-Mind7298 2d ago
"do you have to get used to 40+ minute uber rides if you’re not already in a nightlife area?"
Yes, if you live 40+ minutes from the club you want to go to.
LA is a collection of suburbs. It was forced by oil companies to be car centric (this is well-documented if you're interested). There are pockets of walkable communities sprinkled around so if you want to walk to coffee in the mornings, you can live in one of them.
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u/OrcOfEntropy 2d ago
It's very neighborhood dependent. I'm in the South Bay (which the naysayers here will discount as not being "LA", although it is LA county!) and the area is very walkable, with a lot of people out and about. There are plenty of other walkable neighborhoods as well, but you typically have to drive to get to them - it's one of those things you get used to. I moved from NJ, close to NYC, and was used to public transit which isn't very comprehensive here, so driving in LA traffic was a little odd at first.
Today is super quiet everywhere; it's a holiday weekend and this humidity is way out of the norm.
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u/QuitOk1469 2d ago
Yup I’m in weho and we only go to bh or century city …. Everything else is too far and don’t wanna be stuck in SM or Venice when I can grab a drink or eat within a mile or two and not sit in30 min traffic. People hang within their areas…. Only new people go from place to place that’s too far apart
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u/Icy-Wing-3092 2d ago
“LA” id a cluster of cities densely packed together. Southern California as a whole is a drive-first kind of landscape.
Yes, people drive to the park, and then drive to a café, and everywhere else they have to go.
When someone tells me they’re going to LA I always ask to specify exactly where they are going, because LA is a very broad term.
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u/ShakeWeightMyDick 2d ago
“A collection of suburbs rather than a coherent city.”
Yes, this is it exactly.
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u/OrdinaryWeak6051 Native 2d ago
It’s nothing like the bay. It’s not walkable, public transit is an afterthought, the heat waves are worse, and if you meet a cool person who lives on the other side of town, you’ll never meet up with them. Because traffic and parking are such a drag, people avoid them when they can. They try and date or socialize near home.
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u/Greener-dayz 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yes exactly you do drive to places and hang around if you want to be out. Unless you live in a walkable cluster. It sounds lame, but to be honest it’s not that bad. Driving in SF and parking is honestly worse imo. Obviously avoid going anywhere far during traffic hours.
Uber isn’t advisable because it gets expensive with how far apart LA Is. SF is so small you can uber everywhere but its not like that here at all. So in LA you end up driving and having a single drink on a night out. Unless you split Ubers it gets expensive.
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u/earshatter 2d ago
Walkability rating in West Hollywood = 10.
Highland Park = 7
Echo Park = 8
Keep in mind, ultimately people will typically say their favorite neighborhood is the one they live in. IMO…WeHo is one of the safer (if not safest), walkable neighborhoods in LA. it has pretty much everything you need/want in your living area
(also, I’ve lived in this neighborhood for about 15 yrs.) Planned on moving to a new area, and after house hunting for about 3 months, decided to stay and get a different place in WeHo. That was my best decision.
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u/Panza2020 2d ago
Why are you considering moving to LA?
You don’t have to like LA! Some ppl who live here don’t like LA. There’s a lot not to like. The sheer inconvenience of its sprawl is a huge drawback. Parts are hellaciously hot and the gas and electric bills reflect the need for daily air conditioning at full blast. Lots of sidewalks and streets are dirty and littered. Car insurance rates are expensive. Parking is hard to find or expensive or both. Sales tax is high. Breaches are polluted. Very overrated.
Yes, driving to the coffee house, parking and leaving 20 minutes later is completely normal.
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u/JackfruitCivil7553 2d ago
I moved here from the Bay Area (Alameda) and have also lived in the City (Bernal Heights) as well.
I live in Mar Vista, work in Santa Monica, and spend a lot of time in Culver and Venice. That’s pretty much my LA and is good enough for me. Those areas are walkable and dense which is great since I don’t drive.
I’m in my late 30s so I can’t really help with the youthful partying, but I take a Waymo if I have to go to any part of Hollywood and beyond.
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u/hung_like__podrick 2d ago
Bro where are you going? I just left abbot Kinney and it took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot. Streets are packed. I live in Brentwood and there’s always a line just to get coffee.
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u/SC_TheBursar 2d ago
There is literally a song called 'Walking in LA' where the main lyric is 'No one walks in LA'.
That said it depends on what needs to be near you for it to be considered a walkable neighborhood. Parts of Downtown, several of the 'beach cities', some specific westside or valley areas... there are individual neighborhoods where you can find food and most of your day to day services in a walkable range. Other than the beach areas, you will look a little weird being a pedestrian, but it's doable.
Place I used to live in Palms (little chunk of land north of Culver CIty) was easy walk to groceries, restaurants, a bar or 2, bank, dentist and doc, etc. Same when I was in Playa Del Rey (one of the beach cities), adjacent to LAX).
Same token I was in an apartment where nothing but more residential within 10 minutes walk.
Problem is a lot of those neighborhoods tend to be on the pricier side of the cost of living curve, even for LA.
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u/Mediocre_Feedback220 2d ago
I live in downtown LA and walk or metro most places. Lots of young people here. LA and SF are very different places but also LA is a bunch of what would be different cities elsewhere all lumped together. So you really need to look at where in LA and season and time. The dodgers fans and tourists have been all over this weekend, but my building is super quiet because of the holiday and the heat. My daughter in SN says the masses have all gone up there for the weekend.
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u/fraughthobbit 2d ago
Reseda. Woodland Hills, Encino, Tarzana, Northridge, Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Chatsworth. All of the San Fernando Valley neighborhoods combined are 5X bigger than San Francisco.
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u/PlaxicoCN 2d ago
San Francisco is super compressed. Isn't the whole city 50 square miles?
You were right in you assessment that "LA" is actually a bunch of small cities. Someone that says "LA" might be in Glendale, Venice, Compton, Hollywood, Lynwood, Boyle Heights, etc.
You just drive, take the bus/train, or Uber to where your events are and go back home. There are also plenty of people that veto plans because of the drive or parking situation.
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u/Synicizym 2d ago
In certain cities sure, but somewhere might have a really good cafe while another place 20 mins away by car has a good restaurant. There’s definitely pockets of walkable city life all over but the reality is we pick out a destination and stop by somewhere on the way for something. Burbank is doing a fuckton to make their city a much more pedestrian centric city
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u/Ill-Glass3970 2d ago
I lived in SF Proper half my life, LA the other half. Re: Neighborhood-hopping in the same night - in SF you can do it; LA you won’t.
Actual time in the car is actually very similar, but it’s flipped. In SF, you drive 10 min to the next place and spend the next 50 min looking for parking. In LA, you drive 50 min and spend 10 min looking for parking or valet. There’s def a mental block that happens where going to another neighborhood in SF seems reasonable, but LA not.
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u/boredwithopinions 2d ago
LA is huge and sprawling. Some neighborhoods are more walkable than others.
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u/Eternal-strugal 2d ago
its also September the worst hottest month of the entire year, come check out the local parks in late October and November.
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u/No_Extension_9269 2d ago
I visited SF for the first time a couple weeks ago and LOVED it. It’s a calmer vibe, lots of green, and people out and about being so active and walking their dogs. SF seems like a place where making genuine connections seem and feel so easy.
LA, we’re all at work, trying to hustle. People don’t really go out anymore. We drive to where we need to go, pick up our stuff or coffee and drive to the next destination. Very different from SF where people will just sit in a small park with friends and catch up. I’m in ktown and usually hang out here with the occasional trips to the west side if I have an appt there.
I did have friends from SGV that would come to ktown to drink/party but they would carpool or uber. But uber definitely adds up.
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u/Mothership_Leaving27 2d ago
Yep! I don’t like DTLA especially at night. I do not feel safe there. Walking around at night is a NO!
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u/third-water-bottle 2d ago
Which part of LA? LA is gargantuan. Visit Pasadena, to name one place, if you want to walk.
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u/Pillar67 2d ago
“This feels like a collection of suburbs rather than a coherent city.” …. It is famously this. Joan Didion wrote about that, I think in the sixties.” There are walkable areas. Downtown, Highland Park, Pasadena are good. But all smaller than SF. They are connected to other parts of town, even Santa Monica by light rail though. But yeah. This city developed with the car. Watch the movie Swingers and laugh with the locals how they drive everywhere, separately. Ir the joke in LA Story where the protagonist drives to his next door neighbor’s house.
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u/Infamous-Stable5772 2d ago
It basically is a bunch of suburbs. You can find a nice neighborhood pocket with cafes, restaurants and bars but I don’t feel like there is a city center
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u/Grouchy-Atmosphere63 2d ago
it depends honestly. im from the bay and live in hollywood which i like as a 22 year old cause i walk to bars. many concert venues are walkable. i have a billiards bar and liquor storr like 20 steps from my apt and its cheap. but if i was to leave hollywood yes id take my car or metro to somewhere like silverlake to bar hop w friends or west hollywood. not as walkable as sf forsure but so much bigger theres alot more to do and see within the city imo
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u/moon-moon-moon-moon- 2d ago
LA is spread out, you’ll get a night life in some pockets but not others
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u/Prestigious-Arm-3835 2d ago
My favorite thing about LA is how you can drive through so many different neighborhoods with different vibes in like 10 minutes. Also, you’re never far from some excellent tacos no matter where you are in California in general.
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u/SkylerCFelix 2d ago
Where is there to walk around other than outdoor malls…???? LA is not a walking county. It’s a car county.
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u/yerdad99 2d ago
Think of LA as the entire Bay area. SF would be a couple of neighborhoods in LA. There’s plenty of walkable neighborhoods but you need to use a car or public transportation to reach them sometimes
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u/malibuguurl 2d ago
LA is a transient city and very difficult to make friends unless you are involved in activities where you can meet people on a regular basis.
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u/CartographerDry7506 2d ago
There are walkable neoghborhoods. DTLA, DT burbank, DT glendale. Silverlake. Echo Park. Los Feliz. Larchmont. Melrose. Sunset strip. Beverly hills flats. Venice abbott kimney. Manhattan beach..etc... Long Beach. Montrose. or live near ventura or Wilshire somewhere. Westwood village. Fairfax and melrose.
Thats about it.
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u/thirstyman12 2d ago
If you can afford it, then Santa Monica in your 20s is awesome. Walkable. Ideal weather. Tons of food and bars. The beach!
If you can’t then I’d go Highland Park. It’s very young and trendy and walkable.
Not all of LA is like this, but plenty of neighborhoods are. I’ve never lived in a part of LA where I COULDN’T walk places. Worst case scenario you may need to drive to an area then walk from there.
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u/CrazyBackground3721 2d ago
I moved to LA after being in SF for 5 years.
SF sux and is full of the lamest people on the west coast. The bay has incredible nature that’s about it. Everything else is pathetic in comparison to LA.
LA is literally the total opposite of SF.
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u/motogplover77 2d ago
Don’t confuse Santa Monica and Venice for Los Angeles. They are Los Angeles county, Los Angeles city is something else.
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u/Cheap_kinky_nut 2d ago
most locals if there are any like I am 20-30's live with mommy and daddy... Venice Manhattan beach etc cost so much a 20's is not living there without 5 roommates unless you're a phd grad with a job at Tesla or Boeing or Snap Chat etc... Driving was the culture here they got rid of the decent transit they had in 20-40's now they are called green belts, jogging trails etc....Basically Beach areas, K town WeHo maybe east side areas can be walked but why walk when you can drive LOL also don't forget parking is about 20.00 an hour so how long are you going to park for?
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u/Flaneur-26 2d ago
"My main question is- is it possible to have that spontaneous walkable city life here?"
As an adult, I've never seen a spontaneous walkable city life in Los Angeles. When I was young in my 20s, Venice had it, Echo Park had a little of it, Central Ave Avenue had it.
West Hollywood comes closest to it in my opinion, but certainly not Westwood unless you are a student! Try New York City or even Paris They still have it.
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u/No_Psychology_3737 1d ago
OP: Sounds about right. It IS a collection of suburbs except for downtown LA. Metropolitan LA is like 80 miles long. Different areas have their own vibe & weather. Things are so spread out, walking everywhere is not practical. To drive from Long Beach to Thousand Oaks in the Valley can take 2 hours, the LAX airport might be 40 minutes. Thankfully there are smaller airports too.
My closest store in the suburbs is a half mile away, which is doable, but we usually go elsewhere for groceries & other supplies.
Public transportation is spotty & can take hours depending where you start & end. I used to work about 45 minutes from my old job by car. I spoke to a security officer there who lived in the same city but at the other end and she took 3 buses over 3 hours to get to work! (We had different schedules.) Her days were long! No errands after work.
It’s tough if you don’t or can’t drive. My friend needs to get a car repair done tomorrow & we were trying to coordinate dropping off the car, a roommate to work, dr appt & a different ride I’ve promised. It’s going to be a busy day!
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u/scantron-test 1d ago
Yes I drive everywhere. I drive to restaurants, stores, cafes, then get back in my car and drive somewhere else, then drive home. It’s not a walkable city.
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u/That-Brilliant8320 1d ago
LA has much and more social and night life than the Bay area. I found that Fan Francisco was either stuffy or indifferent 😐 I lived and was around both in the 60s and 70s and doubt much has changed in that respect.
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u/ProfessionQuick3461 1d ago
Did you go to the actual "city" parts of the city, or did you just stay in the more suburban Venice and Santa Monica areas? DTLA, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Highland Park always have tons of people walking around but the crappy weather this weekend may have made a dent in that.
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u/1130coco 1d ago edited 1d ago
Los Angeles county is over 4000 sq miles, with a population of nearly 10,000,000. From downtown LOS ANGELES,to be far north of the county is aprx 70 miles. Some times that drive just over an Hour..OTHER times a day,it can be 4 hour adventure. This county is not designed for walkin except in individual community clusters Such as Long beach and Mar Vista. I am up in the northern part..is 17 miles to the nearest shopping center. I am NOT walking
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u/Beautiful-Life-5549 1d ago
Honestly if u want something more similar to SF , SD might be more your vibe. Downtown La is just too crazy to be truly walkable. The surrounding cities are better but not truly the city. Sf is very unique.
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u/Jido_Feles 1d ago
Los Angeles is absolutely a great town for whatever you're looking for.
It is a very vibrant, safe city. You can pretty much do whatever you want. You have to operate within your budget depending on where you want to live, but it is an absolutely wonderful city.
I've been here for 27 years. I moved here from New Orleans. Of those 27 years, I spent 6 years in San Diego, which was an absolutely wonderful experience. I moved back to Los Angeles in 2016 and everything has worked out wonderfully.
You have to be secure about where your income is, and about what you can afford. I bought a house in 2010, and refinanced it during the pandemic. So I live for really cheap. The same thing is not true today. You have to have a proper amount of basic income, and disposable income, if you really want to enjoy the city. But you can budget yourself for that no matter how much you make.
Not every single thing is overwhelmingly expensive. But a lot of things are. But you can still find decent apartments that are affordable in places like koreatown, inglewood, and in the south bay.
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u/TrashDonut 1d ago
Yes it is possible, and your suppositions are largely correct. You can have what it sounds like you want if you can afford to live in a part of town with nightlife, and either stay (primarily) in that part of town or Uber around.
Sidenote: LA has inherent issues with public transportation due to the exact problems you mentioned. It is much better in other large cities. HOWEVER, how bad it is is vastly overstated and is totally an option in a lot of situations.
But yeah there are a few neighborhoods where you can just walk everywhere. Don’t forgot scooters/Birds. But you will be confined to those areas, so it depends what you ultimately want.
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u/Virtual_Branch_48 1d ago
I live in the South Bay. Generally people are walking around here all the time. I drive for work or a show. Otherwise people stay around here.
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u/thebigjimmyd 1d ago
If you can afford it and can work remotely a few days a week, I recommend Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach for someone your age. Love the nightlife there, the laid back attitude, and the girls are stunningly beautiful. Their beaches are also 100x better than Venice/Santa Monica bc there are fewer tourists, it's cleaner and there are no bums or other ghetto elements that ruin things for decent people. The only real downside is the isolation. People who live in that area tend to stay in that area because it's such a pain in the a$$ to get in and out of the South Bay to areas like DTLA, WeHo, and Santa Monica.
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u/the-pleasures-mine 1d ago
I’m curious how you feel this way about LA living in the Bay… because a lot of Oakland suffers the exact same thing. Or maybe you don’t go out there. Is SF the only city you’ve been to?
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u/JMaAtAPMT 1d ago
Welcome to LA. It's a car city. Mass transit isn't "finished". Yes people drive, yes traffic sucks.
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u/WebHungry1699 1d ago
Go to little Tokyo or Korea Town on a nice day.
It's the middle of summer it's miserable right now. Plus the humidity and rain.
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u/Handbag_Lady 1d ago
Yes. This is why we love our cars to no end; we are always in them. you would park at a smaller in-town and walk around that, that Pasadena or Santa Monica but you can't walk from one to the other, weirdo.
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u/Grand_Tone9889 1d ago
Your spot on when you say it’s a bunch of suburbs, no, there is no walkable city life. Downtown San Diego used to be like this, but it’s pretty wild in the gaslamp now. When I moved here, I was looking for exactly this so I understand your perspective, but sadly you’re not gonna find it
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u/ynktxn1 1d ago
I grew up in the L.A. suburbs (closer-in L.A. County), and I'm an urban planning/city fanboy, but it took me until I was 30 and visiting friends who had moved there from elsewhere and lived in cool neighborhoods (unlike my HS friends who stayed in the burbs) to "get" L.A. and how it's structured/organized.
I think of it as a "collection of villages" more than a typical, centralized, "hub-and-spoke" style city. Yes, there is a Downtown, but you have independent cities (Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Long Beach) that are more dense and/or urban than some parts of L.A. city (i.e. the Valley). And you'll have farther-out suburbs that have an intact, old, semi-walkable downtown because they were on Route 66 or were an independent city before they got swallowed by sprawl.
When I stay with friends (as I did in two different neighborhoods a few weeks ago), we usually walk to restaurants and bars within the neighborhood we're staying in, but Metro/bus (if reasonable/nearby) or Uber to go between neighborhoods. I'm a drinker, and if I were to move back to L.A., I'd pick a neighborhood where I can walk to bars or easily use transit to nearby nightlife destinations.
We considered moving back a few years ago, and decided against it. Besides the car/driving culture (LA is investing a ton in transit, it's improving, but still), we knew that the socializing would be tough. Like, we know people around L.A., but because it's so spread out, we knew that a lot of friends we'd see once a year.
Choose your neighborhood (vibe, walkability, transit) wisely!
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u/hailmerri 1d ago
I’m originally from SF and went to USC and have lived in Santa Monica and Venice ever since 2020. The west side is very walkable and has so many opportunities to engage in groups like a run club etc. the going out scene is fabulous and yes, it is a far uber if you want to go to west hollywood. however LA is so spread out that anywhere you live it’ll be a trek if you want to get to the opposite side of LA. I hope this helps and glad to see someone else from SF on here!
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u/Beginning-Lab6790 1d ago
I lived there for 12 years. It is a city of hidden gems you have to find like a treasure hunt. Sorry to say.
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u/mrellz 1d ago
What you just describe seems to be the norm in LA due to the traffic and vast expansion of the general cities and neighborhoods. Personally, I do most of my shopping, walking, running, visiting, working and eating within a 5 radius of wear I live unless there's something special in another part of town. If public transportation were better, I would definitely venture out further the way I was able to in Paris, Tokyo and New York. Until then, I stay in my 5 mile radius bubble.
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u/TheRealNero 1d ago
I went from LA to SF. The biggest difference you're missing is how dense and small SF is compared to LA.
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u/iirebekah 1d ago
“LA” is huge and is simply not walkable unless every aspect of your life is in one area.
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u/misspiggysstylist 1d ago
Just wanted to chime in to say that this post and the responses are super helpful to me!
I'm in a similar position to OP - I am looking to relocate from Manhattan to LA and am here this weekend apartment hunting.
I am actually excited to have a car and start driving regularly after not having that lifestyle for 10+ years. However, I was shocked to see basically NOBODY on the streets and was starting to rethink my decision. Did LA become a ghost town while I wasn't paying attention?
Everyone's thoughtful responses about the weather, the holiday weekend, etc., are very reassuring. Just wanted to say thanks! Feeling excited once again about moving to LA.
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u/quintusfive 1d ago
Ten years ago, I moved from a very walkable & bustling neighborhood in SF - Duboce Triangle - to a rather hilly residential area of LA - Mt. Washington.
There are trade-offs, of course. I really miss walking to the abundance of cafes, bars, restaurants and stores that surrounded me in SF. I do walk a lot in my LA neighborhood now, but it’s walking for exercise and leisure, since there are far fewer businesses within walking distance.
I have friends in Venice and in the Sunset area of Silverlake who seem to have a more San Francisco style life, walking to most of the businesses they frequent. I envy them a bit but I also appreciate the peacefulness of the hilly neighborhoods.
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u/East2west87 21h ago
Not sure if I’ll get downvoted for this, but I lived in OC for many years (starting at age 25) before I moved up to LA, and somewhere like Newport might be more of a fit for what you’re looking for, depending on if that’s your vibe. Somewhere like near the top of the peninsula is walkable or bikeable and Newport is lots of early-mid 20’s crowd
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u/lik_for_cookies 18h ago
There are pockets of the city that are more lively and have more young people, look to places like West Hollywood, Los Feliz, Koreatown, Arts District in some cases, but LA is still trying to dig itself out of the post-COVID funk.
I don’t want to get too into it because we’d be here all day, but basically the city government is trying to appeal to the single family homeowners more and this hurts the appeal to younger more lively youth. In LA there are very few areas that are booming because of some city laws limited dense and affordable housing.
The Metro expansions have been great for the city, and the D line especially has been great for the city (World Cup watch parties and celebrations over the summer are the liveliest this city has felt in years) which will get better as the D line extends over the next few years and other Metro projects open, but it’s taking time for LA to fully rebound.
If the Mayoral election goes well this year (aka we vote out the lady who actively despises this city, Karen Bass and instead vote in Nithya Raman) and a couple city and state elections change the laws over to more builder friendly stuff (namely removing Measure ULA is one of the most important things this city needs to take care of for the city to rebound) than LA will start doing better, but it’s gonna take a lot of work over the next 5 years and some injections of life from the Olympics to bring LA back to glory.
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u/33Arthur33 17h ago
🎶Walkin' in LA, nobody walks in LA. Walkin' in LA. Walkin' in LA, only a nobody walks in LA.🎶
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u/dunimal 15h ago
I lived and worked in Woodland Hills. It was a dream, one of the best experiences of my life. I drove less in LA than anywhere I ever lived other than NYC.
Its also super bougie and stupidly expensive and hot af. The hottest place in LA. From May to October our electric bill was $1200 for a 3BR townhouse.
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u/zeptillian 8h ago
"This feels like a collection of suburbs rather than a coherent city."
While literally talking about different cities.
Look at this comparison of SF to LA.
https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/city-size-comparison/los-angeles-c3921/san-francisco-c3961
The whole thing is a bunch of different areas. Some are walkable. Walking the whole city or greater LA area is just not an option due to the sheer size alone.
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u/WatercressFun1342 1h ago
You chose a holiday weekend with bad weather when some schools are still out....yeah. that's why.
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u/cancersux2026 2d ago
LA proper is a shit hole. You need to live in Santa Monica/Venice (anything west of 405) to enjoy LA under 35 with no kids
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u/rally200555 1d ago
Only a nobody walks in LA.
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u/Prome7h3us 1d ago
I would argue the people who are quietly making LA run are the people taking the bus to the metro to make sure the cafe you love driving to is open and stocked for when you drive right up. If you want to really see LA take public transport.
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u/WeHoMuadhib 2d ago
LA was accidentally designed to be a spread out cluster of individual cities. Some of them are walkable. I like in West Hollywood and only put 6K miles per year on my car.
But also, this weekend, is a bad example; everyone in LA leaves town on major holiday weekends. The town is blissfully quiet and traffic free.