No, not for an animal, unless you consider finding an apartment in L.A. a wild beast. I'm starting to think though that this seemingly impossible task may be just that--the wildest beast around.
It's definitely my least favorite thing to do in this city. And, probably the hardest thing to do.
Most people feel like they need to live near their work. I don't have those feelings...necessarily. Right now, my commute is about 45 minutes each way. Not too bad. But, it would be nice to get just a little bit closer to work. Basically, my job is about halfway from my house to Santa Barbara. I guess when you put it in those terms...that IS far. But, like I said before...I love to drive, so it's no big deal (minus weaving in an out of all those bad LA drivers). Oh, right...and that traffic. Plus, I need to stop mooching and move out of casa Luda (that's my Ruskie mama). I actually think she's starting to miss having the house to herself.
That said, I began the hunt this weekend.
I decided that I would have to live somewhere in "the Valley" for the commute to be decent. So, I started off checking out all of those luxury apartments that are advertised all around town. And, yes...most of them are nice. But, you are definitely not getting what you pay for. There's one that I'm scoping out and trying to work out a deal...but, not sure it will come through. Basically, they look great from the outside, they look good on the inside and for the most part....they are asking for an exorbitant amount of money for very little square footage. What are we, in NYC? Please!
So, I decided to just drive and check out the places with "For Rent" signs hanging outside the buildings. And, there are A LOT. You'd think, that with so many vacancies, they would lower their prices. But, no -- it's the recession -- why lower the rent?!? Right?...I don't get it.
So, once I checked out a few apartments on the same street, I got some pointers of where else to go. (Now...non-Los Angelenos won't know what I'm talking about here). But, I started to go further and further north of the 101 freeway and somehow ended up near the 118 freeway. How did that happen? I saw places everywhere: Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Reseda, ValleyVillage, Studio City, Woodland Hills, West Hills and somehow I ended up looking at places in Moorpark and even Valencia. I was getting so desperate to find something in my price range....I just kept on driving and driving. And then...I broke down, started crying and called it a day.
Day 2: New day, new attitude. I decided to figure out exactly what I'm looking for. Central AC is a must if you live in the Valley. It's way too hot to just have a little window unit. I had my price range down at this point. And, I'm looking for pretty decent square footage, because again...we are not in NYC and space should not be an issue here.
Personally, I would love to have hardwood floors, but have found that most places here only have carpeting. Ugh. It will have to do. Secondly, most apartments don't come with refrigerators. I forgot that California doesn't necessarily have to provide them in apartments. Another huge difference from the East Coast. Sigh. And, here's my other complaint...why don't most apartments have lights in the bedrooms? I just don't get it. They call it romantic? I call it weird.
So, today I checked out craigslist. It's the site I use every time I've needed to find a place to live. And this time, I'm only checking out places in my price range. I saw about 6 today...and did not fall in love with ANY of them. Too small, too ugly, bad area, plants dead in courtyards, no parking spaces. Double sigh. And, to top it off, I don't even know anything about half those areas and what they're all about. I need someone to come with me who REALLY knows what these neighborhoods are like. I would say about 60% of the landlords I spoke to were Russian. And get this, it didn't help that I was talking to them in Russian. The mob, I say. Hmmmm...makes me think twice about moving into their buildings.
I just realized right now, that I made an appointment at 7pm to view another place in Studio City. I can't believe I forgot. But, I think today -- I'm just done. When I started to tear up for the second day in a row, I started to think about how I cried every day when I first moved to NYC and had to live in a motel in New Jersey before I found my perfect place. And, it really was perfect for 7 years. A good relationship, I say.
Taking a break for the week and I may check out some of the new listings...but, I'll get back to the grind next weekend. Besides, I'm not looking to move right this second. I need to check out the goods. It's kind of like dating. Need to check them all out more than a couple of times, give some of them a chance and then, narrow it down to the best choice.
Oh wait -- there was one possibility. It didn't grab me right off the bat, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking I may have overlooked a good one. It's not my ideal area. I mean, the address is Studio City and it's just 1 block north of Ventura but south of the 101. It's right by the LA River. (what a joke!) It's gated and it's old school...very 1960's style. Little courtyard, parking space. It has some flaws...carpets, tiny bathroom, not a whole lot of lighting, not nice and luxurious, just simple.
But, it's got central air, it's month-to-month and it's about 900 square feet! (That's big compared to the some of the luxury 1 bed-1 baths I checked out.) So, while it's not exactly what I was looking for...I'm sometimes wrong when it comes to first impressions. And, just like dating...you have to be open-minded, give it a chance or two or three, and you might just be pleasantly surprised.
Keeping you posted on the hunt.
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