Monday will mark the three month anniversary of our arrival in Los Angeles. The majority of our time has been spent in and around our neighborhood as we get used to our surroundings and what daily life is like here in LA. I thought I’d share some random thoughts on our new digs, specifically our building and neighborhood.
- Our Space: It’s somewhat strange to be renting again once you have been a home owner – the space is technically where you live but it’s not “home” per se. Anyhow, our actual living space is bigger than the condo we still own in Chicago. The soft loft floor plan has worked out better than we thought so far. Most of our time is spent in the living room/kitchen area and it has a great feel to it. Sure we still need an area rug and the shelves for our bookcases but overall it’s a fun place to hang out. I’m not sure how we feel about shower doors as opposed to a shower curtain since the hard water here in California leaves a filthy, grimy film for us to look at all the time. Storage is a major issue and I am not thrilled with spending $85 a month to rent an off-site space for our ’stuff’. The gigantic windows in our place are fun, although we rarely have the ‘back’ ones open to let the light in. The only major downfall of the space is air circulation – there is none! It would be nice to open the window and a breeze come through but it just doesn’t happen in our place.
- The Building: It’s pretty amazing how little we hear in our unit with the windows and door closed. The only problem we’ve encountered with neighbors was this past Saturday when a dance party broke out beneath us. If the pounding bass, which started around 10 p.m. had concluded a few hours later it would have been no big deal. But when it woke H and I up at 3 a.m. and again at four we had to say something. A quick call down to the security desk and the problem was solved within minutes. On the topic of security, the crew has been really nice as we’ve gotten to know them. We enjoy using the community bar-b-que although we don’t use it as much as we should. The pool has been used once by H, and more and more lately the workout room is paying dividends for us. We have not taken advantage of the screening room yet but hopefully in the near future we will. The only downfall of the building, and it really isn’t that big of a deal, is the parking. It’s great to have a dedicated space, but being outdoors in LA means the car gets a thick coat of dirt and dust constantly. To make matters worse our spot is directly underneath a wire that birds use to sit on, and of course that means we have poop on our car constantly.
- South Park Neighborhood: It’s fun to be amongst ‘the action’ taking place here. There is something of an excitement in the air with all the new buildings and stores sprouting up. The downside being it seems to be taking forever for businesses and stores to open. The lack of green space in the area is certainly a pitfall of living here, especially with Carter. Having Ralph’s downstairs makes grocery shopping easier but their prices are way too expensive. It is tough not being around so many big box stores though, as we need to drive 10-15 miles to visit a Target, Sam’s Club, or anything else. Last weekend we were in Torrence and it was like heaven to see all the malls and stores you could visit. We would like to thank the girls of FIDM for providing constant fashion entertainment on our walks – keep up the good work! We’ve stumbled upon one or two decent places to eat here but there still is not enough ‘everyday/normal’ choices (Mind you that might just be LA and the way it is).
Overall we are happy with our choice of places to live – it coule be better and it certainly could be worse.
I could give you some rec’s for good places to eat. You’ve probably figured out that LA is more of an Asian- and latin-food town than anything else.
Still, we’ve got some good Italian Downtown. Have you tried Colori Kitchen (8th/Olive) yet? Service is sometimes lacking since it gets busy, but the prices are great and the food is better than most places. Cafe L’Angolo on 9th and Main is good but can be a bit pricey. Rocket Pizza for pizza and pasta (4th/Spring). Always a good time. They deliver, but I don’t know if they’ll go to South Park.
Blossom Cafe for pho on Main/Winston is always fun, and it’s cheap. They have other options too.
Pete’s (4th/Main) – consistently great food, always decent service for me. Sometimes priced a bit high depending on what you get, but their burgers and pastas aren’t bad. I’ve had a couple friends that had bad experiences there, so take that as you will.
I used to recommend Wood Spoon on 9th/Main to people, but I’ve heard horror stories about the service and I myself experienced slow service. That being said, their pork burger is phenomenal. So is the chicken pot pie. Go here if you have some time on your hands, just in case.
Little Tokyo is full of incredible dining options and it’s something you should explore ASAP. I think Little Tokyo saved Downtown for me when I first moved here. Many places are open late, but they sometimes close at 3:00pm and open again at 6:00. Ebisu on 2nd Street is my favorite place for basics, Kouraku (2nd/San Pedro) is a great “Japanese greasy spoon.” In Weller Court (2nd/San Pedro), Kushi Shabu is my favorite shabu-shabu, though that can be a bit pricey, and Curry House and Orochon Ramen are great.
Don’t forget to check out Olvera Street’s several Mexican restaurants. You can take the subway to Union Station so you don’t have to deal with parking (seriously, don’t try to deal with parking here). El Paseo Inn is my favorite, which has been there forever (sit on the patio). La Golondrina is more charming inside.
For decent Mexican a little closer to you, try La Parrilla on Wilshire/Witmer.
Chinatown is often overlooked by Downtowners. I can recommend Full House Seafood Restaurant on Hill Street (they offer more than seafood), May Flower Seafood Restaurant on Spring (non-seafood items as well), and Pho 87 on Broadway. Yang Chow on Broadway is Americanized and touristy, but it’s “famous” and you have to try their Slippery Shrimp at least once.
Spring Street Smokehouse on Cesar Chavez/Spring is some good barbeque. Service is always great, and it’s a fun atmosphere. There may be parking available on the street, but the subway is easiest (union station).
Hope that helps. I’ll be the first to admit that it takes some digging to find the gems here in LA, but once you do, it’s fun to explore. You should have my email address, so please feel free to ask for more recommendations.
Rich – What a response, thanks for all the great ideas!
The one place we have stumbled upon is Colori – what a find! The prices are really, really cheap and the food is above average as well. The two times we have been were right at 6 pm when they opened and the places wasn’t busy yet so service has not been a factor as of yet.
We will definitely check out some of the other places, especially Rocket Pizza (I am a pizza guy!
If you’re really into pizza, try Purgatory Pizza http://www.eatpurgatorypizza.com/
They are delivery-only and closed for a while and then opened again. So worth the price.
If you think Ralph’s prices are too high, then I warn you about dropping into a Whole Foods market, such as the branches in mid-Wilshire or Pasadena. You’ll soon understand why that chain has been nicknamed “Whole Paycheck.” Also, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s, even more so since they do fancy themselves as geared to the “gourmet” shopper, are quite pricey compared with Ralph’s.
When it comes to locally based, mainstream (non-healthfood, non-gourmet) grocery stores, I find Ralph’s to be a bit more reasonable than certainly Von’s or, less so, Albertson’s. However, Stater Brothers, of which there aren’t many branches in LA County, has a more budget-conscious orientation than Ralph’s.
Since there aren’t too many supermarket outlets in the LA area run by Wal-mart or similar discount merchandisers, I won’t include them in the list.
Rich: I will keep my eye open for that pizza place, thanks!
Grenelle: Thanks for the heads up on some of the local grocers. We popped into Whole Foods once or twice back in Chicago and it was exactly as you described. In today’s world there is such a push for ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ and that gives sellers an opportunity to charge a premium. We look for just good old fashion grocery stores … I’d love to see a Target, Wal-Mart or some other larger chain store make their way into downtown LA.
Oh, and familiarize yourself with Trader Joe’s for food, post-haste!
You can take the Gold Line to Pasadena for the original TJ’s store (Fillmore Station, across Arroyo Parkway). You can also drive to the Silver Lake one.