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[-]Los Angeles or San Jose? (please also say where you're from.. thanks
9 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreSan Jose. Lifelong California (Fresno, so smack in the middle) but went to college in the Bay Area. Love the Bay Area.
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They have a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses. Large urban area made up of different "villages"--can feel very suburban, fairly downtownish, or be walkable and hip. Quality of public schools varies according to district and neighborhood. I have lived in both, though I'm from the east, and liked both. I would personally pick LA, though would not be devastated if I had to move to SJ.
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[-]Any NYC transplants living in LA ? Do you find the life is better for Dcs? Also id LA less expensive than NY for monthy expenses?
14 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreMy friend misses NY A LOT but she does feel her children have a better quality of life. LA is still expensive. Their housing costs are probably a tiny bit cheaper, but they have the same problem with rising property taxes, gas prices, oil prices, and school issues.
[ Reply | More ]Homes in LA are much cheaper and larger. It's also more expensive to maintain a home (taxes, heating costs). LA has a far lower cost of living than NYC in my experiences.
[ Reply | More ]are you kidding? Our utilities were MUCH lower in LA. Heating costs are minimal -- it never gets that cold. True, if you upgrade to a huge house you will discover new costs (or if you have a yard and hire a gardener, etc.), but many LA houses aren't all that big. You'll have to pay more for A/C in the warm months, but you save a lot on heat in the winter (and most people would, presumably, also have the A/C costs in NYC, too.) Overall I agree with you, though (LA is much cheaper), just on the heating costs issue!
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whats up with this rash of la posts. surely there are nicer places in the united states to raise your kids than la if you want a change of scenery? i've lived in la and i don't think it's a good place for raising children at all. i've also lived in nyc. compared to nyc (metro area), the kids in la (metro area) are less educated and less well mannered people (kids and adults) just seem more 'proper' and more well off in the new york region.
[ Reply | More ]Funny... I have exactly the opposite impression re: manners. LA definitely feels more third-world and has more visible poverty, but I think people are much more polite. That was certainly the case when you compare riding the subway in NYC versus LA. I NEVER had to stand while pregnant in LA, for example. There are well-educated people in both areas, and while I think LA probably has a greater percentage of people lacking much formal education, that's also closely aligned with your socioeconomic status and peer group. There is, however, less concern about tt schools and obsession with HYP in LA.
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MUCH cheaper. I love NYC, but LA comes in as a close second favorite. We had our first child there, and think it can be a great place to raise kids. That said, like most cities, money makes a difference. Schools can vary widely, and it costs more to live somewhere with good public schools. (although not as much as in NYC!) As far as costs, though, LA is much, much cheaper.
[ Reply | More ]If making the move, pick your neighborhood carefully; the New Yorkers in LA that are the most miserable (in my experience) are those who simply chose the wrong location. Where you live makes a HUGE difference to whether you'll love it or hate it. For example, if you like to be able to walk places and enjoy urban living, don't get suckered into buying a great house in a neighborhood where you have to drive everywhere. I am always shocked at how many people seem to do this! LA is huge and has a ton of different options, so pick the one that works for you. I moved to LA reluctantly, fell in love, and would happily move back (with kids) if the opportunity were there. LA and NYC are my two favorite American cities. Love NYC, too, but life is eas...
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Thanks, we want to move somewhere cheaper than NY but only have a few options to relocate with the office. We actually own ahouse in LA but have not lived there for years and never with children (wes hollywood hills) we just find the quality of life and the expense of everything in NY crazy and we would like to enjoy life a little more. Plus the beach etc sounds so great with kids!
[ Reply | More ]LA isn't cheap, but it certainly feels affordable when compared to NYC! I really appreciated being able to be outside all the time, too. And when our son was young I loved not having to deal with coats and boots and winter weather. Both cities have their perks, but LA is a pretty wonderful place. (We rented in Hollywood before we had a kid, then ended up in South Pasadena after we had a baby. Loved both areas, although central Hollywood isn't so family-friendly)
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[-]Moving to Los Angeles and I don't know how to drive. Any recommendations for a driving school or an instructor would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Doesn't answer your question, but FWIW I lived in LA and never got my license. Granted, it would have been useful at times (luckily my husband does drive, so we could still go on fun weekend trips, etc.), but I was pleasantly surprised with public transportation options. Got to work, daycare, doctor, shopping, and most everything else by foot, bus, or rail.
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Foot...bus...train... if necessary, taxi. I'm not suggesting the OP go this route, but she might appreciate knowing that (depending on where she lives) she might have a lot of options. Even if she does get a license and a car who would want to drive everywhere, anyway? And that there is no snow and ice makes it even easier to get around!
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I'm a late learner to driving. I go to the Professional Driving school. Ask for Patrick. This man has patience and nerves of steel. I swear he's on ambien, weed, and valium. No one could be this calm and cool. I'm learning how to drive too because I'll be spending a lot of time in LA.
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[-]My son goes to pvt school on the UWS for special needs (dev. delays/speech). I have a job offer which will take me to L.A. for 4 mos. Hubby (SAHD) and I decided to take DS out of school and we will all relocate to L.A. Will a private school take him for only 4 mos.? if not, do you know how I can find a tutor to homeschool him for the 4 mos.? (and also a tutor who deals w children with Spec Needs). Any advice? Tips?
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[-]LA: Any good public schools on the east side besides Ivanhoe? Any good privates that are progressive-minded? Everything "good" seems to be west or Pasadena. Every ES in areas we might buy looks abysmal.
2 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreI highly recommend schools in the south part of the Valley - namely Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Encino. Carpenter is great, and so is Lanai Road (Encino). For junior/high school however, I highly recommend either going private or going to a public/magnet *outside* of L.A. I went to Birmingham High (magnet) for 9th grade and it was TERRIBLE. Worst educational year ever. However, the for the rest of my high school education I switched to Santa Susana High (Simi Valley - public magnet) and had an amazing experience; in general, Simi and Conejo Valley schools are top-notch.
[ Reply | More ]Thank you for this... but we really want to stay around Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington, Highland Park. Are we screwed if we can't afford private? Culturally we feel much more at home on this side of town, and there are obviously lots of young families here. Homes in Silverlake are often over 1 mil, yet only Ivanhoe district is supposed to be any good.
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[-]We are contemplating a move to Los Angeles from nyc. My children currently attend a private school in nyc, but we would prefer to send them to public school if we make the move. Are there any particular public elementary schools that stand out as exceptional in LA? Am I being delusional about gettting an exceptional education for my kids in a public school? My knowledge base in this area is at about zero, so any advice is appreciated.
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PV I agree with. They have their own school district. But is Pali High good? It's LAUSD. And as for Irvine, their schools may be good but who would want to live there? It's OC and not LA by the way.
[ Reply | More ]Pali High has been a charter school for a few years now, so steadily improving. Due to financial constraints may not bus in anymore students, so this is a positive or negative, depending on your outlook on "diversity".
[ Reply | More ]Pali High is no longer part of LAUSD, we are an independent charter school. Do not enroll at Pali if you have a problem with diversity (47% white, 26% Hispanic, 17% African-American, 9% Asian). It is the core and the strength of the school, and the charter dictates that Pali must maintain diversity or lose the charter and go back to being just another LAUSD high school. Approximately half of the graduates go directly to four year colleges and come to Pali from over 100 zip codes. Pali offers 21 AP courses, with overall pass rate of 79% (100% in Calc BC, 93% in Eng Lang, 85% in World). In the top 10% of our senior class, 87% will have taken 3 or more AP's. Top 20% of class, 71% have taken 3 or more AP's. Top of class is very competiti...
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Carpenter in Studio City is very good. I have friends who send kids there and I just visited and sat in on 1st grade. I really liked it. The middle school is 4 or 5,000 kids though. Many go from Carpenter to private middle school. Warner in Holmby Hills is also great. I think the middle school and high school would be Beverly Hills. Great schools but huge.
[ Reply | More ]LA is v complicated. LAUSD covers a huge sprawling area, but there are some cities embedded within the LAUSD area that have their own school systems (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc.) In general, I'd say those are better schools, but there are some LAUSD highly regarded elementary schools. On top of that, there are charter and magnet schools that you can apply to, but it's too late for fall 2010 for that.
[ Reply | More ]more: Specific names in Santa Monica are Franklin and Roosevelt schools, in LAUSD, Warner in Westwood is excellent but the problem is that LAUSD middle and high schools are freq really bad unless you go magnet/charter (Warner does NOT go to Bev Hills for middle, it is LAUSD and goes to Emerson; BH has their own school system) I don't know about the Palisades, my friends there complained. I hear good things about S Pasadena/Pasadena and Palos Verdes.
[ Reply | More ]I went through Santa Monica schools: Franklin elementary, then Lincoln (middle) then Santa Monica High. Great schools, great neighborhood, nicer weather than other parts of LA (cooler due to sea breezes). Lots of very successful graduates in my class and the classes + or -1 year from mine. Lots of Ivy colleges, a candidate for a major office in NY, an advisor to Obama (on transition team), many many others I knew and know still. One Saint Ann's parent w 2 dcs at ST A also went to Santa Monica schools and said his children's peer group at Saint Ann's reminded him of his friends at Samo.
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I highly recommend schools in the south part of the Valley - namely Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Encino. Carpenter is great, and so is Lanai Road (Encino). For junior/high school however, I highly recommend either going private or going to a public/magnet *outside* of L.A. I went to Birmingham High (magnet) for 9th grade and it was TERRIBLE. Worst educational year ever. However, the for the rest of my high school education I switched to Santa Susana High (Simi Valley - public magnet) and had an amazing experience; in general, Simi and Conejo Valley schools are top-notch.
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[-]LA Moms - are there any boards like this that are focused on LA? A friend of mine is moving there and I told her about UB was helpful (most of the time) for me in NYC. Any recs?
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[-]Anyone know anyone who had complications from a VBAC? Or tried a VBAC, but ended up w/ a 2nd c section? What was the experience? TIA
2 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreI have two friends who had their first child in their early 20s via c-section and their second via VBAC in their late 20s (and third for one in her early 30s) with no complications. I did not know either of them when theyh had their furst babies but both of theor recoveries after the VBACs were comparable to my easy vaginal delivery.
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[-]Will be in LA next week with a one year old. Is Catalina Island worth visiting? Looks beautiful but seems like a hike.
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[-]anyone ever used or know someone who used the Au Pair Foundation to find nanny for newborn?
3 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreI know this isn't answering your question, but I am looking for a live-in nanny position. I am hard-working, reliable, caring and gentle. I especially love caring for newborns, infants and toddlers. If you would like to talk to me about your needs in a nanny, please either email me at NYnanny@LIVE.com, or contact me on my SitterCity account ( http://www.sittercity.com/nanny/ny/new-york/1758233.html ). I hope to hear from you!
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[-]we're moving to LA area and I can't decide bw Long Beach or an LA beach town like Manhattan Beach or Hermosa. Can anyone stack up some pros and cons for me. Never been to either and have to pick without going. TIA!
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hermosa is way more laid back. manhattan beach people are on their own planet. the women are totally hung up on how they look, their gym time, their botox, going to all the coolest places for lunch and all that. no thanks! they do not welcome newcomers and if you're moving there now, it could be a lonely place for you. hermosa is a much better option between the two or even redondo beach.
[ Reply | More ]Manhattan or Hermosa. There are pockets of nice areas in LB but lots of sketchy parts. http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-angeles/544648-what-life-manhattan-beach-like.html http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-diego/607524-place-better-live-hermosa-beach-huntington.html
[ Reply | More ]While on topic of the South Bay vicinity, has anyone considered Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is beautiful and the schools rate very well. I know it is a little inaccessible but I am considering it if it also helps me give my kids a little more range as they enter the teen years. Any thoughts on the area?
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[-]Going to Los Angeles for the first time with a one year old. Need a hotel. Would love to be in Beverly Hills but prefer a suite with sep sleeping area for baby...and everything looks so expensive. Suggestions for hotels where we can walk places (breakfast, stores, etc). Thanks!
2 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreThe Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire is my favorite. Rooms are small at most Beverly Hills hotels though and suites are expensive. If you don't mind driving a lot, the Four Seasons in Westlake Village is wonderful. We stay at both of these hotels a lot. HATE the Beverly Hills hotel and Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica.
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The Manhattan Family Guide to Private Schools and Selective Public Schools by Victoria Goldman and Catherine Hausman
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i'm an over-educated private-school person who is ashamed to admit she likes trashy novels and never even answers "recommend a book" posts.
[ Reply | More ]Why? I read 100+ books a year, and have for nearly 20 years now. I can recommend many, many great books. But if asked for just one? It's always going to be To Kill A Mockingbird. [Unless it's someone I want to sleep with, in which case I recommend Sabbath's Theater.]
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Which is not to say I'm above the occasional trashy fun. I have a whole (back) shelf full of Stephen King...
[ Reply | More ]I can't wait til my kids are old enough to enjoy Stephen King. They were such a pleasure for me when I read them - I actually underlined parts of The Stand when I read it in high school. And I still think The Shining is one of the all-time great psychological thrillers.
[ Reply | More ]Agree about The Shining, and the movie is a flawed masterpiece too. How old do dcs have to be before you can expose them to Kubrick? :)
[ Reply | More ]14 is about right for Lolita, no? [kidding] I'm generally not spooked by movies, but even now I can't hear the opening music for The Shining without getting a chill. What's odd is that the book and the film are *so* far apart, but both are indeed masterpieces. In contrast, another fabulous King adaptation is Shawshank Redemption. And aside from casting Morgan Freeman as Red, the film is incredibly faithful to the original story.
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Really, books like Animal Farm and To Kill a Mockingbird is not up to snuff for you, huh? Idiot.
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Atonement by Ian McEwan - the movie didn't do it justice, it's a remarkable, beautiful, sad love story
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Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, West with the Night, Paradise Lost, Time and Again, and The Tennis Partner
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just finishing up Beloved & it's brilliant...also: The Brothers Karamazov; Master & Margarita; Midnight's Children; Sheltering Sky; Pale Fire
[ Reply | More ]A Separate Peace, Speak Memory, Revolutionary Road (just read it--haven't seen movie.)
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1984, A Brave New World, and A Clockwork Orange, for anyone interested in an author's perception of where the world is heading.
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"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." -Paul Krugman
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Fried Green Tomato, read it in a rainy day in a house on the beach of Jamaica after a Gunja, absolutely the funniest book I have ever read...
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The Known World... as well as... The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, (I agree with above posters)To Kill a Mockingbird, A Prayer for Owen Meany, This Boy's Life, Atonement.
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Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brein. A heartbreaking work of staggering genius by Dave Eggers.
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Best? Ok, my best: on how to create, "A Movable Feast" by Hemingway; being in the process of creation, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"; on creation from the wispiest of real stuff, "The Stone Diaries" by Carol Shields, and screamingly funniest, "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" by Bill Bryson.
[ Reply | More ]It's not the best, but a recent book that really held my interest was The Loneliness of Wolves by Stef Penney A great read. Also agree with any Augusten Burroughs book, Bruce Wagner, Christopher Buckley, and a million more that I cannot think of! Oh, Diane Johnston - Le Divorce is great.
[ Reply | More ]OK, maybe my book snobbery is showing, but with some exceptions this reads like a grammar or high school assignment list. I mean, The Count of Monte Cristo???
[ Reply | More ]You obviously never read the unabridged version and only stuck to the cliff notes and film. I posted the Count of Monte Cristo AND I happen to be a well respected book reviewer it's what I do. I can say that there is a 99% chance that I'm a bigger lit snob than you my dear since lit is literally my life. Go to BN and buy an unabridged copy if you dare.
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How about three? Cloud Atlas (the David Mitchell one, not the other Cloud Atlas), The Sheltering Sky, Falconer.
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I can't really say all time, because my tastes change, but recently I read Winter's Bone and Room, and they were both interesting (not best of all time I guess though). Best of all time would probably be Jemima J, if you are going by how much we loved it when we first read it (at age 17 or so! Hah)
[ Reply | More ]I'm curious- to all the people who responded with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, how old were you when you read it? I also loved it (would list it as a fave)but I read it for summer reading after 7th grade. So I don't know if it still seems like such a deep piece of literature in the eyes of an adult reading it for the first time? Anyone read it for the first time after the age of 25?
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[-]I am spending a few weeks visiting my mother in Los Angeles. Does anyone have any suggestions for activities and things to do out here with my year old son? We are in the Manhattan Beach area and my son seems totally bored without his usual playdates, storytime and music classes. Any suggestions (particularly free/cheap ideas) would be much appreciated.
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