I almost don't want to weigh in here since LA is kind of this hidden secret gem, but the answer is to just live on the Westside (Venice/Santa Monica).
You can almost never have to drive if you work it out this way - I bike to work along the beach every day and drive somewhere maybe once a week if that. It's amazing, and it's pretty much 70-80 degrees every day.
You could also live downtown (which has turned around in the last couple years and now is becoming very nice) - the Metro will connect there and Santa Monica in another year or two.
Sidebar: what I've also found here (I moved down from SF around 2002 & have lived all over the US) is that you really get back what you bring here. If you want to connect with smart, creative, great people, they're all over here. If you expect to meet a bunch of a-holes, well... They're here too, if that's the attitude you're bringing.
too late, secret's out. SM real estate has been skyrocketing for about 2 years now.
there's nothing even listed in my zip code for < 700k.
when i moved here in 2008 (from SF) people were still talking about scripts and auditions in the cafes and bars. now it's all startups and web technology. i moved 500 miles and ended up in the same damn place.
No, you should live in the general area where you work, same as in any other city. The westside has all sorts of issues, like having the worst traffic and the least public transit.
You can almost never have to drive if you work it out this way - I bike to work along the beach every day and drive somewhere maybe once a week if that. It's amazing, and it's pretty much 70-80 degrees every day.
You could also live downtown (which has turned around in the last couple years and now is becoming very nice) - the Metro will connect there and Santa Monica in another year or two.
Sidebar: what I've also found here (I moved down from SF around 2002 & have lived all over the US) is that you really get back what you bring here. If you want to connect with smart, creative, great people, they're all over here. If you expect to meet a bunch of a-holes, well... They're here too, if that's the attitude you're bringing.