Originally Posted by
synistar
For starters, DO NOT LIVE IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. Even if it looks like a direct shot down the freeway, you have everyone crammed into that corridor that the commute is terribad. Even if rent is cheaper, avoid it since it can be near a 60 min commute each way.
Rent is going to suck in the Santa Monica/West Hollywood region, but there are options. Best bet is to stay west of I-405 in general unless you happen to be north of I-10.
Like Culver City & Palms is where it starts getting shady, but it's passable. Best bets are Marina Del Ray, Westchester, Mar Vista, Venice, Brentwood, Westwood, Playa Del Rey (all the web tech companies are expanding @ Playa, like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook).
And if you're used to a municipal transit system, that barely exists here since everything is so spread out. I mean there are buses, but that's about it. The city is still building a subway from downtown to the Santa Monica area but it won't be finished until at least 2035, if not 2040.
And get yourself a bunch of reusable grocery bags or you will get charged for paper bags you have to buy at the market.