The Moving Planner Blog

There is only one thing more alluring than the thought of moving to Los Angeles, and that is the hope of conquering the big city. But in moving there, you realize that it’s not you who conquers, but LA. It is an entirely new world, ‘for sure’. You realize that in order to adapt, let alone thrive, in the concrete jungle, you have to learn the rules. Nobody owns LA; LA is in charge.

While many other metropolises have their own quirks and nuances that you must learn about, LA seems to take these to another level. The City of Angels has its own mystique. Here are some pointers to help you transition in your first few weeks after relocating.

1) Don’t become awestruck. While LA has great vistas - Santa Monica, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, the northern mountains - it will flag your newness. Angelenos are not taken by their surroundings; they are more impressed with life in general. The ocean will always be there. It’s living on the ocean that’s cool.

2) Learn to navigate the roads. The freeways command respect, being addressed as “The” (”The 5″, “The 101″). Know where you’re going at all times. Get directions, preferably a Thomas Guide Atlas, which is more valuable than a gun or a GPS. Know how to ask directions, especially what the nearest cross-street (intersection) is. Do your homework. Especially downtown, there are many one-way streets that you may not know of until you’re down them. Plan ahead.

3) Learn to drive the roads. LA drivers know where they’re going, and want to get there fast. If you don’t know, then move out of the way; this is their unwritten road code. You need to be confident out there, and any hesitancy behind the wheel will cause more accidents than driving fast and being alert.

4) Smog impact fee. If you purchase your car outside California, then you will have to pay a smog impact fee when you register it in the state. The fee is generally over $300. Cars sold in California have California emission, and are relieved of this fee. Smog checks must be done yearly, and if you fail, you must pay the inspection, get it fixed, and pay to have it inspected again. California Movers.

5) Know someone who knows their way around. Important in any city, but Angelenos are tough nuts to crack. While portrayed as concerned only for themselves, they are very cautious. If you say “Hi” to someone in Rochester, NY, you’ll get a kind response. In LA, you’ll get a look akin to “What do you want from me?” Not rude, but cautious. Having someone who knows people is not only a good way to meet other and start to integrate, but to get to understand the inhabitants of which you’ll become.

6) Be prepared to learn Spanish, or at least pronounce it. Cities (La Puente, El Monte) and roads (La Cienega, Los Feliz) abound with the Mexican culture. About one-third of the radio stations play Mexican music. Restaurant menus, aspirin bottles, and trash cans are all bilingual. You don’t have to speak the language, but coming to terms with it will enable you to have a leg up in not only living, but in job skills as well. There is a premium on bilingual job candidates.

7) Don’t expect what Hollywood shows you. LA is a rugged city. Yes, smog is prevalent. Yes, there are some really run-down areas, such as Skid Row. Even Hollywood is not as glitzy as shown on TV. However, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica, Ranchos Palos Verdes all have great views and nice areas. LA is a pretty city, you just have to look for it.

Realize you are a small fish in a big pond. If you come from an area of 100,000, it is likely that your odds in the job market are pretty good. In LA, where everyone drives 1-2 hours from all over, you are now one of over 5 million. The competition for jobs is strong. If you’re interviewing, you need to differentiate yourself. Don’t just show what you did in Minneapolis, show them how you can impact Metropolis. Do your homework, and sell yourself. Confidence, backed with results, usually wins out here.

9) Ignore life as it happens. During our eight years out there we’ve had break-ins, walked into police stakeouts, seen a Rolls Royce on fire explode, have robberies happen next door, and seen drug deals happen outside our window. Life out here is rough and fast. If you let the LA lifestyle affect you, you will not sleep at night. However, if you just do your thing and keep your nose clean, you’ll survive quite nicely.

10) Enjoy what LA has to offer. Oceans. Mountains. 4 hours to Vegas. Deserts. Attractions. Shows. Restaurants and nightlife. Diversity. The list is endless. Los Angeles has much fun, much opportunity, and offers a great way to change your way of life. Drink it in. As with any city, you have to endure the good with the bad. While LA’s rough edges are hard, there is a wealth of great living to be had in the basin.

What’s that old phrase: “If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere?” Clearly that fella had not yet experienced the adventure known as “Moving to Los Angeles.” As a native of Massachusetts, I moved to LA in the spring of 2003 to discover that navigating this sprawling landmass can be the single most flustering experience known to man. But fear not my westward travelers; as my mistakes and blunders will prove to be the ultimate survival guide in your move to this fascinating town called Los Angeles.

PACK LIGHT. I made the rookie mistake of bringing a large majority of my furniture with me. Always remember, the bigger your moving truck, the more problems you will have navigating and parking in LA. I know this may sound a bit extreme to some folks, but you’ll be much better off taking only the bare essentials with you. Try to sell as much bulky furniture and belongings as you can prior to your trip. Sleep on an air mattress and get your bed later, sell that old computer desk and have a new one delivered after you’ve had time to measure out every inch of your new place. Keep in mind that if you’re moving from the Midwest or a suburban town, the square footage of homes in LA will be far less than what you’re used to. So always, always pack light and figure out the bulky stuff later.

THE EARLIERTHE BETTER. Knowing when to move in LA is key to surviving your first few weeks in this town. I make the dreaded mistake of moving during the mid-week traffic rush and ended up parked along the 101 freeway. I should have moved very early on a Sunday morning because the freeways and surface streets tend to be less crowded in the early hours and particularly on the weekends. Traffic during the week can be as unpredictable as it is dangerous. Trying to navigate a moving truck through mid-day Hollywood traffic is absolute chaos and the locals have little patience for newbies. Several drivers would swerve within inches of my truck to get by and another truck driver even gave me a friendly “nudge” with his truck, I kid you not. LA drivers don’t kid around so it’s best to stay off the road during peak travel hours.

GET THE BEST ROAD MAP MONEY CAN BUY. It’s called a Thomas Guide and you’d be hard pressed to find an Angelino without a copy of this navigating bible tucked under their driver seat. I stopped to ask a local for directions and in the midst of her explaining where I needed to go she said: “Oh wait, you don’t have a Thomas Guide or anything?” Just remember, before you move to LA you need to familiarize yourself with the freeways that are closest to your neighborhood. Also, having a basic knowledge of which surface streets connect to the main thoroughfares such as: La Cienega, Highland, Cahuenga, Santa Monica etc. is an absolute necessity. The key to navigating around LA is having alternate routes picked out just in case your freeway plan should fall apart as it did for me.

BEWARE THE SUMMER TIME TRAFFIC. To add another layer of madness, I ended up getting stuck in the evening traffic due to an event at the Hollywood Bowl. The summertime concert scene in LA is absolute chaos and it can turn an already hectic traffic situation into a complete nightmare. I highly encourage a quick online search for the summer time concert schedules for the major venues in LA such as: The Wiltern, The Greek, The Hollywood Bowl, Staptles Center etc. This will allow you to pick the better days for travel and help you plan your navigation to and from your new place. Another handy online tool to check is www.sigalert.com. It gives you real time traffic reports of all the major freeways and will become your best friend before and after you get situated in LA.

So after several hours of near misses, traffic violations, and wrong turns I finally arrived at my home in Burbank. The move itself was a complete disaster as I arrived at 10pm and had little energy left and no extra hands to assist me with the final stage of my move. I was bruised, strained, exhausted, and hating life. This brings me to my final rule of moving in LA:

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. If at all possible, book a vacation and rent a car out in LA. Fill up on gas and drive around till you get a sense of the freeways, the neighborhoods, the concert venues, the businesses. Try to soak up as much of the LA landscape before you arrive to help add context to this expansive metropolis. Remember, maps are good, but visuals are better.

In the end, the move to LA is a right of passage no matter how prepared you are. In this town the shortest distance between two points is rarely a straight line. This is a place where miles & minutes have absolutely no relevance when it comes to getting to your destination on time. Sometimes you will have to take a 10 mile detour to avoid sitting in 5 miles worth of traffic. However, if you have the gusto to survive the move and give LA Movers a chance you will discover a city that is unlike any other.