Help! Our senior in college was just offered an internship located in Santa Monica for final (spring) semester. The start date would be right after the new year and needs to make a quick decision. As a parent(s) we are trying to find out about housing (internship Jan - end of April) , transportation (do they need a car ) and just about anything anyone can offer in the way of advice (where to live - areas, where not to - areas etc) We are checking with the internship office at current college as well but wanted to see what others can offer in the way of advice. TIA!!!
Congratulations to your son! My oldest decided to stay and work in Los Angeles after graduating recently. Santa Monica is a lovely area, but pricey. My son found good safe options in Culver City – about eight miles away (son works in Marina del Rey). So far, he loves it there.
Here’s a map of rental prices (as of Feb, so the info is slightly dated but you’ll get an idea of relative costs) in Los Angeles
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/02/mapping_the_cheapest_and_most_expensive_places_to_rent_in_los_angeles_right_now.php
Here’s a link to search for Culver City apartments
http://www.apartments.com/culver-city-ca/
By the way, Culver is more Hollywood than Hollywood. Sony is there, and the city offers an interesting walking tour:
http://www.culvercity.org/
My son doesn’t drive (and in LA, no less. Go figure), but until the light rail extension opens, a car might make your son’s commute more tolerable.
Public transit in LA is not the most convenient, but you can do without a car; I’ve lived in west LA for several years without a car. The Big Blue Bus and Metro run pretty regularly.
I second the Culver City recommendation; it’s close to Santa Monica and west LA, and the light rail line there connects you to east LA (the expansion west will be great!). Palms (between Westwood/UCLA and Culver City) is another place to look for decent apartments. Sawtelle/West LA is a cheap-ish place to live, but it’s not a terribly exciting area and is somewhat rundown. A lot of graduate students live in Culver City and Palms, so he may be able to sublet an apartment from someone heading off for research (check Craigslist).
I live in Los Angeles. Santa Monica is where I first lived when I first moved here. It is a great area to live in, but very pricey. If your senior could find a sublet or a person looking for a roommate, that would be his best bet. If you lived and worked in Santa Monica, a car would not be necessary but nice. As others have said, the Metro from Culver City can take you to other lines which would take you to downtown LA, Hollywood, etc. Culver City is a great area to live as well. For safety reasons best to have them live on the Westside of town. There’s always Uber if you do not have a car. PM me if you have any further questions.
No car? uber…Santa Monica is beautiful…sometimes called the peoples’ republic of santa monica. . CulverCity has become “hot”…
If he can get a place on a bus line then no car necessary, but the greater LA area has a ton of stuff to do and places to go. Santa Monica doesn’t have any bad areas. But Culver City is a good suggestion. Don’t miss the Museum of Jurassic Technology.
Yay for the Museum of Jurassic Technology! You are a person after my own heart, @BrownParent.
To the OP: Our son has an internship in the Santa Monica/West LA area this summer. What did you end up finding? Also, do you have any tips that you can share from your experience? Thanks so much!