Post: #26

Rents downtown are already higher than most parts of the city except prime spots in Hollywood and Santa Monica.

That said, they're also cooler.







I've always wanted to live down there. And while I technically could afford to, it's hard for me to justify paying $2000-$2500 per month for a kickass place that's smack dab in a pussy wasteland.

Edit: the one other major downside of downtown is the air pollution. Air pollution in L.A. is already bad enough (not so bad near the beaches) but if you check the AQI (air quality index) it's pretty bad down there. I took this picture from Griffith Observatory the other day, and this isn't even during the summer when it gets really bad. This is like a week later after the rain (granted it looks like there's a fire in there somewhere, hence the darker smoke, but the rest of that brown haze is just typical L.A. air):

Post: #27

^^^ That would be like my dream apartment. But it'll cost a hell of a lot more than $2500/month. Probably at least double that.

Post: #28

^^ Where/why would it cost double that?

Post: #29

(02-16-2014 07:06 PM)NY Digital Wrote:  ^^ Where/why would it cost double that?

I'm just guessing. I know a standard newly built 2bdrm apartment might be around 2500-3000/mo. But the first one in that picture is two stories high, has exposed brick, new wood floors, super high ceilings. Definitely going to be way higher than a standard apartment.

Post: #30

TheDude is right I mean they're nice places but if it's a wasteland like he says in the long run its going to be counterproductive. I would much rather live in a studio apartment with nice logistics and close options rather than a kick ass apartment with shitty logistics, but when you find a combination of both I would say that's gold.

Post: #31

A decent loft downtown starts at $2000. Those pics I posted are baller versions and styled out pretty nicely, and they definitely get up there.

http://www.zillow.com/b/The-Brockman-Lof...256254_ll/

Sick 3,000 sq foot loft for $3850: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/930-S-...0967_zpid/

Thing is, is these technically have great logistics. These places are a within a couple blocks of some truly awesome bars.

But as mentioned above, you've got tons of homeless people and a not-so-safe feeling. This isn't conducive to hot girls wanting to walk around at night. I've heard girls that lived in NY for years come downtown and tell me they didn't feel safe.

P.S. that first link, the Brockman lofts, is the same building as Bottega Louie. Bottega Louie probably attracts the best pussy downtown as it's a very classy joint. It's all marble. Very NY feeling. Only problem? The bar at Bottega Louie has like 8 stools and it's not set up for approaching AT ALL. It's a ginormous restaurant, huge square footage and they feed like 800 people a day, but they can't be bothered to have a decent bar. The whole place is crawling with hot women but they're all seated at tables making approaching all but impossible.

In the perfect world, there would be "game inspectors". When a bar or restaurant is built, it has to pass inspections by the fire department, safety inspector, health inspector, etc. There should be a "game inspector" that makes sure the venue is set up for guys like us to run approaches.

Post: #32

Maybe I'm off here, but it seems like there's more good cheap to moderate food in Downtown, whereas on the Westside you have to go high end to get good stuff. Almost like the food scene on the Westside is not competitive at the lower levels, just lethargic and left to the restaurants that are already here.

(02-16-2014 08:07 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  In the perfect world, there would be "game inspectors". When a bar or restaurant is built, it has to pass inspections by the fire department, safety inspector, health inspector, etc. There should be a "game inspector" that makes sure the venue is set up for guys like us to run approaches.

Ha, I call it 'bang shui.' I honestly wonder how much if at all nightlife operators consider that. I'm sure they think about it at least indirectly, eg asking questions like, "do I want big groups of friends with private conversations, or people milling about with strangers?" Generally the more food oriented a joint, the worse its bang shui. Gastropubs are uniformly terrible.

One of the most off-putting things to me about LA women is just how blase they are about dick. Maybe it's because there is so much of it to go around, but compared to NY and Atlanta from what I hear, and I'm sure many other places, girls are way more proactive about meeting men. Expending effort to get sex or commitment is just a foreign concept to the women here. Plus they have zero idea as to the challenges of picking up girls.

I sort of hate restaurants, because for a lot of women, they become a substitute for going to bars. Instead of getting dick, they're getting fat and pickier by the day about the stuff they eat, while their cooking skills atrophy into a withered crippled shell. And then they feel like a princess for getting to order around some waitress or sheepish Mexican dude.

Post: #33

skip DTLA. Go to hollywood for A-quality ass. Just the way it is.

DTLA has potential, but its still another 5-10 years out.

Edit- only place that has dope girls is Exchange when big DJs come through.

Post: #34

Homeless people in L.A. will always be a problem. These people have too many rights and the sympathy of downtown workers that LEAVE AT NIGHT to their safe neighborhoods. They literally have a legal right to erect a shelter on the sidewalk until 6am in the morning.

There are anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 homeless people in skid row that live there permanently. Skid row is within easy walking distance to everything that matters in DTLA. The East side of the city has an infrastructure of social service non-profits and shelters that do nothing but extend these people's lives.

Last summer I had a meeting in the fashion district at 8am. I arrived 45 minutes early, because I was unfamiliar with traffic patterns and couldn't be late. I spent 30 minutes cruising around the East side of DTLA and skid row. At 7:30am on a Tuesday, the street (7th especially) was an absolute war zone. There were drug zombies in the middle of the street, police cars everywhere, volunteers on bikes, and about 4-5 ambulances parked on the sidewalks, undoubtedly to resurrect the people that OD'd or to collect the bodies. It was an absolute disaster. I feared that a drug zombie would leap in front of my car and try to collect insurance money.

I think the positive future of DTLA would be expansion to the West Side of the 110 freeway. Re-zone to allow a few huge condo and office towers and go from there. Leave the East side to the homeless, Fashion district, Flower shops, and industrial properties.

Personally, I have zero sympathy for the homeless. I view living in Southern California as a luxury item. The homeless should have low cost housing erected for them in a desert town, such as Twenty-nine Palms, or Barstow. Make the drug dealers drive out there to them if need be. The punishment for sleeping on the street should be a one-way ticket to the shelter in the desert. You get two citations, then your ass is on the bus. /images/smilies/new/whip.gif

Post: #35

Actually a lot of the homeless are mentally insane and belong in sanitariums. I have to figure that a sanitarium in a cheap location with a hands off, minimally staffed approach would be cheaper than all the mess the homeless create.

Downtown does have more momentum than anywhere else in the city. It seems like all the new bars are either in Hollywood or downtown.

Post: #36

Homeless people congregate where the "goodies" are: drugs, support services, food missions, rooming-hotels, etc. If DTLA used to be a ghost town and then homeless people started chilling there then I would imagine all their support services are there also. In Toronto we don't have a concentration of homeless people, they are just scattered all around. In contrast to Vancouver like LA that has a concentration of them right in or beside downtown. If you shut down the supper services and spread them around then the homeless start to disperse.

Post: #37

Yeah that's exactly what happens here. If you feed the pigeons, they'll multiply. Skid row, Santa Monica, Venice all help out the homeless. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach kick them out at every opportunity, and they have no homeless.

It's so funny to me - I see it as a great example of what cowards and pussies we've become that we let ourselves be humiliated and despoiled by the most powerless people in society - and those powerless people are no better for it!

Post: #38

(02-16-2014 10:42 PM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  I sort of hate restaurants, because for a lot of women, they become a substitute for going to bars. Instead of getting dick, they're getting fat and pickier by the day about the stuff they eat, while their cooking skills atrophy into a withered crippled shell. And then they feel like a princess for getting to order around some waitress or sheepish Mexican dude.

Agree with your whole post but ESPECIALLY this part. Restaurants are the new bar, and this whole concept of "social dining" is horseshit. It's just a marketing catch-phrase that gives women the excuse to pig out and be lazy. It actually grosses me out when I go to these places and see women at the bar stuffing their faces with the usual high fat, high carb bullshit; roasted bone marrow on grilled toast, pork rillettes, fried pig ears, pastas laden with meat-heavy sauces. All that stuff might taste good but it's ruining their bodies.

Regarding good, cheap food, Downtown has some okay options but I always just stick to the ethnic neighborhoods. Thai town for Thai, K-town for BBQ, Little Tokyo for Japanese, etc. I almost never bother with dining on the west side.

I know some guys on here don't dig Asians, but as far as pickup goes my best results have been in K-town. The Japanese girls I've tried to pick up in Little Tokyo are just too socially weird and I can't figure them out. Any hot Thai girl in Thai town has an insane princess mentality. Korean girls can be like this too but the sheer number of 7+ girls in Ktown even things out and it's just a matter of finding the one with a fetish for tall white boys like me

Post: #39

(02-17-2014 12:25 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

(02-16-2014 10:42 PM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  I sort of hate restaurants, because for a lot of women, they become a substitute for going to bars. Instead of getting dick, they're getting fat and pickier by the day about the stuff they eat, while their cooking skills atrophy into a withered crippled shell. And then they feel like a princess for getting to order around some waitress or sheepish Mexican dude.

Agree with your whole post but ESPECIALLY this part. Restaurants are the new bar, and this whole concept of "social dining" is horseshit. It's just a marketing catch-phrase that gives women the excuse to pig out and be lazy. It actually grosses me out when I go to these places and see women at the bar stuffing their faces with the usual high fat, high carb bullshit; roasted bone marrow on grilled toast, pork rillettes, fried pig ears, pastas laden with meat-heavy sauces. All that stuff might taste good but it's ruining their bodies.

Haha this feels so good, to hear from a chef no less!

Yeah there's this restaurant near me that has a bar and restaurant section, and it's just comical - the bar is almost always a sausagefest, while there are loads of girls and couples in the restaurant section. And that's exactly what happens around the entire city.

Why is social dining new? We've had restaurants for ages, and women earning enough money to eat out by themselves has been around since the 1960s. Why is it that 'social dining' is displacing nightlife only in the last decade or so? Or is it not actually a new phenomenon?

Now that I think about it, DUI laws/risks are probably a big factor. Expensive liquor/liquor licenses perhaps as well.

Post: #40

Same thing is happening to downtown Houston and a few other areas. Throwing up high rises, lofts and trendy apartments all over. These areas look completely different than 10 years ago. A lot of gentrification going on.

Post: #41

(02-17-2014 01:09 PM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  Haha this feels so good, to hear from a chef no less!

Yeah there's this restaurant near me that has a bar and restaurant section, and it's just comical - the bar is almost always a sausagefest, while there are loads of girls and couples in the restaurant section. And that's exactly what happens around the entire city.

Why is social dining new? We've had restaurants for ages, and women earning enough money to eat out by themselves has been around since the 1960s. Why is it that 'social dining' is displacing nightlife only in the last decade or so? Or is it not actually a new phenomenon?

Now that I think about it, DUI laws/risks are probably a big factor. Expensive liquor/liquor licenses perhaps as well.

I'm not sure. All I know is I've done the whole high end lounge/high end hotel bar thing in L.A. many times a la Gmanifesto and L.A. is just not the city for that type of thing. It's all older women. There are a few exceptions like The Bazaar, but that's because it's an SBE venue. SBE might be the breeding ground for every douchebag Persian stereotype that exists in this city, but they do have a knack for attracting the hottest tail in the city.

The few times I've gone out lately I've been trying to sniff out quieter venues where I can actually have some conversation. Eveleigh is still running quite strong, I must say. Went in there a week ago and got a couple numbers, and I'm way out of practice right now. But most venues, especially anywhere outside of Hollywood or West Hollywood, are just laughable. There's a bar/gastropub near my apartment called the Rascal. First time I went in there and on a fluke it was just me at the bar and two cute bartenders so I was flirting with them all night.

I've been back at least 6 times, and each time I don't even walk in the place. The bar is occupied either by couples, or by some lonely ass, thirsty ass looking dudes just dying to talk to someone.

Anyway, we're beating a dead horse. I think we can all conclude that for nightlife you've got Hollywood, otherwise stick to day game.

Post: #42

(02-16-2014 07:09 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(02-16-2014 07:06 PM)NY Digital Wrote:  ^^ Where/why would it cost double that?

I'm just guessing. I know a standard newly built 2bdrm apartment might be around 2500-3000/mo. But the first one in that picture is two stories high, has exposed brick, new wood floors, super high ceilings. Definitely going to be way higher than a standard apartment.

I met someone who lives donwtown, rent costs him 4,300/mo. . .

He was a lawyer.

(02-16-2014 08:07 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  
In the perfect world, there would be "game inspectors". When a bar or restaurant is built, it has to pass inspections by the fire department, safety inspector, health inspector, etc. There should be a "game inspector" that makes sure the venue is set up for guys like us to run approaches.

That would be an amazing job.

Post: #43

(02-17-2014 03:45 PM)CJ_W Wrote:  

(02-16-2014 07:09 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(02-16-2014 07:06 PM)NY Digital Wrote:  ^^ Where/why would it cost double that?

I'm just guessing. I know a standard newly built 2bdrm apartment might be around 2500-3000/mo. But the first one in that picture is two stories high, has exposed brick, new wood floors, super high ceilings. Definitely going to be way higher than a standard apartment.

I met someone who lives donwtown, rent costs him 4,300/mo. . .

He was a lawyer.

When I looked at the link thedude posted from zillow, one of those pads goes for $7400 a month. SMH...must be nice.

Post: #44

Great thread.

Just want to chime in. DTLA is not safe. I got attacked there by 3 guys with boxcutters. Leaving a party by myself. A few blocks from Spring & 7th. Was lucky to escape with my life. Called the cops afterwards to report it. They basically told me unless I was shot or stabbed, they don't have the resources to follow up on the incident.

Rising rents? That's hilarious.

Put yourself in a hot chicks mindset. "should I live in Santa Monica, where it's beautiful, safe, and next to the fucking ocean, or DTLA next to skid row?" Hmmmm...

If you care about pussy, you can skip DTLA completely.

Hell, I'd move to Pasadena before it.

Post: #45

Post: #46

You cannot compare development of anything in China to here in California. Getting properties entitled are a PIA especially when you have to deal with planning departments, city councils, public approvals etc. and keep in mind cost of labor/insurance is substantially cheaper over there.

Post: #47

In terms of LA places I'd move to, it'd maybe 4th or 5th down the line. I'd live in Venice, South Bay, Westside/SM/Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Midcity before I'd live there. I'm not much of a "Hollywood" guy, so I'm not sure I'd actually move there before I'd move downtown, although midcity would be a decent enough compromise.

Positives:
Its a rapidly developing area. I think there's something new and different to do there.
Food scene is blowing up.
Good public transportation. Red line can take you right to Hollywood if you want. It runs late and is very very easy to use. Pretty soon you can take the Expo line to Santa Monica.
Sports and concerts are easy to get to. Dodger games on Saturday afternoons, just take the shuttle from Union Station. Not having to fight the 10 or the 110 to get to Staples Center. Also can take the Amtrak pretty easy to places without having to deal with parking hassles, etc. Lots of weekend excursions to SD or SF or SB are easy.

Negatives:
Traffic getting there is horrible.
Crime, smelly people and unattractive people in general versus the rest of LA.
Far away from the Beach.

I'm pretty sure if you lived in the area though, you could clean up at Happy Hours from the accounting and law firms at the Edison and Perch Lounge and those type of places. Just get an apartment right along Spring Street and you should be all good.