Can anybody speak to the relative convenience of Sherman Oaks for getting to network level theatrical auditions and union commercial auditions? What about getting to Northridge or Burbank where my survival job will probably be? I have been scanning Craigslist and it seems like the best deals on apartments when I balance cost, quality and safety are South of the Boulevard in Sherman Oaks mainly along Dickens Street.

I stayed with three roommates in a grungy part of Hollywood the last time I was there and I don't want to do that again. I also learned that the estimated travel times on Google Maps mean NOTHING in reality! haha

I don't understand - is traffic and road planning really THAT bad in LA? I take a look at Google Maps of where the things are, and I can never imagine that someone would stress so much about living in one area over the other (that's after living in Europe my whole life). I usually get everywhere faster than what Google says (9 times out of 10).

Sherman Oaks would be better if your survival job was in Northridge because you're close to the 405 which is how you normally get to Northridge. But of course, it's called the 405 because you either go "4 o' 5 mph"

Sherman Oaks is also near where the 405 and 101 connect so getting to Burbank and NoHo is taking the 101 and getting off at either Vineland or Lankershim which are at the northern end of the 101 and a bitch to get to if you're coming from the South on the 101.

TT is absolutely right about the 405 and his info on traffic is spot on.

LA sucks for traffic, no matter where you live. "It takes 20 minutes" is a standard response to getting anywhere in LA, but toonaive, planning your day in the car is something that you can become an expert at because as an actor, you may have an 11am audition in Santa Monica, then a 12pm in West Hollywood. That's very difficult. Or my favorites are the 4pm in Santa Monica for commercials...good luck not sitting in 2 hours of traffic on the way back.

They didn't call it carmaggedon for nothing.

They got a nice Cheesecake Factory over there.

Why don't the politicians in LA make the city more bike-friendly then? Taking the car everywhere is stressful (apparently), unhealthy and extremely bad for the environment.

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Originally posted by Degprinsessan:
Why don't the politicians in LA make the city more bike-friendly then? Taking the car everywhere is stressful (apparently), unhealthy and extremely bad for the environment.

Keep in mind LA is not as compact as NYC ... sometimes we're talking about a distance of 15+ miles between locations. Burbank to Santa Monica is at least 25 miles I think. Plus there is a mountain in the middle. If you want to look your best, biking from place to place in 90+ degree heat is not exactly an option.

In fairness, they are trying. There are more and more bike paths along major routes and even standard roads marked with bike icons. But as a driver I can tell you it's often a tight squeeze to avoid hitting bikers - and I'm a driver who actually cares.

It doesn't help either that some cyclists are really aggressive. They're supposed to keep a certain distance from the right, but some simply take up a whole lane and ignore the cars slowing down behind them. They're also supposed to follow the rules of the road, but I've had one suddenly veer across in front of me as if he had a privileged route. Etc.

Basically, LA drivers are aggressive. And so are the cyclists. Plus, yes, it is hot. You don't really want to bike from the Valley to Santa Monica for an audition in a business suit.

I live on the encino/Sherman oaks border and so far it's ok. Are there days when I feel exhausted from driving? Especially when I've got a bunch of auditions in one day? Yes. But do I love being able to afford living on my own? Yes. I do feel isolated from my friends sometimes as they're mostly in Hollywood or Burbank. Still I can get to Santa Monica fairly easily because im so close to the 405 and I can get to the palisades on short order via topanga canyon. The only thing that's tough is if I want to do USC films. Thats kind of a far drive. But I shoot up in Santa clarita a lot and that's closer for me than a lot of people I know. So yeah....it's kind of a crap shoot.

Mae...you have friends in Hollywood and Burbank...which means you live almost right in between the two. How is that not perfect for you?

PS: Auditions are everywhere. Tons of commercial auditions in Santa Monica and around ventura blvd in the valley. Theatrically its a crap shoot because they are anywhere from burbank to santa monica, to downtown to random places in the valley, to hollywood, the west side...just everywhere...so it doesn't matter where you live. The closer to the center on either side of the hill the better...hopefully closer to a major freeway.

Mae, so is Encino/Sherman Oaks significantly cheaper than, say, Burbank? So much as that you could not have lived on your own in Hollywood/Burbank, but you can in Sherman Oaks?

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Originally posted by toonaive:
Mae, so is Encino/Sherman Oaks significantly cheaper than, say, Burbank? So much as that you could not have lived on your own in Hollywood/Burbank, but you can in Sherman Oaks?

"The Valley" areas (Sherman Oaks, Burbank, NoHo, and Studio City) are generally a little cheaper than the Hollywood areas.

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Originally posted by TRUTHTELLER59:

"The Valley" areas (Sherman Oaks, Burbank, NoHo, and Studio City) are generally a little cheaper than the Hollywood areas.

Hi Truth,
If someone would ask you to name 1 neigborhood where you would choose to live as an actor in L.A., what would be your answer?

Somebody told me that part of the reason apartments in Sherman Oaks seem like a better deal is because a lot of the buildings were damaged by the Northridge earthquake and haven't been properly repaired. Does anybody else know anything about that?

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it's called the 405 because you either go "4 o' 5 mph"

haha Yes. I learned quickly that Freeway is an oxymoron. I experienced the joys of the 4 o' 5 a couple of times when I was there before. It seemed like I could have made better time on the canyon roads and surface streets. It's part of the reason I don't want anything to do with looking for a place in West LA. That and the 10 would be the end of me. I guess that part of town might be anyway since I would have to take the 5, the 110 and the 10 to those auditions if I lived in Burbank.

I just hope what I have been told is true about the LA stores in the restaurant chain I have experience with intentionally way overstaffing so the actors can always find somebody to take their shifts when they have auditions and callbacks. Is that standard procedure with the area restaurants or do they just fire people all the time? A mid-afternoon audition in Santa Monica would make it impossible to get to Northridge, Burbank or Glendale on time.

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Originally posted by gyokoren:
Somebody told me that part of the reason apartments in Sherman Oaks seem like a better deal is because a lot of the buildings were damaged by the Northridge earthquake and haven't been properly repaired. Does anybody else know anything about that?

Grossly incorrect. By law...Buildings had to be repaired and retrofitted. Its just cheaper to live in the Valley than it is in Hollywood...period. It doesn't make it cheap to live in the areas alongside ventura blvd. The cost is relatively close to the same as Hollywood. It only gets cheaper as you move north of verntura blvd and the 101.