In keeping with the idea of the summer portion of this blog addressing the challenges to be met as I prepare for school this fall, this entry is about a big topic that I know has been dominating our class message boards: HOUSING! Namely, where will I live in LA and what will I do with my house here in Florida?
The first question initially seemed the most difficult to answer but ended up being the easiest. I spoke to current and former Anderson students to find out where the best neighborhoods close to campus were (Brentwood, Westwood, Santa Monica, Culver City), what the deal with Westside Rentals was (a local realty membership service that claims to have more listings than Craigslist), and how to most effectively apartment hunt in LA.
I had anticipated a few trips to LA somehow sandwiched in between all my other plans this summer to hopefully locate that mythical 2BR/2BA that Stanton and I could move into August 15th and wouldn’t blow our budget. In advance of these trips, I hit the internet: researching apartment complexes in the area (Archstone and Avalon Bay have several properties), creating RSS feeds of my Craigslist searches, and stalking rent.com. As the unlikelihood of meeting our criteria became increasingly clear and my stress level became increasingly high, I decided to apply for student housing.
I had assumed that this option was for single students, but learned of an apartment complex called University Housing approximately 5 miles south of campus where UCLA students (mostly graduate but not all Anderson) who have significant others and families live. I received an offer for a 2/2 and since it was for a monthly rent that was significantly (and I do mean significantly) less than anything I was looking at off-campus, this piece of the puzzle became a whole lot simpler. University Village will be home sweet home! And as an added bonus, you can’t get any more LA than an address on Sepulveda Boulevard!
Now that I have a place to live, I’ve been busy on Google maps finding the nearest Trader Joe’s (Finally! So excited to have one since there are none in Florida), Costco, LAFitness, place to get boba tea, and mapping routes to The Strand. (To the uninitiated, The Strand is a 22-mile paved bicycle/running path that runs along the Pacific Ocean from Pacific Palisades to Torrance and one of my MOST favorite things about LA. And as with most things here, it is reviewed on Yelp! http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-strand-hermosa-beach.) To say I’m getting excited about my move is an understatement!
Since I don’t want to bore you with an endless post, the update on what I’m doing with my Florida home and the other moving/school prep I’m working on will have to wait until another time. And for anyone who is interested or considering this option, here is a map from the UCLA Housing website showing the various locations of on-campus housing.
-Charlotte Baxter
