As some of you might be aware, I recently relocated to Los Angeles from Dayton, Ohio. I was offered, and accepted, a position as a fulltime staff cartoonist for an advertising agency. Anyhow, this was back in June. I’ve been out here on the west coast now for going on five months.
How is it?
I get asked this frequently. What’s it like living in L.A.? Or, How is it out there? Maybe a Wait…you moved?
Well, thanks to the power of the internet, I can respond to some of these burning questions in one giant swoop in this blog post.
Let me start by saying I’m very happy. I love L.A.
Like any place, I have likes and dislikes. I’ll break it down, and I’d suggest reading all of the post to get into my exact thoughts, because I try to be as honest as possible and I think I describe what I think clearly. I hope.
So…
I wanted to shed some light on my initial impressions. After all, I’m still a fairly new guy in town. I can’t say five months hardly justifies knowing ANYTHING about the area (have you seen how big this city is?). That being said, I’ll fill you in a bit on my own observations thus far. I have a bit of California in my blood at this point (I haven’t had a doctor medically check that out, but I’m sure it’s true).
First off, it’s how I envisioned living out here was like before I moved, and then again, it isn’t.
I’ll begin with something that’s relatable to everyone: traffic.
When I was in Ohio, and found out I was leaving, anyone I talked to that was familiar with the area mentioned the traffic.
“The traffic is bad.” “You’ll hate the traffic.” “Oh, Lordy, there’s soo much traffic!” My response was, “Yeah, okay. I get it. And I don’t care. I’ve seen cars before.” Boy was I naïve.
I’ll admit it, there’s a ton of traffic. GOBS. Everyday. It was not what I expected.
I live a little over two miles away from work, and it still takes me sometimes 15 minutes to commute. Luckily, I don’t even have to get on any interstates. It’s just a lot of people in one area. There is more traffic than I originally envisioned, and I’ve seen some bad traffic after living in Florida, around New York City and venturing into Chicago on a regular basis. This place tops the cake.
The traffic part I don’t like.
One convenience I had in Ohio was, let’s say I wanted to hop in my car and go to the grocery store for a donut. Well, it’s not that easy. That trip can require being stuck in a traffic jam, and then fighting over a parking spot. Worth the donut? Probably (only if it’s chocolate, of course). But, that’ll take a chunk of my day away.
My point is, in my own perfect world, yes – there wouldn’t be so much traffic and people around here. It’s crowded, it’s busy.
Where I live though (Marina Del Rey), it’s peaceful and there actually ISN’T a ton of cars hissing by regularly. In fact, the streets are practically empty at night. Venturing out a mile or two is where it all gets congested. Also, weekends, the beach traffic (where I live) gets nuts.
Above: This is actually my street. As you can see, it’s pretty light right now. It can get busy, but nothing too crazy (most of the time). And look — palm trees!
One more point on traffic, there are Birds everywhere.
No, not the kind that fly off with your French fry on a picnic and crap on cars. Bird scooters. Oh, how I hate them. I call them litter.
They’re everywhere. People ride them on the roads, sidewalks, or any place imaginable (I’ve seen a few in my hallway of my apartment complex). The worst thing about them is, when a person is done riding it, they can dump it anywhere. So, they end up on streets, in the middle of the road, or – for those others that dislike them – tossed in the water. That’s why I call them litter.
I think a lot of people love them, so this is all just my opinion. You might find them, well, fun.
If you want to learn more about the marvelous nuisance – er, BIRDS, you can read on HERE.
Moving on…
The weather and climate threw me for a loop. L.A. IS a desert. It doesn’t seem that way because of all the vegetation, but it is. It rained for the first time last month. I guess I expected maybe a rainfall once a month or something. That doesn’t happen here. And that’s not totally a bad thing. The weather is perfect! I live on the coast (west L.A.), and it’s usually in the 70’s and breezy. Comfortable, none the less.
Granted, I like a change of seasons. California is great for that though. All I have to do is venture an hour or two out of town, and there are fall leaves and snow in the wintertime. It’s available. It’s like having on-demand cable (or Netflix). If you’re in the mood for something, it’s there.
What I’ve discovered that intrigues me the most is the vibe here. EVERYONE is up to something. You have a neighbor that wants to be the next Marilyn Monroe (well, except for an early death and everything), or a studio executive working on his first film across the street. L.A. is a bustling city of creative entrepreneurs trying to make it. Lots of people have side hustles while they work towards that big break of whatever it is they’re doing.
The creativity and drive that people have out here helps me thrive! It’s in the air and being absorbed regularly. You’re around highly driven people (or just ‘high’ people, with pot being legalized). Many quite successful folks around, which is nice. Success breeds success, so they saying goes.
On the opposite end of that, look around, and you’ll see homelessness and humans deprived of about everything. They’ll be sleeping next to a brand-new BMW driven by someone else on any given street in the area. It’s sad to see. I hope many of them find help, and it seems like there are more resources for them popping-up.
Sorry for the bad segue, but on to beaches…
California has the most beautiful coastline in the world.
Above: Santa Monica. This is just a short stroll away from where I live.
I reside by Venice Beach (a ten minute walk away). I spend many days out there and hopping in the ocean catching some waves. It’s great. I love this ocean much more than anything I’ve experienced in Florida, or the entire east coast. (We also have giant sharks!). Gnarly waves, water cool and it’s just perfect-o.
Above: From the Venice Pier. Look who else hangs out here.
Above: And here’s me and this guy. He used to live around Venice, too.
Plus, there are mountains in the background (you probably saw that in the picture). It’s quite nice. Those photos you see of California beaches are real and it’s amazing to be right here by them.
As for the rest of the city, I haven’t ventured out that much (yet).
I’ve been downtown L.A., and that’s cool, but not really much going on (at least from what I saw). Nothing like a downtown Chicago or New York. It’s just different. But, it’s there. And I know there IS a lot that happens, but I just haven’t been a part of it yet, so I can’t really say much about it.
I’ve driven through Hollywood. It’s a great place to explore, which I intend on doing sometime. It’s about 30 minutes away, so that’s neat to have around. I’m sure I’ll be there shooting my first movie any day now (okay, joking…).
In general, I like my little comfort zone around the marina and don’t have much of a reason to leave it. Everything is nestled close to me, and it’s been nice to just walk around where I’m at. Venice, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey– there’s always something happening and a lot to do. All walkable.
Above: The Venice canals. Another local place I love to walk around. They also have a floating hippo.
I do need to get a bike sometime. There are bike paths everywhere. I wouldn’t ride on the streets. The drivers are fast. Everyone around here is in a hurry for something. You’ll discover that everyone that drives loves their horns. I swear, sometimes they honk them just for the sheer enjoyment of listening to it honk.
Back to venturing out, I plan to do so, obviously. I can’t wait to head up in the mountains and more. It’s coming…
Now on to prices.
Just like the traffic, I was told how expensive everything is.
Okay, it’s expensive. I wouldn’t advise anyone to move out here on a whim. Rent typically starts at over $2000 (bare minimum) for just a studio where I live. Sure, there might be something cheaper, but I’d hate to see where it’s located at.
When I mention expensive though, it seems to be mostly about real estate and gasoline (typically four bucks a gallon or more). Food, going out to eat, etc. isn’t horrible. It might be a smidgen more than a lot of places, but the grocery bills and restaurants are comparable to Dayton, Ohio. I don’t see a major difference there (unless, of course, you dine where all the celebs go in Beverly Hills or eat too much).
The most difficult thing about living here is family and friends.
It wasn’t easy just packing up and leaving everyone in Ohio.
Everyone will have a different situation, but I’m pretty far away from most of my family. It’s important to have them visit, and to get out as much as possible (also FaceTime, anyone?). As I write this, next month I’ll be heading to the Buckeye State for the holidays. Anyhow, it can be tough. You might feel isolated and homesick. I keep in perspective of why I’m here and what I’m doing. It helps, and a supportive family and friends is great to have. As far as I know, everyone is happy for us making the move here and for what this does for my cartooning career. (Sniff) I just have to know that I’ll see everyone soon.
New friends come along, too. A lot of likeminded friends. This is a cartooning mecca, so I feel at home here with fellow collogues in the industry. I’ve met some really great people.
I’m not going to talk about my job as a cartoonist, because that doesn’t have anything to do with this particular blog post. I wanted this to be more geared to just living in the area. I’ll say my job is great, and I believe most people come here aspiring to do what they love, which I am. I’ll fill you in on this at another time.
Of course, I have my bigger goals and aspirations. This city, as I mentioned, is a driving force. It fuels ambitions. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere (yeah, that is said about New York, but I think L.A. has that beat). I’m anxious to do a lot more with cartooning and my life. Most importantly, I hope this is a perfect environment for my daughter to thrive at whatever it is she wants to do someday (if we’re still here). She’s almost three now, so no major hurry here.
At any rate, I don’t take for granted being able to survive and live in L.A.
L.A. is also a tough city. It’s not all surfing, lovely weather and glamour. This can be a desolate place, for sure. Dreams can be shattered, and things don’t always work out in ones favor.
Bottom line: it’s not for everyone.
A lot of people say it doesn’t feel like home. My opinion is it’s home for now. For how long? Who knows. Maybe I’ll retire here! I’m one to say never say never. I could end up in Antarctica cartooning from there someday, as far as I know. In the foreseeable future, Los Angeles is where my family and I are, and plan to be at for as long as it’ll have us (or we’ll have it).
This place grows on you. You adapt to it quickly, fears of the unknown diminish and you start becoming a local (Dodgers gear is already bought at our household). I’d say it’s a bit scary at first, but it gets better. Trust me.
Again, I wouldn’t move out here on a whim, but if you can find your way out here, and your career or dreams consists of living out west, I’d say find a way to do it.
Now that I’ve been here five months, in my perfect world, I’m thinking someday I’d probably like to move into a less-populated area, probably in California, and continue cartooning until I can’t draw anymore. I’d like a house, not an apartment. I’d like to travel whenever I want, get out often to venture back to see family and friends and basically have absolute freedom.
For now though, I’m embracing L.A.
I feel great about my decision to make the move out west, and in general, everything is better than expected. Every area of the country has its good and bad qualities, but I’m ranking L.A. with definitely more good.
So, this is how it is for now. What do you think?
Maybe I’ll post an update after a year of being here. For now though, it’s off to the beach (and maybe a drive to get that donut).
Nate's Ramblings 
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