This summer I have the opportunity to obtain an internship in LA. The office I would be interning at is located on Bellanca Ave, which is very close to LAX. I have never been to LA so I am trying to gather all the information I can to make a smart decision.
The Internship pays $20/hr and I will work roughly 40hrs/week (the shift times could very with the possibility of a night shift). I will also be given $1000/month in order to help pay rent.
I am looking for recommendations on where to live. I may be given a company car to help with transportation, but I would prefer to use it as little as possible. The most appealing option that I have looked into thus far is to either sublet from a UCLA student or live on campus at UCLA, as they offer summer housing.I would prefer to live around other people my age so I can make friends and socialize, as well as be safe. I believe it would make the experience a lot more enjoyable. It is just that I am unsure how I would commute to my job site. Is their a reliable Metro in LA that could get me from UCLA to LAX? What about the bus system, although I’d imagine the traffic would be brutal?
I have very little knowledge about LA and have gathered all my information by researching via the internet. I am an in-state student at The Pennsylvania State university and I will be turning 20 in July.
Please offer me any valuable information you may have.
LA is huge and LAX is not that close to UCLA. In good traffic by the 405, it’s 20 minutes. Bus transportation is cheap but long.
Your real problem is going to be housing in LA.
I don’t think you can get housing unless you are an enrolled student. Housing is hard to come by and extremely expensive. See the rates:
You may be able to ask for a housing exchange, but you would need to go through your university’s housing office and ask them to help with the UCLA exchange.
There’s plenty of subletting options in LA in the summer, especially in the UCLA/Westwood area. The question, of course, is how much you’re willing to pay. Rates get much cheaper outside of Westwood, like in nearby Palms or Sawtelle. Given the location of your internship, I recommend looking for students subletting apartments in Culver City, which is a fairly good area with reasonably easy access to Venice/the beach/Marina del Ray (via bus) and very easy access to the interesting parts of central/downtown LA (via light rail).
As for transportation, the bus system in LA is reliable BUT often time consuming depending on where/how far you need to go. Traffic during rush hours, particularly in the evening, can be a nightmare. From Westwood, it’s a straight shot to LAX via the #6 Culver City bus (45-60 min typically). The Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica) runs several buses regularly between west LA and the LAX area as well – again, if you’re willing to spend at least an hour on the bus.
If you want to live closer to LAX, you may want to see if any LMU students are subletting apartments. I don’t know that area very well.
LA is a massive, sprawling place with a lot of young people everywhere. Wherever you find a place, consider using something like ■■■■■■■■■■ to track down local groups of people interested in the same sports/hobbies/whatever you are.
I would also consider looking for sublets from LMU students around the Westchester area. This is very close to LAX.
Also, you could consider Manhattan Beach. Just south of LAX and very happening beach city. Not sure how many “summer sublets” you’ll find there, but worth a look.
After further investigation, the two places that look appealing are culver city and marina del rey. I am leaning more towards culver city as it fits the budget a little better. Right now I think I just need to wait and let things play out, it is too early to look for sublets… but are all areas of culver city safe?