Southern Californians, tell me all about "the valley"

Is that the valley from which that slut Brooke Logan is from?

Woodland hills is a pretty nice suburb, you're probably 20-30 minute drive from Northridge which is another deadly nice suburb. There's no gay life out in the West Valley. There might be an isolated gay bar in Reseda, but other wise your choices are some sordid bars on the Burbank/North Hollywood Border, Weho or Silverlake for gay nightlife.

Grew up in North Hollywood, OP. Suburban and diverse. There is certainly no lack of good food there. Good thing that exciting nightlife is not what you are looking for, because that is missing. You would have to travel to Hollywood, West Hollywood, downtown, central LA for that.

There used to be a neighborhood gay bar in Sherman Oaks, unless is closed now.

Oil Can Harry's is still a (gay) blast for Disco night every Sat. The Bullet Bar is like the Faultline/Eagle of the Valley. Cobra Bar is a gay Latino bar.

R2, you're thinking of C Frenz in Reseda.

I grew up in North Hollywood too. R2. Went to Grant High.

It is no longer the Valley of "Valley Girl." It is now just a flat part of the north LA area, holding more Mexicans.

North Hollywood High, R6!

There was a gay bar a block south of Reseda and Sherman Way, on the east side of Reseda. Might still be there. Had a tiny rainbow flag sign but no name.

R9, see R5.

I don't think I ever hear people calling it 'the valley' anymore....

Thanks, r10. I must be thinking of a different place, or else they used to have a tiny sign and finally upgraded.

Just a shot in the dark but you're enrolling in an university with close to 40.000 students. I find it difficult to believe there are LGBT activities - both day and night - available.

Reagaring the parties, the cops break them up in less than an hour, and it takes as long to get there

CSUN is mostly a commuter school, so there isn't really much campus life, or as much as a traditional university.

It sounds so positively dreadful. Re-think your future, OP,

I didn't have such a great time there!!!

I went to CSUN. They have a good Business & Economics school and Arts & Media.

I also went to Grant High, R6.

Woodland Hills is lovely.

Say hi to any random KKKardashian you may come upon.

Yes, I know most of them are in Calabasas.

Grew up in the Valley and went to El Camino High in Woodland Hills. Nice and boring. More space to move around than in the city.

Northridge, itself, has many good restaurants.

OP, we're more interested in this part of your inquiry:

" . . . my sister's best friend has graciously let me stay in his back house."

Adrian Lyne's "Foxes," 1980

The best movie about "The Valley" in the '80's.

Jodie Foster, Randy Quaid, Cherie Currie, Sally Kellerman, Scott Baio, Laura Dern; and soundtrack by Giorgio Moroder, featuring Donna Summer.

The film's opening credits are beautiful photographed by Lyne.

Thank you so much for posting Foxes, r23!

[quote]You would have to travel to Hollywood, West Hollywood, downtown, central LA for that.

Actually, now there's the NoHo Arts District, along Lankershim in North Hollywood. Lots of good restaurants, clubs, a cabaret or two and small theatre. The TV Academy built there new building there and it's really upgraded the area. I'm not sure about gay bars there, though. I think there is actually a gay bath, sort of, still in that neighborhood. Can't remember the name.

Yes, thank you for posting "Foxes," r23! I started it to watch the credits (which are gorgeous) and now am loving it. Thanks!

I thought it was supposed to take place in the Valley, but when they're walking to school, they walk right past the Ivar Theater, which is in Hollywood.

"Foxes"..hahaha. Loved it.

Sally Kellerman is (intentionally or not) hilarious in it. "I hate your thighs" LOL.

Woodland Hills is one of the nicest looking parts of LA. Very livable in terms of traffic and stores, food etc.

CSUN is a nice campus and has some good programs and is also in a pleasant part of the valley. I think you are set up for a good year. CSUN's newish performing arts center is really beautiful.

Make sure you have a car or access to a car!

Honey, I live in Woodland Hills. Please feel free to ask for help, advice, directions, etc.

Driving up Topanga Canyon Blvd going North is one of the most beautiful views ever with the mountains that are on the edge of the valley. I once went to Hawaii to see the sights. When I came home I was driving up Topanga and said this is just as beautiful. (and no North Korean bombing alerts!!!)

Woodland Hills is generally one of the hottest places in the LA area in the summer. You can drive over the hill to Malibu and the temperature will often drop 30 or more degrees.

[quote]Make sure you have a car or access to a car!

If you don't have a car, the Metro Orange Line runs almost the entire east-west length of the Valley, taking you from the shops and restaurants at Warner Center in Woodland Hills to the clubs, restaurants and live theater scene in NoHo Arts District. The Northridge Red Line runs up Reseda Blvd to CSUN. Very accessible.

I forgot the link.

[Quote] CSUN's newish performing arts center is really beautiful.

Sadly they usually have a shit schedule.

r34 should have mentioned that those are BUS lines, not subway or light rail. The MetroRail red line is the only subway line that goes to the Valley (currently.) And it ends at North Hollywood. There is Metrolink service to NoHo, Van Nuys, Northridge, and Chatsworth.

Could you tell us more about "Van Nuys" ? Is there a gay life in Van Nuys ? Is Van Nuys only for "rich" people ? etc......

[quote] Is Van Nuys only for "rich" people ?

Lol R38. Definitely not..

Van Nuys is working class-ish. Not the best part of the Valley, but not the worst.

Van Nuys is not a great area at all. It's more poor people rather than rich.

However there are "avenues" with very expensive houses (with swimming pool, many bathrooms etc....) am I wrong ?

There are nice parts, yes. The working class parts are not so bad, either.

Nice parts in Van Nuys? No, not so much. Is there a specific street/area in VN you are referencing?

Most of the Valley, with the exception of the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando, is part of the City of Los Angeles. So all police, fire, governing, etc., is shared with the rest of the city, for better or for worse. Universal City is in an unincorporated part of LA County.

There's been an effort in recent years to change some of the names of the communities with less-than-stellar reputations, or for certain parts to break off and re-name themselves. See, for example, West Hills, Valley Village, North Hills.

(R44) For instance the area of Allot avenue and others I don't remember, I'm sorry...

[quote] See, for example, West Hills, Valley Village, North Hills.

Or see West Van Nuys becoming Lake Balboa. Or West Reseda/East Canoga Park becoming Winnetka. Or parts of San Fernando becoming Mission Hills.

If the SFV were ever to break off from Los Angeles proper, Van Nuys would be the city center. It already has a Civic Center with government administrative buildings, municipal and superior courts, police station, etc. Back in the late '80s and '90s, the surrounding neighborhood was the barrio, an area we generally avoided unless we were scoring cheap drugs. But since then, there have been so much commercial development and gentrification that the quality of life has improved. Van Nuys still has a working class reputation though.

Van Nuys used to cover a much larger area until its nicer neighborhoods broke off and renamed themselves. As mentioned upthread, west Van Nuys became Lake Balboa, east Van Nuys became Valley Glen, and portions of south Van Nuys were annexed to Sherman Oaks.

A smilar thing happened with North Hollywood, with its southern neighborhood splintering off and renaming themselves Valley Village, NoHo Arts District, and Toluca Woods. And now you have communites called Sherman Village, Garnsey, and the Silver Triangle popping up south of Valley Glen, between Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

Van Nuys still has a barrio reputation, too. It's amusing that the boundaries of "Sherman Oaks" keep changing, inching up little by little to incorporate decent areas of Van Nuys.

R50, the same thing keeps happening in Reseda. My friend's family lived in a rinky-dink bungalow on White Oak, just south of Oxnard. This area used to be part of Reseda, but one morning it became the northern edge of Encino and their home value skyrocketed. A name change alone can make thousands of dollars of difference in real estate.

Pretty soon San Diego will become part of the greater Los Angeles Area.

LA is like a monster that keeps swallowing anything in its path.

[quote]Pretty soon San Diego will become part of the greater Los Angeles Area.

Not while I'm around.

Welcome!

Long Beach is very gay friendly. There is a Club on Ocean Boukevard which has been there a long time. Club Ripples - google it -- lots of good reviews. I prefer it to West Hollywood. Less pretentious. It's right on the water 💦 I highly recommend it. Come visit us'

For local history buffs, here's an article on the creation of Woodland Hills (then called Girard), by a shady land developer.

It's unbearably hot in the summer, smoggy, and not very friendly. Jewish people are chatty and nice though, much friendlier than on the westside.

CSUN is okay, and has a very mixed-bag of students.

r55 Not exactly convenient to CSUN.

CJ grand spa in Northridge. Plenty of action

"Recent years" r45?

Try decades.

When I attended CSUN there was very little happening on the campus. However, there are some good-looking gay men that attend there. The valley itself is not a fun place to be. When I lived in Northridge right off the campus I was always at the beach after school or non school days.

There is (or at least was) plenty of cruising to be had at CSUN - it was one of my first introductions to gay sex as a teen in the '90s!

Remember when the Valley seceding from the rest of LA was put to a vote? It was one of my first votes and I voted No! Ha! So glad that failed and fizzled!

CSUN did have some on-campus action I'm not sure if it still does. I think it was a bathroom in the physical fitness building however, not the bathroom in the locker room it self.

I thought Woodland Hills once hosted summer resorts for black people.

NoHo is trying to become DoucheBro Central so it can change its name to NoHomo.

No, R65. They just don't want no hos in the neighborhood. That's why you are banned there.

Toluca Lake is probably the nicest part of the Valley.

I grew up in Sherman Oaks. I went to Grant High. Class of ‘80.

R57, what are are you talking about being smoggy? Because the valley hasn't been, as a rule, for a long time now. I live in Woodland Hills and am back and forth to Toluca Lake and Studio City all the time, and there hasn't been anything bad smog-wise in years. Unless you meant LA proper, because downtown can still look awfully ugly from a distance when it gets hot/.

Sorry but Woodland Hills and Northridge are pretty depressing. If you have preconceived notions of So Cal. You will be highly disappointed. It's basically a non descript suburb of strip malls. It gets unbearably hot in the summer.

The valley used to be fun in the 80’s, early 90’s- back when it was cool to hang out at Tower Records on Ventura in Sherman Oaks , or go shopping at the Galleria. Being a teenager in that era of the valley was the best. After Tower Records closed and the Galleria was damaged in the 94 earthquake, the whole vibe changed. The valley of today is completely different. Van Nuys still sucks, however, and Woodland Hills is still way too hot in the summer. I don’t think I could live in either place now, unless I had to. Studio City/Toluca Lake area is the best place to be, if you can afford it.

[quote]If you have preconceived notions of So Cal. You will be highly disappointed. It's basically a non descript suburb of strip malls

Mostly that's true. Don't expect a neighborhood with "character" like WeHo or Toluca Lake or even Studio City. (Although Woodland Hills is a lot nicer than Northridge). But what both areas have are really beautiful residential neighborhoods. Northridge has some stunning homes especially west of Tampa, above Roscoe. And Woodland Hills also has gorgeous neighborhoods, going up into the hills. Spectacular views.

Second that Toluca Lake/Studio City are the best places to live, but they aren't going to be as close to Cal State Northridge as Northridge (obviously) and Woodland Hills will be.

You'll be in the heart of the thriving porn industry.

What about Agoura Hills? II got lost there. It seemed nice. Is that pretty much the same as Woodland Hills?

Agoura Hills is not really part of the Valley. And it's also not part of the City of Los Angeles.

So is the valley like the Queens of LA?

r77 Parts of it are (although the housing stock is much newer); parts are like the nicer suburbs of NJ, Westchester, or CT.

R77 LA is more like the Queens of the Valley. The Valkey is rich and support LA. That’s why the Valley’s been trying to secede for decades.

A nice aspect of living in Woodland Hills is, if it gets to hot, you can take a scenic drive on S. Topanga Canyon Blvd all the way to the Malibu coast and Castellammare.

*too

I can't believe so many Valley Queens at the DL.

r70 is absolutely correct!

I'm not a Valley Queen. I'm an "OTHER Valley Queen." (the one east of the SFV.)

I am one of the original Valley Queens of this thread, and the only one to go to North Hollywood HS; although strangely there is a large contingent who went to rival HS Grant! 😀

Grant High, Class of '87.

I went to Cleveland High.

A friend just moved to Chatsworth. Is that the Valley? Is it nice?

Chatsworth is in the northwest San Fernando Valley and it is just as hot as Woodland Hills. When I think of Chatsworth, I think of rock formations like Stoney Point.

...And the frontier.

I had the best time at Grant High.

One of you has to be Armenian...

R79 is posting from 2002.

I am from the Valley and I voted against that shit.

All you guys from the Valley - do you still live in the Valley, or did you move elsewhere in LA?

R92 you’re not from the Valley.

^^ I am from North fucking Hollywood, class of 2000. Ask me anything. I will tell you all about it

Grant High doesn’t appear to have any classrooms or even walls. Where does the book-learnin’ happen?

It all happens at Zankou Chicken, R96.

Chatsworth is where Lucy and Desi lived until the mid-1950s.

It has some nice houses, but it's not nearly as nice as Woodland Hills.

Chatsworth is where the Metrolink Train Collision happened in 20078, killing a bunch of people.

The valley is full of Persians, lots and lots of Persians. A sort of white flight has taken place there over the last decade or so. Think Kardashian's without the money but still have all the pretentiousness. Fake Gucci labels are big in that part of LA. That goes for the men too. Even the straight guys are label queens.

Persian is what Iranian Jews call themselves

The Persians are pretty much concentrated in the southwestern SFV (Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills). The Armenians are in the north, central, and eastern SFV. And by "white" R100, I think you mean the Anglos.

What about Agoura Hills??

Persians are the ones with actual money; Armenians are the posers who live in tiny apartments, with cabbie fathers, but drive BMWs.

Love you R97 (Zankou Chicken). Very funny.

Agoura Hills is nice upper middle class city. Very "parents with kids" type of place. A bit cooler than Woodland Hills but not that much different in the scheme of things.

Agoura Hills isn't in LA. And it's boring as shit.

Chatsworth was the epicenter for straight porn in the aughts. I don't know if it still is.

Chatsworth = wind hell.

I wish those dreadful hillbillies would move there

r103 see r75 and r76.

[quote]So is the valley like the Queens of LA?

It's probably more like the Long Island (at least the western part, and without the water, of course.)

The Western part of LI with bad accents, tacky clothes and shitty weather.

Glad I lived in the Grant High district and not North Hollywood.

[Quote] Glad I lived in the Grant High district

That area wasn't a party, hon.

Grant High School and the Great Wall of Los Angeles

Off topic, just want to say, Muriel, if these ads from realjock, that I always get for a few weeks, and I have read that other dlers get them as well all the time, don't stop, I will not return to dl anymore. I have come here for six years but I will not return, just hang out a few minutes sometimes and that's it. The pics one can turn off in the settings, but not these ads.

Don't know if there is anything more to it than just making money, maybe also driving away trolls, but it certainly will get many of the few moral or educated posters left, and I guess also many lesbians, away from dl. I think most dlers get these ads.

My first job after college was in Van Nuys. We came to work one Monday and learned that a pimp had shot one of his hookers on the nearby street corner over the weekend. Sherman Way and Sepulveda. Another time we had a temp receptionist who thought she’d save money by parking on the side street behind the building instead of in the lot. She was held up at gunpoint at lunch time. There was a porn studio on the top floor of our office building. It was get in your car fast, lock your doors, roll up your windows, and get out of dodge at the end of every work day.

Lived in Woodland Hills at the time. Like everyone else has said, nice but boring. Lots of great restaurants. I never found it too hot, but I grew up in the desert. 'I liked being able to take the canyon roads to the beaches.

After a year, I got a new job and moved to the basin.

Get an ad blocker R116.

Re: white flight from the Valley.

Where have they all moved to?

R104 Yes!!! To elaborate a bit, people in LA who self-identify as "Persian" are Jews, but don't say Persian or Iranian Jew. Iranians call themselves "Iranian." And as ass-backward as it is, if you ask an Armenian if they are Persian, they will fucking cut you. Which is messed up, since Persians are WAY better off than Armenians, in general.

1) Did Bob Hope used to live -- and own -- much of Toluca Lake?

2) Is the Motion Picture Home located in Woodland Hills. When a listing on Internet Movie Database indicates that a actor or actress died in Woodland Hills, doesn't that usually mean that he/she died at the Motion Picture Home

I lived in Van Nuys near Erwin and Vesper when I first moved to LA. I was a block or so away from the courthouse where the Menedez brothers trial was held. I had my tires slashed several times - it seemed like it was a sport to someone. I got smart and moved to WeHo -

Persians had to skedaddle when the Ayatollah took over in '79

1) I don't know if Bob Hope owned much of Toluca Lake, but he lived on a 5 acre estate in TL. Other past luminaries who lived in TL were Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Frank Sinatra, and Bettie Davis.

2) Yes, the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital (MPTCHH) is in Woodland Hills on Mulholland Drive and Calabasas Rd. And yes, when you read that stars like Norma Shearer, Mary Astor, Joel McCrea, and Yvonne DeCarlo died in Woodland Hills, that usually means they died at MPTCHH.

*Bette. And that ^ was addressed to R121.

R124 That was fascinating. I was enthralled reading the list of the many actors whose names I recognized on the list of famous residents.

Two thing really stood out to me. One, that the MPCH was integrated way before the rest of the US. Way before universities and pro sports leagues as well! Hattie McDaniel and Stepin Fetchit were living side by side with silent film stars as early as 1950/

The second thing was that they listed Zsa Zsa as a resident. What?? Prince Von A Hole always made it seem that he cared for her in her home in BH. I remember the many pics on her birthday and such. So he kept her in the home while he luxuriated in HER house??

[quote]Where have they all moved to?

Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and the Inland Empire.

R114 yes it was, dear.

you better have a pool. it gets HOT AF out there!

Certain scenes in "The Harvey Girls" were filmed in Chatsworth!

The Inland Empire, yes, but Simi’s and Thousand Oaks’ populations haven’t grown much in the past 20 years. Porter Ranch, north of the 118 freeway, sprung up in the late 1990s. White people have been moving further and further up the 101, into Calabasas and Agora Hills and even Camarillo. They’ve been crowding more into West L.A., Culver City in particular. To the extent they can, they’ve been moving to the Santa Barbara outskirts.

Gross. ONLY the queens who live in the valley will say it's wonderful. DO NOT BELIEVE IT.

It's better than living in the city as far as trafffic. The city is much more congested and has many of these older, narrow streets (WEHO, I am talking to you) where you just about have to pull over if a car is coming towards you. And yes, the valley heat sucks donkey balls. I hate the summers but just crank up the A/C.

Can someone explain the economics of southern California? I’ve been to LA many times for work and never quite figured it out. Most of the houses are small, kind of dumpy looking cottages, and from what I see on TV it looks like those little old craftsman-style houses with two bedrooms average $800k-$1.2 million. Is that about right? People here in another thread said you need to make over $200k a year to live a decent life out there. Do everyday jobs out there pay exceptionally well because of the local economy, or do only CEOs have houses and are mid-level managers living in group apartment homes in squalor?

It didn't use to be so expensive to buy a house here, R134. People used to be able to pay off a mortgage in the '60s and '70s with more ease, even off of a blue collar, union job.

r134, I bought my home for 305, 000 back in 2000. Now it's worth 1.2 million. It's a 2 br 1 bath. That's fucking insane! I live in housecow/oaf central. It's the schools. Only rich Asians buy homes were I live now. It's been like that for at least 10 years. I can't wait to move. This city is soul crushing. There are so many cars cutting through my city. It's takes 1/2 hour to go 8-10 blocks on the main street. There so many random people just hanging out here all day and night. The train has brought them here and homeless camps are now set up down the street. Crime of every sort is way up but the city tries to hide it. You really have to search for the crime stats.

Where the heck do you live, R136?

[quote]2) Is the Motion Picture Home located in Woodland Hills. When a listing on Internet Movie Database indicates that a actor or actress died in Woodland Hills, doesn't that usually mean that he/she died at the Motion Picture Home

yes and yes.

South Pasadena, r137. Yes, I know, Mayberry, craftsman, quaint, delightful, charming, & safe. It's a lie! The only good thing about living here is the price I can now sell my house for. There a reason why residents here are called bubble people or South Pas bots. It 100% true. It's like being around stepford people.

R134, LA has a major housing crisis, worse than any other city according to a recent study I read, because cost of livimg and income levels are so mismatched. Overall housing is cheaper jere than in SF or NYC, but you are earning Midwestern wages. For sveryday jobs.

The billionaire class' answer to that is to import illegals who will work for minimum wage and live 15 to a home/apartment.

There are no accidents in politics.

I've never heard of anyone considering South Pas charming & safe! I thought everyone knew South Pas wasn't a great area.

WTF? South Pasadena has never been considered by anyone to be "dangerous."

Are you thinking of North Pasadena?

I guess you need to get out more, r142. No offence.

No. Two separate cites, r143.

Then you are very, very wrong or misinformed, R145. South Pasadena is very affluent, clean, and has not ever been known as "dangerous" or crime-ridden. At least not within the last 30 years.

There is a gay jack-off group that meets in the valley once a month.

r143, here is the crime on my street alone in the last few years in South Pasadena.

Attemped rape and murder

2 arsons

7 home break in including my home.

8 car thefts

3 street assaults one with a gun.

r146, please sit down and shut the fuck up. You don't live in South Pas and you clearly don't know wtf you're talking about. You're just repeating the bullshit you've heard from bots. That was 20 years ago. It has changed. I live it everyday here.

Oh, I never used the word "dangerous" you did.

Oh, and my street is 5 blocks long.

[quote]I guess you need to get out more, [R142]. No offence.

Apparently I get out enough since your post at R148 confirmed my post.

SOUTH PASADENA, CA CRIME ANALYTICS

r150/151 I was speaking of the many here saying SP in Mayberry. It's not.

* is mayberry

R134, jobs out here do not pay exceptionally well. LA is full of commuters from less expensive (though not cheap either), neighboring areas. I know some people who commute 4 or more hours daily for a modestly paid job. I consider myself relatively lucky because I am able to live in my childhood home (unfortunately with a relative), but otherwise, I don't see how I could afford to live in Los Angeles. Rents are astronomical and housing prices are out of control due to Chinese and Saudi investors willing to pay top dollar in cash and of course there aren't enough homes being built.

Ah, well you addressed me in that comment, R152, so I was just responding.

I lived in South Pasadena for two years, you dumb shit. Right on Meridian, in the late 00s. I never once had any sort of problem with crime of any sort. Maybe there is something about you that attracts criminals to you?

If you think South Pasadena is "scary," how the hell do you possibly function traveling anywhere in greater Southern California?

The stats at 151 means nothing when crime isn't logged in completely. My home break in is still not logged in the police records [ along with my neighbors down the street ] to this day. Plus, one of the arson and a few of the car thefts. When I first moved here a lady down the street warned me of the city and police masking over crime stats. I thought she was crazy but over the years everything she told me came true. Living here you kinda learn how things work. It's bad pr. That's part of the reason I can't wait to move.

Yes because 2 years makes you an expert of the area, douche cunt / r156. You must be a millennial. Fucktard.

Sorry r155.

Here is R158, terrified of life on the tough streets of big, bad, gangbanging South Pasadena.

Straight outta South Pas, yo!

Oh, and again I never said "scary," cunt / r156. Just stating facts. Something you know nothing of.

[Bold] FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE SHIT IN MY MOUTH!!!!

I hope a bad Chinese woman driver runs over R161.

Cancer will get you first, r163.

This is why I love this site. Only on Datalounge, can a thread about neighborhoods result in posters wishing for others to get cancer and get run over by Chinese women. Classic DL.

I lived in SPas for twenty years (1980-2000) and when the Chinese tsunami hit in the 90s, it because a different place. The cops user to protect and serve when it was an all white town, but once it became Asian, the cops just hang around and give tickets.

We never worried about porch pirates or street crime -- when it was white, the cops stopped any and all who didn't belong in town but once it went yellow, they stopped caring. Remember the Chinese pay just as steep taxes as we did, but don't get any value for their money.

The Stepford Wives thing was mainly the elementary school moms who were from somewhere else.

Once it went from WASP to Hollywood to Chinese, and the train arrived, it was over.

PS -- the South Pasadena cops --.

They started growing corrupt in the late 80s. They still kept the city safe, but were giving tickets, hiding their own traffic accidents, etc. When the 92 riots occurred,, they busted a bunch of looters who came down from black Pasadena, but to pay for all the overtime this required, the cops turned on the residents and began ticketing us for anything. This included the Stepford Wives dropping their kids off at school. This sort of thing was a big turnoff, so when the Chinese started showing up with their buckets of money, it wasn't hard to get people to sell.

OP, we have more bottoms than we can handle already. Please stay home.

Did the OP specifically ask for a feud about the south Pasadena neighborhood, or how did the direction turn that way?

I totally believe the So Pas resident who's seen crime ramp up. South Pasadena has ALWAYS been known as less-affluent and dicier than Pasadena itself. My best friend from college lives there and often tells me it's not as safe as it looks during the daytime, which can be said for many LA neighborhoods.

The idiot challenging this doesn't know what it's talking about, which is probably par for the course.

Wait. The idiot complaining about crime in South Pasadena went to high school in fucking Reseda and is complaining about crime in South Pasadena???

If South Pasadena is considered rampant with crime, then the many DL residents living in places like West Hollywood (where crime rates are higher) might as well be living in Iraq.

[quote] South Pasadena has ALWAYS been known as less-affluent and dicier than Pasadena itself.

Parts of Pasadena, yes. But MUCH of Pasadena is quite ghetto, and their school system is atrocious. SoPas is more uniformly middle and upper-middle class.

Don't even bother, R173. I don't know where the hell some of these "native" Angelenos are getting their info from. But if South Pasadena is considered "dicey" by them, who knows how the hell they must function if they have to visit like 95% of the the rest of SoCal?

I wouldn't call South Pas dicey." It just isn't as nice as it used to be. The Asians are nice, but they attract trouble and crime.

South Pasadena PD‏

@southpaspd

@southpaspd officers arrested Paul Cruz for possession of multiple illegal firearms. The weapons were located loaded inside his residence where several toddler aged children were playing. Cruz is an ex-felon and a prohibited possessor of ANY gun. They were not registered to him

R133 One can EASILY learn to drive past oncoming traffic on the narrow streets (of WeHo). It's idiots like you who hold everyone else up because you think your car is too wide to drive on a narrow street. Get some perspective.

I think the criminals from out of town found out about South Pasadena, just as they target residences in Santa Monica.

They are not the locals commiting crime, that's what needs to be said.

If the rich Asians are buying up the expensive areas, the Armenians and Persians have taken over the Valley, the whites have moved to Inland Empire, then where do the Latino majority in the service industry live?

Inland empire, crappy areas of Van Nuys and North Hollywood (actually VN and NH are nearly all crappy), Sylmar, Pacoima, Reseda, etc. R179

Is South Pasadena even IN "the valley?"

r181 No. It's in the San Gabriel Valley. Much of which has gone heavily Asian: Alhambra, San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Arcadia, San Marino, Temple City and Walnut all have huge Asian populations. You can drive for miles and see Chinese (mostly) signs nearly everywhere. Try Valley Blvd, or Main St./Las Tunas.

Latinos have taken over the areas that used to be black (and before that, working class white) in places like Compton, Lynwood, South Gate, Watts, Huntington Park, etc. And they've always been in Commerce, East LA and Montebello.

Is south of Moorpark. east of Woodman and west of Coldwater Canyon , north of Valleyheart Dr a good area?

That's awfully specific, R184. It's one of the better parts of the area. It sees a lot of traffic though.

Thanks R185.

Interesting thread, including the info on Pasadena and the changes it has seen.

Economics of scale - before the new tax plan you could deduct interest and real estate taxes to reduce your income. Essentially paying no taxes. A lot of people got in the real estate boon where you could get million dollar loans with no appraisal and gobbled up Ca real estate. Most of the people in LA rent so paying the mortgage on a million dollar property you don't live then sell it in a few years for twice what you paid.

Is the Inland Empire nice? I always imagined it would be kinda crappy.

^No. It is.

The Inland Empire is where the Turpin family lived.

[quote]Armenians and Persians have taken over the Valley, the whites have moved to Inland Empire,

Armenians and Persians are white.

A bit off topic, but the Persians made the Melrose Urth (which is insufferable already) into their hotspot night hangout. It gets so crowded, there are people standing around the tables to the curb. They park their extremely expensive cars in front and get their expensive watches stolen right in front of them:

[quote]Latinos have taken over the areas that used to be black (and before that, working class white) in places like Compton, Lynwood, South Gate, Watts, Huntington Park, etc.

So where are the blacks, if they are driven out of Compton?

Atlanta and Vegas

[quote] A bit off topic, but the Persians made the Melrose Urth (which is insufferable already) into their hotspot night hangout. It gets so crowded, there are people standing around the tables to the curb. They park their extremely expensive cars in front and get their expensive watches stolen right in front of them:

Exact scenario at Chipotle in Woodland Hills. They congregate after (high) school and there is a sea of BMWs.

Those cars are all leased. And all those idiots drive like assholes.

I wouldn't live in Woodland Hills for free. Not only is it hot AF (usually the highest temps in the Valley), it takes forever to get anyplace.

It's a hellhole for people that can't afford Toluca Lake, Studio City and Sherman Oaks.

I agree with R198

Tucked away in the foothills of Chatsworth is Oakwood Memorial Park, a quiet, remote little neighborhood cemetery that, surprisingly, serves as the final resting spot for some notable figures of Hollywood yesteryear: Fred and Adele Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gloria Grahame, and Stephen Boyd. Bob Crane used to be interred here as well. My parents purchased several plots here, and until that time, I hadn't known this place existed.

[quote]Latinos have taken over the areas that used to be black (and before that, working class white) in places like Compton, Lynwood, South Gate, Watts, Huntington Park, etc. And they've always been in Commerce, East LA and Montebello

And hipster whites who can't afford Los Angeles are moving into East LA, Highland Park, Lincoln and Boyle Heights, and pricing out Latinos.

[quote]So where are the blacks, if they are driven out of Compton?

A lot of them moved to the Inland Empire (remember the movie "Friday?") for cheaper houses and better schools.

I have family in Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills who say they see new white faces every week. But the black people in those neighborhoods by and large can't be "pushed" out, but rather will leave of thier own accord. My family isn't going anywhere.

No one is pushing latinos out of east L.A... or blacks out of Baldwin Park. Yeesh.

Some families/retirees are getting nice offers on their old properties and want out of Los Angeles proper. Those old craftsman style homes get cold in the winter and have forever plumbing issues.

Whites move into latino areas because they like latinos, remember that.

r205 this is true I never got more pinga then when I moved to Van Nuys...

R204 and R205 = Jewish magical thinking.

Hipster whites have ruined Highland Park. Those flipped Craftsmen aren't cheap.

Who said anything about Baldwin Park, r204?

[quote]No one is pushing latinos out of east L.A... or blacks out of Baldwin Park.

Baldwin Park is more than 80% Hispanic. Perhaps you meant Baldwin HILLS, dear.

[quote]Hipster whites have ruined Highland Park. Those flipped Craftsmen aren't cheap.

Nothing is cheap in Los Angeles now.

I love how in true DL fashion, what started as a friendly sharing information thread has devolved into angry posts full of accusations and rancor.

the Persians in Encino seem tough to deal with. I swear everytime you go into a store there there is some middle aged persian woman fighting with the cashiers. (racist----but seemingly true.)

Why can't they just get along? It seems to be an age thing. The young ones don't seem that argumentative.

The Armenians have ruined Glendale. All those tacky fake palaces.

The younger "Persians" are pretty arrogant also. And they all drive (rented?) BMW's

R213, if they are middle aged or older and grew up in Iran, then they are probably used to shopping the Iranian way, which is to haggle over the price. Everything in Iran is negotiable and Iranians learn from childhood how to bargain their way to a good deal. The exchanges might become heated, but both parties understand that this is the way the game is played. If you are serious about purchasing an item, then you have to prove your worthiness to own it.

In the US where this certainly not the custom, they probably see a fellow countryman behind the sales counter and see it as an opportunity to get a good deal.

Where Jews go, Gresham's Law follows.

That is what happened to LA. The Jews got loose.

Van Nuys had a theme park - Busch Gardens, from 1966 to 1979. Free beer inside the brewery. The remnants of the park are still there.

We went to it as a family in 1972. The skipper on the boat ride was very handsome. I wanted to run away and live with him. That was probably my first gay feeling, though I didn't recognize it as sexual, I just wanted to be with him.

The brewery is still there, but the theme park, as mentioned, is long gone. I remember going there on a family vacation in mid-'60s.

How sad. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Ah! That's what that bridge was all about

I just helped a friend move who lived in just west of Thousand Oaks. I have the Valley. Hate it. It's just Orange County lite.

I'm okay with the parts of the valley east of the 405 and south of Burbank Blvd.

The original location of Busch Gardens was South Pasadena.

I used to visit relatives in Simi Valley. It was boring and kind of redneck.

Please can you tell me about "west hollywood" (like the area of "hayworth avenue" etc...), is there a gay community, is it expensive like "north hollywood" ?

[quote] is it expensive like "north hollywood" ?

If you think North Hollywood is expensive...

Did you really just ask if West Hollywood has a gay community????????

West Hollywood is 100% gridlock. I couldn't wait to get out- and I lived in a nice condo.

so true r229.

I once lived in Tarzana and worked in Century City. I moved to West Hollywood for the gay scene and to be closer to work. Somehow it actually took me longer to get to Century City from WeHo than it did from Tarzana. Unbelievable.

West Hollywood (an independent city) is nowhere near, and nothing like North Hollywood.

(R228) I apologise if my answer is "surprising" but I 'm European....As you can see, I'm not aware about the "gay places"...

Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Simi Valley are all still places that have nuclear fallout from the Santa Susana Nuclear meltdown in the 50's. It was the second largest nuclear meltdown in history. The idiots who worked there were taking barrels of nuclear material and shooting them with guns to "clean up" the site. I worked in Chatsworth for 20 years and I refused to drink the tap water there.

No one knows about the meltdown because the government kept it pretty secret for years. I know several people who lived in Chatsworth and the surrounding areas who have battled cancer and other ailments. And yes, it is still the porn capital of the world.

North Hollywood is north of Hollywood, but you've got Studio City, Toluca Lake, Universal City and miles of roads and mountains in between.

[quote]Tucked away in the foothills of Chatsworth is Oakwood Memorial Park, a quiet, remote little neighborhood cemetery... My parents purchased several plots here[/quote]

How many people are they planning to take with them?

it's a fucking valley...

Wasn't the Father of the Bride house in Pasadena? So that area is shit now? It looked so WASPy and picture perfect....

If uni does not work out you can always start doing porn as a lot of the companies are/were in the Valley.

Which parts of the valley are the best? Would you not go north or south of a certain street and east or west of a certain street. From what I can gather south of Moorpark street seems more desirable.

R237 In nearby San Marino, but I share your sentiments. What a dream that neighborhood was...

...but then the Asians came...

The areas that are notably nicer would probably be the far East and West, R239. Burbank/Glendale on the one hand, Calabasas/Thousand Oaks on the other. Or generally cling to the Hills if you have the money.

West Hills is nice safe and suburban. It is a more affordable suburb that runs along the west part of the valley.

If I had kids I'd move there for their high school years. The high school is actually pretty good and wins the national academic decathlons or places pretty high quite regularly.

The Valley, Ewwwwww, just ewwwwwww.

R243 Didn't West Hills used to be part of (ugh) RESEDA?

R245, No. West Hills used to be the westernmost part of Canoga Park.

R1 Yes, and at the 2:02 mark, Stephanie schools Beth (from The Valley) on the difference.

R235, 6 plots. Enough for my parents and their children, including me, if I wish.

Three of the worst people I've known were born and raised in West Hills.

That's parenting, not geography R249.

I'm aware, R250. I didn't say otherwise. The three people I'm referring to were just awful people who coincidentally were all raised in West Hills. However, it has been proven that the culture of an area shapes how you're raised and influences your behavior.

You know which valley town is really cute? San Fernando. It is almost all Latino. It has a neat (as in tidy) little downtown, lots of little restaurants and bakeries, and quiet, comfortable neighborhoods. If it weren’t in the valley it would’ve been gentrified long ago. And, at the rate things are going, it will start to gentrify soon.

The Dept of Public Health divides LA county into 7 SPAs (service plannings areas). These are geographical designations that divide the county for purposes of census tracking, benefit allocations, etc. Downtown LA is its own SPA because of its population density; Antelope Valley is its own as well. The San Fernando Valley is its own, and it has consistently seen the greatest percentage increase in homeless compared to all other areas over the past few years. In 2015 (the latest data I’ve seen), downtown actually went down on homeless as a percentage of the population. SFV went up by over 30%, more than any other area in LA county.

North Hollywood is the hub for homeless services in the valley. The main homeless shelter on Lankershim. I used to work there. It is extremely rough, with lots of prostitution, violence, drug dealing , etc. It’s like a mini Skid Row but not as dense. There is also a lot of poverty in Pacoima.

I live in Sherman Oaks, but the part near the Van Nuys. Homeless set up encampments periodically near my apartment building, semi-permanent structures with walls, clothesline, etc. There are tents everywhere and mobile homes parked overnight. It doesn’t bother me, but it would be shocking for many I think.

I predict that the homeless will eventually be driven into the Antelope Valley as costs rise closer to the city. Palmdale and Lancaster already have a lot of poor.

And for whoever asked, the most affluent/trendiest parts of the valley are all west of Moorpark or Ventura Blvd. Those are the areas of Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Encino closest to the Santa Monica mountains and the canyons that run through them, into Westwood, West Hollywood and Brentwood. Parts of Sherman Oaks and Studio City abut Bel Air. Britney Spears used to live in Sherman Oaks. So, in a single city, you have utter opulence and natural beauty at one end, and homeless communities living under overpasses on the other. And never the twain shall meet.

Moorpark and Ventura Blvd. RUN east and west. Idiot.

Sorry, I meant south. Glad to help you reach your cunting quota today, R254.

Neighborhood map.

Need to know map.

Anyone that knows shit about the Valley wants to live south of the Boulevard- meaning Ventura. It runs the length of it.

Like my rectum, retard.

Not us, r258.

Just stay on campus and study. Forget nightlife, there isn't any there. Do your work.

Tell me more about the "free penis" on that map in R257.

I want to know about the "HERION" (sic)

R262 That's in reference to the heroin problem over the hill in Simi Valley. The reported teen epidemic there even garnered an episode of "Dr, Phil" a few years ago. The misspelling made me laugh, and I was wondering if it was done on purpose to reflect the community.

R257 No personal experience "there," but the Gay Cruising website gives the Sepulveda Dam Basin (the area indicated on the map) 4 out of 5 stars, with the following description:

[quote] Sepulveda Dam wildlife area. (Across the street on the Dam side.) Especially at night, you can always find some action along the many trails in and out of the overgrowth, and an always willing mouth or to drain your over-worked balls. Fun place for a blow job after work. Lots of secluded spots for one-on-one or groups. Usually busy weekdays after 4:00pm. Crowd: All types.

The adjacent Balboa Park Sports Center (to the south) also gets a mention: "Bathroom at the end of the end of the parking lot."

^^^ P.S. They also give Woodley Park - part of that same green area on the map - 4 out of 5 stars.

The Valley is unlivable without a gorgeous pool, a Jacuzzi, and a top of the line BBQ grill, and LOTS of alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol, OP.

I recommend finding a cute boyfriend by the beach with his own place, STAT.

btw - R264 and R265 were meant to be in reply to R261's question.

Speechless is filmed in Woodland Hills

R257, where's the rest of the map? It cut out the East Valley.

I live in the part called HELL. What makes it hell compared to the rest of the valley?

R270, HELL is the 405-101 Interchange and surrounding streets filled with congestion at all hours of the day.

Moved to Tarzana in 2010. Have been here ever since. It's ok once you succumb to the traffic getting to/from the Westide.

I've become much more of a homebody since moving here..so it's gym, work, and home pretty much. The more fun stuff in the valley is in Studio City/Sherman Oaks.

OP , You're not going to find much to between Woodland Hills and Northridge, so you might as well focus on classes during the week and then venture out to the Westside for the beach or Weho for gay nightlife.

Wow, R271. You’re right, of course, but that never even crossed my mind. I’ve lived in HELL for so long that I don’t even notice it anymore.

Northridge is like the land time forgot. It has been the same damn town, with the same restaurants, same stores, same everything, since the 80s.

OP, I hope you have a hybrid or a car that’s cheap on gas. Public transportation stops in most of the West Valley by 9:00 pm on week nights, and the busses barely run on weekends. Same with the Red Line. The train will take you from North Holly,wood all the way to Long Beach, but service ends at midnight, and is greatly reduced on weekends. I believe that the Wiltshire line, or Olympic line called the purple line is still under construction, but that takes you down to Santa Monica.

If you don’t have a car in Northridge, you’re fucked. An Uber will cost an arm an a leg in order to take you to the West Side, or to Studio City, unless you share one with other passengers. It’s still more expensive than Ubering in other cities, regardless of rideshare or private cars.

All Metro Rail Lines stop running at 2am on Fridays & Saturdays. The Orange Line Busway stops at 2:40.

Jesus, only trash take the bus in CA. Or maids.

R269 I don't think the source (Judgemental Maps) has a map for the eastern half of The Valley yet. The one at R257 was done in 2016. It's apparently part of a book that includes a variety of such maps made by different people, so not even sure if it will ever get updated or added to.

They have this other one that's for the entire L.A. area where the eastern part of The Valley is included. (Click image to magnify.)

Laughing at the "C-List Celebrities" & "Struggling Actors" areas. From my experience, that's so true.

[quote]Same with the Red Line. The train will take you from North Holly,wood all the way to Long Beach, but service ends at midnight, and is greatly reduced on weekends. I believe that the Wiltshire line, or Olympic line called the purple line is still under construction, but that takes you down to Santa Monica.

So much misinformation. The Red Line doesn't go to Long Beach; it goes to Union Station. You can get on the Blue Line to Long Beach a few stops before that (Metro Center.) And the Purple Line is indeed under construction, but the EXPO (aqua) line currently goes to Santa Monica.

Well thanks, R278. I don’t know all of the details like you do, but you seem to know more than I do about these things, and I’m glad you wrote the correct information. I have taken the train from Hollywood and Highland into downtown LA a few times, and I actually enjoyed it, but it’s not something I would want to do each and every time I decided to go to downtown LA.

Either way, public transportation in Los Angeles SUCKS, and OP is better off with a small economy car. LA public transit is not like NYC.

Anyone who drives into HELL very often knows that the pic at R271 is NOT HELL !!

First off, the surrounding area in that pic is way too flat, and the tall office buildings in the southeast quadrant of HELL are missing. And like oh-my-god! .. there's no Galleria .. gag me with a spoon !!

The caption for that photo says it's the 405 and 105 interchange. That would about 20 miles south, near LAX.

HELL is the 405 and 101 and looks like this. (Well, never, though.)

[cont] Down on the ground, HELL looks like this.

Where in Woodland Hills is Speechless filmed, r268?

The Red Line has extended hours on Friday and Saturday nights- there are trains running until 2:45am.

There's also a Gold Line from Union Station to Old Town Pasadena.

[quote]And like oh-my-god! .. there's no Galleria .. gag me with a spoon !!

Cute, but it hasn't been that Galleria for at least 10+ years. It was turned into offices, a furniture place, an Arclight theater, and a few lame eateries.

R282 --

Pierce College.

I love the red line and take it several times per year. It lets you get to Universal City, Union Station, and everything in between. It’s $3 to park and $1.75 each way, so you get to skip the exorbitant downtown parking fees and the traffic. I’ve seen a lot of the city that way.

That is one of LA’s secrets. Often the best places to visit—downtown, Echo Park, Fairfax, Venice—are the worst places to live because of overcrowding and expense. The valley will never be hip, but its livable, with lots of parking, shopping, and easy access to essential services (mechanic, dentist, optometrist, etc.). You can be a tourist in your own city in LA. Unless you’re wealthy enough to afford the best in the trendier parts of the city, the valley is a good place to live and from which to explore.

Thanks R285.

R284 They still refer the current complex as The Galleria.

[quote]No one is pushing latinos out of east L.A... or blacks out of Baldwin Park. Yeesh.

Maybe that's true for homeowners, but not for renters. Renters are the ones that are always pushed out and it's certainly happening in East L.A. There are even groups there organizing to try to fight back.

I know, r288. Hence the use of "that" in front of Galleria in my post. I was responding to the "gag me with a spoon" reference to the original Galleria that was a mall.

Vintage Van Nuys

Vintage Studio City at Ventura Blvd and Laurel Canyon.

Have you ever visited "Black Market liquor bar" in studio city ? What do you think ? good or bad ?

[quote] Southern Californians, tell me all about "the valley"

Just make sure you capitalize it: "The Valley."

It's like "The Hague," "The Dalles," etc.

"The Pits."

I'm confused by all these negative posts about Pasadena being trashy & full of crime.

Erika Jayne & her wealthy husband live in Pasadena. Their house looks fancy. There must be a nice part then, right?

There are nice spots in the Valley. Toluca Lake, Studio City. Sun Valley is full of Russians who break the law and get away with it, much like Washington, DC.

Pasadena has beautiful neighborhoods and ghetto ones.