Does anyone know what it's like in Venice Beach,CA?

Define “affordable.”

Venice = Awesome

Well, I’m a student so I can’t afford much. I would be moving with my boyfriend and between the two of us we could afford no more than $1000 for a one bedroom apartment. I don’t care how nice it is! The lower the rent the better, of course.

What’s there to do?!

Parking’s an ordeal (as in most of Los Angeles), but you can walk to the beach which should fit in your budget. I don’t know the west side of LA so well but there is the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, the Hammer Museum and ULCA which has regular events through the UCLA live program. There are also a ton of artsy theaters throughout LA.

As far as the rental prices, $1000 is going to be tough.

its nice! It’s pretty much how you see it in the movies and while it’s been unreasonably expensive for the past few years, prices are finally going down. A few caveats… it’s fucking groady. Venice is in West L.A., which is generally a fairly well-off and nice area, but Venice manages to be an island where gangs and crime have continued to thrive. There is also a subdued but nevertheless existent skinhead population.

For the most part, though, it’s artsy, fun, and undeniably urban. And, let us not forget, on the beach.

okay! thank you so much for the information!

Not affordable, but definitely interesting. Check out westsiderentals.com for crazy rent prices.

Venice Beach is a blast! Need a room mate? But on the down side, California is going to fall into the ocean. Better get a wet suit.

Move there! Best place in California especially if you’re into art and all that jazz.

That’s where I learned what “lox” are. Hah.

Here’s a Venice Beach visual.

venice beach…I’m from santa monica. When you walk down the venice “board” walk it’s like going through a time machiene. You see all kinds of different people, hear a lot of different types of music and see LOTS of homeless people. You’re DEFINITELY not going to make it with a thousand dollars studios on that side of town aren’t even that cheap. As far as things to do..well it all depends on what you’re into. Personally I love going to the beach and on hikes up in malibu. GET AT ME haha

It is very expensive to live in Venice Beach. The funky atmosphere is fun, but I found the area to be crowded and filthy. There was trash everywhere and the ocean was so polluted, I would not go in, plus the beach sand was filled with broken glass, syringes, and all manner of garbage.

It seemed overrun with people who have zero regard for others, and were not particularly interested in following the laws. It was extremely smelly because of the trash everywhere. I would never consider living there, much less visiting again.

@YARNLADY – Over the past few years when I’ve gone to Venice I haven’t seen anything like that. The area is increasing in trendiness and is the sort of place the lots of regular people go to hang out. Whatever it’s past is not such a den addicts and miscreants these days, at least not any more than the rest of Los Angeles. When did you see all of that?

The most I ever had happen was seeing some street preachers and getting a bit of tar on my shoe.

@fundevogel The last time I was there was about two years ago, and it looked the same as the first time about 10 years ago. It depends on what you are used to. If you have been going to LA beaches all the time, it’s just normal, but if you are used to the cleaner beaches of Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and San Diego.

I think if you like people, it’s all right. The beach is lovely and the boardwalk always have events and the shops are fun. But Venice has a dirty feel to me – it may just be the old architecture and bums.

I would find a place to sublet for like 3 months before moving there on a more permanent basis. Parking and commuting to work is difficult as it is in most LA Beach type areas. To me, traffic and congestion don’t make the splendors that it offers worth living there, but I’m usually the exception to everything =/

It’s hot, crowded, and sandy. That could be a good thing, depending on your point of view. But I like Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Bodega Bay better.

It is is nasty and nuts! Over crowded and crazy! Great place to party and cut loose, one of the best places to people watch. But, unless I could afford a third or fourth home. can think of many better places to live. No disrespect to you Venice Beach people.

Rundown RV’s line the streets bumper to bumper and the occupants just let all their refuse flow in the gutters. It smells like you are walking next to an open sewer, because you are.

Some of the units don’t even have working engines, and are just permanently parked there.