What do you now about the REALITY of living in The Hollywood Hills?

No fucking way -- after staying with a friend who would park in a garage and then walk 30 steps or more to the front door. I thought it was for the birds then and I was much younger. Now no way, I'd never leave the house.

The first curve or so behind the Chateau Marmont is fine but no further up than that for me. And there are actually hilly canyons where one has to honk their horn at certain places so people will know they are coming towards them, the vision is so non-existent. Baffling that it is allowed or that people choose to live that way -- for a view, I guess. Or maybe it requires being crazy like the female TV producer that I knew who lived up there.

[quote] Baffling that it is allowed or that people choose to live that way -- for a view, I guess.

Also, apparently, if you go high up enough, you can live ABOVE the smog.

Some of those houses don't look like they could withstand even a mild earthquake. And even if your own home is stable, what's to prevent your neighbor's house from collapsing into yours?

I worked at some estates in Wonderland and, while it was a very peaceful place to spend my days, I was really glad to making my own hours so I could mostly avoid the traffic trying to get out of the canyon. I have a friend who lives in a mansion in the hills near Los Feliz. Basically, everyone who lives up in these twisty turny places has enough money that other people go buy whatever they need and they get driven around so they can stay intoxicated, which...is a way to live...but makes a person awfully dependent on others to function.

And some of those hills have such sharp inclines, there is nothing but sky in front of you. Like going up a rollercoaster. Scared the shit out of me so can't imagine doing it daily.

Give me nice flat Toluca Lake.

I prefer the hills of Studio City (the Dona streets in particular). The lots are larger (and most have some sort of yard and pool), the incline far more habitable and the views are just fine by me. Gorgeous area. A quick drive through Laurel Canyon takes you right into the WEHO/BH hot spots when you crave them although Ventura Blvd has plenty to do as well. The pace is lot less frenetic over here and that is a good thing - at least in my opinion.

the earthquake threat and then the rain and fires and mudslides that have happened in other hill areas would discourage me from ever living there.

Stay on the flat earth.

No sidewalks? I want to be able to walk to a grocery store, good Chinese takeout and a good pizza. Also a bottle of wine or cold beer. I've really come to appreciate my neighborhood bar.

Also if you want to have a party for more than 3 people, parking can be a nightmare too -- especially on that hilly road behind Chateau Marmont but many others too. Even when streets allow it (not Beverly Hills), you are asking for major sideswipes when you park. I had a friend who lived up Lookout Mountain off of Laurel Canyon and was on so many drugs towards the end of his life that he would hit at least one car every time he drove down the hill. And keep going.

LOL, R9.

Seriously, I had moved away by then but a mutual friend asked him why the whole right side of his car was dented and damaged from one end to another and he confessed he kept side-swiping cars. He ended up killing himself by jumping out a window at Rehab. Not the storybook ending I ever imagined.

In LA, it's truly not about walkability, although in the last few years, neighborhoods have become more urban and easier to live in. I lived in the Hollywood Hills for years and was all about the views and the peace. Navigating the twisty roads was a pain in the ass, but not a dealbreaker for the payoff I got by living there. The big problem for me and everyone who lives in the hills has been mentioned upthread is everyone likes to entertain and it's impossible to have guests park up there. If you live in a block where everyone loves to have people over on a Saturday night, it's pretty bad for guests. SOme will just give up looking for someplace to park and go home. Some of my neighbors had to hire a Parking Valet in order to manage it

God...and many of those streets are only big enough for one car. Total nightmare.

R6 is totally right. The Valley side of Laurel Canyon is so much more livable.

Here you go. From another thread. Live here instead.

I never lived up there but visiting friends always made me uneasy - in a totally non-rational way I always feared the car or the house would just tumble down the hill. Parking, driving and the fact that even with sidewalks there is no place to just walk for a quart of milk makes it everything lousy about LA but more so.

It's not walkable in the hills, and if you are walking your dog, unless your dog is pretty big, you have to be careful about coyotes. They will come up in a pack and snatch the dog away. At night, the coyotes run around looking for pets that were left outside.

Isn't Beverly Hills the same way?

I live in the flats of BH. Sidewalks, short walk to stores and restaurants. I’ll never live in the hills again.

[quote]every time you go out for a bottle of milk or a pack of cigarettes

Please. No one in their right mind smokes in LA. It just isn't done.

I'd have everything delivered.

R18, You must live in the poor section of BH that's more West Hollywood than true BH.

R19 I remember back in the 80's visiting up in the Peninsula, innocently going out for a smoke. Surprised I didn't go to prison. Our hosts were aghast. I was just a stupid flyoverburgher!

I'd be afraid to be killed by some Manson type, if i ever survived those curves

Would you be buying from Amazon, R20?

I failed to see the allure of it. Housing wasn’t meant to be there. No smoking zones, ridiculous roads, everything about it is meant to be uninhabitable to humans. I don’t envy anyone living there, I think they’re retarded.

[quite]It's not walkable in the hills, and if you are walking your dog, unless your dog is pretty big, you have to be careful about coyotes. They will come up in a pack and snatch the dog away. At night, the coyotes run around looking for pets that were left outside.

"They will come up in a pack and snatch the dog away" -

OMG!

Is that true?

Cats are even more vulnerable. Little dogs also have to be careful about owls in those backyards. Both Halle Berry and Cyndi Williams lost pets to owl attacks.

I would worry more about snakes, R26.

r24 Amazon, Supermarkets, Restaurants -- EVERYTHING.

Love the High Tower neighborhood in the OP's picture. Lots and writers in that hood and have been for decades.

Nope R21, not true. Sorry you’re disappointed and uninformed.

I live at the base of the Hollywood Hills in a neighborhood called The Hollywood Dell. It's located north of Franklin Ave./east of Cahuenga Blvd. and west of Beachwood Cyn. The part closest to Franklin, where my partner and I live, is semi-walkable and contiguous to the rest of Hollywood. We love it here. We can hike 1 mile up to Lake Hollywood Reservoir, a "park" under the purview of the DWP with a 3.3 mile foot/bike pathway and spectacular views of Hollywood and the Hollywood sign. Our neighborhood is close to the Hollywood Bowl and the 101 Freeway and and offers great access to all directions, but the Bowl can create a traffic nightmare when in season.

You've got to realize that the Hollywood Hills are just a specific stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains, a huge geographic area that borders the 5 Freeway on the east and goes all the way through Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air and on out to the ocean at Pacific Palisades. The Santa Monica Mountains and the neighborhoods north and south of them are hands-down considered the most desirable in Los Angeles. The western part of the Santa Monica Mountains have a much more pronounced coastal/marine influence than the Hollywood Hills and can be dramatically cooler in the summer. In general, the real estate in that area runs far above the Hollywood Hills, which contain a surprising number of relatively modest homes from both the Spanish Revival and postwar/midcentury periods. Of course the Hollywood Hills does also have spectacular mansions far beyond the means of most people, and fun Hollywood lore if you're into that kind of thing.

When I was in my early 20's I lived in a funky little guest house way up in the hills on Miller Drive, which becomes La Cienega Blvd. south of Sunset and runs south right into the heart of West Hollywood. Being young and athletic, I'd actually sometimes walk all the way from my guest house down into the heart of WeHo and back up again, which is pretty crazy given the elevation gain but, hey, I didn't care. Boy, was that a fun time! I lived there during the 1994 earthquake and thought I was a goner.

Overall I'd say the Hills are pretty fantastic, as long as you know what you're getting into. The overall lack of walkability is compensated for by other positives. Best features are quiet, relative safety, wonderful views and cooler temps at night.

One more thing: the twisting roads give the hills a southern European flavor and many of the homes there were modeled on European examples. French, Italian and Spanish styles are the rule on the older streets. Very cool.

R18, the flats of BH are gorgeous IMO. Ignore the other poster.

This just in... video footage of R21 calling out R18 for bragging about living in Beverly Hills. I’m interested in hearing what R18 uses for drapes.

J'adore the Hollywood Dell! Lived on Primrose for sometime. Perfect LA location

[R35] this is [R32] I live on Primrose!!!!

One further note to my post - the Santa Monica Mountains extend beyond the Palisades to Malibu, and then to state land ending at Point Magu.

That's got to be the funniest Charles Nelson Reilly has ever been.

Primrose is the Shit! If it werent for a job offer in another city, I would have lived there forever!

I had a female director friend who had an apartment in that area, high up but you could see Hollywood Blvd. through the backyard brush below. There were steps to get down there that might be daunting for me now but it was easy then. Nice option to high snaky roads that go on for miles in other parts of the hills.

[R38] Too bad you don't - I don't know any Dataloungers in L.A.. Isn't Primrose surprisingly friendly and folksy? If we had a store like the Beachwood Market here it would be even better.

The houses are surprisingly affordable for those reasons. Also, if you have a noisy neighbor, the sound is intensified.

The Shakespeare Bridge

When I lived on Primrose, they had that nice Gelsons, so easy to drive over there, do my laundry at the laundromat, have a snack at the coffee shop of Franklin and get my groceries and zip home. Also there was a donut shop at the bottom of the hill that was pretty good back then

R42 I think that bridge is in Silverlake, bit not in the hills

Being able to walk to your favitite restaurant is nice.

Would Hollywood Dell happen to be where Extremities was filmed? Area looks familiar from the movie

I live in West Hollywood but enjoy walking the flats neighborhood in Beverly Hills between Santa Monica and Sunset. Beautiful homes, lush and manicured landscaping and great weather. Lucky to be able to live there. WEHO has some nice residential pockets but nothing like the flats.

It's beautiful up there, but one thing I could never live with is having the street literally inches away from the front of my house. I've seen houses up there where it is actually dangerous for the resident to walk out of the front door unless they stop immediately on the other side, for fear of getting run over by a car. And the noise inside the house from cars going by has to be bad.

R44, that is the magic of Toluca Lake - SO many wonderful restaurants and stores that are an easy walk from your house or apartment - no need to drive at all. Almost no parking issues (well, by LA standards anyway) and private and safe surroundings. Being adjacent to Studio City and Burbank - you have all of the shopping that you could ever want (literally everything from grocery stores, Costco, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath and Beyond, high-end, whatever and still a quick jaunt down Laurel Canyon or the 101 into WEHO, Hollywood, BH, DTLA, etc. Not a bad place to live.

[R45] IMDB say Binghamton, NY.

[R48] I'm the current Hollywood Dell guy. I absolutely agree with you about Toluca Lake - I love it. My partner and I shop out that way to avoid the insane traffic and rude drivers on the other side of the hill. We go to the Burbank Home Depot despite the fact there's a much closer one to us in Hollywood and shop at the Riverside Trader Joe's when we can because the Hollywood one gets too congested during peak hours. People tend to be much more considerate and polite in Toluca Lake, Burbank and Studio City . I would also categorize TL as Hollywood Hills adjacent

[quote]Cats are even more vulnerable. Little dogs also have to be careful about owls in those backyards. Both Halle Berry and Cyndi Williams lost pets to owl attacks.

This made me laugh - for several reasons.

I used to love driving thru the Hills at night. My partner and I would spot coyotes, bobcats, etc. But some streets are dangerous.

God, I loved my years in Toluca Lake. Where I would live tomorrow if I were to move back. Riverside Drive was so easy and life in L.A. needs to be easy (a lot of the time to make up for when it can't be helped otherwise). I'm sure the great gourmet hamburger place is gone now but that was where I always met first dates.

[quote]One more thing: the twisting roads give the hills a southern European flavor and many of the homes there were modeled on European examples. French, Italian and Spanish styles are the rule on the older streets. Very cool.

My grandparents had an apartment in the hills above Cannes - in an area called Californie and they are very alike.

Hamptons, just hit me. The O Solo Mio burger. My usual.

And there was a Mexican restaurant that was built like a castle that had the best Mexican Pizza I've had before or since. Marie Calendars across the street. Bob's Big Boy. My favorite part of L.A. And with seven major studios or networks within bike riding distance.

{R53] The Riverside Drive area is pretty near idyllic. It's gotten somewhat fancier but has maintained its essential upscale small town character without being snooty. If my partner and I could buy in the neighborhood we'd do it in a heartbeat. I remember reading a couple of years back the Toluca Lake was ranked among the very top safest neighborhoods in the whole country.

[R54] Really? Must have great memories of such a beautiful place!!!

For six years or so, I lived in a guesthouse with movie star neighbors and flat roads to jog on and it was perfect. Pool in the backyard.

Then I stupidly moved over the hill to West Hollywood to be more "in the action" and it was one big clusterfuck with police dogs let out to find escaped convicts and gunshots and shit. Exciting, maybe, but in the wrong way. I drank a lot then.

Toluca Lake for me. Glad to hear it is still nice.

Just did a little google map walk of some of Toluca Lake...WOW, what a gorgeous neighborhood with storybook homes.

This thread is making me regret not doing the whole "Move to California" Baz Luhrmann thing yet.

I lived in a guest house at Mulholland and Laurel Canyon for two weeks under a year - couldn't wait to leave - and moved out as soon as I neared the end of my lease.

Narrow two-lane streets with entitled assholes who will not back up even if they were there second. I've seen cars waiting more than 15 minutes because people are too damn proud to acquiesce and reverse. Both lanes are shut down regularly for tree trimming on weekday mornings. Laurel Canyon Blvd is essentially an unofficial freeway. Even on Saturdays, cars slowly roll over the mountain instead of taking the 405. It can take up to 20 minutes or longer to reach a freeway exit.

Lots of suicides, murders, drugs, unsolved and solved crimes, creepy people and energy.

It's the one area in LA I avoid whenever possible, and would never consider living there again.

Yeah, me too. I have a lot of ghosts there since I moved there right out of college but this thread makes me want to return -- at least to that part of the Valley. I live nicely and cheaply here in another major city but it's dull dull dull in comparison.

[quote][[R54]] Really? Must have great memories of such a beautiful place!!!

Sort of - bit boring for kids, actually.

Their apartment building was built on the grounds of a demolished chateau.

But they kept and restored the grounds

they was a Japanese garden - where you'd get bitten by mosquitoes.

[R64] Practical for older people, I guess but it's tragic that they that demolished that chateau.

[quote][[R64]] Practical for older people, I guess but it's tragic that they that demolished that chateau.

I guess so - I did some reading up on the place. The daughter of the family was in the resistance and was tortured by the Gestapo.

The atmosphere of the occupation used to lurk over the place in the 1960s.

Pretty much as "cheap" as you'll get in Toluca Lake.

[R60] I get it about Laurel Canyon - it's pretty insane and because it's so narrow and steep it's especially vulnerable to traffic hazards and interruptions. It's also geologically unstable and prone to mudslides. A nightmare to drive in heavy rain.

As for the entitled asshole phenom, that's another virtue of Toluca Lake - it's too square for hipsters and they generally stay away. In terms of the Hollywood scene, while the area has its share of actors and directors, they seem to work largely in TV and are more family-oriented and less pretentious than the movie people.

I owned a condo on Riverside near Arcola in Toluca Lake and had really the most pedestrian, amazingly walkable idyllic life ever in Los Angeles. I loved that place - high ceilings (hard to find), spacious, affordable HOAs, nice neighbors, etc. I never succumbed to moving to WEHO, but did move south to the hills of Studio City where I live now. I thought that I would make better use of all of the "happening" parts of Sunset and Robertson if I re-located closer to Laurel Canyon. I love where I live now - although I can't walk to anything and usually drive down to Ventura Blvd. for most of what I do. Funny thing is that I rarely make it over that hill to WEHO despite living closer. I just prefer Studio City/Toluca Lake and yes the East Hollywood Hills for shopping/eating out, etc. Toluca is really a hidden gem - there is nothing like it. It isn't cheap, but nothing in LA is these days.

[R68] Yup - any nice part of the L.A. area is going to cost you, but it still doesn't compare to the prices in Manhattan or San Francisco.

Is the old Bob Hope estate still there in Toluca Lake? That's a gorgeous neighborhood.

Toluca Lake is nice. My acupuncturist is in that neighborhood.

[quote] My acupuncturist is in that neighborhood.

Interesting.

This is a great thread. It sent me to YT to watch driving through Hollywood Hills videos and then I checked out Laurel Canyon too. R32, good post and you had me laughing at the constant street/Blvd naming -- reminded me of SNL's The Californians.

I want this one -- only a million in Toluca Lake.

[R72] Yes, it is and I believe it sold for a huge amount of money a few year ago after his widow died. I remember in the early '90's a friend and I were eating at Bob's Big Boy and in there in the adjacent booth was none other than Bob Hope, who was ancient even then.

R72 - yes it is. His estate was basically a stone's throw from my old condo (just a street south) and it takes up an entire city block. The beautiful tall hedges wall it off so you don't see much of it. It was for sale for years; I assume that it sold or was take off the market.

[quote]I love where I live now - although I can't walk to anything

I hate that - and finding parking in LA can be intense and aggressive. people thinking their horns at you... and worse.

[quote] It sent me to YT to watch driving through Hollywood Hills videos and then I checked out Laurel Canyon too

Thanks for the links.

The hilly areas of southern California are known for wildfires....

[R75] Glad you enjoyed. I was totally unaware that the street/blvd naming is a California "thing." I guess it's because the L.A. area is so huge and mostly on a grid that you'd never know the location someone was referring to without reference to cross streets etc.. For instance, Sunset Blvd stretches 22 miles from downtown to the ocean and it isn't even the longest street in L.A..

R72/R78...a few years ago it was for sale for like $10-12 Million. (Out of my price range so I don't remember exactly.) But, compared to these mansions way off in the hills on less land...it was a total bargain. I never understood why it wasn't snatched up right away. If you're a star or exec in Burbank, that's the best thing going. It had a security gate, a tennis court and a single hole of golf (not just a putting green) and is literally in the best location. 5 minutes and you're at Warner Bros. or Disney/ABC.

I think the drawback was probably that it was just a very swanky ranch house on a big plot of land. Which, to me, is heaven. But not everyone's taste.

The Bing Crosby estate was for sale maybe 10 years ago. That was more a 40s house than a 50s house. A type of Colonial, if I remember correctly. I didn't like it nearly as well.

[quote] I'm sure the great gourmet hamburger place is gone now but that was where I always met first dates.

Many years ago I had a first date with someone who lived in Toluca Lake (or Toluca Woods?) and we met at Hampton's. Hmmmm.....

I have family (nutcases) who live on the flats of Beverly Hills (S. Camden).

I think it would be a delightful place to live and easy walking access to lots of places. Though I'm not sure how "useful" Rodeo Drive would be on a daily basis.

The actual lake in Toluca is really stunningly perfect. However, it is private and only accessible by the surrounding properties. I attended a party once (work-related) at a mansion on the lake and it IS a stunning site. All the more fabulous since it is basically an oasis that is a stone's throw from busy parts of the city yet you would never know..

David Lynch also hung out at that Bob's Big Boy all the time. Celeb sightings all the time there, actually.

I lived on Sancola, that beautiful house is on Arcola one street over. I want it I want it I want it.

....

R83 - Bing's estate is nice but not nearly as impressive as the Bob Hope estate. For one, Bing's is located north on Camarillo (not as tony of a spot by Toluca standards, but still plenty nice of course) and for another - his home nearly burned down from what I remember and I think that it is re-built smaller than the original. I would hate a huge home anyway - but in comparison, yes the Hope estate is much grander in every way.

If I lived in LA I'd want a little house in Venice beach - on the canals.

i remember visiting rick donovan when he lived up there.

we walked to the lake, so nice, i sucked and milked his cock as i fingered his ass vigorously.

good night....

The lake from a different angle:

The Bob Hope Toluca Lake address is: 10346 Moorpark St, Toluca Lake, CA

Pictures of the Bob Hope estate

Gorgeous photo r93. Who pays for upkeep of the Lake? the local district or the homeowners abutting it?

The neighborhood around Hope's Moorpark estate is full of celebs: Steve Carell, Sia, Miley Cyrus, Viola Davis has a brand new house nearby. Kiki Dunst lives near (on the lake?) as do some of the Zappa family.

Oh my god. I do rideshare and the times i've had to drive people up there at night, I nearly shit bricks. It was very scary driving those curvey, narrow and steep incline roads with nearly zero light.

I used to go to a friend's house on Blue Jay for game nights. It was white-knuckled driving all the way up and down, in the dark. Gorgeous home with four levels, but I could never have lived up there.

[quote]I used to go to a friend's house on Blue Jay for game nights. It was white-knuckled driving all the way up and down,

My friends lost their way visiting me there - cos there was a fog upon LA.

I lived up there a few years before Uber and Lyft were a thing, and that's when I learned that airport shuttle drivers choose who they want to pick up. One time I had to wait over an hour for Super Shuttle to pick me up at LAX. None of the drivers would pick me up when they saw where my address was. I had to contact Super Shuttle corporate, and they had to arrange for a private shuttle for me. Not so great after an hour and a half of waiting.

Is that a minaret in OP's picture?

I think what people like about living in the hills is the solitude. I've ridden my bike up Nichols Canyon to Woodrow Wilson and then Mulholland (it's a slow climb, not steep) numerous times and it always strikes me how quiet and 'away from it all' it gets the further you venture up the hills. So many little pockets of charming homes, the unhurried pace, nature, nice people . . . it's like having a country house in the city. The overall view of the hills from the flatlands really doesn't show how vast and intricate they really are.

And btw, I think the total lack of basic amenities is what the residents like about it. If they wanted corner markets and the like, they'd be there by now.

[quote]and it always strikes me how quiet and 'away from it all' it gets the further you venture up the hills

Isn't there a lot of tearing down and re-building going on, in this greedy era?

Here you go R80. You get a good sense of how narrow the drive up is. I listen to Jim Ladd on Sirius Deep Tracks and he always announces he's high in the Hollywood Hills. Now I have a visual.📡

The Hills are tucked into a city with nature. Without all those homes, LA would be Wyoming.

A relative with two young (preteen) daughters and two medium sized Labrador retrievers lives in Toluca Lake. She spotted a very large cougar scouting their yard during the day while the recent bad drought was at its worst. Luckily the kids and dogs were inside. The cougar hung around for a week or so.

They have fucking Cougars there?

Yes, she sent photos, R107. That was a BIG cat.

The drought drove a lot of species out of range, so it might have been a rare occurance, but yes they can have cougars along with the coyotes, snakes and owls. There might be other predators in SoCal that prey on pets but I'm not familiar with that area. The raccoons here in the northeast kill a lot of cats but that is more territorial than hunter vs prey. We also have fishers, a large, ferocious member of the weasel family, that kills a lot of housecats. The best rule of thumb is if you have a housepet don't let it out at night alone, don't let it roam unsupervised in your yard or elsewhere, and stay with it if it has to go out. Keep it leashed especially at early daylight, dusk, or after dark. If you see a pack of coyotes approaching you and your pet scream like a banshee and flail your arms - predators will avoid that threatening madness. Seriously.

Scroll down to see the map where the celebrities live in Toluca Lake. The Bob Hope estate looks huge and backs up to Ariana Grande's old house, which she sold to Jim Lee, who owns DC Comics. Miley Cyrus lived next door, although she just sold to the gay Getty son. Justin Bieber also lives in Toluca Lake. It's a beautiful and lush neighborhood.

I'm enjoying reading and following this thread, but I'm getting mighty bored of Bob Hope and Toluca Lake.

The Hollywood Cougar.

THIS is funny about mountain lions.

Milo's friend Leslie Jones >

I am rather fond of the Hollywood Hills East neighborhood - particularly the areas north of Lake Hollywood, south of Universal City, east of 101 and Griffith Park to the east. Barham Blvd is an easy corridor to either Ventura Blvd (towards Studio City), 101 (towards Hollywood) or directly north/east into Toluca Lake/Burbank. The homes here are less pricey than in the hills further west of course - but also more quaint and again have larger yards. It is a beautiful area and quite accessible to wherever you want to go in the city (except the beach of course).

R104, those streets really aren’t that narrow at all. On a recent visit to LA, I drove up in the hills of Bel Air—now THAT is narrow.

parking for parties isn’t an issue anymore with Lyft and uber.

I watched that video of the drive through the Hollywood Hills.

I couldn't help wondering how many people accidentally drove cars into some of the houses situated particularly on a blind curve. Lots of houses had parking or garages and residential space on the level above. But many houses were right at street level.

To those familiar with the area - I noticed electric poles, but I didn't notice any street lights. What is the street lighting like at night on those streets?

They must get used to it somehow. I had the opposite happen, and now I get major anxiety with roads like that. I had a rollover car accident and was at the bottom of an embankment where I almost died, basically... so... after that, no more hilly streets for me, thanks.

Did they get that weird eyeball put on the back of the dollar bill?

Omg, what kind of car were you in R117? I take it didn’t happen in these Hills?

R119, it was in Portland. The car was a Ford sedan. Not the best traction on those...and then after that I only would drive all-wheel drive cars too. I was actually ok after about 2 weeks. I did have a small spinal compression fracture, which is generally not the serious kind... though it never really healed properly so every so often I get muscle pain around there. I'll see if I can find a pic of the car from the salvage lot... I saved it but it was a long time ago - like 3 computers ago.

That’s ok, R120 no need to go digging. I’m glad you made it, even if a little worse for wear.

R22, that’s not more WeHo than BH. What are you talking about? Get on Santa Monica Bl., & start driving toward Century City. That WHOLE area is Beverly Hills. The estates are HUGE. And the smaller homes right next to the Beverly Center and Cedar’s aren’t cheap either. Nor are the apartments. Unless you are living in a rent controlled building for the last 25 years, you’re paying a minimum of 3K/month for a single or a tiny one bedroom.

OP, the biggest issue with living up there is guest parking. And that can be a problem no matter if you’re in the Studio City side or the west side. If you’re having a party, you’ll have to rent a shuttle/mini van in order to pick up your guests from another designated parking area down the hill. And like someone mentioned upthread, if you live up there and park on the street, you’re bound to lose a mirror eventually if you’re driving a car where the mirror isn’t pulled in. The streets are tiny.

THE biggest issues are fire and rain. Personally, I would not want to risk that, but the views are amazing and it’s very peaceful.

If you live hillside, you know to stock up on EVERYTHING. Booze, cigarettes, snacks, whatever, because it’s not like you can walk to 7-11 in the middle of the night.

^^^^Oops! That was for R21.

[quote]I get muscle pain around there.

Have you tried acupuncture? Can be very effective for such thing.

[quote] I'll see if I can find a pic of the car from the salvage lot...

Oh, no - don't. It's too awful.

Be WELL!!

I put it on the "scariest things" thread since I ended up being curious and digging it up anyway. It's so old I forgot what kind of car it even was (it was a rental). My back is ok except for weird situations like 8 hour flights or if I shovel snow or something - then I might have an issue...but it's mostly if I don't have good posture when doing these things. I had a little rehab and maintaining good posture is the most important part & core strength is part of it. I just have a bad habit of slouching which is right where the fracture is.

Holy shit R125, you walked away from THAT?!

It's insane, isn't it? The whole car is destroyed except for the driver's seat. And you see why I've never gone up windy hilly streets ever again!

I also have an issue with bridges when you can't see the ground... not sure if it's related. But, I had to drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans I literally couldn't do it. I had to go with someone else. Fortunately, it was for work and they appreciated the fact we saved money by carpooling... nobody needed to know why. Basically, when you drive from Baton Rouge to N.O., it's a massive bridge with no shoulder and no land anywhere. You're in the middle of water for miles and miles. It's just as bad to me as being on the edge of a mountain like the BH homes.

Lots of people love Toluca. So the guy who said to stay below Ventura in the "Tell me about The Valley" thread was wrong?

I love Pali. Close to WEHO, Brentwood and Malibu. Santa Monica and restaurants, fun things to do.

R128, if you stay below Ventura Blvd. while in Studio City to Sherman Oaks, you’re fine. Most of those areas are quite walkable, so to speak, with lots of restaurants, stores, markets, etc. The further you drive west on Ventura, away from Studio City, the less walkable the area becomes.

Personally, I would never choose to live deep in the Valley, such as Woodland Hills, Reseda, Northridge, while renting. It’s just too hot in the summer, and there’s nothing to do. It would be an entirely different outcome as far as a decision to live there if I were buying a home, however. Almost any area of Southern California is a good place to buy a home, especially for real estate investment purposes.

I think the Valley thread had the OP mentioning that he was attending CSUN or CSN. If that is the case, and OP doesn’t have a car, then by all means, live as close to campus as possible.

A friend of mine who grew up in Brazil told me she felt like LA was totally backward when she visited it because where she lived in Brazil (she said), there are similar hills, but that is where the poorest of the poor people are relegated to living in their little shacks, far away and with little access to resources; wealthier people live along beaches, etc. So she said she understood that the expensive real estate is in the Hollywood hills, Malibu, etc., but given the threats of earthquakes, mudslides, fires, the difficulty of coming and going on the winding roads, etc., she feels like people in LA have basically formed a really backward paradigm. I think she has a point. There are a lot of hillsides and winding roads in West Virginia not all that different from Coldwater Canyon Drive, and the only houses on those hills are little shacks.

LOL, r131, she's got a point. Imagine people aspiring to live up in a holler!

What's it like living in Hancock Park?

r131-A lot of those hills are bedrock, so the houses there are pretty safe in earthquakes. Whereas large sections of Venice are landfill-when we have The Big One, wave those newly multi-million dollar homes bye bye.

My friend also lives in the Dells- while it seems nice (Marilyn Manson, Scott Barnes-J Lo's makeup artist and Amber Heard live there), the traffic around there sucks when the Bowl and the Ford start having concerts.

I think Toluca Lake is where it's at and apparently everyone has found out- property values are on the rise.

r133- Hancock Park is lovely, but abuts the crap parts of K-town and can be a main thoroughfare to downtown, thanks to Waze.

I've been living in WeHo for 20+ years thanks to a rent controlled apartment and I love being centrally located- I'm pretty much 30 minutes from LAX, the beach, downtown and Studio City. Plus it's a very walkable city- Trader Joe's, Vons, CVS, tons of restaurants and apparently a huge healthfood store is going up across the Shake Shack.

[quote]A lot of those hills are bedrock

Which one do Fred and Wilma live in?

Prone to mudslides.

If I understand this correctly, apartment dwellers and condo owners can't smoke in their own homes, inside their own place of residence? Big brother much?

The Bob Hope estate has never sold, even though it's been reduced from $28 million down to around $8 million. One of the main reasons is any buyer is prevented from subdividing the lot for five years (and its' about 5 acres). Plus, the LA City Council is determined to give the house historic status, which would prevent a buyer from making any major changes to the structure. And if you can't tear down that monstrosity and rebuild a nice new house, what's the point of shelling out the money?

Linda Hope has been fighting the city council for years about this.

R138, and the property taxes on that estate must be enormous.

Still, for 8 million and that much prime real estate right by the studios... kind of a steal. Same with that house I want, above, that is so close to where I used to live in a guesthouse, an amazing neighborhood right off of Riverside. Down to 1 million. Ridiculously cheap for the area. Denzel lives on the same street (or did).

R137, There is currently no City of LA ordinance prohibiting smoking in apartments and condos. However, the surrounding cities of Santa Monica, Culver City, Calabasas, Huntington Park, Manhattan Beach, Baldwin Park, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Glendale, El Monte and Compton do.

Is all of Toluca Lake in LA, or is some of it in Burbank?

Have any of you lived in the Old Hollywood style apartment buildings in Hancock Park around Sycamore Avenue? Like the ones you see in the movie Mulholland Drive.

They look so charming and full of history. I can imagine living next to some old actor or actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood, who could entertain you for hours about Joan and Bette.

Larchmont Village is nice.

Burbank adjacent, R142, but when I lived there, my address was really North Hollywood. I don't think Toluca Lake is an incorporated city (yet).

r145 There are no incorporated cities in the LA portion of the valley -- it's all City of Los Angeles. But Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando are incorporated.

I once stopped at a FOR SALE sign of a house off of Magnolia in the Valley and the woman came out and asked if I wanted to see it (amazing if you know cautious L.A.) She was the widow of the kid who played young Dan on "The Lone Ranger" (I didn't tell her I had beat off to her late husband as a kid) and the house reflected it, cowboy murals and wood walls. But the back yard was one huge pool and the place was gorgeous from the outside.

She was asking $500,000, a steal even then, and probably about to go lower even. "If this house was in Toluca Lake, I'd be getting a million", I remember her saying with a sigh. And it's true. It was maybe a quarter mile away but the name Toluca Lake made all the difference.

[R102] I hope we meet somewhere up there.

is rick donovan still avail for toluka lake suck jobs?

"PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT TOLUCA LAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!" - Dracula's Daughter

[quote] Linda Hope has been fighting the city council for years about this.

Linda Hope is fighting the council about the historic status. She claims that the Toluca Lake house was seen as Hope's refuge. The Palm Beach house was the "public" Hope house.

One of her concerns is that because the proceeds from the sale of the Toluca Lake property are to go to a specific charity as stipulated in her mother's will, historic status of the property lowers the sale value and she wants to get the best price for the property on behalf of the charity.

How well lit at night are those twisting narrow roads?

[quote] The Palm Beach house was the "public" Hope house.

What Palm Beach house?

You mean the Palm SRPINGS house that looks like a UFO.

r143, I lived in two different apartments in the 100 N Sycamore block when I was growing up (the 60's). The first one was three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one of the bedrooms had a door to the outside so you could come and go as you pleased without going through the whole house. Huge bathrooms, and really big closets for a building built in 1920. The living room was 20' by 30', and the dining room was 18' by 25'. There was a closet off the dining room that was cedar lined and had a safe in the floor! Never did find out what, if anything, was in it because we had no way of opening it. Neither did the building owner. The kitchen had about two square feet of counter space and maybe three cabinets, but it had a big sunny breakfast area. And my mother and I regularly turned out holiday dinners for upwards of thirty people (the whole fan-damily) from that miniscule kitchen. I loved that apartment.

Due to some family drama, we gave up the three-bedroom and moved down the street about five buildings to an equally spacious two-bedroom apartment. The service porch had a "blackout" light switch leftover from WWII. When you looked inside the mailbox, it said it had been made in 1922. The plumbing was so old we couldn't have a garbage disposal. Finally gave up the apartment when we bought a house in the Valley (Studio City) about thirty-odd years ago.

While I miss the apartments, and their space, I do NOT miss the traffic living in Hancock Park and the Westside. It was already bad then, it makes me nauseous today when I have to venture over the hill.

Thanks for all that information, R155. Those apartments sound so charming.