My Move To LA

It's about time for another post and there have been some interesting developments...

I guess first I'd like to say that growing up I was taught to always be skeptical and if something sounds like it's too good to be true, it probably is. Thanks to this simple lesson I've been able to avoid countless scammers on ebay and craigslist over the years. In addition to this, I was taught that it never pays to be greedy. Whenever I've sold items on craigslist it's been for very little money and often times I've just given things away. It always felt good to give someone a good deal for some reason.

I mention all this because with the end of our lease approaching Nicole and I began scouring craigslist in search of a new place to live. It's not that we were unhappy in our current apartment, but we thought we'd probably be able to find something cheaper. We found ad after ad of available apartments in our price range and they were all very similar: One bed, one bath, one parking spot, pets allowed, $1300. Whenever there was a deviation from this for-rent-rhythm it was either a scam, a mistake or there was something wrong with the apartment or area. I applied the rule mentioned above to these deviations until we came across one that just couldn't be ignored. This ad listed a one bedroom, one bathroom house in the Hollywood hills with two parking spots and lots of storage for $1200. Good people still exist right? I mean, I let items go on craigslist for nothing. Why wouldn't someone else do it?

Too good to be true right? Who would rent a place for half of what they could rent it for?

Ignoring what dad always taught me we went to the open house held last Saturday at noon. We were one of ten young couples who showed up to see if it was really true. A woman shows up 20 minutes late in an enormous old Jaguar and invites everyone in. From the story she starts telling about how the house is owned by her husband and he needs money generated from the property immediately (which is the reason for the super low rent) a few couples just split citing that they didn't want to get scammed.

After watching them leave I couldn't get my dad's disapproving head shake out of my head. After a quick tour I then wrote down my social security number (along with Nicole's) on an application along with a $35 check written to the woman showing the house. I anxiously waited for our bank account to be drained while hundreds of credit cards were taken out in our names...

Well, turns out the woman's story is completely true and her and her husband are just good people. They received lots of interest and even after an offer of $1600 a month with 6 months paid up front they decided to rent the place to us because we seemed like good people and that it felt like we had good karma and would be easy to work with. Just returned from signing the lease with our new keys!

Expect pictures to be up very shortly.

It sucks to move in the rain but dang did LA need a bath. It rains so infrequently here that you forget just how dirty and smelly the city gets until it does rain. On Oni and I's walk this morning I was surprised to be greeted with a blast of fresh air when we got out onto the street. I think it's the first time since living in West Hollywood that it felt good to breathe outside. Maybe I'm over reacting. Regardless, the rain is welcomed.

I'm hoping the rain continues through the night and lets up tomorrow just in time to let us get to the top of Runyon Canyon. Not only does the rain cleanse the city, it cleanses the air. Nicole and I have never had the chance to look out across Los Angeles on a clear day. It must be amazing.

When driving down Sunset after a good rain you're shocked at how close and clear the Hollywood Hills seem to be. I'm sure I've mentioned the Crunch gym on Sunset before but what I may not have said is that the place has some killer views of the hills from its second floor. One of my favorite things about it is that I can see Case Study House 22 by Pierre Koenig from the bench press machine! Alright, you may not care but it's awesome if you're an architect.

I will close with a picture taken from our little balcony. Notice how green everything is getting. I prefer the green to the yellow that seems to be the dominant natural color here for most of the year.

Trader Joe's is the best grocery store on the planet. Even Brian Tee shops there.