Advice about moving to Los Angeles please

[syd]

dh's job is taking us to LA for 2 years - in fact he's already gone. He'll come home for xmas and then we'll all go out in the New Year. He's working in El Segundo and is currently staying in Marina Del Rey, but I don't know anything much at all about LA - just what I glean from guidebooksand the web - and I'm off on a recce in a couple of weeks to look at schools. I hear the schooling's quite mixed and we need to live in the best area we can afford to get the best school.

I've looked at Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Topanga Canyon and someone said Culver City. Anyone any advice please or experience - I have a 7 year old (year 3) who has suffered bullying but has totally overcome it but is the reason we're now at a small village school of 60 kids to make her feel more secure, and a 4 year old who has just started school although he'd be at Kindergarten in the US.

Thanks much - feeling a bit at sea and DH so busy in office or shopping that I'm not getting much help from his end!

LAtyke - there is loads to do in LA even if you're not film mad (although obviously it's heaven if you are!). If you have kids I would v much recommend the La Brea Tar Pits - amazing place right in the middle of town (sort of South of West Hollywood) where they found loads of mammoth-type prehistoric animals (not dinosaurs), v good centre and museum attached. The beaches are a good place for kids, lots of bikes to rent and rollerblading, although be v careful of swimming - the water is very cold and the undertow can be powerful, swimming in the ocean is a very different experience from the Med. The Griffith Park Observatory is very special, I think, and often has family stuff on (If you've seen LA Confidential, it's featured at the end of that). As I say LA is more like a group of towns so Downtown is not quite the same as going to the centre of London or to Manhattan, say. However there is a terrific Modern Art Museum downtown and also the City Library is an amazing building and worth a visit. There is a subway there now which wasn't open when I lived there so it's easier to get to the centre of the city. They have walking tours downtown too, but they are mostly to do with the film industry. Also, if you're interested in art the Getty Museum is a must - I'm sure they have a website.

Further up the coast, Santa Barbara is lovely and I really liked Hearst Castle which is on the road to San Fran (you have to look into how to visit it as it's tours only, but worth it for some gobsmacking bling and amazing stories).

Will try to think of other stuff, but I really do think LA is a great place for a holiday - the only downside is gettting used to the driving, but if you are confident at city driving and take good care and lots of insuracne, you will be fine.

Got some info from another source re insurance etc - basically we'll have to get a licence by law but this Californian based girl said that best to drive around for a few months and then get one. She reckons it's simpler than the one in the UK and we'll be fine. You can carry your passport for id in the meantime and that's fine then once you feel confident, take the test and hey presto! Oh it all sounds so simple!

Thanks for that syd, I am hoping that the test will be a lot easier, as over the years I have developed my own driving style. Californifright I will also have to drop dh at work when we get there you have given me hope. I like your idea of getting a uk photo licence, though I don't know if I have time now.

Yesterday was a bit traumatic, as the removals people came while the kids were at school, leaving very empty bedrooms. The dcs knew they were coming but they were much more distressed than I expected. I think it is sinking in that they are really going. I had to make a big deal out of us racing the boat to LA and giving it a head start.

Californifright how long did you have to wait before the kids started school. Good to hear your ds settled so well.

Wilbur thanks for all that info, we have decided not to use up dh's leave by returning to the UK. We are going to try and see as much of CA as we can, and hopefully drive across america before we come back to the UK. Have you any sightseeing plans syd - and more mportantly has your ds settled into full time school ok.

Many new cars can be specced with sat nav, but some hire cars or lower-specced models won't have it. I found a Tom Tom 910 100% UNBELIEVABLY useful when dirving just now in the States (East Coast, but it has maps of all of North Amercia as well as UK, Western Europe etc.). It is very rare for a sat nav unit to have both Euro and US maps built in, so it's great if you go between these two places. You'll find a good system gives you early warning of when to keep left etc. as highways split, which exits to take etc. and they also effortlessly reroute you if you make a wrong turn ! Will make you alot more relaxed.

hth

Hello hub2dee, have you been in US long. what have you missed while being away. Are we allowed to take fave foodstuffs in luggage. Bramble jam, Marmite and Weetabix.

No, I was only over there for one week just now... we are contemplating a move, but not sure whether East Coast or West, or indeed Vancouver or Sydney or NZ...

wow, that's indecision on a grand scale. Good luck, thanks for that info on the Tom Tom, didn't realise you could use them in US.

Only the 910. Not the 510, 710, Go, One, Rider etc.

"Grand Indecision" should have been my middle name.

know what you mean - just looking at prices now and I hadn't realised there were so many units, have to check if it will be cheaper to buy in US.

You can get it for $699.99 out there, which is only around a £30 saving on the cheapest UK price (which is around £400 ish. If you need it here for a few weeks / months, I'd get it here and get used to it so you can hit the freeway rolling. It will also allow you to llok at maps of various places you might be interested in out there !!!. Advantage to buying one in America is that the US mains charger might be more useful if you end up out there for several years. It comes with a car charger too. (You can always use an elcheapo adaptor which cost £5 - £10 as the current requirement is teensy tiny).

I bow to your wealth of knowledge, oh travelled one. Had nearly come to the same conclusions but brain is addled by guilt and a mountain of ironing. Why are you moving by the way, are you just fed up of blighty or has your tom tom opened your horizons.

Well, nothing's for sure. It might all end up in us staying here. But I think I'd like to move to escape the worst aspects of our weather principally.

DS survived first day of school and even went on the walking bus - over a mile in the countryside this morning carrying his bags - which is fantastic albeit heart rending .

That routing thing sounds great - might have to convince DH to invest in one!

When do you fly LATyke - presumably you don't have to camp out in your house too long? WE're only planning on taking personal effects and junk as we're not sure if we'll be there beyond the 2 years and it seemed to work out the same price whether we bought or shipped. Got to get a semblance of things to ship together tomorrow as they're coming to tell me how much it is on friday AGH!

we have only taken personal effects and toys too. We figured the kids would settle in a lot sooner with their things around them. The dcs were upset at the loss of toys. We figured shipping ikea furniture when there is one around the corner would be a bit silly.
We are just being held up by visa appointments at the moment. looks like mid- end of the month now.
When are you heading out syd, are your folks supportive of the move. How long are you going out for a recce? Have you started looking at properties on craiglist and MLS?

I'm going for a week on a recce and the babes are staying behind with my parents. think DH will be chained to his desk all week so will be on my own trekking around schools and n'hoods - does this mean I'll have to drive????

Had a look initially at rental sites - hadn't heard of that MSN one or whatever it was - but till we'd decided where hadn't gone any further.

DH had lunch yesterday with a woman from teh Tescos office who had lots of pointers - it's always just hard though isn't it cos you don't knwo what their priorities are. Anyway she thinks we should look closer to the office like you are as the commuting is hard. She suggested West Torrance,El Segundo, M Beach, R Beach and C City - think C City too far from beach and schools don't seem to get such great reports unless you want a language academy - frankly struggling ot speak English at the moment!

oh it's all a nightmare when it seems so remote and you just can't see the wood for the trees!

Are they getting you a work visa or are you just a spouse? We both got work visas as DHs office think they might offer me something - not my ideal job and I have lots of reservations - not full time, school holidays off etc etc - but it might be helpful.

Better get back to some sorting out - avoiding it by surfing 'greatschools.net' and scaring myself silly

My ds1 lives in LA and is thrilled to hear that Tesco will be opening there soon!! He's pretty rude about the supermarkets in the US and loves coming shopping with me when he comes home to the UK. (Mind you, I'm living in Africa at the moment, to confuse the issue lol! )

You won't be able to avoid driving with such a huge search area. Good Luck and let me know how you get on with the driving, 4 way stops are much more interesting than roundabouts.
wish we'd had the foresight - no my visa is just a family one. I am wishing it was a work one though. Ho hum. Can you get a work visa for the states if you don't have a job to go to. Anyway too late now.
mls is just the online property listing you get access via estate agent pages. It would probably be better for you to stay beachside as PCH is less busy than the freeways.