How to get the hell out of los angeles by LloydDobbler

"Moved to Denver, where the air is clean, the traffic is non-existent, the people are happy...and the post office workers are actually helpful. :-o"

How I did it:

To answer this question, you really have to look at the reasons a person would want to get out of L.A. (And why it feels like such a hurdle to do so).

I lived in L.A. for 8 years. It wasn't ever really my kinda town...but like so many people, I was there for The Industry.
It was a love/hate relationship. There were times when L.A. really rocked...and other times when I kept wondering what I was thinking. 

Ultimately, after much soul-searching, I decided it's a ridiculous town, with a lot of things that don't make sense about it. It seems that most people tolerate L.A., rather than enjoying it. In spite of all the BS that goes on in the town that drives most sensible people crazy. After a while, you just get used to it. Which IMHO is one of the reasons why so many people in L.A. are pretty unhappy.

How I did it:

The catalyst for all this was me looking 5 years down the road ahead. I knew there were some things I wanted - to own a home, to have a kid, to be more financially secure - that L.A. couldn't provide me with. Heck, I also knew I wanted to be healthy - something that's tough in L.A., thanks to pollution and stress. And to have a dog - which I could have done while renting in L.A., but it would have cost me a small fortune to find a pet-friendly place.

L.A.'s a town where you have to compete for everything - parking spaces, getting into a club, jobs that pay enough to live on (a problem lots of places, but moreso in L.A.), a decent apartment...the list goes on. You pay more in taxes & government fees, make less money, and deal with a lot more B.S. for all of that. And in a town full of ppeople who support Big Government, the government does LESS for you than most other places. Heck, I bought an SUV just so I could drive down Cahuenga Blvd without screwing up my alignment, thanks to the high-quality road maintenance.

So after much angst, I sat down and added up all the pro's and con's, and the pro's of moving won by a landslide. It just made sense. I now own a loft in Denver...and have a cool, down-to-earth girlfriend. I worry less about most things.

And Otto, the dog I rescued from the pound, is pretty stoked, too.

Lessons & tips: Ultimately, I just accepted what my gut had been telling me for a while. It wasn't that hard. 

If this item is on your 43 Things list, chances are you know what the right answer is for you. You're just not accepting it.

I did that for 8 years. And now here I am, outside of that ridiculous town and pretty darn happy about it.


1 person found this helpful
 

Sep 24, 2008, 02:47PM PDT | 2 comments | 4 cheers


Comments:

sonyo_lee is packing & moving out of California

I am currently moving to Denver from Los Angeles. Like you I lived in California for 8 years. 6.5 years in OC & 1.5 years in L.A.

The thought of moving is scary, but your blog helped me to gather the courage to do it! I wrote my own on this very subject. It’s strange how addicting and sickly comfortable one could get with the craziness of Los Angeles.

I’m moving this Friday!

Feb 03, 2009, 02:25AM PST | Respond to this

Angelinaz2

There many reasons why i move out of LA
i was born and raised there for 16 out of 18 yers of my life. in 06 me and my family decided to move to Mesa,az and i do not regret it at all good roadways, you can actually live on low wages and much less taxes and smog, trust me the heat here in Az is not as bad as i though it was going to be

May 22, 2009, 01:47AM PDT | Respond to this


LloydDobbler has gotten 4 cheers on this entry.

 

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