This site is closed to new comments and posts.

Notice: This site uses cookies to function.
If you are not comfortable with cookies then please don't browse this website.

Moving to stupid Los Angeles — Brooklynian

Moving to stupid Los Angeles

lnelson
lnelson
edited November -1 in Park Slope
It's true. Horrors. Following a job offer. Will return ASAP or my name's not [redacted]!

We're moving in May, so we have some time to plan. Does anyone have any advice about moving cross-country? Our IKEA furniture, beloved though it is, will cost more to move than to replace (especially using a professional moving service), and UHaul is not a possibility for various reasons. All the research I've done so far says that paring down and shipping your stuff via Fed Ex Ground or freight (some super-slow which I don't totally understand except that it involves "pallets" and sounds scarily like putting your stuff on a train and hoping it finds you on the other side of the country) is the way to go.

We also have to ship a car.

Any advice/moral support would be appreciated. PLEASE, no one malign LA. I know, we don't want to go, but that's where the work is at and our landlords do like to be paid.

In related news, we have a lot of (mostly) IKEA furniture going at bargain prices, including a table & 4 chairs, a really awesome corner cabinet which we will sorely miss, 2 desks, lots of bookcases, TV unit, dressers, side tables, couch, etc. I'll be posting on Craigslist but if anyone wants some cheap new stuff, PM me.

There will also be a tchochke sale in May on my friend's stoop in North Slope, since no one seems to do stoop sales down South where we live.
«1

Comments

  • comfortably smug
    comfortably smug
    Before moving to LA I'd suggest killing yourself.
  • mpmav1
    mpmav1
    You sound like your on the right track with selling most stuff. It's hard (moved here from Seattle 2 years ago). But unless you have high quality, it's better just to get everything new.

    We got lucky as some friends were also making the cross country move, so we split a huge moving van cost and they drove it across the country.

    As much as I like the east coast, I'm a bit jealous. Best of luck, and post your pics here before Craigslist! :)
  • funkytoot
    funkytoot
    I'm sure that you'll be fine out there after a couple months. It only takes that long, so I hear, until the sunshine/weather becomes a daily Ritalin dose into your psyche.

    All kidding aside, good luck out there (and remember who you are).
  • raw
    raw
    Ah come on, LA ain't that bad. You'll be close to San Francisco, which is fun. I hate that you must drive everywhere in LA, but there are some sidewalks in LA where you can actually walk.

    If you like Pacific Islands, you'll have some nice near-by vacation destination options.

    There are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods EVERY WHERE in CA.
  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    my folks have used Bekins for long-distance moves like this. the deal is that they come get your boxes, furniture, whatever, and put it on an enormous truck. lots of other people's stuff is there, too. the truck makes its way around the country, somewhat indirectly, as it has to bring one guy's stuff to houston and pick up someone else's in shreveport and so on. they end up giving you a call a couple days out and saying "thursday. be there." they show up, unload your stuff, and tool off to san francisco. (which is close to LA the way Richmond is close to NYC: sort of.)

    i've also had furniture shipped to me this way. it's cheaper than having a van/truck for just your stuff. they label the boxes with numbered stickers, and you make darn sure you've got everything before they peel out for laramie. seems disastrous, but works fine.
  • duffyssis
    duffyssis
    I lived in California for ten years and the weather really makes up for a lot of what you will miss about New York. Lake Tahoe is beautiful. Vegas is three hours away by car.

    Um, you will see celebrities all the time. That's kind of cool.
  • sir_eccles
    sir_eccles
    If you do use a moving company, check them out on http://www.movingscam.com/
  • danielle123
    danielle123
    No moving tips but....I lived in LA from 1992-1997 and I still miss the weather. I had a great time (LA is all about fun) but the people are from another planet and I was glad when I left.

    Having said that, you will have tons of fun, crazy experiences that you will remember always, and you will be able to rollerblade on the beach every weekend.

    Good luck!
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    About ten years ago I helped two friends move to LA. We packed everything into a large U-Haul and got a hitch for the car. We did a slow drive (it took us 5 days) and just did a leisurly 65 all the way. It was one of the most fun things ever.

    Even in this day of recession, I'd say that trip is still cheaper than the flight and shipping of belongings (especially if you are shipping a car). Focus on staying at the lower end motel chains (Holliday Inn Express, Comfort Inn, Red Roof Inn, etc) and make use of priceline and google and you should be good to go.
  • lnelson
    lnelson
    Thanks everyone for all the positive comments!

    We really have no choice but to ship stuff, which is why we're not doing furniture. I know the UHaul hitch method is probably the very cheapest, but our timeframe doesn't allow for it.

    For people who have shipped a whole lot of stuff, how did you do it? What shipper did you use?
  • paxman
    paxman
    raw wrote: Ah come on, LA ain't that bad. You'll be close to San Francisco, which is fun. I hate that you must drive everywhere in LA, but there are some sidewalks in LA where you can actually walk.

    If you like Pacific Islands, you'll have some nice near-by vacation destination options.

    There are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods EVERY WHERE in CA.
    yeah... don't forget about In N' Out. Hell, I would kill for a double, double animal style right now.
  • santa
    santa
    I have a friend who just moved out to LA and is loving it.

    I was born outside of Oakland so Im wired to hate LA tho.
  • meredithb
    meredithb
    Ship everything, drive the car.
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    Good luck and have fun. I think people should sell everything unless its like something small and sentimental.
  • sir_eccles
    sir_eccles
    armchair_warrior wrote: Good luck and have fun. I think people should sell everything unless its like something small and sentimental.
    Unfortunately some of the sentimental stuff can be rather big and bulky. Plus I really like my Tempurpedic bed. That would be a something thousand dollar write off right there.
  • toadette
    toadette
    Have the stoop sale down south! Get others to do it the same weekend and have a mini-mega sale... People are leaving books out in our part more often now; I think we're ready for stoop sales :)

    (Can you tell I've been mulling over the idea of a sale for a while myself?)
  • dailyheights
    dailyheights
    Don't forget to line up your replacement on Brooklynian. At the moment it costs only 2 replacements to leave Brooklynian. So get a knockin'!
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    In the summer of 2005, my brother and I moved a car from the NY area to Seattle for a guy who was in your situation.

    (Despite it being great fun, I'm not looking for a repeat gig).

    Anyway, we found him under "labor/move" on Craigslist. We paid gas and associated expenses. He made us insure ourselves for the drive, and he was responsible for any repairs the car needed over $200. We promised not to incur any parking tickets.

    P.S. No speed limit in the Dakota's.
    PSS. He was delighted with how clean we returned the car.

    "Auto Drive Away" http://www.autodriveaway.com/ does this service as well.
  • witch-king
    witch-king
    Comfortably Smug wrote: Before moving to LA I'd suggest killing yourself.
    LA is great, especially the valley. Everyone is beautiful and there are few strollers.
  • filmlover44
    filmlover44
    raw wrote: Ah come on, LA ain't that bad. You'll be close to San Francisco, which is fun. I hate that you must drive everywhere in LA, but there are some sidewalks in LA where you can actually walk.

    If you like Pacific Islands, you'll have some nice near-by vacation destination options.

    There are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods EVERY WHERE in CA.
    Yes, LA is as close to San Francisco as Washington D.C. is to Brooklyn multiplied by 2 (or something like that). LA is still pretty darned nice.

    You can ship some of your stuff via Greyhound or Trailways or whatever.
  • teh_johnsons
    teh_johnsons
    We used Door to Door when we moved to New York. You load up storage containers, they ship them & keep them in storage until you're ready to have them delivered. This is a good option if you don't know the address where you'll end up living yet.

    Good luck w/the move!
  • homeowner
    homeowner
    You might also investigate using a POD. I've never personally used one, but they look really cool. I've seen them curbside in Brooklyn and if you are moving to a house I think they just leave them on your front lawn.
  • danielle123
    danielle123
    MeredithB wrote: Ship everything, drive the car.
    I once drove from LA to Atlanta in 3 days so even with a tight timeframe, it's doable.
  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    are you sure your car meets CA emissions requirements (way stricter than the rest of the country)? if not, you might as well sell the car, too.
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    most newish cars are designed to meet CA standards.

    ...but, sweet tea is right, it would suck to get it there an then have their DMV refuse to register it.
  • amity gal
    amity gal
    I moved to LA and back in the last 10 years. There is a moving company that specializes in moves between CA and NY specifically. I forget the name but in includes "California" and "NY" (duh)and maybe "express". Anyway, that may be a more affordable option because you probably share room on a truck.

    I looked into the pod option and ultimately didn't go that way although that probably would have been the best option in retrospect.

    I couldn't find any car shipping options that made sense financially especially considering how old my car was. Getting a friend with a driver's license, a cooler and some kick ass mixes was definitely a better way to go.

    Good Luck!
  • mpmav1
    mpmav1
    Amity Gal wrote: I moved to LA and back in the last 10 years. There is a moving company that specializes in moves between CA and NY specifically. I forget the name but in includes "California" and "NY" (duh)
    http://www.moveeast.com/

    But make sure to research them more before you sign up.... just found this...

    http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11639
  • brooklynjack
    brooklynjack
    sweet tea wrote: are you sure your car meets CA emissions requirements (way stricter than the rest of the country)? if not, you might as well sell the car, too.
    CA and NY now have the same emissions standards, but in any event you should be grandfathered in. My 2004 Ford meets NY and CA standards
  • livetotravel
    livetotravel
    Lived in LA for 3 years = like a prison sentence! You have my condolences. Come back as soon as you can.

    I agree re shipping (a minimal amount) and driving out.
  • tyroneshoelaces
    tyroneshoelaces
    When I did SF to BKLYN I used Allied. I also packed my own stuff. Wasn't necessarily the cheapest way to go, but it was easy and efficient. I like going with a preset rate so there are no issues or scams.

    Frankly, if your car is funky or old you might think about selling it here and buying new or leasing in LA. Since you're a slave to your vehicle (I did a three year stint in Hollywood - hate, hate, hate) it's very, very important NOT TO HAVE car issues. This is why you see a lot of new cars on the road. Warranties and roadside service become very important.

    AND, LA is a mecca of quality inexpensive mid century modern (something to consider when choosing what stays and goes).
Sign In or Register to comment.

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In

Categories