Los Angeles Insight - Scooby Doo Where are You?

LABlogs.com has posted its latest round of "insight" questions. Here are my responses.

1. What city or part of Los Angeles do you live in now?

Van Nuys, North of Burbank, South of Oxnard, West of VNB and Easy of Kester. A nice little residential section with easy freeway access, even if the freeway is a parking lot on most days.

2. If you have lived somewhere else in the area, where was it?

We now live 3 blocks from where we first landed in LA. We lived in North Hollywood for about 4-5 years, but ended up back here when we finally bought a house. 18 years ago we moved here from Ohio, the day after we got married.

3. Besides where you live now, where else would you want to live in the area?

There are some nice areas around the city, but for ease of access, this is a good location. My wife works in TV, so having Disney, Warner Bros, Universal just up the street certainly helps the commute. Sony would be a trek, but she has never worked down there.

I really would like to be able to live outside of LA for a month or so at a time. Our lives are somewhat tied to the city right now, but since I come from a small town of 2000 people, I really need to get away from the city on a regular basis. We really like Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains, but haven’t been able to get a place up there….yet!

4. Where would you not want to live?

We can’t imagine living in any of the new suburbs where houses are stacked on top of one another like cordwood. The fact that you have to get in your car to go get bread and milk seems ridiculous.

5. How often do you venture out of your area?

My work carries me to many other places of SoCal. I have clients in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Burbank, Northridge, Beverly Hills. So I get around some. We have taken the Metro lines to various places and regularly check out new and interesting places. We used to volunteer up in the Angeles National Forest on a regular basis, as well. My WelchEvents mailing list is always introducing me to interesting places and events around town.

6. Where do you usually go when you get out?

Malibu, Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Ojai, Santa Barbara, Pasadena.

7. How far do you work/school from where you live?

As mentioned above, I work all over the area, so some days I can be just up the street and on others I am down by the ocean or in the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena.

8. Money is no object; Beach, the Hills, the City or Leave?

I would love to live in the mountains, but not in one of the new sub-divisions. I don’t go to the mountains to live on top of someone else. Also, if you live in the mountains, I believe you have to have the mindset that everything in your house could be gone in minutes, in the event of fire or flood. I am not sure I could find that state of mind in my life…yet.

We are actively thinking of leaving the area, as well. Our lives have changed over the past 18 years and Los Angeles doesn't fit our needs as well as it once did.