Questions for So Cal people

[Danny Boy]

I should re-introduce myself before I post this...

My name is Dan Farley, I used to post threads with some of you on the old Inosanto Academy forum, but it has been a while now...

My girlfriend and I are making plans to move from the bay area down to LA.  She will be attending UCLA and I will be finishing up GE units at Santa Monica College before moving on to a university.  

One of my goals is to train at the Inosanto Academy while finishing college.  

One dilema we have run in to is housing. The reason housing looks tricky is because of availability and prices.  Based on her and our room mate's exploration, it is likely that we will end up in Brentwood, westwood, or possibly Santa Monica.  I have yet to scout out these areas myself, so I don't know what they are like.  

We both want to get rid of our cars.  What is public transpotation like down there?  I might keep mine...

She would like to be within Biking distance of school, I would like the same.  I would also like to be able to bike to the Inosanto academy.  

Does anyone know if those areas are biker friendly area's?  Looking at the map, the areas don't seem too far from the IAMA.  Sometimes biking five miles is a piece of cake, other times it is a nightmare (traffic lights, no bike lanes etc..)  I was hoping for access to a straight shot down the beach, is that possible?  


Do any of you have advice on relocating down there?  I'm used to life up here, lots of good public transportation, bike lanes and such.  I've heard So Cal might as well be a different state, I was just wondering how different..

I am hoping to start a thread on this subject because I have lots of other questions too, but I think this is enough to start out.  Are there many of you down there?  

I am very sorry to have missed the gathering, I really wanted to make it down there for it.  I was hoping to make some contacts with people before I move, but I need money so bad I just couldn't miss work.  Hope it was a success!

I am looking forward to hearing from some of you and getting in to my training questions.  Any help is much appreciated.

    Thanks in Advance,
        Dan

[Tim Nelson]

hi dan, i don't have any suggestions on housing. and I am not sure where brentwood is. westwood, ihave only been toonce and seems a little far to balance out biking, a girlfriend, a job, and martial arts training in Marina Del Ray where the IAMA is located. Though I have not done that myself.

The biking is for the most part pretty easy and friendly to me. Just keep your eyes open as always when surrounded by tons of huge moving pieces of steel that can hurt.

 Santa Monica, is generally not too far unless you would be living close to the mountains and that would be deep into SM. And it depends on your bike and how fast you can travel. It generally takes me an hour to go roughly 16 miles without going real hard, just a steady cadence. And where there aren't bike lanes, as I said before; it is plenty manageable. I travel all over LA even where it is not easy biking and no bike lanes without using the sidewalks.

 the bus lines are quite reliable and go just abut everywhere. there is one specifically that runs to west wood where ucla. i need to go this computer is shutting off soon. so that may help, and please ask more if you want. later,    Tim

[Crafty_Dog]

Porn Star Dog couldn't get into this thread for some reason and so on his behalf I post his reply for him:

Crafty
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Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 9:57 pm    Post subject: SoCal Response    

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I can't reply to the other thread for some reason.

LOL! at Tim for not having housing recommendations.  

SoCal pretty much is a different state. I highly recommend a car in L.A. Public transportation can be reliable. The buses go everywhere, but take a long time. A car really makes life easier here. Santa Monica and Westwood are nice areas although a bit pricey. The easiest way to make your rent cheap is to find roommates, or maybe student housing?

[bart]

Hey There,

I was a veteran of the Westside for 5 years having moved to Inglewood from Sacramento. I lived in Inglewood first, then Westchester, then Culver City. Sounds like a lot of places but it was all within a 1 mile radius. I moved back to Sacramento last year.

Biking...I don't suggest it, but you can do it. The new Inosanto Academy is over in the Marina. If you wind up in Santa Monica you can take the bike path from the Pier all the way out to the Marina without much trouble or traffic.  There are also busses that run pretty regularly from SMC and UCLA to the Marina. They run right down Lincoln and pass right by the school. The problem for you will be getting back home. The busses get pretty thin from about 8pm on. It also rains in SoCal. Not that often but when it does, the streets aren't friendly to bikes or pedestrians.

Brentwood and Westwood are not close to the beach so that means if you live there then you have to brave some of the most dangerous biking road in the world and run through patches of ghetto to get there. If you don't mind inconvenience, danger, and breathing exhaust, then you don't need a car in LA. But if you want to get places on time and safely, then you need to have one. Otherwise you're at the mercy of the busses, which do not always pick you up, and the masses, which are not always friendly.

SoCal is great, but it is very much a different type of place. I really enjoyed my time there as much as I am glad to be home. I lived at the intersection of La Tijera, Centinela, and La Cienega for most of my time down there and I never had any trouble. LA has slums just a few blocks away from mansions. It's really quite different than what you're used to. My suggestion is keep your car and buy a Thomas Guide. I'd expand your search for apartments or rooms to West LA, especially out by the Santa Monica Airport, Playa Del Rey, and Culver City, instead of Brentwood and the like. Those places are nice but they have a matching price tag.

You should also keep in mind that there is a lot out there besides the Inosanto Academy. You might want to keep your car for additional training with different teachers because there are A LOT down there. Without wheels you are without many options.

Good luck from Your NorCal - SoCal Brother,

Bart Hubbard
Capital Doce Pares

[Danny Boy]

I recently moved down here and found a place in West LA.  I am three miles from the IAMA, pretty cool.  I am hoping to join soon.  I would however, like to get in to more CSW than what is offered there.  Does anyone know of a CSW school?  I wasn't sure if EP had a school of his own or not...

 And of course I am really looking forward to coming in on a Sat at 1:00 to check out the DBMA class!

[bart]

What's CSW and who is EP?

[Danny boy]

CSW stands for Combat Submission Wrestling.  EP is Erik Paulson, the founder of CSW.  I was introduced to the system last summer when I was training at the Minnesota Kali Group.  I heard Erik teaches around here, but I'm not sure.

[bart]

Hey There,

A quick websearch turned up this site:


http://www.erikpaulson.com

It looks like it has what you're looking for.

[Anonymous]

erik paulson teaches at the IAMA on monday nights. he teaches his CSW class and a vale tudo class.

brian jung...