Advice on Los Angeles

[FutureFarm]

Everyone,

I'm active duty Air Force and have the distinct displeasure of being assigned to Los Angeles AFB, CA. I just got my notification yesterday and need some good info on the area. Do any of you live near the base? It's near LAX if you didn't know there was a base in LA.
I grew up on a small family farm in Illinois, two miles outside a town of 1,000. Went to school in Colorado Springs with miles and miles of open space. Since then I have been stationed in Dayton, OH, where we live comfortably in a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees, and squirrels running around. I never liked visiting cities, they make feel uneasy with all the people I don't know/trust so close. Please tell me there's somewhere decent in LA for me.
Where's the good local homebrew shops?
Any good open space for dogs?
Anywhere where I can be outside and not see any people?

Any information/advice is appreciated.
Happy Veteran's Day to all who are serving, have served, and will serve!

 

[arturo7]

I'm not too familiar with that part of town. But I think the best bet for you and you pooch will be the Santa Monica Mountains.

The beaches are great if you can find one that allows dogs. There will be plenty of people there but everybody is usually spread out.

 

[FutureFarm]

we also have a small teardrop camper. It fits in a single parking space. Is there any chance of finding places with 3 parking spots?
Are there any places to camp within 2 hrs drive?

 

[Homercidal]

Well, I was going to suggest staying away from LA, based on your thread title, but since that doesn't seem to be an option, I can only say, "Good Luck!"

 

[arturo7]

You can camp in the Santa Monica Mtns
https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/camping.htm

There are also multiple places as you drive up the coast. The Eastern Sierra is absolutely amazing but it's a 3-5 hour drive depending on where you go.

 

[sillbeer]

What do you do in the AF? Come to Hill AFB in Northern Utah. Lots to do here with plenty of wide open space. Lots of outdoor activities with good post retirement employment. Put in for it when your tour is up in LA. You'll be a days drive from Hill, come out for a few days.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Hmmm I live about 90 minutes from where your going. There will be a large amount of people where you are going but the santa monicas are pretty the ocean is nice and their is more beaches than you can stand. The amount of entertainment here in socal is large and varied. If you try I am sure you won't be bored. I am a former small farm boy from a town of 900 in Missouri. THe weather where you are going is 8 months of spring and fall and maybe 4 months of summer. Try not to let the amount of people get to you, That will be the key. Their are several reasons that California is so popular Please give it a chance.

 

[elwood522]

I live in Santa Clarita, in LA county but about 30 miles north of downtown LA. I was in Brooklyn NY before I was here and I think you'll be surprised how much outdoor stuff there is to do here. There are tons of places to camp within 2 or 3 hours. Joshua Tree, Big Bear, Ventura.
Highly recommend Phantom Ales near Anaheim. Great brewery/homebrew store with great food. Also MaCleod Ales in Van Nuys has outstanding British cask and nitro Ales.
San Diego is also beer nirvana and only 2 hours or so south.
SoCal and it's beer are worth the hype! Welcome!

 

[FutureFarm]

What do I do in the AF?
Currently I'm getting my Master's in Government Cost Analysis. I'll be doing cost estimating. Being from the midwest, I think anywhere sounds better than LA. Hill AFB sounds a lot like Colorado Springs. I prefer green rolling hills, but the skiing was great and there were hardly any bugs so the mountains weren't terrible.
I think I'm going to miss the quiet and darkness most. It's so relaxing to walk outside at night and hear nothing but the breeze through the corn. No engine noise, no dogs, no planes. It's so dark that you can see the lights on the water tower four miles away. My parents' neighbors live half a mile away. I don't expect to find the peace and quiet I'm looking for anywhere near LA.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Think of it as an adventure. I assume you're young. It will be one of those things that you look back and check off the list. Maybe you'll never change your mind and move back to the country. Maybe you'll meet someone special and spend the rest of your life there. You won't know unless you ventured outside and dive in. Plus when you go back to visit friends back in the country you can take that walk late at night and appreciate the quietness even more. I lived in the city when I went to school and didn't have much money to enjoy everything. Now I visit and appreciate the things I don't get out in the country.

California is beer nirvana. You'll find something there. Have fun and thanks for everything you do in the AF!

 

[Aristotelian]

LA is an incredible place. Of course it has its down sides, but you can make the hassles worth it. If you like outdoors, there is tons of hiking in the hills and mountains around the city. Topanga Canyon and Malibu State Park are gorgeous and fairly remote from the city. Of course the beeches. Hole in the wall restaurants of every ethnicity you can imagine. Joshua Tree National Park. Just stay far, far away from Hollywood and you will be fine. If you really like the quiet suburban lifestyle you may want to go somewhere in Orange County.

Haha, I live in Dayton for work but would kill to go back to LA.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I'm not familiar enough with the immediate area around there, but I can say that while it will be a culture shock to be in such a big city, California has some amazing advantages.

The thing about California is that while there are a bunch of people with interests that you don't share, the very simple fact that there are so many people means there are still TONS who share your interests. It's incredibly varied, so pretty much no matter what you like (except silence/solitude lol), you'll find it in LA.

And if you're into camping and the outdoors, you can escape the crowds into some of the most naturally beautiful wilderness around. You'll have to fight traffic to get out of town, but there are many amazing areas only a short drive away. People joke about surfing and skiing in the same day, but you can do it.

As for homebrew, you're well covered. Depending where you live, there will be a shop nearby. South towards Long Beach is Steinfillers. North there's a place in Culver City. And there's undoubtedly others I don't know because I stick to OC most of the time. You'll also have your share of homebrew clubs to pick from. The biggest and most prominent is the Maltose Falcons, but there are TONS of smaller clubs nearby. They're a great source of information about the local to you brew and homebrew scene.

Your biggest issue, quite frankly, will likely be cost of housing. If you're used to having open roads, you're NOT going to like the traffic, but it might be hard to find a place near you with room for 3 vehicles / parking spots very cheap. You could move somewhere farther inland and get a lot more space for your money, but then you'll be commuting through HELL daily. So my advice would be to suck it up and live as close to work as you can, and just stomach the costs as best you can.

But really, even though it'll be a completely different place to what you're used to, living in the city isn't terrible. Food, entertainment, nightlife of ALL varieties are at your fingertips. Especially if you see this as a temporary situation, just enjoy the adventure knowing that you need to get as much enjoyment out of it as you can until you move on.

 

[FutureFarm]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Do any of you fish? I've never fished saltwater and am always interested in learning a new skill. I'm sure some of the freshwater techniques transfer, but what changes?

 

[ChelisHubby]

THe local fishing revolves around the seasons. Summer time the locals do surface fishing they fish for calico bass or yellowtail. The rod and reel combo are 20 lb setups meaning they hold twenty lb line and 300 yards of it and can generate 10 lbs of drag this is for the local bass for the local yellowtail you should start with a 30 lb set-up that can generate 15 lb of drag. This is what the locals use in the summer. in the winter the target is rockfish in general, they fish up to 300 ft deep and you need a strong rod to hold the 12 ounce weight. This depends on the current and the depth.. The local party boats are a good place to be but they are crowded. a 1/2 day trip cost about 40 for your ticket and 7 bucks for a burger and 2 for a coke. Fish cleaning cost a buck a fish for small fish and that is what they catch on a half day boat in general. The techniches you use to catch Bass will work well in the summer. THe party boats take 2 or three trips to understand what is going on and they are not cheap. I like to fish the party boats with my wife and she is a trooper and loves it. The longer trips cost more but put you on a better grade of fish in general. THe boats rent combos for 10 bucks a day and you get to decide if you want to do it again befor you shell out some money on a setup. This time of year it is all rockfish on the 1/2 day trips. one other thing sea sickness is miserable if you get car sick dont even think about fishing a longer trip. 2 website that have fishing news that is local is ( 976 tuna ) and Bloody Decks with the bloody decks being more honest with more news from fishermen. It will be Christmas holiday befor I can get back on the water, the wifes family has people dying so my time and my money is gone.

 

[FutureFarm]

I have a 6'6" Medium Heavy freshwater rod (still breaks into 2 pieces) and a spincast reel, both by Shakespeare. Is this set-up useful for surf perch? Are they really as prevalent as the internet leads you to believe? I've seen videos where they basically cast between the wave that just broke and the next one and catch a fish almost every catch. Do surf perch taste like bluegill?

 

[ChelisHubby]

the short answer is probably not. The surf perch guys will fish 4 to 6 lb test. The surf fishing requires you to read the water which is watching for eddys and dark spots. I have not surf fished so maybe someone else can point you in that direction. I believe most of the trout gear would be effective for the perch and corbina. I would use a 8ft rod and fluorcarbon leaders.

 

[arturo7]

The fishing expo in Long Beach is frikin amazing. Tons of vendors, most of which are quite helpful. Just about anything related to any type of fishing can be found here. It's coming up in March.
https://www.fredhall.com

I like to go after trout in the Eastern Sierra. Hiking a stream looking for grandpa Brown amid the lodgepoles and quaking aspens is one of the finest things that can be done on this planet.

 

[FutureFarm]

So I'm used to seeing 4-6 test on 6' medium action rods when fishing for bluegill, crappie, and small catfish. I have one of those rods too, it's the $20 Zebco standard. Would that be better? I fished too many brushy areas this year and will need new line for next year though. I assume I need to store the reel separately to wash the saltwater off after use. What else changes in gear management?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Not sure why nobody has mentioned it, but check out the Southern California Homebrew Festival. Great time!

 

[FutureFarm]

When and where is this festival?

 

[ChelisHubby]

The zebco with new line will work to get you started, Salt water fish pull harder and have better eyes than freshwater. the Bloody deck website has a surf section and knowledgable people to answer your questions. In the first week of march we have the Fred hall Show and it is worth your time to walk thru it and or attend a few of the seminars.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

When and where is this festival?

2017 will be May 5-7 at Vail Lake campground near Temecula. Imagine 35-40 homebrew clubs each with their bar set up pouring anywhere between 10 and 25 taps each...

 

[Calfj60]

I used to live west of LA AFB...in fact my dad worked there. If there is anything I can do give me a shout. Housing ain't cheap but look at Torrance, North Redondo and Holy Glen.

Tim

 

[FutureFarm]

Thanks for all the help/advice!

 

[martiniw2olives]

Everyone,

I'm active duty Air Force and have the distinct displeasure of being assigned to Los Angeles AFB, CA. I just got my notification yesterday and need some good info on the area. Do any of you live near the base? It's near LAX if you didn't know there was a base in LA.
I grew up on a small family farm in Illinois, two miles outside a town of 1,000. Went to school in Colorado Springs with miles and miles of open space. Since then I have been stationed in Dayton, OH, where we live comfortably in a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees, and squirrels running around. I never liked visiting cities, they make feel uneasy with all the people I don't know/trust so close. Please tell me there's somewhere decent in LA for me.
Where's the good local homebrew shops?
Any good open space for dogs?
Anywhere where I can be outside and not see any people?

Any information/advice is appreciated.
Happy Veteran's Day to all who are serving, have served, and will serve!

I live in your area and I am happy so say the craft brewing scene is incredible. South Bay Brewing Supplies in Torrance is where I go to get stuff. Here are some links to the area. The LA mag link is just a fraction of the great breweries in the area.

http://www.southbaybrewingsupply.com/

http://www.lamag.com/liquidlablog/the-south-bay-is-americas-newest-craft-beer-capital/