Thinking about moving to downtown LA? Check this out!

Here are two articles (Her view and His view) from LA Times that list the benefits of living in downtown:

HER VIEW:

Lofty living for less: Downtown move pays dividends

By Julie Makinen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2008

Something wonderful and completely unexpected has been happening since I moved from the hills of Sherman Oaks to a downtown loft this winter: My wallet has been getting fatter.Part of the windfall has come from trading my hourlong, 20-mile morning crawl down the 101 Freeway for a leisurely 1.4-mile stroll or bike ride to work. That means $160 less in gas expenditures each month. Cha-ching!

But keeping Big Oil's grubby paws off my hard-earned cash isn't the only benefit. There are so many other financial upsides to moving closer to the office and downsizing one's living quarters that it's a challenge to tote them all up.Downsizing may even be an overstatement. I've cut back from 1,800 square feet to about 1,400, which still seems bigger than Rhode Island.

Consider these savings:

For the rest of the story, click here.

HIS VIEW:

A walk to work on the wild side: Life in the city center exercises the body and the senses.

By Patrick McMahon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 27, 2008

Since late May I've been living the loft fantastic above busy 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles. Exciting it is; peace and quiet it isn't. ....

From my fourth-floor window, I'm serenaded by the nighttime chatter of people lining up at the whiskey bar nearby and occasional shouts in the dark. And who knew there were so many different kinds of sirens? It is scandalous how rats are allowed to run free around the open trash bins in the alley across the street. Dozens of them can be seen at night. The city must know that people bed down in that alley. None of it really seems to stop a good night's sleep, and all in all, I'm settling into a comfy downtown life.

This is a name-happy city. On my new commute, I walk through the Civic Center, Gallery Row, the Historic Core, the Old Bank District, the Financial District, the Jewelry District.

More the rest of the story, click here.