Best Walkable, Safe, and Affordable neighborhoods in LA?

[destroycreate]

I'd go with Culver City or Koreatown (depending on the part, it's a big area). I love Pasadena and those areas on the east side, but let's be honest, they're quite far removed.

Culver City is extremely walkable, safe, and very pleasant. Very easy access to the nice areas of LA like BH, WeHo, mid-city, beaches, and getting to and from LAX a relative cinch. Also well connected with transit, you can take the metro all the way to DT Santa Monica which is a huge plus. But with a lot of tech companies based in that area, you're looking at premium rents (though the Palms neighborhood - I believe the densest district in LA - nearby is a very affordable choice, though all of the housing stock is straight from the 50s-70s, so a little dated looking).

Koreatown will have much more affordable rent, equally good access with metro (on May 8 you'll even be able to take the Purple line to Wilshire/La Cienega which is amazing, and in a year or two, downtown Beverly Hills). You also have access with the metro to DTLA and basically to much of the east/south side. Koreatown is super dense and walkable. It's not THE safest area of LA but definitely not particularly unsafe. I used to live on Wilshire/Hobart, and enjoyed it. The only complaint I had is it could be a bit dirty/unkempt. There are some tents and vagrants swarming around, but enough everyday workers/residents to mix it in and normalize the vibe somewhat. This is arguably going to be the most traditionally urban lifestyle neighborhood Los Angeles can offer. You're also smack dab in the center of LA, so you have relatively smooth access to much of the city by uber. The best benefit is access to tons of fantastic restaurants, nightlife, and everything is open late.