Caught another good movie with Alan Arkin on HBO the other night called "Slums of Beverly Hills." I saw it for the first time in the late nineties, but it has more resonance now that I'm living in L.A., on the edge of Beverly Hills, although not exactly in a slum (except to some people).
Anyway, I enjoyed seeing the various apartment buildings the family moved into, now that I recognize the architecture as part of my everyday life.
Rumor has it that, as recently as ten years ago, Los Angeles rents were relatively low. What happened? I recall reading in Tamara Draut's book "Strapped" about the out-of-control upward spiraling of rent prices in Los Angeles and New York in the nineties, but I can't recall the figures now. Of course, as all Austinites know, the same upward spiraling of the cost of buying a home here has led to many a Southern Californian relocating to Austin.
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4 comments:
After the Northridge quake in 1994, rents plummetted. Since then, they've gradually crept upward. We need another big earthquake to drive them back down. Sad, but oh so true.
I love that movie. David and I always crack up at the diner scene, when Alan Arkin calls the waiter over by yelling, "Jackson!" only to leave his kids cringing. I also love that he makes Natasha Lyonne's character wear a bra under her halter top.
In 1995, I found a huge one bedroom apartment on Gardner, between Beverly and Melrose, for $650 month. It included parking.
I have no idea what happened and it still makes little sense to me. There seem to be too many people in the world. Simple explanation, right?
This is a great movie.
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