Create meetup in Los Angeleschevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
explore Los Angeles Guides
bar_chart Trends in Los Angeles
Wall units vs central air and heat?
So I'm wondering whether… Quick question - I've only ever lived in places with central AC but am looking at a studio where the AC is a window unit and the heating is a bar on the wall near the floor.
So I'm wondering whether I should rule it out on that alone or if I won't feel much difference going from central to those.
I tend to get very cold in the winter so have the heat on for most of the day at my current place.
My hesitation is that the main room will warm up but the kitchen and bathroom will remain cold.
Thoughts or advice please?!
one thing nobody's mentioned yet: check if the building has those old single-pane windows. a lot of these older la studios with wall heaters also have terrible windows and you'll feel a cold draft even with the heat blasting. you could put up that plastic shrink wrap stuff but it's a hassle in a rental. for the bathroom situation, i'd honestly just get a little plug-in heater from home depot on santa monica, they're like 20 bucks and you only need it for the 10 minutes you're in there. also if the wall heater has a thermostat on it vs just a knob that's a big difference for keeping the temp steady without waking up freezing at 3am
I've lived with both setups in LA and the wall heater situation is pretty common in older buildings. Those wall heaters work fine for a studio since it's one main space, but you're right that the bathroom and kitchen will stay cold if they're separate rooms with doors. The bigger issue for you might actually be the window AC unit, they're loud and you'll hear every car going by on the street if you're on a lower floor. For someone who runs cold, I'd look at how drafty the windows are and whether the wall heater is gas or electric, gas ones put out way more heat.
The wall heaters are actually pretty common in older LA buildings, especially around West Hollywood and Koreatown. For a studio, that bar heater will do the job for the main room, but you're right about the bathroom and kitchen staying cold if they have doors. I'd recommend getting a small oil-filled radiator for the bathroom, they're quiet and don't dry out the air like those wall units do.
The window AC is the bigger concern honestly. In a studio, one unit can usually handle the space, but check if it's a newer model with a decent energy rating. Older units will spike your electricity bill in July and August, and they're loud enough that you'll hear every trash truck and siren. If the unit is in a living room area with an open kitchen, you'll be fine, but if the kitchen is a separate room with a door, that's a different story.
load 3 more replies
How can I find mobile hot dog vendors for a private event?
honestly the SGV has a ton of licensed cart operators who mostly do private stuff now. look up "hot dog cart catering San Gabriel Valley" on Yelp and you'll get a handful that are fully permitted, which matters if your venue needs a health permit on file. expect around $400 to $700 for a few hours plus a per person minimum, usually 50 or so. the ones based in Alhambra and Rosemead tend to be cheaper than Pasadena because they're not paying that rent.
fwiw the county health dept keeps a public list of permitted mobile food operators, its searchable by city on the LA County Public Health site. filter for "pushcart" or "MFF" and you'll get vendors cleared for SGV zip codes, which saves you the headache of a venue asking for paperwork later. also worth checking with the Old Town Monrovia or Alhambra farmers market folks, the carts there are usually booked solid but they know who's free and they'll pass along names. just dont wait till the last week, good ones book out 2 to 3 weeks in teh summer.
You could try hitting up the folks who set up outside Home Depot or the DMV in El Monte on weekends, a lot of those carts are owner operated and they'll do private gigs if you ask. Just walk up and grab a card, they usually have one taped to the cart.