The room I stayed in was on the basement floor of the owner's house in an upscale environment of LA. Throughout my 17 days' stay it was very humid down there - Textiles and my hair tended to stay damp. The deck in front of the room is covered by trees, so there is no view and it gets only little direct sunlight.
It was strange to live in somebody's house, hear his voice and sounds but never be talked to in person. There was a restless atmosphere as different people were coming and going all the time. Also, there is a sound system in the cealings that tended to go on and then you would hear the tv or radio that the owner of the house had on, even late into the night. There is also a surveillance camera on the deck, which gives you a weird feeling of being observed...
Mathew would only communicate with me via WhatsApp. He did respond and see to the things that I was asking for but oftentimes delayed.
Also, the room was not very clean when I arrived; got better after the maid came the week after.
I liked the proximity to the ocean - nice footpath to the beach - Topanga State Park in your back - I hiked quite a bit- and a quiet neighbourhood.However, one does hear the Pacific Coast Highway from the terrace, which was not disturbing, though.
In the whole, not quite what I had expected from a stay in this well-to-do area of LA.