I was new to LA and needed a centrally located apartment I could afford until I got a decent job and got used to the place. The Barclay (and Langham across the street) are really nice, Art Deco style apartments that have been purchased by a company that refurbishes older buildings. Built in the 1920s, these buildings have a lot of charm in a city that doesn't seem to value anything older than 20-years-old.
It's situated in a typical city neighborhood: ethnically diverse, families, singles, students, couples, professionals -- which is great. You can also get just about anywhere in LA conveniently from Wilshire, which is 1/2 block away. South on Normandie is more "gritty" and north are the office buildings and ecclectic neighborhoods. But overall the area is safe and rated below average for crime in L.A.
There are movie and commerical shoots sometimes right in front of the apartment building, but it never bothers me. I actually find them to be interesting and don't mind having a crew and people around. There's one WalMart commercial on now where I can recognize my own apartment, which I get a kick out of.
The parking garage across the street is very convenient and I've never had a problem with it. Unfortunately, car thefts happen in every area of LA and the garage management has been good about distributing flyers about any thefts in the area, although this was luckily never a problem for me. There are also visible security guards at the garage at all hours, so I felt safe walking back to my place later at night and they are available to walk you home, if you ask them.
It does get hot, so I leave the windows open and purchased a good fan from Target. And it can get noisy...typical city noises...cars, horns, etc. But at night it's usually quiet, especially during the week days.
The management is very nice and responsive. There is shopping very nearby -- a post office, stationary store, Bof A, cafes, and stores along Wilshire. I work in W. Hollywood, and it only takes me about 15 mins. to drive to work.