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Here is a guy, Nomadic Matt, that travels as a way of life. His observations about Los Angeles explore the exact notion that preconceived notions of LA ultimately may be why so many people dislike LA or believe it has an inferior or underdeveloped culture. Matt writes, "I wonder then if I really hate L.A. or do I just think I hate L.A.?" Why Do I Hate L.A.? | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
As to Europeans getting LA more than citizens of the US, it's impossible to measure, perhaps they carry fewer preconceived notions about LA and are more open minded. However, 153,000 more European immigrants call the Chicago metro home (377,000 total) than the LA metro. So it could be argued that Europeans prefer living and working in Chicago by voting with their feet.
About one-third of all European-born immigrants lived in three metropolitan areas: the greater New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas.
In 2010, the greater New York metropolitan area had the largest number of European immigrants, with about 911,000, or 19 percent, of the European born in the United States. The greater Chicago metropolitan area was second with 377,000 (8 percent), followed by the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area with 224,000 (5 percent). European Immigrants in the United States | migrationpolicy.org
I believe that nearly any visit to any city is greatly improved if a local is willing to guide the visitor along. In LA where it is very difficult to get around without a car and many of the top attractions are outside of the actual city this may be even more true. In comparison, a tourist can show up in Chicago, San Fran, NYC, etc.. just start walking around from street fair to museum to beach to dinner to hotel to opera, hail a cab, take the subway etc.. ask people on the street for travel advice(be careful ha).
^ I grew up going to LA every year of my life for my first 21 or so years. I like LA, but I like Chicago a LOT more. Though I think LA is getting better and LA is cultural
Here is a guy, Nomadic Matt, that travels as a way of life. His observations about Los Angeles explore the exact notion that preconceived notions of LA ultimately may be why so many people dislike LA or believe it has an inferior or underdeveloped culture. Matt writes, "I wonder then if I really hate L.A. or do I just think I hate L.A.?" Why Do I Hate L.A.? | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
As to Europeans getting LA more than citizens of the US, it's impossible to measure, perhaps they carry fewer preconceived notions about LA and are more open minded. However, 153,000 more European immigrants call the Chicago metro home (377,000 total) than the LA metro. So it could be argued that Europeans prefer living and working in Chicago by voting with their feet.
About one-third of all European-born immigrants lived in three metropolitan areas: the greater New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas.
In 2010, the greater New York metropolitan area had the largest number of European immigrants, with about 911,000, or 19 percent, of the European born in the United States. The greater Chicago metropolitan area was second with 377,000 (8 percent), followed by the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area with 224,000 (5 percent). European Immigrants in the United States | migrationpolicy.org
I believe that nearly any visit to any city is greatly improved if a local is willing to guide the visitor along. In LA where it is very difficult to get around without a car and many of the top attractions are outside of the actual city this may be even more true. In comparison, a tourist can show up in Chicago, San Fran, NYC, etc.. just start walking around from street fair to museum to beach to dinner to hotel to opera, hail a cab, take the subway etc.. ask people on the street for travel advice(be careful ha).
When a self-professed travel explorer writes that Los Angeles has no neighborhoods, you really have to question the quality of perception. My perspective on L.A. is well-informed and experienced, and though I don't LOOOOVE the town I see merits others have no license to overlook with their armchair analyses. Dumb statements invite rebuttal.
Here is a guy, Nomadic Matt, that travels as a way of life. His observations about Los Angeles explore the exact notion that preconceived notions of LA ultimately may be why so many people dislike LA or believe it has an inferior or underdeveloped culture. Matt writes, "I wonder then if I really hate L.A. or do I just think I hate L.A.?" Why Do I Hate L.A.? | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
As to Europeans getting LA more than citizens of the US, it's impossible to measure, perhaps they carry fewer preconceived notions about LA and are more open minded. However, 153,000 more European immigrants call the Chicago metro home (377,000 total) than the LA metro. So it could be argued that Europeans prefer living and working in Chicago by voting with their feet.
About one-third of all European-born immigrants lived in three metropolitan areas: the greater New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas.
In 2010, the greater New York metropolitan area had the largest number of European immigrants, with about 911,000, or 19 percent, of the European born in the United States. The greater Chicago metropolitan area was second with 377,000 (8 percent), followed by the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area with 224,000 (5 percent). European Immigrants in the United States | migrationpolicy.org
I believe that nearly any visit to any city is greatly improved if a local is willing to guide the visitor along. In LA where it is very difficult to get around without a car and many of the top attractions are outside of the actual city this may be even more true. In comparison, a tourist can show up in Chicago, San Fran, NYC, etc.. just start walking around from street fair to museum to beach to dinner to hotel to opera, hail a cab, take the subway etc.. ask people on the street for travel advice(be careful ha).
I'm not surprised that Chicago has more European immigrants than LA. I'd be shocked if Chicago had even a fraction of LA's Asian immigrant population though.
Nomadic Matt makes some good points about opinions being colored by one's preconceptions, but it sounds like he didn't try very hard to so see the real city. If he's being honest when he says "Everyone I meet in L.A. is trying to make it as an actor or as a writer of a screenplay" (spoiler alert: he's lying) then he must be hanging out in some very specific places that aren't representative of the city as a whole, actively seeking out wanabee actors and actresses. Remember: the entertainment industry (film, TV, music) represents less than 10% of LA's GDP.
Maybe you're right about visitors having a better experience here if they have a guide. It seems like some visitors have very bad ideas of what's worth visiting when they come here. Case in point: Nomadic Matt includes photos of Hollywood Blvd and Rodeo Drive, two places I wouldn't send tourists in a million years.
If I had to come up with an itinerary for a visitor to get a better sense of what the city has to offer, if would look something like this:
Visit Griffith Observatory at sunset. Enjoy the view over the basin, then pop inside the observatory to watch a demo of a Tesla coil and catch a planetarium show.
Hike the Runyon Canyon loop with the locals.
Do a walking tour of Downtown LA- Maybe the historic theaters on Broadway. Stop by Grand Central Market for lunch.
Do a scenic drive down Mulholland Drive. Stop at the pulloffs to take in the views of both the LA Basin and the San Fernando Valley.
Check out the collections at LACMA- the biggest art museum on the west coast.
Take the tram up to the Getty Center and enjoy the art, the views, and the architecture.
Take a drive up the PCH into Malibu to enjoy the cliffside beaches. Stop by the Getty Villa on the way and pretend you're in Italy.
Visit the Arts District and check out all the murals and street art. Walk over the LA River and reenact your favorite scene from Terminator 2 or Grease.
Skip Chinatown and head to LA's real Chinatown: the San Gabriel Valley. Dim Sum!
Head to Echo Park or Boyle Heights and enjoy the best authentic tacos you will have in your life.
Visit the nation's biggest Koreatown for some Korean BBQ, then do karaoke until the wee hours of the night.
Visit Venice Beach. Walk the Boardwalk at least once, then take a walk through the Venice canals and drool over the homes.
Visit Little Tokyo or Little Osaka for some amazing sushi or raman.
Catch an outdoor movie screening in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (yes, this exists. Google 'cinespia')
Marine Day Trip: Take the ferry from Long Beach over to Catalina Island
Marine Day Trip 2: Head south to Newport Beach and do a whalewatching tour
Desert Day Trip: Drive out to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park
Coastal Day Trip: Take the Amtrak up to Santa Barbara
Alpine Day Trip: Drive up to Sequoia National Park and see some really, really big trees
Notice the Beverly Hills, Hollywood Blvd, Universal Studios, or Disney Land appear nowhere on my list
Last edited by DistrictDirt; 04-09-2014 at 05:09 PM..
I'm not surprised that Chicago has more European immigrants than LA. I'd be shocked if Chicago had even a fraction of LA's Asian immigrant population though.
I think you meant a large fraction? Because every part of a larger part is a fraction. You're right though that Chicago proper's Asian population is not like LA's - LA has one of the largest ones in the nation or percentage wise. Regarding the Asian population in Chicago - it's the only major racial group as far as I'm aware that actually gained population between 2000 and 2010 growing 17% (+22,000 people for "Asian Alone") and about 25% for Cook County. The American Indian population grew too, but it was low to begin with. Chicago city is 5.5% Asian, though in 2000 it was 4.35%.
I moved to Chicago, specifically downtown, in 2009. Around then it wasn't really noticeably majorly Asian walking around. However, these days it's MUCH more noticeably Asian in my neighborhood and even in my building alone there's been a huge influx in the last 1.5-2 years. 2009 is when most of that data was collected, when I said that I moved in. There are some census tracts around me pushing 30% Asian at that time, so I would not be at all surprised if a few of these are now closer to 40% or higher downtown in all honesty.
Asian food is pretty popular too (specifically Thai and Sushi, of course). Even in a few primarily white yuppie neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Lakeview there has been a big influx in a few areas of new Asian restaurants alone. I'm thinking about one specifically not THAT far south of Wrigley Field which in the last year a new Korean place, Asian "tapas" place, Indian place, Asian street food place, Thai place, and Chinese place have all opened up within one block of one another where it used to be mainly more American style food.
In any case, there are many suburbs that are more Asian than Chicago itself though, even if the population is increase recently. There's been some interesting migration. Chicago area has a fairly big Korean population (obviously not as big as LA's) and there is a Koreatown in Chicago. However, Koreatown is like 1/4 to 1/2 of what it used to be because as the Koreans got more $$, they moved to the nearby suburbs. So you have suburbs right outside of Chicago that have a lot of Koreans or Asians and some areas with not much English.
Here's a look at some of the suburbs in the Chicago area that have at least 10% Asian population (City has to have 7000+ people - most have 10,000+):
* Morton Grove | 23270 total population | 28.05% Asian
* Lincolnwood | 12590 people | 26.67%
* Skokie | 64784 people | 25.54%
* Oak Brook | 7883 people | 23.24%
* Hoffman Estates | 51895 people | 22.66%
* Glendale Heights | 34208 people | 22.14%
* Schaumburg | 74227 people | 19.85%
* Vernon Hills | 25113 people | 19.34%
* Niles | 29803 people | 16.7%
* Buffalo Grove | 41496 people | 16%
* Hanover Park | 37973 people | 15.18%
* Streamwood | 39858 people | 15%
* Naperville | 141853 people | 14.92%
* Burr Ridge | 10559 people | 14.85%
* Carol Stream | 39711 people | 14.63%
* Barlett | 41208 people | 14.36%
* Willowbrook | 8540 people | 13.51%
* Wheeling | 37648 people | 12.91%
* Round Lake | 18289 people | 12.79%
* Bloomingdale | 22018 people | 12.68%
* Westmont | 24685 people | 12.51%
* Glenview | 44692 people | 12.46%
* Long Grove | 8043 people | 11.95%
* Lisle | 22390 people | 11.94%
* Darien | 22086 people | 11.86%
* Mount Prospect | 54167 people | 11.7%
* Northbrook | 33170 people | 11.68%
* Gurnee | 31295 people | 11.58%
* Bolingbrook | 73366 people | 11.39%
* Des Plaines | 58364 people | 11.44%
* Inverness | 7399 people | 11.19%
* Wilmette | 27087 people | 10.77%
* Elk Grove Village | 33127 people | 10.11%
If you add all of those together, the total population is 1,202,797 of which 187,025 are Asian. That amounts to 15.5% Asian in these suburbs. LA proper is 11.3% Asian - but I'm not comparing the two - just giving a baseline. I'm well aware that many suburbs in the LA area are very Asian.
Nomadic Matt makes some good points about opinions being colored by one's preconceptions, but it sounds like he didn't try very hard to so see the real city. If he's being honest when he says "Everyone I meet in L.A. is trying to make it as an actor or as a writer of a screenplay" (spoiler alert: he's lying) then he must be hanging out in some very specific places that aren't representative of the city as a whole, actively seeking out wanabee actors and actresses. Remember: the entertainment industry (film, TV, music) represents less than 10% of LA's GDP.
Maybe you're right about visitors having a better experience here if they have a guide. It seems like some visitors have very bad ideas of what's worth visiting when they come here. Case in point: Nomadic Matt includes photos of Hollywood Blvd and Rodeo Drive, two places I wouldn't send tourists in a million years.
I'm not defending Nomadic Matt, but not seeing the 'real city' is pretty typical of most tourists. The thing with LA is that people do have preconceptions about the city and the touristy things aren't very centralized. The more seasoned visitor will go across the area and see the sites that they want and not care, but a fickle tourist who just wants to see Hollywood and Disney is going to be a bit upset.
The touristy stuff is an area that Chicago excels in. A fickle tourist can get a hotel downtown and be surrounded by many restaurants, the city's top museums, parks, the beach, downtown shopping, and Navy Pier. Many of the sites can be accessed quickly via public transit or a quick cab ride from their hotels. The traveler who wants to explore more will see the rest of Chicago in a way that a typical LA visitor will have to do since they're going from point A to point B, but they're also less likely to get upset with Chicago since they knew what they were getting into in that regard.
Chicago also has less of a preconceived image to live up to, and instead some people are too busy being shocked downtown is clean for a big city and that there isn't blood running in the streets. The city's tourism department really needs to focus on getting the city's image improved on the domestic level in that regard.
It honestly just comes down to how each of these city's are set up. If LA's sites were more centralized I bet you LA would be ranked higher on those traveler's lists.
Why would I have trouble letting go when Chicago got destroyed in this thread
LA only won because the OP added iconic to the thread and the fact that sadly some people believe that actors somehow translate to readily available amenities that effect your architecture, lifestyle etc. Angelenos that post here should ask themselves this question: Do actors really translate to "culture".
While it is true that LA has the most population of Mexicans in the country just look on a freaking map and you'll see why it has that large population. Someone will probably retort with something like "Well name one thing that Chicago culturally excels in" so I will go ahead and name one right now. Chicago is nowhere near Poland and yet it has the largest population of Poles in the WORLD outside of Warsaw so I really do not want to hear the dumb stereotype that Chicago has no culture and that this is just an inferiority complex showing. I find that most comparisons here go like this.*insert Morgan Freeman voice* In the beginning, there was peaceful debate. New Yorkers/Angelenos show up and insecurely bash Chicago at least ten times in the first five pages of a 174560157610165876 page thread. The first three responses to the bashing are seen as a huge inferiority complex. Heavy fighting begins then some shoes are thrown, it gets ugly. Moderator comes in and saves us all from an eternity of fighting with people who insist that their city is number 1 no matter what links are shown, facts are given etc.*normal voice*
LA only won because the OP added iconic to the thread and the fact that sadly some people believe that actors somehow translate to readily available amenities that effect your architecture, lifestyle etc. Angelenos that post here should ask themselves this question: Do actors really translate to "culture".
While it is true that LA has the most population of Mexicans in the country just look on a freaking map and you'll see why it has that large population. Someone will probably retort with something like "Well name one thing that Chicago culturally excels in" so I will go ahead and name one right now. Chicago is nowhere near Poland and yet it has the largest population of Poles in the WORLD outside of Warsaw so I really do not want to hear the dumb stereotype that Chicago has no culture and that this is just an inferiority complex showing. I find that most comparisons here go like this.*insert Morgan Freeman voice* In the beginning, there was peaceful debate. New Yorkers/Angelenos show up and insecurely bash Chicago at least ten times in the first five pages of a 174560157610165876 page thread. The first three responses to the bashing are seen as a huge inferiority complex. Heavy fighting begins then some shoes are thrown, it gets ugly. Moderator comes in and saves us all from an eternity of fighting with people who insist that their city is number 1 no matter what links are shown, facts are given etc.*normal voice*
So you believe if it was a thread based solely on the culture and soul of the city, leaving icons and name recognition out, that Chicago would win? Not disagreeing with you, but curious why you think Chicago is more cultured than LA? Also, I voted for Chicago.
LA only won because the OP added iconic to the thread and the fact that sadly some people believe that actors somehow translate to readily available amenities that effect your architecture, lifestyle etc. Angelenos that post here should ask themselves this question: Do actors really translate to "culture".
And the answer is an obvious "yes".
Saying that LA is only iconic because of Hollywood may be true, but is frankly a silly statement.
It's like saying "NYC is only iconic because it's the world capital" or "Rio is only iconic because it's gorgeous", "Rome is only iconic because of the history and Vatican". Uh, yeah, and?
The fact is that LA is more iconic than Chicago, and by a lot. The "why" is irrelevant. Who cares because its mostly because of Hollywood, and to a lesser extent the Beach/SoCal lifestyle?
Chicago is nowhere near Poland and yet it has the largest population of Poles in the WORLD outside of Warsaw so I really do not want to hear the dumb stereotype that Chicago has no culture and that this is just an inferiority complex showing.
There are more Poles in NYC than in Chicago. This is true both comparing cities and metros.
What this has to do with the thread topic is beyond me, though.
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