Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
public transport and LA should not even be in the same sentence. Los Angeles has one of the most pathetic public transport systems of any mega city I have been to. It's a complete shame that such a large area has such incredibly lame and poorly functioning public transit.
I'm not sure how long you have lived here, I have lived here close to 2 decades, in the South Bay to the Valley and now in Orange County.
public transport and LA should not even be in the same sentence. Los Angeles has one of the most pathetic public transport systems of any mega city I have been to. It's a complete shame that such a large area has such incredibly lame and poorly functioning public transit.
I'm not sure how long you have lived here, I have lived here close to 2 decades, in the South Bay to the Valley and now in Orange County.
Most of my life, lived in ATL for 5 years, NO for 3, now back in LA. I know it's substandard to other global cities, but it's better than ATL for sure. You can get to a decent number of places on Marta like the (Airport, Buckhead, areas around centennial park/CNN center etc...) but the bus system is pretty terrible. In LA, you can't get to the airport or the Westside yet, and the train system is not all the way there yet for the entire county, but the bus system is pretty extensive. But I'm really only talking about the city of Los Angeles and especially not Orange county. At least in Orange County you can take Metrolink into DTLA, but there really aren't viable options for people like that in Atlanta who live in the suburbs. But yeah, I'm not really trying to pump up metro until the expo, purple, regional connector, gold line extension, & Crenshaw/LAX are completed.
Lot of non sensible people here.. nobody is making points that make any sense. This thread is comical at best.
I think jamills post directly above yours makes sense...
k374 clearly has some sort of axe to grind. Also should be noted the Valley, OC and South Bay are the three regions in LA with the worst transit, and by a long-shot.
By the way k374, my wife happens to work in DTLA - not only does she not flee right after work, at least a few times a week my baby daughter and I leave the "safe-haven" of Pasadena to trek into the dystopian nightmare that is DTLA to spend time... And to get there, we take the lame and poorly functioning public transit system.
By the way k374, my wife happens to work in DTLA - not only does she not flee right after work, at least a few times a week my baby daughter
yes, buddy, downtown LA is indeed very safe... if YOU say so Because you are the expert right? Get to know your own city properly before highlighting your ignorance! You clearly know nothing about LA so I suggest you just refrain from saying anything more!
Los Angeles - Gang capital of the world, and downtown LA is ground zero for tremendous violence. I have been in downtown LA as well in the evening but that doesn't mean the violence isn't there... I am always really careful when hanging out around there after nightfall.
It has long been known that Los Angeles area has some of the most violent gangs in the entire nation. Infact, one of the most notorious and violent gangs to ever exist, MS-13, was born in Los Angeles and has a large presence here.
public transport and LA should not even be in the same sentence. Los Angeles has one of the most pathetic public transport systems of any mega city I have been to. It's a complete shame that such a large area has such incredibly lame and poorly functioning public transit.
I'm not sure how long you have lived here, I have lived here close to 2 decades, in the South Bay to the Valley and now in Orange County.
In my 4 years of living in Los Angeles I find public transportation pretty good for me. I actually drive less here than I did in the Seattle and DC areas. Public transportation is so abundant I don't even check schedules. I just walk out my front door. Plus it's cheap. When I moved here I chose to live close to work and near good public transportation and not some far out suburb, knowing public transportation would not be that great. And that's with any city I lived in. As far as DTLA you are so far off. It is the hottest area in the region by far. What rock are you living under?
I think it's safe to say that Southern California, and LA specifically, isn't exactly the "glamorous paradise" that most people around the world are fooled into believing it is by the entertainment industry. I know when I visited SoCal for the first time years ago, I was shocked to discover that LA was a big, crowded, dirty, industrial city ... with some nice areas scattered here and there, just like ALL cities. What you see on TV and in the movies is NOT reality, and yet ... a lot of people who LIVE in LA seem to buy into the same fantasy and media hype, which is totally odd. I've got a few good friends who were born and raised in LA (as well as some who've moved out there) who have a grounded, realistic attitude about the place. But I've met far more people over the years who, for whatever reason, literally believed the entire world revolved around SoCal and there was no other place in America that even warranted a visit, much less a place to live. I've even met people who've lived their entire lives in California and never left the state!
Just an example: A few years ago, through my job in Atlanta, I made friends long-distance with a guy who worked for one of the entertainment PR firms in LA. He was a third-generation Chinese American who grew up in Monterrey Park. His parents and grandparents didn't speak English and he still lived at home -- very typical of the kind of international culture you find in LA. Anyways, this guy was fascinated that I lived in Atlanta (and couldn't understand why I didn't have a Southern accent). I'll be honest, at first he was pretty insulting with some of the his comments, but after awhile we found some common ground -- especially after one of his best friends confessed to LOVING Atlanta!
He wasn't a dumb guy. He had a degree from UCLA and worked with media reps all over the country. Though in his late 20s, the only place in the country he'd EVER been outside California was NYC. And he sincerely believed that there wasn't much in between worth knowing about, much less visiting. He was completely sold on the belief that Los Angeles and NYC were the only places that mattered. He was amazingly naive of anything outside California, especially the South, and harbored all kinds of silly ideas about what life was like in Georgia.
To make a long story short, he ended up coming to Atlanta for a conference and we got to hang out, see the city, go to all the gay clubs, etc. To put it mildly, he was blown away by how nice Atlanta was ... just as surprised, I guess, as I was the first time I visited LA and discovered it wasn't anything like Hollywood projects. Before the weekend was out, he was ready to move (though her didn't ... LOL!)
Now, of course that's an extreme example and I'm not suggesting everybody in LA is so naive. But my experience through the years is that far too many people in Southern California have very little knowledge of what's "out there" ... and are completely content in their naivete. Suffice it to say, the rest of the country knows a LOT more about California than Californians know about the rest of the country. And that's just weird.
FYI ... here's a nice photo spread for all those who still think Atlanta is just a sprawling, ugly mess with no history, soul, character or walkable urban neighborhoods ...
I think it's safe to say that Southern California, and LA specifically, isn't exactly the "glamorous paradise" that most people around the world are fooled into believing it is by the entertainment industry. I know when I visited SoCal for the first time years ago, I was shocked to discover that LA was a big, crowded, dirty, industrial city ... with some nice areas scattered here and there, just like ALL cities. What you see on TV and in the movies is NOT reality, and yet ... a lot of people who LIVE in LA seem to buy into the same fantasy and media hype, which is totally odd. I've got a few good friends who were born and raised in LA (as well as some who've moved out there) who have a grounded, realistic attitude about the place. But I've met far more people over the years who, for whatever reason, literally believed the entire world revolved around SoCal and there was no other place in America that even warranted a visit, much less a place to live. I've even met people who've lived their entire lives in California and never left the state!
Just an example: A few years ago, through my job in Atlanta, I made friends long-distance with a guy who worked for one of the entertainment PR firms in LA. He was a third-generation Chinese American who grew up in Monterrey Park. His parents and grandparents didn't speak English and he still lived at home -- very typical of the kind of international culture you find in LA. Anyways, this guy was fascinated that I lived in Atlanta (and couldn't understand why I didn't have a Southern accent). I'll be honest, at first he was pretty insulting with some of the his comments, but after awhile we found some common ground -- especially after one of his best friends confessed to LOVING Atlanta!
He wasn't a dumb guy. He had a degree from UCLA and worked with media reps all over the country. Though in his late 20s, the only place in the country he'd EVER been outside California was NYC. And he sincerely believed that there wasn't much in between worth knowing about, much less visiting. He was completely sold on the belief that Los Angeles and NYC were the only places that mattered. He was amazingly naive of anything outside California, especially the South, and harbored all kinds of silly ideas about what life was like in Georgia.
To make a long story short, he ended up coming to Atlanta for a conference and we got to hang out, see the city, go to all the gay clubs, etc. To put it mildly, he was blown away by how nice Atlanta was ... just as surprised, I guess, as I was the first time I visited LA and discovered it wasn't anything like Hollywood projects. Before the weekend was out, he was ready to move (though her didn't ... LOL!)
Now, of course that's an extreme example and I'm not suggesting everybody in LA is so naive. But my experience through the years is that far too many people in Southern California have very little knowledge of what's "out there" ... and are completely content in their naivete. Suffice it to say, the rest of the country knows a LOT more about California than Californians know about the rest of the country. And that's just weird.
Oh please.... nobody here is trying to make LA to be a paradise. You could switch your story with any big city on the planet and make it less than what it really is. Would you believe Paris actually has run down parts on the outside of the city that are verrry poor? Or that Tokyo is one of the most congested, xenophobic, expensive cities on the planet with one of the highest suicide rates? Or that Sydney has poor air quality and insane traffic? Point being...there is no perfect city. NO matter what your vacation may lead you to believe. There are so many people who believe that LA has no culture and is unlivable, but when LA people say, no...It's actually a nice place to live, then we are the delusional ones. Atlanta is a nice city, living there for 5 years, I would move back if I had to. At the same time, I like LA more and there is nothing wrong about that. So, please save me the BS and realize your playing into the same generic hating game that people who have not actually lived in Los Angeles buy into.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Because you are the expert right? 
