Seattle vs. Los Angeles! (living, best, better, places)
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There is no dispute that LA is bigger and by the numbers has more diversity in every category, including restaurants, cultural attractions, residents, top class universities... I can go on and on. I think what Seattle has going for it is a very cohesive feel for people living in its more urban neighborhoods—as a city it is a very good package for what you get.
There is no dispute that LA is bigger and by the numbers has more diversity in every category, including restaurants, cultural attractions, residents, top class universities... I can go on and on. I think what Seattle has going for it is a very cohesive feel for people living in its more urban neighborhoods—as a city it is a very good package for what you get.
Are Seattle neighborhoods more urban? I honestly don't think so. It's certainly more compact but the way Seattle is laid out, I found it harder in many ways to get around the city.without a car. Madison Park to Ballard for instance, on the bus took forever. Or Rainier Beach to Alki Beach. Its not that simple. Even when I worked in dt Bellevue it seemed a lifetime away on the bus though it was only 8 miles from my place.
Here in LA I can travel quicker from Santa Monica to DTLA on the Expo Line or DTLA to Hollywood on the subway quicker than those places I mentioned.
But can you pick two random neighborhoods five miles apart and get from one to the other any faster, if rail isn't there? LA has the start of a good rail system but the lines can still be many miles apart. Seattle's transit ridership is far higher than LA's per capita and it's a mix of layout and service.
LA has a much larger core area that is served decently well by mass transit and with decent walkable neighborhoods than Seattle does. LA also has a lot more sprawl than Seattle has. All of this is because Los Angeles is simply a much larger and more populous city / metropolitan area.
These are both pretty great cities overall and personal preferences and circumstances basically put one over the other. I'm from Los Angeles and just slightly prefer Seattle as I like its weather and natural surroundings more.
But can you pick two random neighborhoods five miles apart and get from one to the other any faster, if rail isn't there? LA has the start of a good rail system but the lines can still be many miles apart. Seattle's transit ridership is far higher than LA's per capita and it's a mix of layout and service.
I realize a higher percentage of Seattleites take public transit, but that's not surprising. But not many options. Buses are by far the main option. At least wherever I lived in LA I've always had options, bus, lightrail, subway, drive or Uber. I know its hard to believe but I actually drive less here than when I lived in Seattle. Bus service is covered by not only Metro but Santa Monica Blue Bus and Culver City Buses. Metro Bus service from DTLA to Santa Monica down Wilshire, Santa Monica, Olympic and Pico Blvds runs 24 hrs a day. Also with the Regional Connector coming things will really change.
Downtown Los Angeles creams Downtown Seattle: much bigger, much more dense and much more interesting with a lot of grits and cool Tribeca like hoods. It's a lot safer than Seattle's.
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