Grime in Los Angeles (Sacramento: condos, how much, neighborhoods)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 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.
[quote=FromNYC2LA;18831137 My wife and I used to think that Coney Island was one of the most disgusting and vile places we have ever visited.[/quote]
Coney Island is a world onto itself. It has been one of the most decayed and bizarre areas for years, but recently I heard they're even beginning to gentrify that area with theme restaurants and malls. This has been in progress since the "Cyclones" stadium was built.
[quote=FromNYC2LA;18831137 With that said, NYC has been fortunate enough to hit rock bottom and build itself back up over a couple of decades. There's no question that the NYC of today is incredibly superior to the one most feared decades ago. It really is amazing in that regard. I think because NYC is the epitome of a big city, it's easy to kind of accept its imperfections as just another part of the big city experience.[/quote]
Personally I don't find it all that amazing anymore. Just more expensive, more built up and more gentrified than ever. Much of the character has been sucked out. The only constant is it's crowds. Sure there are areas with some character here or there, but by and large they've been long over-discovered, overrun by gentrification and hipsters.
[quote=FromNYC2LA;18831137 In the case of Los Angeles, its perception has been built on its weather and the TV/Film industry has fed us very a very long time. Most people when they visit or move here expect to see nothing but this sunny-filled perfect city full of glamour & glitz -- basically TV's perception of the ''good life''. I was one of them in a way. But the harsh reality of it all is that this is a humongous city with the second largest population in the country spread out very differently than NYC. And that alone is the reason why you see so many sketchy areas next to very nice ones. With the acception of Manhattan, everything else is separated in NYC and not centralized. That alone makes a world of difference.[/quote]
Personally, the mix of neighborhoods and character of the grimy parts makes me like LA more. I find that because of it's spread out nature and de-centralization, more character and interesting areas are left un-gentrified. I don't consider this a bad thing. The murders, I'm not condoning, but the character of the city and it's variety is what I'm talking about, a distinction that I feel has been largely lost in New York.
I agree that LA has all sorts of beauty to offer, and I love the mountains and above all the space. But Another thing that attracts me to it is the character of the city, it's diversity, and even it's griminess. I personally hope that it's non- centralized nature keeps it from becoming too built up.
Sherman Oaks was never really a Hollywood scene neighborhood. Celebrities lived south of Ventura Blvd. for sure, but it tended to be older folks in the hills. Now, you see a lot of famous actors and actresses and directors and such eating at restaurants there or hanging out at the bars. I was told that Sherman Oaks is a newer hotspot for them.
I've also been informed by people in the industry that the celebrities like Sherman Oaks because for the time being it's away from the papparazzi, but also more importantly, the residents don't treat them like a tourist attraction. When I saw celebrities last at a restaurant, no one approached them. Compare this to Beverly Hills or Hollywood, and not only the tourists, but the locals flock to them.
Not only that but inspite the opening of a few theatres renovated to upscale, Hollywood has become like the famous Broadway, downtown, attracting more lowscale shops, hustlas, hoodrats and drug culture than tourists. Even non celebs are discouraged from hanging out.
The NYT did a study a few months ago that showed that apartment renting is actually just as financially sound as purchasing and later selling homes, once you consider maintenance, taxes, mortgage, interest, etc. Not to mention an apartment doesn't provide the stress of home maintenance.
Of course the drawback is not owning anything nor having something to call one's own. Plus, neighbors, though house neighbors are probably worse.
The NYT did a study a few months ago that showed that apartment renting is actually just as financially sound as purchasing and later selling homes, once you consider maintenance, taxes, mortgage, interest, etc. Not to mention an apartment doesn't provide the stress of home maintenance.
Of course the drawback is not owning anything nor having something to call one's own. Plus, neighbors, though house neighbors are probably worse.
More like the bank owning it. The real estate crash killed the idea of homeownership as the "American Dream".
Besides, to keep this L.A. specific, within the city of L.A. in particular areas change all the time so being tied down to a property for 30 years isn't always a good idea (although it is sometimes)
I moved here from NYC (Astoria, Queens) back in October and certainly don't disagree on some of your points. However, there are also many beautiful and inviting areas of Los Angeles that make it incredibly unique when compared to other US cities. I have driven around LA proper and have seen exactly what you have expressed in your point. I'm not shocked by it and nor do I consider what I have seen to be any worse than what I saw in NYC. In fact, I still consider many parts of Brooklyn and Queens to be totally run down and uninviting. My wife and I used to think that Coney Island was one of the most disgusting and vile places we have ever visited. We avoided that area at all costs, and I can go on and on about other areas throughout the boroughs of NYC.
With that said, NYC has been fortunate enough to hit rock bottom and build itself back up over a couple of decades. There's no question that the NYC of today is incredibly superior to the one most feared decades ago. It really is amazing in that regard. I think because NYC is the epitome of a big city, it's easy to kind of accept its imperfections as just another part of the big city experience. In the case of Los Angeles, its perception has been built on its weather and the TV/Film industry has fed us very a very long time. Most people when they visit or move here expect to see nothing but this sunny-filled perfect city full of glamour & glitz -- basically TV's perception of the ''good life''. I was one of them in a way. But the harsh reality of it all is that this is a humongous city with the second largest population in the country spread out very differently than NYC. And that alone is the reason why you see so many sketchy areas next to very nice ones. With the acception of Manhattan, everything else is separated in NYC and not centralized. That alone makes a world of difference.
Anyway, I honestly think Los Angeles is in the beginning phases of doing what NYC did decades ago. What's keeping the process moving slowly is the lack of financial resources available at this time. Once the city finds a way to get out from under this major burden, the skies the limit. In fact, look at how many projects are being discussed for the city in the near future, especially in downtown. And with everything else in life, things decay and are then built up again to accommodate new generations of people.
Since I have lived here, I have spent most of my time on the Westside & South Bay areas. As for the valley, I actually work in Sherman Oaks and like that area a lot! Yes just north of that there are some shady areas that are unappealing. But there are also many areas of the San Fernando Valley I find quite beautiful and appealing. In fact, I am hoping to put down my domestic roots in this city and call it my permanent home.
Despite its imperfections, the cool vibe, individuality, wonderful beaches and beautiful canyons & mountains, has been enough to sell me on Los Angeles. Is it for everyone? Absolutely not! But for this ex-New Yorker, I've seen enough good here and un-tapped potential to keep me here for a long time. Oh, and having a job in the entertainment industry didn't hurt either ... lol.
Just my two cents.
excellent post. i especially wanted to highlight the bolded part above because it rings so true with me. i'm an nyc native and remember the city's bad old days very well, and saw all of the gentrification of the 1990s and 2000s firsthand. i also think your statement about the perception of LA is very accurate.
while LA certainly has its share of rundown areas, people sometimes make a bigger deal out of this fact because of unrealistic expectations. i mean, yeah, LA is an enormous city with vast differences in income - not to mention it's considerably older than a lot of people realize, especially in downtown/central LA - so it shouldn't be surprising that there are some areas that are rough around the edges (or worse). but due to preconceived notions and stereotypes, people seem to think that all of LA has to look like beverly hills or bel-air - and when they find out that it doesn't, they make sweeping, dismissive generalizations about the entire city being "dirty" and "third world".
meanwhile, grittiness is so ingrained in people's minds as a defining characteristic of nyc that people don't bash the city as much for that - in fact, i've heard plenty of people lionize the seediness, grime, and graffiti of nyc as being "real" and "gritty cool" while those same people bash LA for being "dirty" and "crappy". seriously, it's amazing how the same aspects of various cities can be perceived so differently based on one's preconceived notions or biases.
i also think that because nyc has become such a trendy place for young people to move in the past 15 years (plenty of "sex and the city" wannables, among others), it gets more of a pass with these types of things compared with LA, which is decidedly not as trendy as it was in decades past. these things go in cycles, though, so i fully expect LA's next wave of popularity with the pretentious sheeple types to come around sooner rather than later.
Coney Island is a world onto itself. It has been one of the most decayed and bizarre areas for years, but recently I heard they're even beginning to gentrify that area with theme restaurants and malls. This has been in progress since the "Cyclones" stadium was built.
you're right about coney island improving somewhat (although it's still pretty seedy IMO) - the city has had its eye on improving that area for some time, as bloomberg and his real estate cronies want to turn it into yet another playground for yuppies, poor people be damned.
to be honest, i'm skeptical about how much coney island can improve because a) it's such a long ride into manhattan and the gentrified/yuppie/hipster neighborhoods of brooklyn, which means a spiffed-up version of itself would be an island of gentrification among a sea of decidedly non-glamorous, working-class neighborhoods b) the presence of multiple low-income housing projects in the neighborhood, which are very difficult to get rid of and are a big reason for the persistent crime rates there.
Quote:
Personally I don't find it all that amazing anymore. Just more expensive, more built up and more gentrified than ever. Much of the character has been sucked out. The only constant is it's crowds. Sure there are areas with some character here or there, but by and large they've been long over-discovered, overrun by gentrification and hipsters.
i'm 100% with you on this. nyc is nowhere near as quirky, eccentric, interesting, or unique as it used to be - yet so many people, mainly transplants who've watched far too much "sex and the city", don't realize this due to the massive tidal wave of hype that the city has been riding for the past 15 years. it really saddens me; i never imagined i would've thought this in the '80s or '90s. what really gets me is how bloomberg and so many of the other transplants (not all, of course) don't seem to care one bit about the more working class and mom-and-pop elements of the neighborhoods, other than as colorful/quirky background noise. manhattan and yuppie/hipster brooklyn have become pretentious, polished playgrounds for the rich and entitled - yet the funny thing is, so many newcomers like to say how the city is "one of a kind" when in reality, block after block has the same roster of corporate chain businesses like starbucks, duane reade, chase/citibank, and now even big box stores.
Quote:
Personally, the mix of neighborhoods and character of the grimy parts makes me like LA more. I find that because of it's spread out nature and de-centralization, more character and interesting areas are left un-gentrified. I don't consider this a bad thing. The murders, I'm not condoning, but the character of the city and it's variety is what I'm talking about, a distinction that I feel has been largely lost in New York.
I agree that LA has all sorts of beauty to offer, and I love the mountains and above all the space. But Another thing that attracts me to it is the character of the city, it's diversity, and even it's griminess. I personally hope that it's non- centralized nature keeps it from becoming too built up.
i've been maintaining this exact point to my nyc-residing, LA-hating friends for years, but of course they refuse to believe that LA is anything other than this two-dimensional dystopia of extreme wealth/paris hilton-wannabes/tmz chasers on one hand and gangbangers from south central/east LA on the other.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 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 1.5 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.
seriously, it's amazing how the same aspects of various cities can be perceived so differently based on one's preconceived notions or biases.
