Do you think Los Angeles is misunderstood/misrepresented? (living, suburb)

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I'm in the middle on this one. I was here for an exploratory trip last summer and found a Los Angeles that was so much unlike the one I always heard about. However, living here is very different and now my opinion of the city is more in line with how LA looks on paper.

This is a fantastic city, though. Hidden gems can be found in every corner of the city. LA has one of the better transit systems in America outside the major ones, though this one hates taking it. So many people don't even know LA has a subway.

People here are friendly. You have your fakes, but the Hollywood types do not dominate the city like everyone says.

What do you think? I'm beginning to think Los Angeles isn't misunderstood at all, the city has exactly what it advertises on paper. Though some things are clearly under/overstated and you kind of have to visit to get a feel for the place, unlike say a regular urban city.

[Matador1]

What do you mean by "misunderstood"? At first, you didn't think LA was like "the one [you] always heard about." However, now that you've lived here for a while, you think it is in fact the same as it "looks on paper."

Is this a faithful summary of your post? If so, it sounds like you may have been the only one misunderstanding it . . . .

[The Illusive Man]

It definitely is. Most people have no clue about LA. I hear LA haters claim that LA is a gang-infested city while the same person will say LA is full of blonder surfers that drink nothing but lattes, etc. How does that even make sense?

It's a little of everything in reality. Probably one of weirdest and most unique cities in the country. I was born and raised here and there is still areas I haven't seen and am blown away when I experience them. In both good ways and bad. I love the city though, but I myself am very much like the city, if that makes sense.

It's definitely not boring. There is always something interesting going on. That's what I love most about it.

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Originally Posted by Matador1

What do you mean by "misunderstood"? At first, you didn't think LA was like "the one [you] always heard about." However, now that you've lived here for a while, you think it is in fact the same as it "looks on paper."

Is this a faithful summary of your post? If so, it sounds like you may have been the only one misunderstanding it . . . .

No, that would be taken out of context. It's no secret that it's hard to get an idea of what LA is like. It wasn't just me.

[hockfan86]

What is a regular urban city? LA is far more dense than pretty much every suburb and it has the third most highrises in the country (not all in one place). It also has over 3 million people. It's different than a lot of other major cities, but "unurban" it is not.

[Matador1]

It's no secret that it's hard to get an idea of what LA is like. It wasn't just me.

OK, I get it, and I had the same problem. Before I visited LA, I was told that it would be hard to get an idea of what LA's really like. Just from talking to other people, it was really easy to get the impression that it's hard to get the right impression of LA. But I found out all those people were wrong!

The most misunderstood part of LA is that no one is misunderstanding it. It's all right there on the paper.

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Originally Posted by Matador1

OK, I get it, and I had the same problem. Before I visited LA, I was told that it would be hard to get an idea of what LA's really like. Just from talking to other people, it was really easy to get the impression that it's hard to get the right impression of LA. But I found out all those people were wrong!

The most misunderstood part of LA is that no one is misunderstanding it. It's all right there on the paper.

I'm not disagreeing, but it's evident that a lot of people do. Just browse through these forums.

[Nightscape]

^
You included

[nightlysparrow]

"LA" is so huge and diverse, people only get a feel for part of it at a time. It's like the parable of the blind men and the elephant (India):

Six blind men feel different parts of an elephant's body. One feels a leg and says an elephant is like a pillar; one feels the tail and says an elephant is like a rope; one feels the trunk and says an elephant is like a tree branch; one feels the ear and says an elephant is like a hand fan; one feels the belly and says an elephant is like a wall; and one feels the tusk and says an elephant is like a solid pipe.

[hipcat]

My take is to enjoy LA. You got to live in LA and have a feel of the quirks that you won't see as a vistor.