LA in the movies; is the portrayal accurate ? (Los Angeles, Beverly Hills: appointed, crime rate)

[ninob1213]

Whats up California? I always wanted to know do you residents think your home is portrayed in the right sense from Movies and TV? I want to go out there one day but I don't know what I'm in for. A few things I really want to know are as follows: how is the social interaction?, is life there like the movie Crash, ? When I say that I mean is there a strong prejudice between races? Also, Is it the gang culture prevalent to the point where you cant go into a 'hood without having problems or does that only apply to other gangstas and races that don't belong in that neighborhood which kind of coincides with the first question. And what about that hollywood- lifestyle that everyone seems to want to live. I'm not down with all that fake glitzy stuff, and I don't want to get in the entertainment industry. But I can't front, the allure of California's offerings have me strongly considering going to college there vs. Heading out to NYC which is always been a dream. So c'mon and give me the rundown.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by ninob1213

Whats up California? I always wanted to know do you residents think your home is portrayed in the right sense from Movies and TV? I want to go out there one day but I don't know what I'm in for. A few things I really want to know are as follows: how is the social interaction?, is life there like the movie Crash, ? When I say that I mean is there a strong prejudice between races?

Not as strong as in other places but it does exist. Much of it is very heavily tied to gang rivalries. There are times when stuff like as in what was depicted in Crash happens (i.e. the Lily Burk murder) and you hear about more racism from people other than bangers but usually it's a matter of haters being more vocal rather than new haters.

Also, Is it the gang culture prevalent to the point where you cant go into a 'hood without having problems or does that only apply to other gangstas and races that don't belong in that neighborhood which kind of coincides with the first question.

Depends upon the gang/hood. There are areas in both categories but there are also areas in which you wouldn't even know gangs exist, not to mention there are other areas with no gang presence.

And what about that hollywood- lifestyle that everyone seems to want to live. I'm not down with all that fake glitzy stuff, and I don't want to get in the entertainment industry. But I can't front, the allure of California's offerings have me strongly considering going to college there vs. Heading out to NYC which is always been a dream. So c'mon and give me the rundown.

I'd pick NYC over LA. Even with the jobs lost to the Wall Street meltdown it still has less unemployment and a much better nightlife not to mention better food. And at least in NY you get paid more to make up for it being an expensive city, not the case in LA.

[ferretkona]

It is really much like everywhere else, some bad some good. There are places you may feel at home with and areas you want to run from. But mostly good. The beaches are not full of beautiful women in bikinis, Quite a few over weight men and women in speedos. Some pretty girls, but don't bother them. Dating is easier in smaller towns, too many people here are looking to trade up. Hollywood is not paved in gold, in fact it is where the bums sleep and pan handle.

If you visit or move here expecting anything like on TV you will be sorely disappointed.
Expect a lot of road rage, traffic can be flowing at 80 mph and come to a screaming stop for hours. People usually forget the blinkers, that safe space you might be used to using in front of your car, forget it - if you leave 50 feet you will get cut off and flipped off at.

A bright spot. Good fruit and vegies, fresh fish.

[bhcompy]

Hard to say, does Law & Order show New York(and surrounding areas) realistically? I guess you could say it shows a few parts, but it's not anywhere near the whole of things. LA is the same way essentially, movies like Crash, Heat, and Collateral show parts, and may show those parts accurately, but LA is so huge that they all miss big chunks of the big picture.

[nickdahammer]

Sounds like you wanted to go to NYC all along. Looks like stereotype reinforcement, especially if you're using 'Crash' as a template.

[ninob1213]

Originally Posted by nickdahammer

Sounds like you wanted to go to NYC all along. Looks like stereotype reinforcement, especially if you're using 'Crash' as a template.

LOL I will admit that is my top choice. I know everything there is to know about NYC so I won't really be surprised, that is, generally speaking. But LA I know nothing about it, and I'm trying to learn as i'm from the south-east, a whole 'nother world . If CA isn't that chill-lax care-free liberal mentality paradise that I imagine it to be, what is the point of millions of people moving there? I try not to look at things from a jaded perspective, but from a panoramic see-it-all view.

[NewCalifornian]

I've also seen L.A. just through movies and music videos. But when I visited the city, I was very surprised. It is by far the ugliest city I've ever seen. Nothing is beautiful there, nothing.
Downtown has extremely ugly stores, you feel like in a ghetto. Everyone is speaking Spanish and there is dirt everywhere!
Hollywood is not that spectacular. It just looks like a wealthy neighborhood. Nobody has a yard as big as they show e.g. in music videos or movies and the streets in Beverly Hills are very narrow.
I don't need to talk about the rest of L.A. It is just a huge ghetto, although I haven't seen any gangs yet. There are almost no plants in this city, but the streets are as bad as in NYC, the condition and the traffic.
When we returned and I took a bath, I realized that I had some weird parasites in my hair (definitely because of Downtown). Really, there is nothing to see in Los Angeles.

PS: And no, thousands of high-qualified, well-paid citizens are moving out, while millions of low-paid workers are moving in. If you want to move to California, better have a well-paid job because the taxes and prices for the same standard of living as e.g. in the South are way higher.

[nickdahammer]

Are your other five posts this funny?

I'd check 'em out but I'm too busy rolling in la suciedad.

Originally Posted by NewCalifornian

I've also seen L.A. just through movies and music videos. But when I visited the city, I was very surprised. It is by far the ugliest city I've ever seen. Nothing is beautiful there, nothing.
Downtown has extremely ugly stores, you feel like in a ghetto. Everyone is speaking Spanish and there is dirt everywhere!
Hollywood is not that spectacular. It just looks like a wealthy neighborhood. Nobody has a yard as big as they show e.g. in music videos or movies and the streets in Beverly Hills are very narrow.
I don't need to talk about the rest of L.A. It is just a huge ghetto, although I haven't seen any gangs yet. There are almost no plants in this city, but the streets are as bad as in NYC, the condition and the traffic.
When we returned and I took a bath, I realized that I had some weird parasites in my hair (definitely because of Downtown). Really, there is nothing to see in Los Angeles.

PS: And no, thousands of high-qualified, well-paid citizens are moving out, while millions of low-paid workers are moving in. If you want to move to California, better have a well-paid job because the taxes and prices for the same standard of living as e.g. in the South are way higher.

[A.J._in_L.A.]

Originally Posted by NewCalifornian

I've also seen L.A. just through movies and music videos. But when I visited the city, I was very surprised. It is by far the ugliest city I've ever seen. Nothing is beautiful there, nothing.
Downtown has extremely ugly stores, you feel like in a ghetto. Everyone is speaking Spanish and there is dirt everywhere!
Hollywood is not that spectacular. It just looks like a wealthy neighborhood. Nobody has a yard as big as they show e.g. in music videos or movies and the streets in Beverly Hills are very narrow.
I don't need to talk about the rest of L.A. It is just a huge ghetto, although I haven't seen any gangs yet. There are almost no plants in this city, but the streets are as bad as in NYC, the condition and the traffic.
When we returned and I took a bath, I realized that I had some weird parasites in my hair (definitely because of Downtown). Really, there is nothing to see in Los Angeles.

PS: And no, thousands of high-qualified, well-paid citizens are moving out, while millions of low-paid workers are moving in. If you want to move to California, better have a well-paid job because the taxes and prices for the same standard of living as e.g. in the South are way higher.

Oh jeez. Everyone, don't feed the trolls.

[fatmancomics]

To the OP: Don't come. You already have an attitude that is leaning towards the negative and I'm sure that your expectations will be met once you get here because, frankly, you'll probably go looking for what you expect.
To NewCalifornian: Then get the Moderator cut: language out. Seriously, go back to the pristine south. I guess unpaved streets and blatant racism is better than dirty ones and class separation.
The bottom line is that money is what separates us in L.A. while in most other parts of the country it is based more on the amount of melanin your skin produces. Yes, there are bad areas but name me one metropolis in this entire world where that isn't the case.
In L.A. you can find an area where there are no gangs and the crime rate is almost nill and you can stay in that area and still manage to find everything (including nightlife) that you need. Can you do that in NY? Not from what I hear.
To quote Swingers: "At least out here you can avoid trouble. In New York trouble comes looking for you."