L.A. Love - my take on Los Angeles

[osuzana]

[quote=mike8290;11437357]

Originally Posted by destroycreate

"Los Angeles sucks," - A declaration I've heard my entire life.

Being from San Diego, LA's southern, quieter, and tamer cousin two hours south, everybody automatically had to despise LA. It was like the ugly step-sister nobody wanted to invite to their birthday party, the armpit of the nerd in class who never bothered to deoderize. Always suffocating in traffic and smog, the city was a force to be avoided. San Diego to us on the other hand, was seen as an Apple Pie American image of middle-class perfection. Lots of republicans, safe streets, sterile tract housing developments, big yards, the beach of course, and family values. Secretly though...we may all have been jealous of the excitement the northern queen offered that our city didn't.

In fact, growing up LA held such an undeserved and negative image in my head that when my family and I did visit (which was seldom), I felt as though we were entering a vortex...another country or state. The pace of life seemed more hectic and the people more plastic. I was afraid to breathe the air, be murdered by OJ Simpson, be molested by a Hollywood male streetwalker. The sky always seemed to have that afternoon look--never fully bright-happy-day, but more so somber-sunny-afternoon...a constant smokey-orange sun. Tattered stocky palm trees lined the highways, industrial wastelands pumping black smoke into the sky thrived in their destruction while being intermixed between mile-long roads of car dealerships. Where was the supposed glamour?

But today I find it a different story. As I grow older, with each visit to the city - the more I fall in love with the place. I'm not saying I'd ever live there - that'd be a breach of contract as a San Diego native - but I must admit, there's something seductive about the City of Angels. There's a feeling in the air of "yes, I damn well am the most filmed city in the world" and that **** really matters there. LA is an important financial and entertainement cosmopolatain capital of the world, ready to challenge any world class city.

Whether it's the glorious seediness of Hollywood Boulevard, the numerous overlooked ethnic neighborhoods the city has to offer, or the kitschy street murals and boutiques in Los Feliz or on Melrose, LA is a fascinating place. Nowhere in the world is there a city of its size that defies all convential images of a metropolis...you can drive for hours throughout the different sections of the city and see maybe no more than 20 pedestrians on the street. Tokyo, New York City and Shanghai all have millions of skyscrapers and bustling urban neighborhoods. But LA is a city of the car, her citizens stubbornly refusing to give up the auto-dream, frequently voting against proposed expansions of the subway lines through their neighborhoods (which of courses prolongs the city's racial segregation - perhaps intentional), despite Angelenos spending the most hours in traffic than in any other city in America. It seems in some bizarre way that her citizens are almost proud of her endless problems.

Sitting above a massive fault line that could spasm a major Earthquake at any time, LA moves on -constantly evolving, still sprawling, still polluting. People flock from all corners of the globe for the nil chance to appear on screen or in print. Living constantly on the edge makes life more exciting, right? Race riots and brush fires and traffic jams make the city...almost charming after awhile.

Personally, I love how everytime I visit the city there's a new neighborhood to be discovered that I never knew existed. A common misconception, especially amongst European travelers, is that the city is just endless sprawl. It might look this way from a rental car on the crumbling 405 Interstate, but in reality the city is quite dense and has many districts, all with a unique vibe and feel. Japantown, Koreatown, Westwood, The Jewlery District, and Boyle Heights for example, all have a very distinct aura worth experiencing.

There is a darkness of the city I find attractive, a falseness I find beautiful. I'm not here to provide a guide to the city or an elaborate explanation of my opinions, but I recommend that next time you visit, dig a little deeper than the Disney-like Santa Monica Pier or stoic Rodeo Drive. Admire the classic Art Deco architectural styles of Beverly Hills or the blighted neon of Hollywood at night, or grab some Filipino Grub in Filipinotown. Check out the boisterous body builders pumping their muscles right on the boardwalk of Venice Beach and risk getting mugged (which probably is as opposite to a beach paradise atmosphere than what you'd imagined), or shop on the ecclectic yet posh Robertson Boulevard--maybe even catch a glimpse of Vanessa Hudgens shopping with Kristen Stewart.

All in all, LA is not a hellhole. She's got her problems - after all, she really is just a teenager - but like any hormonal adolescent girl, she really does also have her pleasant sides.










Your so right LA is awesome.
In fact here's a list of all the awesome things that happened in the 15 years I've lived here.

I've had my car broken into twice.
1 friend robbed
1 friend was shot and robbed
1 friend raped
1 friend robbed and pushed to the ground
1 friend motercycle stolen twice
A coworker was robbed, shot, and died a few days later
One coworker was victim of a drive-by shooting, and no longer has use of his hand.

Now isn't LA awesome?

Just curious Mike...did most of these events happen in one particular area or all over L.A.?

[AliveandWell]

Why are some people continuing to bring up only the negatives of LA? There's crime everywhere folks. For those of you that are unhappy about LA be thankful you're not living in New Orleans or Atlanta, both of which have higher rates of crime than LA. At least in LA you don't have to deal with a massive amount of bugs for the most part and there are ZERO tornadoes and hurricanes. LA is great!!!

[John23]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

Hi John,

Good points there. Let me just add a few more things here. I generally do not like to focus on negatives as I am a positive person. LA does have sprawl but its commute time is not the highest in the US. That belongs to New York. True about the traffic, no argument there. For me, one of the biggest minuses of LA is that the weather changes constantly. Last Monday which is exactly a week ago, it was cool, 66F and windy. Today it was almost 90F in my area. See what I mean? In the inland valleys, weather changes are a constant here. We are expected to have 2 more days in the 80s and then it will drop into the high 70s. This is exactly how people get sick. Nothing is constant here when it comes to climate. I also think the air quality isn't too good. Our weather should be in the 60s and low 70s at the most, but we are WAY above average. I can understand if it was June-August and the weather was around 90 but in November?? Sounds kind of odd to me.

If you don't like the weather now, wait about 2 weeks or less and it will change.

I think LA is a very easy place to be depressed in.

-There's sort of a loopy factor that you don't see in the rest of the country. People are more open to self help, the Secret, Oprah, positive thinking. Just "believe" home prices can't go down! I think people can self destruct here quicker than in other places, where people are more firmly on the ground.

-Add the entertainment industry, Hollywood, and there's a lot of hope. I can't see people self destructing in Iowa or Minnesota the way they would here. Believe you can buy 3 home prices with no money down. In most parts of the country, people don't believe that the way they would here.

-Also bad influences for kids in school here. Mostly entertainment types, hollywood divorces, hollywood partying. In other parts of the country, people have better role models.

But on the positive with the weather, at least it isn't freezing. The weather in LA is never so bad that the roads are a problem. Something to keep in mind. Like right now it's foggy, I'll take that any day. I'm not real picky about the weather, as long as its somewhat normal, between 60 and 90.

[CantWait2Leave]

L.A. (except for the weather) is a horrible place to live if you are conservative. All the freaks and liberals come out here and ANYTHING goes. What ever happened to morals and being kind to your neighbors? That doesn't exist out here. I've lived here my entire life and just like my SN I can't wait to leave. This is no place to raise a family. It makes me so sad.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Leave

All the freaks and liberals...

You can't escape us....we'll be waiting for you in the South as well... to corrupt you and yours! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by John23

I think LA is a very easy place to be depressed in.

-There's sort of a loopy factor that you don't see in the rest of the country. People are more open to self help, the Secret, Oprah, positive thinking. Just "believe" home prices can't go down! I think people can self destruct here quicker than in other places, where people are more firmly on the ground.

-Add the entertainment industry, Hollywood, and there's a lot of hope. I can't see people self destructing in Iowa or Minnesota the way they would here. Believe you can buy 3 home prices with no money down. In most parts of the country, people don't believe that the way they would here.

-Also bad influences for kids in school here. Mostly entertainment types, hollywood divorces, hollywood partying. In other parts of the country, people have better role models.

I don't know. As I've heard it said, "it takes a certain amount of skill to live in L.A." Give yourself realistic expectations, exercise a bit of mental self discipline and don't let things get to you. I'm a firm believer in the saying, "attitude is a choice." This to me is an especially important survival tip for living in L.A.

With full disclosure -- I moved out of L.A. to a more laid-back place up the coast many years ago but go to L.A. often enough. The right attitude is king. It's a big, busy place with a lot of people, all of us trying to get stuff done. Patience. It may not go according to plans. You may be late. That's what cell phones are for.