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OP was quite correct in his assessment of LA. Some nice areas of CA (like parts of North CA) but would never want to live in CA due to high taxes and one of the most hostile business climates in the nation. Businesses and residents are moving out of CA in droves.
Reptoid Humidian, thank you for your long response! It will definitely take a lot of research on my part to find out if LA is for me or not. I plan on visiting again soon (haven't been out there since '04). It sounds like there are a lot of things I will like and some things I won't.
I'm a little surprised about the greenery comment.. when I last visited LA (and the surrounding areas) I noted how incredibly beautiful it was. Especially Santa Barbra, although I know that isn't LA and extremely expensive.
WHat a ridiculous thread! Comparing a city of 4 million people like LA to Orlando? Orange county has a population of 1 million people or basically 25% of LA's city population. If it weren't for the theme parks Orlando would barely even have a economy at all. I'm happy you enjoy Orlando but it isn't for everyone.
Reptoid Humidian, thank you for your long response! It will definitely take a lot of research on my part to find out if LA is for me or not. I plan on visiting again soon (haven't been out there since '04). It sounds like there are a lot of things I will like and some things I won't.
I'm a little surprised about the greenery comment.. when I last visited LA (and the surrounding areas) I noted how incredibly beautiful it was. Especially Santa Barbra, although I know that isn't LA and extremely expensive.
The general state of most of the greenery in SoCal is not so great. In some coastal areas, it does not look so dried out and windblasted, but at the same time, the temperatures in those areas is low enough, staying mainly in the mid to high 60s or low 70's and a bit lower during the winter months, and while that's good in the sense that those temps are far removed from freezing, it also causes the plants and trees to grow at a glacial rate. Plant's really don't dig 60's and low 70's. They come alive and start to really grow when it's 82 and above. Soil temps should at least be 75 degrees.
As a consequence of the slow growth rate of the plants and trees here, the leaves become a darker green and become increasingly opaque to the point where they no longer transmit light through the leaves, and the longer the leaves remain on the plant, before new growth replaces them, the more they get a sort of subdued blackish olive green, as opposed to the "silly" translucent new growth green of the plants and trees of Orlando and South Florida.
It's the difference between Sepia Tone vs. Super Ultra Vivid Technicolor.
I would almost use the same analogy towards the feel and smell of the California air versus the Florida air.
The only way you are aware of the presence of air here in California, is if you're freezing, smelling food, having a nosebleed, or by the mere fact that you continue to still be breathing as opposed to flopping around on the pavement like a suffocating fish.
In Florida, the air is first and foremost in your perception. It has a velvety texture as you step out of the plane and the smell is rich with earthy, musty, damp smells as well as the perfume of exotic plants. The presence of the humidity literally launches the smell of the plants and grasses into the air and the air takes on a liquid quality which gives a Californian like me, a sense of having entered a Hyper-Reality, where colors, tastes, sounds and smells are more vivid. Here in California I feel like the walking dead. Florida awakens my senses and gives me a perceptual tune up and resurrects me from my death!
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In Florida, the air is first and foremost in your perception. It has a velvety texture as you step out of the plane and the smell is rich with earthy, musty, damp smells as well as the perfume of exotic plants. The presence of the humidity literally launches the smell of the plants and grasses into the air and the air takes on a liquid quality which gives a Californian like me, a sense of having entered a Hyper-Reality, where colors, tastes, sounds and smells are more vivid. Here in California I feel like the walking dead. Florida awakens my senses and gives me a perceptual tune up and resurrects me from my death!
That is a good way to describe Florida since you can really smell nature with the humidity once you get off the plane!
Folks, it makes perfect sense for Orlando to feel much more tropical than L.A. or anywhere in California, notwithstanding that both places are not tropical per se.
You see, Orlando is much closer to the Tropic of Cancer than any other place in the US (except the southern tip of Texas and Hawaii, which is in the tropics.)
In fact, Orlando's climate is Sub-Tropical, which means tropical weather most of the year; while California's climate is more Mediterranean which is not tropical at all.
The general state of most of the greenery in SoCal is not so great. In some coastal areas, it does not look so dried out and windblasted, but at the same time, the temperatures in those areas is low enough, staying mainly in the mid to high 60s or low 70's and a bit lower during the winter months, and while that's good in the sense that those temps are far removed from freezing, it also causes the plants and trees to grow at a glacial rate. Plant's really don't dig 60's and low 70's. They come alive and start to really grow when it's 82 and above. Soil temps should at least be 75 degrees.
As a consequence of the slow growth rate of the plants and trees here, the leaves become a darker green and become increasingly opaque to the point where they no longer transmit light through the leaves, and the longer the leaves remain on the plant, before new growth replaces them, the more they get a sort of subdued blackish olive green, as opposed to the "silly" translucent new growth green of the plants and trees of Orlando and South Florida.
It's the difference between Sepia Tone vs. Super Ultra Vivid Technicolor.
I would almost use the same analogy towards the feel and smell of the California air versus the Florida air.
The only way you are aware of the presence of air here in California, is if you're freezing, smelling food, having a nosebleed, or by the mere fact that you continue to still be breathing as opposed to flopping around on the pavement like a suffocating fish.
In Florida, the air is first and foremost in your perception. It has a velvety texture as you step out of the plane and the smell is rich with earthy, musty, damp smells as well as the perfume of exotic plants. The presence of the humidity literally launches the smell of the plants and grasses into the air and the air takes on a liquid quality which gives a Californian like me, a sense of having entered a Hyper-Reality, where colors, tastes, sounds and smells are more vivid. Here in California I feel like the walking dead. Florida awakens my senses and gives me a perceptual tune up and resurrects me from my death!
I really enjoy reading your posts with your magnicificent descriptions! I really like the way you describe the Florida air - I, too, am always very aware of what the air smells like in different places. One thing I love about living here in Florida (Sarasota) is the smell of the salty air and wet beach sand - there is no other smell like it. And the perfume of the tropical flowers, not to mention citrus blossoms in the spring - which to me is the smell of heaven.
I have only been to LA once, it's definitely not a city I would live in, although great to visit. I need a place with a lot of lush greenery and plant growth and exotic wildlife, and I have all that in spades right here. I have been up and down the coast in CA and my favorite place of all time is San Luis Obispo - that little city had GREAT smelling air, and the flowers looked super-charged! There were little hummingbirds flying around coming right up to our noses! If I could afford to live there I would. The Central coast is just great. It's the only part of California that appeals to me. But that said, I am very happy to live in my home state of Florida, especially here on the Gulf Coast. Hubby and I live here for a fraction of the cost of SLO, but we have plenty of amenities. And for 6-7 months out of the year, our weather is just as pleasant!
So my wife and I were on a grand California vacation recently. Visted north then south. We capped it off by doing a pretty typical 8-hour bus tour around LA and hitting all the "popular" spots, hoping to catch a glimpse of some movie star or signs of glamour and consumption that would make us say "Gee, we wished we lived here".
Ummmm, no. Completely opposite. For the first time since moving to Orlando, I actually appreciated what we have here. It's one of those situations where the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or so you think until you're actually there.
LA was dirty, congested (I mean, REALLY congested), the city is bankrupt and it showed by how bad all the roads were. Am I'm talking about in Bel Air and Beverly Hills where a house recently sold for $84m had horrible cracked roads right outside its driveway. The roads were far worse than anything I've experienced in Orlando or Florida in general. There was garbage and debris in the medians and all around the roads in general. Housing is beyond expensive. We picked up a real estate book just our of curiosity, and talk about rediculous...old 3/2 homes going for $799k, and anything with 4 beds not in the ghetto is pretty much over $1m, and it's not like they have huge lots either. People sometimes complain in Florida about the zero lot lines, let me tell you even the rich and famous have zero lot lines over there! We saw Adam Sandlers house, the gate was even open so we got a good look around...I've seen far better homes with more land in just the "average" parts of Winter Park.
Okay, so they do have mountains and terrain which make things a little more interesting to look at than in Florida. But what does that get you? Well, more traffic, increased drive times all-around, eathquakes perhaps?
And, yes, there are some beaches. Venice and Santa Monica are particularly nice we had to admit. But you CAN'T EVEN SWIM in the water without wearing a wet suit to protect you from the freezing water. Seriously freezing. I consider it a bad day at the beach in FL when the water drops out of the 80's. Go here and you can see the water temp chart for the year in LA. US NODC Coastal Water Temperature Guide Low to mid 60's is about the norm. Shrinkage anyone?
So I guess it's worth living in LA to become a movie star or plastic surgeon, because at least with millions at your disposal I can see how you "might" be able to live a decent life there (traffic aside).
Anyway, I know this is coming across as a general rant about LA but the reason I thought it worth explaining is because for us it put living in Orlando and Florida in general in a whole new light, and we were very glad to be home and happy we live in a warm, tropical place that's green all year around, that's affordable to live in, has wonderful beaches with warm water most of the year, and nothing like the traffic of other places. Interestingly, not a single part of California felt tropical to us despite the palm trees. This really surprised us.
So just an observation that if you feel like complaining about Orlando/Florida, please go take a tour of LA and you'll come back feeling a lot better. Not saying it's perfect here, but there are plenty of places a lot worse off overall.
Los Angeles is not tropical. It has a semi-arid climate similar to the mediterranean.
As with any large metropolitan area, L.A. has it's share of riff-raff, ghettos, debris, traffic, etc. However, you're observations seem skewed and somewhat overstated. There are several affordable communities out here - of course - based on local cost of living standards. Many of these communities happen to be nicely nestled within mountain foothills with meandering or winding roads, canyons, rolling hills, and endless hiking trails of varying inclinations and degrees of difficulty.
Sure, California beaches are not known for their warm ocean temperatures. Our beaches are known for idylic surfing conditions which serve up perfect waves.
Many towns in Los Angeles county have a distinct architectural character. Places like Pasadena, Monrovia, San Marino immediately come to mind. Orlando on the other hand lacks architectural character. It has a cookie-cutter/track housing look and feel about it; kinda like Celebration, USA.
In terms of attractions and entertainment, well, surely there is no comparrison. Orlando is "theme-parkish" at best.
Another thing, L.A. is one of those few places where within a 45 minute to 1.5 hour drive you can find yourself skiing in the mountains, swimming in the ocean, hiking in the desert, or crossing the border into Mexico (enter at your own risk!).
I've lived in California 30+ years, and at one time owned property in Kissimmee, reason why I'd regularly fly out there. It wasn't bad. But neither was it L.A. Awefully flat though.
These are two distinct regions with completely different cultures, flavors, and places of interest.
Try L.A. again some time. But next time, forget the bus tour. Rent a car and explore the place even if you do get stuck in traffic. It's part of the experience. Take the Goldline train and visit Hollywood. Go to Santa Monica beach on a weekend and mingle with the "fruits and nuts." Take the Amtrac and head north into the Central Coast's wine country and take in the beautiful and natural sights, scenery, fresh and crisp air.
OK Folks.. calm down and stay on topic. Do not change a quote to mean something other than what the OP intended. Do not attack other members because you disagree with them. Report bad post rather than getting into an arguments with them
Great debate here guys, I've been out of commission for a week or so now and was surprised to see this thread when I returned as I had been considering the same things on my own. For an avid Orlando lover like my self, it was shocking how much I loved LA (and SoCal in general) after my first visit. I've been dreaming of going back ever since and trying to do more off the beaten path. However for me it comes down to this, living in Orlando or LA is not bonafide urban living, so pick your poison. All these arguments of how much bigger of a city LA is than Orlando are fine and true, but if I were going to leave the "best of both worlds" situation that is Orlando, I'd certainly prefer to upgrade to a more traditionally urban city rather than a much larger, dirtier, and less tropical version of Orlando. Again, LA is still light years ahead of Orlando for urbanity, yet I see very little overall advantage to a life there. Now if I could afford to live on a cliff in Malibu or walking distance to the ocean in Venice Beach, then maybe it would be a different story.
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I really like the way you describe the Florida air - I, too, am always very aware of what the air smells like in different places. One thing I love about living here in Florida (Sarasota) is the smell of the salty air and wet beach sand - there is no other smell like it. And the perfume of the tropical flowers, not to mention citrus blossoms in the spring - which to me is the smell of heaven.
