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LA has some beautiful parts, but the cityscape itself leaves a lot to be desired. Chicago is tough to beat - it might just be the prettiest cityscape in the country. The city is absolutely gorgeous, from great/diverse architecture spanning many eras to really well kempt urban parks, the lakefront setting. Chicago absolutely crushes LA.
I feel it's more than just a few "pocket neighborhoods" and more widespread, there's a good chunk of the city that was developed before 1950. Yeah I agree about the Gateway Cities, SGV, etc..which is why I tried to limit it to LA city limits. Even south of the 10 I think a lot of the homes have character and nice architectural details even though the neighborhoods are not very nice overall; the Crenshaw area has a lot of nice looking homes. And one advantage the Spanish/Mediterranean look has in the ghetto is security bars on windows can actually go with the architectural style, aka "rejas" lol.
So called "South Central" neighborhoods like West Adams and Jefferson Park (especially Jefferson Park) have some of the finest collections of intact Craftsman bungalows in the country. And now with the Expo line cutting through those neighborhoods, a lot of buyers are moving and fixing them up. When we were shopping around a couple years back I had my eye on a beautiful craftsman near 27th and Western. The previous owner had done an amazing job updating it and it was a lot of house for the money (relatively speaking...this is still LA.) We wound up passing on it because the neighborhood still felt a little sketch (I would have been fine dealing with it but wifey just didn't feel comfortable) and we wound up getting a loft in DTLA instead. The loft is still a great investment (probably better, actually), but I kind of regret not going for the craftsman. We could have had 1,500 square feet and a yard with a fire pit and a fruit tree for what we paid to purchase a shoebox loft downtown. Apples and oranges comparison, I suppose.
EDIT: Found the listing. Man, I do kind of regret not buying that. That's easily an $800,000+ home in a neighborhood that's already gentrified.
And here's a streetview from around the corner on 28th street. These kind of craftsman are typical for Jefferson Park. If you look down the street you can see other ones- some fixed up already, and some waiting to be "un-stucco-fied" and repainted.
Last edited by DistrictDirt; 10-09-2015 at 04:02 PM..
I feel it's more than just a few "pocket neighborhoods" and more widespread, there's a good chunk of the city that was developed before 1950. Yeah I agree about the Gateway Cities, SGV, etc..which is why I tried to limit it to LA city limits. Even south of the 10 I think a lot of the homes have character and nice architectural details even though the neighborhoods are not very nice overall; the Crenshaw area has a lot of nice looking homes. And one advantage the Spanish/Mediterranean look has in the ghetto is security bars on windows can actually go with the architectural style, aka "rejas" lol.
Me? Yeah I can show you my birth certificate from Cedars Sinai and my grade school records from schools in LA and show you my past employers all in LA. Idk why you're so bitter.
If we stuck with city limits, then yeah LA has some nice architecture. More like downtown, Hollywood, Koreatown, Mid Wilshire, West Adams, Hancock Park, etc. SFV, West LA, Westchester, etc. are still city limits though and definitely bring the beauty down. LA does have some nice architecture, it just can't compete with Chicago.
Easily LA. No comparisson. Chicago is a nothing more than a follower and a wannabe New York. LA is a trendsetter and stands on its own. It's a sign of a more secure city. ;-)
Chicago all the way for the win. Old all american charm that fake LA can't replicate even if they wanted to.
Though calling it a natural feature is a stretch. I should do a Los Angeles River vs Newton Creek poll
More of an arroyo than a river; its kind of misnamed.
But it certainly is a natural feature, and has been there for hundreds of thousands of years. The Army Corps of Engineers channelized it with concrete after the flood of 1938 to ensure that kind of disaster would never happen again. Basically, the concrete allows the water to flow faster, getting it down to Long Beach and into the ocean at a faster rate than the river can fill up and overflow.
Now, the Army Corps has a plan to get rid of the concrete and restore the natural riverbed, and there is federal funding to make it happen. Although I'm unclear on what they're going to do to prevent the river from flooding once the concrete is removed. Maybe reservoirs or something?
More of an arroyo than a river; its kind of misnamed.
But it certainly is a natural feature, and has been there for hundreds of thousands of years. The Army Corps of Engineers channelized it with concrete after the flood of 1938 to ensure that kind of disaster would never happen again. Basically, the concrete allows the water to flow faster, getting it down to Long Beach and into the ocean at a faster rate than the river can fill up and overflow.
Now, the Army Corps has a plan to get rid of the concrete and restore the natural riverbed, and there is federal funding to make it happen. Although I'm unclear on what they're going to do to prevent the river from flooding once the concrete is removed. Maybe reservoirs or something?
Also, I believe it had drastically changed course sometime in the last 200 years. Old accounts stated that it used change directions constantly and would mostly flow west from downtown and enter the ocean near Marina Del Rey or Where the Ballona Wetlands are now. Obviously since encasing the river in concrete it will no longer change direction, however it's pretty interesting.
I like how Chicagoist123 asks for people to share their opinion on which is "more beautiful" and then berates them for disagreeing with his opinion.
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