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I choose LA because I feel like its a pretty misunderstood place in a way that SF is not. It just seems more exotic to me than SF does
There's a reason tourists prefer SF to LA-because it's a small, one dimensional place. You can take a two day trip there and not really feel like you missed anything. There are native Angelenos who were born in the city and have lived there all their lives who still haven't unlocked the mysteries of Los Angeles. It's like comparing a 90 minute 80's action flick to sprawling, four hour sci fi opus.
Tech isn't some niche industry. LA tech companies don't offer the same equity packages, and the selection of employers is more limited. LA is better if you're in the arts or entertainment. SF has way more high end jobs per capita.
Much of LA is also "hidden" if you don't know about it. I know people who've been to LA 30 times and never been to Silver Lake, K-town, Echo Park, or even Griffith Observatory. SF is more like a dense, eastern city where most people see or visit the Ferry Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Marina, etc.
I agree that LA doesn't have strong usual destinations for tourists to hit because a lot of things are scattered pretty far apart from each other while others simply aren't that fun or scenic. LA is more "hidden" than SF and the Bay Area as the city and metro is much, much larger. but I'll also say that there is a lot in SF and the Bay Area that is relatively hidden, have relatively few people going to them, and are fantastic. Even in the tiny city of SF itself, there are neighborhoods and institutions that see few tourists visiting, but are pretty interesting.
There's a reason tourists prefer SF to LA-because it's a small, one dimensional place. You can take a two day trip there and not really feel like you missed anything. There are native Angelenos who were born in the city and have lived there all their lives who still haven't unlocked the mysteries of Los Angeles. It's like comparing a 90 minute 80's action flick to sprawling, four hour sci fi opus.
I dunno if I'd describe SF as "one-dimensional" given that most people who visit not only visit SF, but also Oakland (which in the popular national consciousness is a completely different city with its own culture), Berkeley, Napa Valley, Redwoods, etc.
There's nothing like an LA on the East Coast since it is drier, has beaches and mountains, and a completely different kind of urban form that seems almost foreign to us. SF is a bit more familiar.
There was also a looking down at and/or hatred from SF people towards LA, which most Angelenos seemed unaware of and/or oblivious to.
Interesting because this is the first time I've seen someone have it this way. As a transplant, I've noticed the complete opposite. More people from the Bay would talk down on LA than the other way around. LA is like twice the size of the Bay Area in population and offers more amenities. LA is too big and does it's own thing similar to NYC. Probably the only two cities in the country that don't really have a "rival" unless it's each other.
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Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
I agree that LA doesn't have strong usual destinations for tourists to hit because a lot of things are scattered pretty far apart from each other while others simply aren't that fun or scenic. LA is more "hidden" than SF and the Bay Area as the city and metro is much, much larger. but I'll also say that there is a lot in SF and the Bay Area that is relatively hidden, have relatively few people going to them, and are fantastic. Even in the tiny city of SF itself, there are neighborhoods and institutions that see few tourists visiting, but are pretty interesting.
There's a difference between having strong usual destinations and having destinations close to each other. It depends on what you want to do while in LA. There are people that come for the theme parks (5 major theme parks), the beach, and/or explore the city. LA has distinct tourist areas (theme parks, Hollywood, Santa Monica/Venice, the Hills) that are filled to the brim. I occasionally see tourist buses in other parts of the city like Koreatown, but not often.
But isn't that every city? I know many people who visited DC dozens of times and never been to Anacostia, Frederick Douglas' house, Deanwood, Petworth, Hillcrest, Fort Dupont and many others. With NYC I know people who never set foot in Harlem and Brooklyn but visited NY many times.
To some extent, and you're right about DC. Used to drive me crazy how many tourists would hang around the Mall and White House and never walk just the few blocks to Logan Circle/14th St, Adams-Morgan, or even Kalorama.
But LA doesn't have the same centralized attractions being so spread out. So someone who's been to Santa Monica 10x the last 5 years has no idea what's going on downtown, isn't about to bump into the hiking trails in Runyon Canyon, nor the hippie brunch and clothing stores in Topanga. So if you neither do the research, nor go exploring, you don't just stumble onto places serendipitously like you do walking 5 minutes north of the White House.
So we live full-time in the East Bay, but I'm in LA a lot due to my wife having a ton of friends there, and my parents are looking to move there as a winter destination away from Boston. One thing we've noticed is in SF is that if you have a friend who moves from SF to Marin, or San Jose, or Walnut Creek, you still see them. People move around within the area but seem pre-conditioned to get out and about due to the South Bay jobs, North Bay wineries, East Bay urban centers in Oakland/Berkeley. But in LA, we've noticed "east siders" around Atwater Village, Los Feliz, etc do not feel motivated to drive out to see friends who move to the dreaded west side around Century City, Westwood, or God forbid, the Valley, unless maybe they're meeting for a beach day. My parents know that if they buy a nice place in some neighborhood near the 405, my wife and her late 20s/early 30s friends will not be insulted if they never get an invite.
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