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Did a photo shoot over LA by helicopter this weekend. I knew this city was dense, but I have a newfound appreciation for just how dense it is now.
The thing that surprised me the most was the beach cities. I always think of the westside as more sprawly than more built-up places in central LA like Downtown, Hollywood, and Koreatown, so I was shocked to see from the air just how densely packed places like Playa del Rey, Venice and Manhattan Beach are.
Yea, because dense, vibrant, urban cities were formed purely from birth rate and "culture" is supposed to be static, never changing. And your location, "downtown San Jose", is on the verge of becoming an awful place now that people are actually moving there and apartments, condos, restaurants, shops, and amenities are finally opening up! Golly gee, these awful transplants just ruin everything all the time. New York, San Francisco, Chicago, LA, DC, et al are just the worst cities ever because they're just filled to the brim with transplants...like all of a sudden, never before!
I hate this stupid mentality that transplant posters suck, transplants don't know squat, transplants ruin cities, the culture YOU knew once in a time of of your life that you have fond memories from is supposed to never change because every generation is supposed to be the same, etc etc.
Block block block.
Other than that, nice picture DistrictDirt. Am I mistaken, but aren't you a transplant to LA or did you just go to school back east? Of course, I don't need to know nor do I care, but I like your posts and your pictures and simultaneously I'm trying to make a point
That's West LA's biggest downfall. The built environment is extremely dense but there is complete lack of well-functioning public transit. Yes, there a few buses that run up Sepulveda and BBB has a single line down Lincoln, and there are some Rapids running east/west down major streets, but overall the public transit sucks there. If there was a north/south subway or light rail through the westside, a lot of traffic problems could be solved. I know from living my whole life on the westside that people there tend to stick around there. People from Santa Monica, Venice, the Marina, Mar Vista/Palms, Culver City, and Playa del Rey/Westchester all interact with each other heavily and Venice and Santa Monica see tons of visitors from the others to enjoy the shopping and nightlife and dining. I grew up in Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey. Getting to Venice or Santa Monica is such a hassle that even though the traffic sucks and parking is expensive and I much prefer public transit, I still ended up driving nearly everywhere. Lincoln Blvd is served by only BBB and if I'm going to sit in traffic for 1 hour to go 5 miles, I'd rather do it in own car rather than a crowded public bus.
So yes, the density is something people seem to never notice about the westside but it's by far it's biggest downfall because it has led to traffic problems that gridlock most of the area nearly all day long. The Expo Line will help, but only going east/west. There's still no relief for people commuting from the Marina or Venice to Santa Monica.
Either way, those pictures are stunning and seeing some of my friends' homes in your pictures brought a little nostalgia as I'm 2k miles away.
Yea, because dense, vibrant, urban cities were formed purely from birth rate and "culture" is supposed to be static, never changing. And your location, "downtown San Jose", is on the verge of becoming an awful place now that people are actually moving there and apartments, condos, restaurants, shops, and amenities are finally opening up! Golly gee, these awful transplants just ruin everything all the time. New York, San Francisco, Chicago, LA, DC, et al are just the worst cities ever because they're just filled to the brim with transplants...like all of a sudden, never before!
I hate this stupid mentality that transplant posters suck, transplants don't know squat, transplants ruin cities, the culture YOU knew once in a time of of your life that you have fond memories from is supposed to never change because every generation is supposed to be the same, etc etc.
Block block block.
Other than that, nice picture DistrictDirt. Am I mistaken, but aren't you a transplant to LA or did you just go to school back east? Of course, I don't need to know nor do I care, but I like your posts and your pictures and simultaneously I'm trying to make a point
Thanks, anonelitist. Yes, I moved here from back east. Before LA I was in DC, before that London, before that Syracuse NY and originally grew up in the Delaware Valley (Both NJ and PA).
I'm with you btw-- complaints about transplants always struck me as silly. Another version of "I liked X before it was cool".
Last edited by DistrictDirt; 11-16-2015 at 12:58 AM..
That's West LA's biggest downfall. The built environment is extremely dense but there is complete lack of well-functioning public transit. Yes, there a few buses that run up Sepulveda and BBB has a single line down Lincoln, and there are some Rapids running east/west down major streets, but overall the public transit sucks there. If there was a north/south subway or light rail through the westside, a lot of traffic problems could be solved. I know from living my whole life on the westside that people there tend to stick around there. People from Santa Monica, Venice, the Marina, Mar Vista/Palms, Culver City, and Playa del Rey/Westchester all interact with each other heavily and Venice and Santa Monica see tons of visitors from the others to enjoy the shopping and nightlife and dining. I grew up in Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey. Getting to Venice or Santa Monica is such a hassle that even though the traffic sucks and parking is expensive and I much prefer public transit, I still ended up driving nearly everywhere. Lincoln Blvd is served by only BBB and if I'm going to sit in traffic for 1 hour to go 5 miles, I'd rather do it in own car rather than a crowded public bus.
So yes, the density is something people seem to never notice about the westside but it's by far it's biggest downfall because it has led to traffic problems that gridlock most of the area nearly all day long. The Expo Line will help, but only going east/west. There's still no relief for people commuting from the Marina or Venice to Santa Monica.
Either way, those pictures are stunning and seeing some of my friends' homes in your pictures brought a little nostalgia as I'm 2k miles away.
Glad to help with the nostalgia trip
Yeah they really need some north/southbound transit out there. I've heard transportation blogs talk about the idea of putting LRT on Lincoln Blvd, but I don't think its happening anytime soon. Metro just announced all the projects that will most likely make into next year's Measure R2 transit funding ballot measure, and the Lincoln Blvd line was not one of them. However, a Purple line extension to Santa Monica and a new Sepulveda Blvd line and tunnel from the Westside to the Valley were both on the list, so at least that's something.
All these Bay Area tech companies building their LA campuses in places like Playa Vista, Venice and Santa Monica really need to think twice. I think they like the prospect of being near the beach, but they haven't thought through the implications. They're forcing their employees to pick between living in the priciest part of LA or to live somewhere more affordable but have a hellish commute.
We're still waiting for a big tech anchor downtown where we have the best transit access and tons of industrial buildings just waiting to be converted to creative office. We have a lot of startups: Nasty Gal, Nationbuilder, Hyperloop, NeighborGoods, Soylent, etc. But so far none of the big guns. They're all at the beach.
Yeah they really need some north/southbound transit out there. I've heard transportation blogs talk about the idea of putting LRT on Lincoln Blvd, but I don't think its happening anytime soon. Metro just announced all the projects that will most likely make into next year's Measure R2 transit funding ballot measure, and the Lincoln Blvd line was not one of them. However, a Purple line extension to Santa Monica and a new Sepulveda Blvd line and tunnel from the Westside to the Valley were both on the list, so at least that's something.
All these Bay Area tech companies building their LA campuses in places like Playa Vista, Venice and Santa Monica really need to think twice. I think they like the prospect of being near the beach, but they haven't thought through the implications. They're forcing their employees to pick between living in the priciest part of LA or to live somewhere more affordable but have a hellish commute.
We're still waiting for a big tech anchor downtown where we have the best transit access and tons of industrial buildings just waiting to be converted to creative office. We have a lot of startups: Nasty Gal, Nationbuilder, Hyperloop, NeighborGoods, Soylent, etc. But so far none of the big guns. They're all at the beach.
Yeah a Lincoln Blvd line connecting to LAX/Crenshaw/Green to the south and Expo/Purple to the north would do wonders for the westside. The Sepulveda/405 should at least help some though.
A lot of companies are leaving the westside for DTLA though. I know the law firm I worked for moved from Century City to DTLA because rents were out of control and employees were always late, complaining about traffic, and even quitting sometimes because their commute was so horrible. Tons of accounting and law firms are moving to DTLA now. Just makes more sense for most businesses. Now I'd say a majority of the firm I was with lives in DTLA, Pasadena, Studio City, Boyle Heights, Highland Park, etc. with easy metro access. Even Culver City has been attracting a lot of the tech/entertainment from Santa Monica.
But, I digress some. Point being is I honestly think West LA has to be the densest or one of the densest places in America not served by adequate public transit and a lot of people who have never been there don't realize actually how dense it can get.
That's West LA's biggest downfall. The built environment is extremely dense but there is complete lack of well-functioning public transit. Yes, there a few buses that run up Sepulveda and BBB has a single line down Lincoln, and there are some Rapids running east/west down major streets, but overall the public transit sucks there. If there was a north/south subway or light rail through the westside, a lot of traffic problems could be solved. I know from living my whole life on the westside that people there tend to stick around there. People from Santa Monica, Venice, the Marina, Mar Vista/Palms, Culver City, and Playa del Rey/Westchester all interact with each other heavily and Venice and Santa Monica see tons of visitors from the others to enjoy the shopping and nightlife and dining. I grew up in Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey. Getting to Venice or Santa Monica is such a hassle that even though the traffic sucks and parking is expensive and I much prefer public transit, I still ended up driving nearly everywhere. Lincoln Blvd is served by only BBB and if I'm going to sit in traffic for 1 hour to go 5 miles, I'd rather do it in own car rather than a crowded public bus.
So yes, the density is something people seem to never notice about the westside but it's by far it's biggest downfall because it has led to traffic problems that gridlock most of the area nearly all day long. The Expo Line will help, but only going east/west. There's still no relief for people commuting from the Marina or Venice to Santa Monica.
Either way, those pictures are stunning and seeing some of my friends' homes in your pictures brought a little nostalgia as I'm 2k miles away.
Considering LA really didn't have Metro Rail until 1990, I would say their transit strides have been nothing short of amazing. I grew up in El Segundo and can attest to the quality of rail transit available.
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