How Accurate Is This? Downtown LA (Los Angeles, San Diego: lofts, condos, crime rate)

[BRinSM]

every major cities deals with the issues that the author of this article mentioned, it just happened to be that he decided to live where these issues are more prevalent. he could have lived in other parts of downtown or other parts of the city and none of this would have been an issue for him. i blame the author for choosing a terrible place to raise a family. he has no one to blame but himself. i would also venture to guess that someone without a family wouldn't take the negative issues so personally. in fact, i've met plenty of people who live downtown who have very few complaints about the area. regardless of all the that, the true LA experience isn't found in downtown anyways. i always find it funny how east coasters want an urban environment, move to downtown LA, then realize that's not where the action is.

[nickdahammer]

I read the articles as well. I was curious where the writer of the 'con' piece lived. He also mentioned he has two small children. I admit I've seen couples with babies in strollers but you rarely see one, much less TWO kids in tow downtown. I don't see why anyone would do that. My wife and I don't have kids, so living there wouldn't be an issue for us. I guess I'm more prone to agree with the 'pro' article, though I think the truth lies somewhere in-between.

And if you define 'downtown' as Skid Row, well, you really don't know downtown. There is 'action' there but it's much more social in my experience, alittle more 'real' for lack of a better word. For instance, the Grand Performances bring people together that you just don't see elsewhere in the City. It's a 'true' an experience as you would get anywhere in the City.

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

in fact, i've met plenty of people who live downtown who have very few complaints about the area. regardless of all the that, the true LA experience isn't found in downtown anyways. i always find it funny how east coasters want an urban environment, move to downtown LA, then realize that's not where the action is.

What exactly is the real LA experience? And it's not just east coasters. I have friends who live downtown from Vancouver, DC, Dallas and Seattle and love it.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by SalParadise

Downtown LA is not a public toilet (except for Skid Row area)..

Sorry, have you spent a single moment downtown??

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Sorry, have you spent a single moment downtown??

Yes, I lived there for several years in the mid-2000's.

And I still go there quite often (including 5 days a week for work).

[katnip kid]

Originally Posted by UB50

That column really struck me because he talked of two murders downtown in the space of a "week or so."

Downtown has had very few murders in the last several years. I could only think that he was talking about the murder of the woman in the Little Tokyo hotel and the death of the girl who was basically taken from Southwestern Law School (near Wilshire and Vermont) and killed on Alameda.

I'm downtown quite often and I don't think it's as bad as he has tried to portray it. Murders don't happen all the time. They are rare. Maybe there were two in one week, but you could go another 50 weeks without another murder.

I gotta say, Philadelphia is sometimes called Kill-adelphia because we are used to about 3 murders or more per night being reported on the evening news. So, just 2 in one week sounds like a low murder rate to us. This is saying nothing about other violent person to person crimes. A pal was violently mugged one night in a supposedly "good" area. Didn't bother to report it. Why bother? I avoid the city now. Sad, very sad.

Other pals report some rather nasty confrontations with homeless, even if the police were nearby or if in the train station.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Downtown LA does not resemble other large downtowns. When business hours are over there are few people on the streets. Most high rises are business only, there are apartments on the out skirts.

All due respect, but your comment sounds like it was made by someone who has never been to downtown. At least not since 2000.

There are thousands of new apartment units in the CORE of downtown built since 2000 (including new and rehabbed buildings). This includes areas like So. Park, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, and the Arts District. These are not the "outskirts" of downtown. These districts are the middle of downtown.

Yes, compared to downtown Chicago or San Francisco, downtown LA is not as active or vibrant. However, as compared to 2000, downtown LA is MUCH more active and vibrant during evenings and weekends. This includes areas like "restaurant row" on 7th Street, Spring Street which has multiple bars/clubs that draw pedestrians (and even westsiders) all weekend, LA Live/Staples has events/clubs that draws activity nearly every night, and Little Tokyo is filled with bars, restaurants, stores, and museums which draw people on weekends and evening.

Last but not least "Gallery Row" in the "historic core" (on Spring and Main Street) resembles the 3rd Street promenade in Santa Monica at least once a month for downtown's ArtWalk when the sidewalks are literally jammed with pedestrians from about 6pm to 1am or 2am. In fact, it has become so successful it has started to resemble a block party or street festival.

If you don't believe me read some recent YELP reviews about ArtWalk.

Downtown LA Art Walk - Downtown - Los Angeles, CA

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by SalParadise

Downtown LA is not a public toilet (except for Skid Row area).

To each their own, LA Live, to me, is the equivalent of a suburban shopping mall plopped down in the middle of the city. A very sterile, and boring place.

There are plenty of vibrant and interesting and safe parts of downtown like the Historic Core and Little Tokyo.

Don't get me wong. Downtown has plenty to offer and seems fairly safe compared to some other neighborhoods in LA. But everytime I go down there, I see puddles of urine and/or somebody leaving a puddle.

[tygayolo415]

The place is a dump. Maybe that will change someday. For now most that choose to spend part of their existence there continue to dream that it's not.

[nickdahammer]

lol- well, there are a helluva lot of people living the dream. I work there, shop there, visit friends there. Been there lately (and I'm not talking Skid Row- which IS a dump, has been for decades)?

Was at Cal Plaza last Friday. The place was teeming with well-heeled downtowners and others who came in to enjoy a band. I'm sure we could've spent our time elsewhere but chose your dump instead.

What were we thinking?

Originally Posted by cim303

The place is a dump. Maybe that will change someday. For now most that choose to spend part of their existence there continue to dream that it's not.