What are some misconceptions you'd like to correct about Los Angeles? (San Francisco: crime rate, home)

[Chicano3000X]

I'd like to hear some.

[mayorhaggar]

- no flying cars
- no androids who think they are human
- no advertisements on cyber-blimps

[bigdumbgod]

You won't get famous.

No, really, you won't.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Despite its reputation for low-density sprawl, Los Angeles is the second densest city

[ferretkona]

Those streets of gold are not gold, more of a urine stain.

[jaypee]

You can't wear blue or red anywhere ... just beige.
There's a "central" place that's close to everything you want to visit.

[altoidboy]

West Hollywood is a very happy place.

[Mr. Opinionated]

1. Disneyland is NOT Los Angeles...
Just because you drove for miles through all the real hoods on the
freeway and stopped when you got to the gay mouse and ate some
cotton candy in a whole other county, doesnt mean you can run around
bragging that youve been to L.A. and now youre instantly hip and hard. Lol

2.Its all about gangbangin'/crime
Los Angeles is no more about that than anyother large urban area.
Per capita, Los Angeles has a lower crime rate than many NorCali cities
that smugly believe that the quality of life in their town is vastly superior.
But then, the L.A. crime rate has steadily dropped during this decade.

3.If youre white and you venture into a black or hispanic area
youre going to be robbed or killed. Lol
People from ouside L.A. must watch more TV than those living in the city
that produces most of the TV in America. Ethnic people, contrary to what is
perpetrated by the media, are not all morally deficient savages who
live for the chance to annihilate all white folks.

4.Getting around is a Nightmare!
Sure it is anywhere, if you are unfamiliar with the layout. I felt the same way
about San Francisco and Portland, because I am not from those places. But under
all the traffic, Metro L.A. happens to be a perpendicular grid for the most part.
Streets and freeways with a few exceptions, run east, west, north and south with
virtually no twisty curlies and mysterious dead-ends as is the case with Cali's Capitol.

5.The people are rude and unfriendly.
I hear this whine all the time from people who didnt grow up in L.A.
"They dont greet you or even look at you on the street." While this might be true
sometimes, it doesnt mean that people arent friendly. The natives are
not nosey. Even if they care whats going on around them, they mind their own business.
They dont get in your face unless you started some hatred. If they helped you in an
emergency, it doesnt mean youre now beer buddies either.

And those are my main peeves about misrepresenting my home town.

[True Freedom]

That LA looks like what you see on Real Housewives...
*most* of LA is very unsightly, dirty, unkempt, rundown and trashy.

All my friends who come and visit have this vision of palm trees, well manicured properties, all things beautiful. Sure, some parts fit this image, but most areas don't. This is surprising to most.

[SalParadise]

The misconception that LA winters are as warm as Hawaii (and the ocean water temps too).

This is NOT the TROPICS.....this is a MEDITERRANEAN climate. Yes, the weather is nice but it's not 80 degrees all winter long. And the ocean water is COLD most of the year.