How do you feel knowing L.A. lacks the true urban feel of Chicago and NYC? (Los Angeles: to live in, move to)

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by dweebo2220

This is pretty "true urban" to me. Yes, it looks different from Chicago and NYC, but no-one would mistake this for the suburbs:

and there is another thread titled: "Is LA more urban than people think?"

//www.city-data.com/forum/city-...e-think-5.html


Great Wilshire Walk - Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica - YouTube

I challenge anyone who thinks LA is just a big suburb to drive down Wilshire from downtown to Santa Monica.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

I challenge anyone who thinks LA is just a big suburb to drive down Wilshire from downtown to Santa Monica.

Good point. I once heard an architect describe LA's urbanism as a "ribbon" of cities.....with urban corridors like Wilshire Blvd in mind.

[nslander]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Good point. Whatever LAs weaknesses are, it can and is doing something about it. (transit being rebuilt, reivival of downtown).

But others cities can't make the hills, mountains, valleys, beahes and coasts, warm weather, multiple state and national parks, etc.

Which is why the assumption underlying this thread is bizarre. It's as odd as somebody asking the NYC board "how does it feel knowing NY lacks a massive footprint like Los Angeles?" If I were a cynic, I'd suspect sock-puppetry.

[katnip kid]

I'll never forget the first time I saw LA. I asked what was all that funny fog....ooh, it's smog..and I'm gonna be breathing that stuff in.... But, yeah,Fontucky you are right, you got it on climate, all right. Besides, that type of climate preserves the feathers in feather boas much better. sigh...what's a guy to do?

[Chicano3000X]

I guess this thread is dying, so I just want to add a conclusion.

I love L.A., and yeah, people say to go to NYC if I want the feel of NYC. There is no changing the past mistakes that were made, but hopefully we can make up for them in the future.
Hope L.A. can become more architecturally inspiring and rival other cities.

[stephei2000]

Originally Posted by Razorblade

With LA being mostly suburban and as large as it is it makes it unique to the world over not just the US for being a city of it's size and still being suburban. Not everyone wants to live and raise there kids in an urban large building that you have to buzz visitors up to thats loud.

Some people want the big city life but still want driveways and backyards. LA is for them and that's awesome. The best of both worlds. That combined with the weather is why LA is so ungodly expensive. You get what you pay for.

I couldn't have summed it up any better than this.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by stephei2000

I couldn't have summed it up any better than this.

I would venture to guess at least half of LA's population does not live in a single-family home with their own backyard. Most live in large apartment buildings or duplexes/triplexes. One thing that seems to be pretty unique to LA are those bungalow courts where all the homes face a central courtyard - it sort of combines SFH living with high density - perhaps LA's answer to the rowhome?

[Jester2138]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

I am a midwest transplants, grew up in the Chicago suburbs...

Tex, you've made a lot of statements about the kinds of parks/natural areas available to New Yorkers. I was just wondering, have you spent much time in New York? I live there and completely disagree with your assessment of it.

[stephei2000]

Originally Posted by munchitup

I would venture to guess at least half of LA's population does not live in a single-family home with their own backyard. Most live in large apartment buildings or duplexes/triplexes. One thing that seems to be pretty unique to LA are those bungalow courts where all the homes face a central courtyard - it sort of combines SFH living with high density - perhaps LA's answer to the rowhome?

I understand that. I guess I meant that you can have a big city life without the typical urban environment. I have yet to find a city that does this better. Either is it city life/urban environment or laid back, more friendly suburban sometimes too cookie cutter suburban but boring and little activity. I think l.a has a great urban/suburban mix no matter what type of housing.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Jester2138

Tex, you've made a lot of statements about the kinds of parks/natural areas available to New Yorkers. I was just wondering, have you spent much time in New York? I live there and completely disagree with your assessment of it.

Yes, New York absolutely have lots of parks, and green space. I never would question the beauty of New Yorks parks, but with the exception of areas on the fringes of the city in the outer burroughs, it pretty much is largely planted and landscaped. It is absolutely is a human creation, in LA and many other western and southern urban areas, parks are patches of wilderness. Native ecosystems that survive because the steep slopes are not buildable. You have wild brush covered hillsides that harbor rattlesnakes and mountain lions with steep rocky cliffs.

Central Park is gorgeous, but it doesn't have an obvious wild feel like Griffith Park.

Thats what I am talking about. Not saying that they are better, but as someone whose career is in ecology and earth science, it makes a big difference to me.

Now in the suburbs of the tri-state areas, thats a different story. The Appalachian trail runs 50 miles from Manhattan. In New York state and New Jersey.