Does LA feel like the 2nd biggest city in America to you? (Santa Ana: 2013, loft)

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

We just got finished explaining everything and you refused to take any of it into consideration. I explained that the difference is that LA has uninhabited mountain parks, steep, hilly neighborhoods whose only practical use other than wilderness is homes on lots that are largely slope, and a chunk of the San Fernando Valley. The LA basin on the other hand compares with Chicago. There have been countless threads on this and you either haven't looked, or you simply ignore as you choose to belive what you want to believe and repeat what everyone else says.

By the way, over half of the city limits/proper of Chicago is tract homes. Bungalows built in the 20s and 30s. Same thing with Staten Island and much of Queens, NY.

And whats a suburban style apartment?? If you are talking about aesthetics, yes LA might be more suburban, but it still functions as a city.

I know we're not going to change you mind but here:


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

I hate when people do that. It's like they didn't hear (or read) what was said at all. Truth be told, they just ignore it because it doesn't agree with their sentiments.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Not my fault if you guys don't know what a big city is or have never spent much time outside of LA.

This guy is a piece of work. And he's all-knowing! Too bad he doesn't know where we've been, lived and etc., I agree some of LA doesn't feel big city, but not all. He just didn't communicate his point well. He decided to go the insulting route...poor dude.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by taydigga

LOL, B you're really serious about this huh? I hear you say that a lot. I've lived here 14 years and I think a little differently. Not dissing on your opinion btw, just think it's a little tainted by your own experience. I think you're jaded in this regards. This city attracts the most talented people in the world. Only NYC rivals it. Sure Boston, Chicago and etc., have some talented and smart people, but a lot of those people move here. I know a lot of people apply to the same job and a lot don't have talent and etc., but that's mostly in a select few fields, I wouldn't say LA is any different than the other big cities in regards to the over saturation of applicants applying to jobs.

Yeah I agree, there are a lot of talented people here besides NYC the best in the biz are usually. I mostly avoid the entertainment types, maybe that is where you run into a lot of these 'wannabe' people. My crowd mostly revolves around music, and most of my friends there have completely realistic expectations about their talent level and where it will take them.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

I was at the Standard Hotel. It was a good size crowd. I am sure the bars were packed in DTLA but the streets were not.

I love WeHo because I found it to be less snooty that I thought and always have a blast at The Den, Bar Marmont, and Bar Lubbitch (sp?).

I have yet to club in Hollywood Hollywood outside of the bars on Cahuenga.

Someone told me LA Live was packed on NYE.

[nslander]

Originally Posted by taydigga

LOL, B you're really serious about this huh? I hear you say that a lot. I've lived here 14 years and I think a little differently. Not dissing on your opinion btw, just think it's a little tainted by your own experience. I think you're jaded in this regards. This city attracts the most talented people in the world. Only NYC rivals it. Sure Boston, Chicago and etc., have some talented and smart people, but a lot of those people move here. I know a lot of people apply to the same job and a lot don't have talent and etc., but that's mostly in a select few fields, I wouldn't say LA is any different than the other big cities in regards to the over saturation of applicants applying to jobs.

I’ve noticed that too, and it seems really overstated. For instance, some of the best musicians in the world play in the LA Phil because doing so allows them to make real money recording for studios. What is perceived as crass commercialism and low brow art continues to draw some of the best in their disciplines, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Charlie Parker to Igor Stravinsky to Bertolt Brecht to Woody Guthrie to William Faulkner. They all bitched about “the industry” but they lived here anyway. To a lesser extent, it has drawn elites in science and industry as well, from Edwin Hubble to Howard Hughes to Elon Musk. Also, because finance is a relatively a small sector of the local economy, we are saddled with fewer Masters of the Universe types. Maybe those are the folks B has mind, but I consider their absence a tremendous blessing.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by nslander

I’ve noticed that too, and it seems really overstated. For instance, some of the best musicians in the world play in the LA Phil because doing so allows them to make real money recording for studios. What is perceived as crass commercialism and low brow art continues to draw some of the best in their disciplines, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Charlie Parker to Igor Stravinsky to Bertolt Brecht to Woody Guthrie to William Faulkner. They all bitched about “the industry” but they lived here anyway. To a lesser extent, it has drawn elites in science and industry as well, from Edwin Hubble to Howard Hughes to Elon Musk. Also, because finance is a relatively a small sector of the local economy, we are saddled with fewer Masters of the Universe types. Maybe those are the folks B has mind, but I consider their absence a tremendous blessing.

From his posts I think he does too. I know I do - if there is anything I hate its that snooty "I'm a genius and better / smarter / more successful than everyone around me" attitude a lot professional disciplines like finance, law, business have.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by lastonestanding

How many people have actually ventured outside the Loop when visiting Chicago? Next visit, please do so. There is more to Chicago than just the Loop and a bunch of 1920 bungalows. Practically each neighborhood has its own distinct feel to it. This is what is so unique about Chicago that you will not find anywhere else in the US except for cities like New York and LA. Even the rougher neighborhoods have a certain distinct appeal. You can go to the southside of Chicago and find a place like Bronzeville with the Harold Washington Cultural Center, DuSable Museum and later drive a few minutes to Hyde Park and it feels like your in a whole different city with its own downtown. The same with suburbs like Oak Park and especially the Northside from Wrigleyville to Bucktown (Wicker Park), Boystown, Edgewater, etc. From Magnificent Mile all the way down Lake Shore Drive to Evanston, IL are nothing but skyscapers which I hardly see anywhere else. The whole entire coast along Lake Shore Drive off Lake Michigan is full of high rise Condominiums. Even dangerous neighborhoods like Englewood, South Shore, Woodlawn and Roseland have business districts similar to 125th street in Harlem. Chicago is a world class city just like LA, NYC, Paris, London, SF etc.

Chicago has the second best transportation system in the US behind NYC. Purchase a one day bus pass and ride the L throughout the city. Last time I stayed to LA in 2008, I couldn't do that. When I wanted to go into the San Fernando Valley, I had to get off the Redline and take a rapid bus. When I wanted to go to Santa Monica, I had to take a bus all the way down Santa Monica BLVD. It was a very nice bus trip, I had a chance to see an LA sunset, very beautiful indeed, but if I were in Chicago, a place like Santa Monica would have L train going straight there.

LA has a feel to its own. It doesn't feel like a suburb at all to me. I'm a fan of tall buildings, which LA has a lack of for a city its size, but what it doesn't have it makes up for in having its own distinct character. You will not find a city like LA anywhere else in the US, but that doesn't mean its more urban than Chicago.

Like one poster said, LA is more spread out, Chicago is more similar to New York as far as density is concerned (Don't show me no damn stats neither, I had the luxury of actually residing in all three cities). However, I liked being able to catch the blue line from DTLA to Long Beach or riding a bus into Culver City for a casting call. New York is similar to Chicago to me except more high rise buildings and its more spread out. New York actually has small tract houses too similar to Chicago with tree lined streets that you would think would be in a suburb. There's more to NYC than just Manhattan. LA being more spread out actually works in its favor. It doesn't need a condense downtown like NYC or Chicago. If you want that, take a trip up to San Francisco.

I live in Chicago and I love it here, but I lived in LA in 2006, actually in Hollywood (aspiring actor). Chicago does not have anything remotely similar to Hollywood at all... We do have our own version of Rodeo Drive called The Magnificent Mile, but both are different in so many ways. Chicago has everything you could want in a world class city just like LA, so for anyone who thinks otherwise, please take another visit and venture off to another part of town other than just the Loop. Venture to the Northside and you would be surprised.

To sum it up, I can see what the OP was asking as far as does LA feel like its the second largest city because its not as condensed as NYC or Chicago, but in all honest it actually does feel like its the second largest city when you consider it having its own distinct character and how spread out it is without no gaps in between. LA is LA plain and simple.

Pretty objective response. Kuddos

[BitofEndearment]

Originally Posted by PA Born

Canal Street has massive pedestrian traffic 24/7; so much that you're practically pushed into the street traffic. Canal probably has 20-30 times the pedestrian volume on Pico.

Where on Pico is there heavy pedestrian traffic? I have been on Pico a million times, and the part near downtown is basically Latino coin laundry outlets, discount furniture stores, etc. it doesn't seem that different from any major Mexican/Central American corridor in LA. There's also a decent Korean presence as you get further from downtown.

Yeah, I think he means the Pico-Union neighborhood. Correct me if I'm wrong. Alvarado in the Pico-MacArthur Park vicinity has pretty heavy foot traffic most of the day, especially on weekends.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by munchitup

From his posts I think he does too. I know I do - if there is anything I hate its that snooty "I'm a genius and better / smarter / more successful than everyone around me" attitude a lot professional disciplines like finance, law, business have.

I work and live near UCLA and run into these types of people a lot. They act like they are smarter and etc., because they went there or work in law, business and/or finance. I feel I run into those types more than I do the "I'm pursuing acting types..." I mean most of the people I meet who are pursuing something in the arts, are cool (ahem! me). There's a few that are what I call "so LA" types in where they judge you by your looks and what you have going on and if it's poppin then they are cool with you and if not then they are cold, but I don't see them that much. I think in general I run into some super talented people fairly often and I don't think anywhere other than NYC has that.

[moonsparkle]

There is a level of international in LA that Chicago doesn't come close to, although on paper, it should.

So many people from Australia, Japan, Europe, Latin America, that went to LA because they wanted to. In Chicago, it's more because they had family already there, usually true with the Mexicans and Indians (from India).

Chicago's has a large international presence, but in a different way. Established ethnic neighborhoods (Polish, Russian, Greek) are not the same as having a truly international vibe the way you have in LA.

Also, it seems like absolutely everyone is from the midwest there, and the narrow provincial interests of beer, food, and sports gets old after awhile.

I still think Chicago is a great city and I spent over a year there, but there was nothing interesting about it. If you're a guy into style (beyond the business sense), people will just think you are gay as well. It's as midwestern as it gets.