F.Y.I. - Koreatown (Irvine, Gardena: tenants, school, living in)

[hjt123]

Originally Posted by nslander

Why can't LA be like more CityWalk?

That sounds soul crushingly horrible

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by pbergen

what nightscape said is totally on point.

the LA area has the largest korean population in the u.s., and LA koreatown is the nation's preeminent enclave for korean food, shopping, entertainment, and nightlife. sure, there are plenty of korean residential and commercial enclaves in other parts of the country such as the nyc area, but none of them are even remotely comparable to LA's koreatown in scale or in the quality/quantity of korean amenities. the closest thing outside of socal would probably be the unofficial koreatown of the flushing-murray hill-bayside corridor in northeast queens, but it's definitely not in the same tier. neither is the one in the palisades park/fort lee area of northeastern nj, across the river from upper manhattan. and 32nd street in midtown (the "official" koreatown in nyc) is a joke - those of us who grew up in the nyc area like to deride it as "kblock" because it's so small. the truth is, most other "koreatowns" in this country are pretty lame, even in comparison to the suburban ktowns of the LA area.

while korean culture isn't necessarily mainstream for the average american of non-asian descent, koreatown is still a major draw for a fairly diverse range of folks throughout LA because it's such a huge enclave, is located in a central part of town, and is the closest thing to a 24 hour district, as nightscape already mentioned.

think about it this way:
when tourists visit nyc and want to sample some of the preeminent local ethnic food and culture, italian/pizza and jewish delis/bagels are probably at or near the top of the list. even though you can get these things in other cities, people still want to experience them in nyc because of the city's longstanding reputation for these foods and cultures and the huge presence of their respective populations. of course, i'm not equating the korean presence and influence in LA with that of the italians and jewish in nyc; just making a general comparison.

I'd like to mention that in the San Jose (CA) area, Santa Clara has a concentration of Korean businesses, at least around El Camino Real, but it is not exclusively Korean. It does do a pretty good job in terms of amenities but in terms of scope and size it pales compared with LA's.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by quixotic59

I suppose so but why would the folks on the LA forum care about it? I posted the article to help out LA visitors.

I realize that, but I figured you might have posted it because you feel as if you don't have something on an equal scale over there in NYC.

I don't get what is so special about Koreatown here.

[quixotic59]

Originally Posted by PDF

I realize that, but I figured you might have posted it because you feel as if you don't have something on an equal scale over there in NYC.

I don't get what is so special about Koreatown here.

While I have been pretty vociferous about my feelings toward NYC, I have no desire to maintain an ongoing diatribe about a comparison between LA and NYC. It's been said: I hate NYC, I love LA. That, however, is my opinion and I respect other's right to have their own.

Due to my great desire to relocate to LA I do constant research to learn more about the area. I thought this article was a good summary of Koreatown. It satisfied my curiosity and will inform any further exploration I might do. Personally, I am not a big fan of Korean food and due to my extensive exposure to my Korean students and parents, I am familiar with some of the cultural differences. I live and work in the aforementioned "flushing-murray hill-bayside corridor in northeast queens" where the Korean presence is significant but still battling the entrenched original Judeo/Christian "white" residents. One of the major manifestations of the growing Korean presence here is the growing number of Korean churches.
One of the interesting things we had observed in LA, and was confirmed by the article, was the mix of Korean and Latino populations in Koreatown, giving it a unique flavor.

[AllTimeLow99]

I lived in K-town on a lease for a year and it is without question, a vapidly soulless, clinically sterile(socially speaking), hole in the dead center of the city.


I would never even pass through to reminisce, nor would I ever have any inclination to visit South Korea after having lived there. Talk about generic-mainstream-pop, faceless, materialistic simpleton clones.


My advice if you are from America: look for another place to live or visit. You're not going to get "it", and you're not even going to want to get "it".



..In it's defense, it is not as dirty and horrible as some would say. This is center city LA after all. it actually is quite clean along Wilshire, and even a bit picturesque.


Beyond that it's an empty vessel.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Originally Posted by PDF

I realize that, but I figured you might have posted it because you feel as if you don't have something on an equal scale over there in NYC.

I don't get what is so special about Koreatown here.

Aren't those your feelings about everything east of Sepulveda?

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives

Aren't those your feelings about everything east of Sepulveda?

I think he's mentioned living by Westwood Village, so he probably is east of Sepulveda.

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

... actually, the Chinese and Koreans have historical grievances with Japan that many of them refuse to let go of, and harbor a now-generations-old resentment towards the Japanese... and it's a two way street.

Yet, whenever I go to a Japanese area there are lots of Koreans living there as well. Go to Little Tokyo or Gardena and see. Koreans seem much more comfortable around Japanese than Chinese from what I've seen. What's up with that?

[2Easy]

Originally Posted by nslander

Exactly what I was thinking. Why can't LA be like more CityWalk? Koreatown is "too Korean", even though it's majority Latino. Driving is a bear, despite being served by a subway.

I've arrived there by car, bus, and subway. It's convenient to get to in that sense, but in general it's not a pleasant place to walk around. And while it's majority Hispanic, it seems to me that most of the businesses are Korean. I gather that it's a cultural/entertainment destination for the greater LA Korean population and not just those that live in Koreatown. What is your opinion of Koreatown and how much time do you spend there?

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by 2Easy

Yet, whenever I go to a Japanese area there are lots of Koreans living there as well. Go to Little Tokyo or Gardena and see. Koreans seem much more comfortable around Japanese than Chinese from what I've seen. What's up with that?

Maybe because Japan occupied Korea for half a century, and tons of Koreans live in Japan.