F.Y.I. - Koreatown (San Jose, Santa Clara: lease, how much, living)

[red4ce]

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 remember the first time I visited Manhattan. The very first buildings I saw when I got out of the subway exit were Korean. I remember thinking 'hmm I wonder how NY's Ktown compares to ours.' 5 minute walk later I'm asking myself 'is that it?'

[quixotic59]

Originally Posted by PDF

And you don't have something like this in NYC?

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

[2Easy]

I've been to Koreatown many times, but I've never been to any of the Korean restaurants or entertainment businesses. No offense intended, but they seem too Korean and I'm not Korean. I just don't get a good vibe there.

And as an urban destination Koreatown is overrated in Los Angeles. There are just way too many cars. It's unpleasant to drive there and even more unpleasant to walk there.

[LABornandRaised]

My partner's sister lives in Ktown and it is a royal dump. I'm not even sorry. I mean, at least try to clean up the neighborhood. I kiss the ground coming back home and that's saying something. I hadn't seen so much graffiti in my life and seriously, who the hell tags trees? The trash on the streets are everywhere. I try to see the potential and it feels like it's there, but there is soooooo much work to do. As you get closer to Wilshire, it gets a lot better, but then it gets worse again.

Having shopped in their malls, furniture stores, and restaurants, the warmliness factor is very lacking. I'd say 9 times out of 10, the service clerks will have a stone cold face. I'm like koochi, koochi koo. Life's not that serious.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by trancedout

I've heard before that basically all Asians like to be mistaken for Japanese, or they usually don't mind it at least.

... 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. Referring to a Korean person as "Japanese" or a Japanese person as "Chinese" will be thought of as ignorant at best, and willfully offensive at worst.

Sort of how Hispanics like to be mistaken for Argentine, Portuguese, Spanish, or Italian.

Ha, among my Chicano friends, I've heard them dump on Argentinians quite a bit for being "racist" towards Central Americans, and I've heard Argentinians quickly distance themselves from Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadoreans, and even Brazilians, specifically noting that Argentina is "almost like Europe" and pointing out that they're a mixture of German and Spanish.

[415_s2k]

I lived in K-town for two years. Parts of it are dirty, yeah... it's an urban center. It's funny, if people aren't getting on LA's case for not being urban and gritty enough, they're getting on its case for being too urban and gritty.

[nslander]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

I lived in K-town for two years. Parts of it are dirty, yeah... it's an urban center. It's funny, if people aren't getting on LA's case for not being urban and gritty enough, they're getting on its case for being too urban and gritty.

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.

[yamota]

my favorite restaurant in koreatown is the Carl's Jr. on the corner of Virgil and 6th

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by yamota

my favorite restaurant in koreatown is the Carl's Jr. on the corner of Virgil and 6th

I'm a fan of Mijori on 3rd... Zainichi Korean (Japanese-Korean) cuisine. Mmmm.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by trancedout

I've heard before that basically all Asians like to be mistaken for Japanese, or they usually don't mind it at least.

Sort of how Hispanics like to be mistaken for Argentine, Portuguese, Spanish, or Italian.

You've heard wrong. At least in LA. Anyone "Asian" is often mistaken for Chinese and Korean and anyone "Hispanic" is often mistaken for Mexican. Japanese Americans are a small group now compared to other asians, and there are hardly any argentinians, portuguese, or spanish in LA compared to mexicans, salvadorians, guatemalans.