The mesmerizing image of Los Angeles... (Pasadena, Orange: crime, home, neighborhoods)

[Tiger Beer]

First, the negative. I'm not so attracted to the sprawl, the high cost of living, the gang culture at ground zero, the car dependency, or Hollywood (which others might be attracted to).

That being said, something about Los Angeles is also so damn attractive and irresistable from an image perspective. Seeing communities of every types of people throughout the world, creating their own neighborhoods and stores and such. The near perfect the weather. The miles of beaches. The home of so much great music that comes out of there as well. The fact that that culture, spreads itself out throughout the world through films and movies. An epicenter of sorts.

At times, I think Los Angeles would be a great place to make home! On the other hand, would the interesting things become less interesting, if struggling with a high cost of living, sprawl, freeways, etc.

Who's to say? But, whatever the case, Los Angeles continues to mesmerize from afar.

[ProjectMersh]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

First, the negative. I'm not so attracted to the sprawl, the high cost of living, the gang culture at ground zero, the car culture, the Hollywood movie industry nor Disney, etc.

Some pretty standard stereotypical comments for a guy as well traveled as you (I've seen some of your other posts).

Gang culture? Maybe a relevant comment in 1992 but crime has fallen dramatically the last 15 years or so. Disneyland is located in Orange County. Don't worry, you won't get assaulted by Mickey Mouse.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

First, the negative. I'm not so attracted to the sprawl, the high cost of living, the gang culture at ground zero, the car culture, the Hollywood movie industry nor Disney, etc.

That being said, something about Los Angeles is also so damn attractive and irresistable from an image perspective. Seeing communities of every types of people throughout the world, creating their own neighborhoods and stores and such. The near perfect the weather. The miles of beaches. The home of so much great music that comes out of there as well. The fact that that culture, spreads itself out throughout the world through films and movies. An epicenter of sorts.

At times, I think Los Angeles would be a great place to make home! On the other hand, would the interesting things become less interesting, if struggling with a high cost of living, sprawl, freeways, etc.

Who's to say? But, whatever the case, Los Angeles continues to mesmerize from afar.

The image someone has from afar is different from the image people have if they live there. And LA is a chameleon of a city--your view of what it's like can change dramatically depending on which neighborhood you live in, and what groups of people you like to hang out with. I lived near the beach, a very different experience than someone might have living in Watts, or near UCLA, or in the Valley, or Malibu, or in Pasadena, or in those sylvan canyon neighborhoods. Pretty much any lifestyle you want can be found there, except possibly the winter sports lifestyle--and even that is just 2 hours way if you're willing to drive up to Big Bear.

Therefore a person judging the city from afar can't really gauge what it's like to live there. Still, I think you would love living there, TB--if you can afford it. The high cost of living there is one big hurdle.

A few comments on the negatives you mentioned:

--the sprawl. In a way, LA's sprawl isn't as big of an issue as it is in other cities. This is because no matter which section of LA you live in, everything can be found where you live. So even though you may be surrounded by a giant sea of a city you don't experience most of it. Many people do everything within a 10-mile or so radius of their home. When I lived in Manhattan Beach, I never worked more than 5 miles from my house. All the stores I needed, included a mall, was within 1 mile. Hospitals, libraries, government centers, and a community college were within 2 miles. I only left the South Bay to go to major events like concerts. I actually lived without a car for a few years and found it very walkable.

--the high cost of living. This is the big downside to living in southern California.

--the gang culture at ground zero. Not sure where ground zero is. But, FWIW, I never ran into gang culture. You can find it in certain neighborhoods, but there are also plenty of neighborhoods where it's not an issue at all. Many people live their whole lives in the LA area and never have to deal with gangs. When I lived in the South Bay I felt safe enough that I walked home from the bus stop after dark. In the 20+ years I lived there, I never had any frightening encounters and never came across any gangs, although I saw some gang-ish graffiti from time to time. To be honest I think most of that was from school kids trying to look tough. In other parts of town, of course, gangs may be more common.

--the car culture. If you want to find car buffs, you can easily find them in LA. At the same time, if cars aren't your thing it's easy to find lots and lots of other people who couldn't care less about cars.

--the Hollywood movie industry and Disney. Tourists go to Disneyland, people who live there don't visit it all that much. You might go every few years but that's bout it. It's not like Disney is part of your every day life if you live in LA (unless you work there). The movie industry is a bigger deal in some parts of town, since it's a major local employer. But it's another one of those things that's easy to avoid if movie industry people aren't your cup of tea.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Caladium

--the sprawl. In a way, LA's sprawl isn't as big of an issue as it is in other cities. This is because no matter which section of LA you live in, everything can be found where you live. So many people do everything within a 10-mile or so radius of their home. When I lived in Manhattan Beach, I never worked more than 5 miles from my house. All the stores I needed, included a mall, was within mile. Hospitals, libraries, government centers, and a community college were within 2 miles. I only left the South Bay to go to concerts and things like that. I actually lived without a car for a few years and found it very walkable.

I like this response quite a bit. You've made me look at the Metro of Los Angeles a little bit differently than before, in a much more positive way.

[radiolibre99]

Why do ppl associate sprawl with LA these days? It's not such a sprawled out mess to me. It's actually pretty urban and dense.

Gang culture is long gone and in a few pockets outside into the worst parts of the valley.

LA does have an irresistible image and the while city just breathes inspiration.

How long are these left over misconceptions from the 80s and 90s going to plague LA?

[jamills21]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Why do ppl associate sprawl with LA these days? It's not such a sprawled out mess to me. It's actually pretty urban and dense.

Gang culture is long gone and in a few pockets outside into the worst parts of the valley.

LA does have an irresistible image and the while city just breathes inspiration.

How long are these left over misconceptions from the 80s and 90s going to plague LA?

When the rail system goes to all the major hubs in LA, DTLA is finished, & Hollywood is cleaned up. So, A good 5-10 years.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by jamills21

When the rail system goes to all the major hubs in LA, DTLA is finished, & Hollywood is cleaned up. So, A good 5-10 years.

I think it's funny that many people don't even know there's a subway system in LA.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by PDF

I think it's funny that many people don't even know there's a subway system in LA.

Well, our subway system is pretty short. In other major cities, their subway systems would be many times more extensive.

But, we do have pretty good light rail and commuter rail systems. All put together, it's a good start, but it still has a looong way to go since this region is so massive.

IMO, we can start by reforming Metrolink and making it more accessible to non-commuters in terms of fares and schedules.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Why do ppl associate sprawl with LA these days? It's not such a sprawled out mess to me. It's actually pretty urban and dense.

Gang culture is long gone and in a few pockets outside into the worst parts of the valley.

LA does have an irresistible image and the while city just breathes inspiration.

How long are these left over misconceptions from the 80s and 90s going to plague LA?

The misconceptions will continue for a long time, but they change in time when it becomes clear that 'Portland isn't a bunch of lumberjacks', or 'Pittsburgh is no longer Hell with the Lid Off'' - refering to the pollution from the iron mills.

I have been researching L.A., and interesting to read that it has such density of population. I've driven through LA, and hard to see as a visitor. But, living there, I'm inclined to agree that what you say is probably quite true. Plus, I quite liked Caladium's description of it.

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by ProjectMersh

Gang culture? Maybe a relevant comment in 1992 but crime has fallen dramatically the last 15 years or so.

True, but many people put that down to Three Strikes.

And now that Jerry Brown has begun releasing prisoners due to over-crowding, ignoring Three Strikes, some people think that crime will soon go up.