What do you like about los angeles/living in los angeles? (San Fernando: transplants, rent)

[annimated]

What do you like about los Angeles/living in los Angeles?

[SandyCo]

Nothing. It's awful. I've been trapped here my entire life.

[Siroxian]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

Nothing. It's awful. I've been trapped here my entire life.

How can you be trapped in LA haha? Most people are prevented from coming to LA because the cost of living is so much ridiculously higher than so many other places in the country. The house I am living in now for $1000 per month would easily cost $5000 per month in LA.

Other cities may not have much to do in comparison to LA, but a lot of people simply do not like the city life at all.

[jessemh431]

I like the beautiful geography. The architecture of the older neighborhoods. The diversity. The food. The "brand." The music scene in the sense that nearly every artist stops in LA on tour.

But all in all, it's not the place it's shown to be. Traffic sucks. Weather's boring. Air quality is horrible. It's running out of water. The lack of a true urban downtown (it's starting, but decades behind other true urban cities). The COL is insane. Equal pay compared to the rest of the country is lacking. The beach is generally too cold to use...if you can even find parking at the beach. The people (moreso the transplants...the natives are better but we're few and far between). The celebrity obsession. The stereotype/stigma that comes along with being from there.

It's got its ups and downs, but for me the positives just didn't outweigh the negatives.

[jamills21]

InB4 people who moved away from LA but can't resist being on LA's forums (I guess I'm late):

A lot of things to Love, A lot of things to hate.

I love LA because there really is not a city in the world with the geographical, Social, or Urban variety. Los Angeles is everything you Love and Hate in a city and will make you think about what you really love in life. Creatives thrive here because there are no standards and conformity doesn't exist. Thus, Los Angeles is whatever you want it to be. If you think everything should be one way, your not going to thrive here because the world doesn't work that way. That being said, Traffic sucks and people are not without their concerns which sometimes are completely valid. Yet, If there was a perfect city, we would have heard about it by now. I use to complain about every city that I have ever lived in...about how it wasn't like home and the people were this way and that way. I personally do not think you will ever evolve has a person if you let your prejudices become the best of you when you live in a city you are not used too.

[Siroxian]

From someone coming from a growing "major city" that has quite honestly nothing to do, with the exception of a few extremely cramped hookah bars filled with high school kids and a few lame clubs that are a sad excuse for "nightlife".....and a place where seeing an exotic car is rarer than winning the lottery, here is what I look forward to in LA, that I know exists there and not where I currently am:

- Large abundance of people to meet, interact with, have a good time with. Sure, there's shallow people, but there are in any place in the world.
- Extreme open mindedness and cultural diversity/uniqueness of people. I'm not even there yet, but interacting with a number of people on a site like OkCupid in just a few days, I am blown away. Encountering these sorts of people where I'm from simply does not happen. More than half the people I've talked to on here are involved in something that is at least "remotely interesting", however insignificant it may be.
- Different geography in almost every direction, plenty to see, and visit - not many places in the US are like this, and not far from civilization.
- Weather doesn't often get "too" extreme. Sure, there are really hot days, but in most places in America, if it gets hot, it gets REALLY HOT, and for weeks straight. There may be a few days or weeks of nice-transition, but then after that the cold takes over. The popular opinion seems to be that the weather in LA is pretty awesome year round. It's famous for it. Excluding the smog of course...
- This goes with the cultural diversity of the people..... but there is also a significant cultural/entertainment diversity throughout the city, and the state as a whole.
- There is a lot of businesses! Well duh, that goes without saying. Not just in entertainment, but businesses in nearly all fields. As a business owner that requires various things from a number of businesses on a regular basis, it is an extreme rarity to find any of them locally. While, when I search a place like LA it seems like almost everything needed is right there. Being in such close proximity to so many businesses not only makes growing a business easier, but it also naturally presents more opportunities.

The list could go on, but these are all features of a densely populated metropolis.... but lets say you're simply not a people person, and you have no interest in nightlife, going out and doing activities, and aren't heavily involved in any business..... then what does LA offer you:

- A really crowded noisy area.
- Lots of traffic during peak hours.
- Nice weather with some nature around, but smog?
- Lots of competition in finding jobs, and a much higher crime rate than less densely populated cities.

If you're interest is in a nice rural community, not far from nature, but not in a densely populated city, then lets face it, there are PLENTY of places in the country, and world, that would work, and that are much more affordable. I simply can't imagine every single person in LA is a city person, that would simply be silly. A lot of people simply do not like the city life, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[MordinSolus]

Originally Posted by annimated

What do you like about los Angeles/living in los Angeles?

It's entirely unique. I grew up in the Midwest, spent a lot time in NYC and several other major American cities, traveled all over Europe and Canada, but LA is, without a doubt, my favorite place.

I love the size of LA. People always complain about traffic, taking forever to get anywhere, "it's just a collection of suburbs," etc but I love how freaking massive this city is. I get to drive for hours and hours and it's live traveling through half a dozen different cities.

I love the food scene/food culture. Angelinos love to eat and love to eat everything. You can find anything you want. For dinner tonight I had authentic Japanese barbecue(chicken skins and organs cooked over Japanese coals are slobber-inducing) and then headed around the corner to have a Cinnamon Toast Crunch doughnut and chocolate almond milk for desert. Why? Because I can.

I love the scenery. My house has great views but there are any number places I can go for breathtaking sights. I love that the ocean, mountains, canyons and city are all right there for my viewing pleasure. I also love hiking and biking here.

I love how nice, creative and open-minded the people are. I always hear about how superficial, judgmental and vacuous the people of LA are but I almost never see any of that. I've made some really amazing friends here and I think that outside of San Fran you would be hard pressed to find a more accepting city. Next week I'm going to Studio City to help my friend put on film-quality prosthetic parts and get her entire body painted so she can do a photoshoot as a female Venom from Spider-Man for her calendar. In what other city would I ever be able to say that?

I love how much there is to do. I could go on a new adventure every day and never run out of things to do.

I love the weather. I cannot stand cold weather at all so LA is great for me. I will not miss snow one bit.

I love medical marijuana. It's done wonders for my insomnia and anxiety. And I can even have it delivered right to my house. How crazy is that?

I love WeHo. I live in WeHo and I'm completely head over heels in love with it. I've become fast friends with tons of nerds and comedians at Meltdown Comics, more nerds at Melrose Music and Comics, and hipsters and film buffs at Cinefamily, but more than that I feel like WeHo is my home.

There are some things I don't like about LA(parking, traffic at rush hour, worse air quality than I'm used to, Shia Lebeuf) but I don't see myself ever leaving this city.

[theraven24]

Lots of things, mainly LA's climate, number of things to do/entertainment, natural beauty and the fact that I was born and raised here.

[SandyCo]

My previous post was tongue in cheek. In reality, I love that L.A. has something to offer everyone. You can have whatever lifestyle you want here (with the caveat that you need to be able to afford it!). If I want a pet psychic, I'm sure I can find one here. Every religion is represented here. L.A. is a microcosm of America in that it's a true melting pot. Some people don't like this; I love it.

And although I gripe about the heat where I live, the truth is that a coastal valley (which is what the San Fernando Valley is) isn't all that bad. The temperature extremes aren't as wide as they'd be in the true desert, and if you get too hot you can always go to the beach to cool off.

I've lived here all of my life, and although there are challenges to living here (there's a reason I start work at 6:30 every morning, as it affords me an opportunity to avoid the ever worsening traffic!), it's still home and I'd find it difficult to leave. Now if my rent would just stop going up, that would be great...

[MItoBH]

I don't live there, yet, but what I like about LA is the geography, the climate, the people, the opportunities (personal and professional). I know I will thrive there in a way that I have not been allowed to here in Michigan. The sunny skies and the friendly people can go a long way in helping someone find happiness there.