What are the main things you miss about Los Angeles? (Long Beach: city hall, rentals)

[jm1982]

Sometimes I think L.A is cooler...just because it's not a place that everyone seems to love. Unlike New York and San Francisco and some other cities. People generally also seem to love Portland and Austin too. Never really heard anyone say anything bad about them.
L.A is the underdog of big cities and likely the most misunderstood.
Been living here my whole life and still discovering new things about it.
Pretty amazing...
If you aren't fascinated by L.A...you are probably doing it wrong..

[PDF]

Originally Posted by jm1982

Sometimes I think L.A is cooler...just because it's not a place that everyone seems to love. Unlike New York and San Francisco and some other cities. People generally also seem to love Portland and Austin too. Never really heard anyone say anything bad about them.
L.A is the underdog of big cities and likely the most misunderstood.
Been living here my whole life and still discovering new things about it.
Pretty amazing...
If you aren't fascinated by L.A...you are probably doing it wrong..

The only bad things I commonly hear said about LA are that it's fake and too spread out. People repeat the same things over and over. I think LA is definitely a more interesting place to live now than it was 10-15 years ago, with all the development that's going on.

[jm1982]

The 'fake' thing is because L.A is the entertainment capital. People see the Kardashians and other celebrities and the views of mansions...before that it was Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous tv show.

I agree L.A is spread out....but I actually feel that is a positive rather than a negative.

There are so many different neighborhoods to explore and the architecture and feel is different in each one.
In some more walkable cities like SF ,they are so compact and easy for everyone to explore .
In L.A there seem to be a lot more places 'off the beaten path' once you get outside the more well travelled areas like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica ,etc.

Even people that have lived in L.A their whole lives can live in a bubble in a way though...rarely going to other parts of the L.A area.

I do think you are right that L.A is more interesting now than 10-15 years ago in a way.
I went to USC and back then there was hardly much going on in Downtown L.A for example.
Other areas also have become nicer with more to do as well.

Personally, I'd like to see more development happening in the valley and feel that outside of Studio City/Sherman Oaks on Ventura Blvd it's pretty underdeveloped and underserved...but maybe that will change. I also live in the valley too..so I have more of a vested interest.
While my immediate area doesn't have much I'm not too far from other parts of L.A
I'm close to burbank and not far from hollywood and there is more going on in North Hollywood too near the NoHo arts area at least.
I used to live on the westside , but go to the westside less now because it's further than going to other places.
There hasn't really been much that has enticed me to want to go to the westside though...as it seems most stuff nowadays is happening in other parts of L.A

[909er]

"Doing it wrong"? Really? See, that's the exact attitude that people dislike about LA people. So full of themselves, and this faux representation of some place they claim as their own, and live vicariously through, and hilariously taken ownership of but in reality they know their own sad truths. But all they can do is brag, and fake it til they make it, to rationalize their lives and feel better about themselves. Smdh.

[jamills21]

Originally Posted by jm1982

The 'fake' thing is because L.A is the entertainment capital. People see the Kardashians and other celebrities and the views of mansions...before that it was Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous tv show.

I agree L.A is spread out....but I actually feel that is a positive rather than a negative.

There are so many different neighborhoods to explore and the architecture and feel is different in each one.
In some more walkable cities like SF ,they are so compact and easy for everyone to explore .
In L.A there seem to be a lot more places 'off the beaten path' once you get outside the more well travelled areas like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica ,etc.

Even people that have lived in L.A their whole lives can live in a bubble in a way though...rarely going to other parts of the L.A area.

I do think you are right that L.A is more interesting now than 10-15 years ago in a way.
I went to USC and back then there was hardly much going on in Downtown L.A for example.
Other areas also have become nicer with more to do as well.

Personally, I'd like to see more development happening in the valley and feel that outside of Studio City/Sherman Oaks on Ventura Blvd it's pretty underdeveloped and underserved...but maybe that will change. I also live in the valley too..so I have more of a vested interest.
While my immediate area doesn't have much I'm not too far from other parts of L.A
I'm close to burbank and not far from hollywood and there is more going on in North Hollywood too near the NoHo arts area at least.
I used to live on the westside , but go to the westside less now because it's further than going to other places.
There hasn't really been much that has enticed me to want to go to the westside though...as it seems most stuff nowadays is happening in other parts of L.A

Renderings Revealed for NoHo West Development | Urbanize LA

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by jamills21

Renderings Revealed for NoHo West Development | Urbanize LA

Thanks for posting. The renderings look a lot better than what is there now.
Only problem is that it always seem uncertain when these projects might get build

At the end of the article it says
"A timeline for the project is currently unknown." ..

Better than nothing though!

I definitely think the area could support it and that it would be successful if/when it gets built. I'm sure people would also come from Studio City/Sherman Oaks area , which is very close by as there isn't anything like this near them right now.

If anyone has been to that Macy's , they will see that it's a huge space right now with a massive parking lot that always looks empty.
Kind of sad to see space 'wasted' when it's so scarce in L.A

[PDF]

jm1982, I've always been impressed with NoHo. Nice to see it getting more development.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by 909er

"Doing it wrong"? Really? See, that's the exact attitude that people dislike about LA people. So full of themselves, and this faux representation of some place they claim as their own, and live vicariously through, and hilariously taken ownership of but in reality they know their own sad truths. But all they can do is brag, and fake it til they make it, to rationalize their lives and feel better about themselves. Smdh.

I think a worse attitude is the people out there constantly want to put L.A down and misrepresent it...but deep down they know that it's better and has more to offer than many other places. Seems there are a lot of people out there like that.
I was talking about broadening one's horizons and appreciating the hidden gems in L.A outside of the places that are super famous...but someone you view that as a negative???

L.A isn't for everyone and cost is a big issue...but I think it takes a stronger and more honest person to just admit that they like L.A but can't afford it.
I guess it just depends on your attitude. Some people can go through a wealthy area with amazing homes and appreciate the nice architecture and landscaping for example...but others might grumble , "Those damn rich people ...living like this...I can barely afford rent on a 1 bedroom apartment...Thanks Obama (or fill in the blank for whoever else you want to blame)

L.A obviously isn't a place to be if you want the cheapest possible living and low expenses. Unless you have a paid off house or a super low mortgage payment.

If you someone just wants a reasonable place to live , and doesn't care about all that L.A has to offer....from restaurants,museums, cultural events, festivals, public spaces (parks for hiking etc) etc etc then it really makes no sense to pay the premium for L.A . A lot of these things are easier to access , in greater supply and even cheaper than other places too.

I've said this many times...if someone doesn't feel L.A is a good value they should move.

L.A isn't perfect...but one has to weight the positives versus negatives to see if it's worth it.

[botticelli]

LA houses are expensive only because the city doesn't build enough. Most of Los Angeles county is low rise. Here in Toronto we build hundreds of highrise condos every year (5 condos above 30 stories within 10 minutes from where I live), which is why rent is always kept affordable - $2000 is a very good budget for a nice almost luxury and spacious one bedroom apartment in the most attractive location, $1500 is sufficient for most places.

Cities like SF, Boston, Seattle have the same issue. Rent is high because supply is limited (largely due to height limit I guess). Cities like Los Angeles should have highrises or at least midrises of 6-12 stories densely built along all its transit corridors. There should be more streets like Wilshire boulevard and more dense neighbourhoods like parts of Weho and Hollywood.

Earthquake is not a justification. Just like downtown SF and Tokyo.

[brrabbit]

Originally Posted by botticelli

LA houses are expensive only because the city doesn't build enough. Most of Los Angeles county is low rise. Here in Toronto we build hundreds of highrise condos every year (5 condos above 30 stories within 10 minutes from where I live), which is why rent is always kept affordable - $2000 is a very good budget for a nice almost luxury and spacious one bedroom apartment in the most attractive location, $1500 is sufficient for most places.

Cities like SF, Boston, Seattle have the same issue. Rent is high because supply is limited (largely due to height limit I guess). Cities like Los Angeles should have highrises or at least midrises of 6-12 stories densely built along all its transit corridors. There should be more streets like Wilshire boulevard and more dense neighbourhoods like parts of Weho and Hollywood.

Earthquake is not a justification. Just like downtown SF and Tokyo.

You call $2000 for 1BR cheap??? I was renting 3BR house with 2 extra rooms (1 used as guest room or office, 1 was more like exercise room and storage) for $2100, or a 3BR apartment in a gated community for $1800 before that.