What do you like/appreciate about the urban experience of Los Angeles? (London: house, landscaping)

[destroycreate]

I can't think of a city more equally celebrated/reviled in pop culture, and in many ways LA challenges all of our preconceptions of what makes a "good" traditional city. A place full of contradictions, its bones are extremely unique -- not a Philly, but absolutely not a Houston (referring to built form here). Few cities in the US can match it's blend of polycentric streetcar-suburb urbanity that can be super walkable just as it is auto-centric. Some districts match the density of cities like SF/NYC; in fact, the metro as a whole is on average in the top 3 most dense metros in the country.

While for many it's a vastly misunderstood place (i.e. often not a first love for people in the way NY/SF/London/Sydney are) that they write off as a city of sprawl and cars, for many who visit multiple times they tend to begin to discover just how multi-layered and rich LA is in terms of vibrant neighborhoods, ethnic enclaves, and architectural styles.

What do you enjoy or appreciate about the City of Angels in terms of urbanity, what do you think makes it a special place?

[Finper]

I like the different house styles in the old areas. Craftsman, Victorians, Eichlers,. I've taken historical tours of Broadway downtown and Hollywood blvd. There is some very cool history in LA.

[ryanst530]

I appreciate that it has remained largely decentralized, and primarily single-family home dominant for so many years. I like the spanish, mediterranean, and contemporary architecture. I like the landscaping in general... layout, choice of plants/trees, grass, flowers, etc. I seldom see boring landscape work in LA.

LA's sprawl actually contributes to the city's appeal to me. I don't like tall, "efficient" urban areas... they feel claustrophobic to me. I like to be able to see the sky, and the surrounding trees/mountains.

I also like the city's strong Latin influence. Some people hate that about LA, but I think it is largely responsible for the city's upbeat vibe, and laid back demeanor.

[nightlysparrow]

"What do you like/appreciate about the urban experience of Los Angeles?"

That's it's mixed in with the 'nature experience.'

[Best_Coast]

The diversity. The vibe and overall energy which is largely the result of the diversity. Oh, and the food!

[saybanana]

I love this photo site on Skyscraperpage. Called noirish Los Angeles.

noirish Los Angeles - SkyscraperPage Forum


It shows old photos of LA mostly black and white photos. There are a couple thousand pages, and haven't seen them all.

What I love about it, is shows the evolving history of a growing LA, the good and bad.

What I didn't like when looking a before and after photos, is that LA was very dense and urban with a large streetcar network that went everywhere. Downtown was extremely urban with many beautiful, east coast looking buildings that were torn down for whatever reasons. It is hard to imagine the skyscrapers were not there nor the freeways.

[BRinSM]

LA's food options are fantastic. Such good foreign cuisine can be found in random strip malls all over the city. Sure you're not getting a high end dining experience, but you can find authentic food from all over the globe at very reasonable prices. There's a stretch of Reseda Blvd we used to go to that had Ramen, Mexican, Peruvian, Thai, Middle Eastern, among others all within a few blocks of each other.

[Californiaguy2007]

My comments are gonna be simple

L.A is a mix of Urban and Suburban and even Rural as you head further up towards the Mountains or Deserts.

The Diversity of People,Cultures,Neighborhoods and the fact you have the Beaches,Mountains,Deserts,Valleys and Great Weather most of the year to spend lots of time outdoors.

L.A is also so fun and interesting to explore,because their is so much to see and do and something new is always opening up somewhere.

L.A offers so much opportunities,you just have to follow the path that will lead you to achieve your goals.

L.A is also constantly changing with so many new projects going on all around...Revitalize is a popular word all around L.A and despite the problems L.A faces it will overcome it.

L.A >>>>>>> Leap Ahead

[(901)]

I like that the best of everything is less then 30 minutes away at all times

[(901)]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

LA's food options are fantastic. Such good foreign cuisine can be found in random strip malls all over the city. Sure you're not getting a high end dining experience, but you can find authentic food from all over the globe at very reasonable prices. There's a stretch of Reseda Blvd we used to go to that had Ramen, Mexican, Peruvian, Thai, Middle Eastern, among others all within a few blocks of each other.

Yeah man the food!
I don't even want to know what I'm eating anymore. I ate a tongue the other night