Does anyone living in Los Angeles feel this way after many years of living here? (San Diego: closing, wage)

[JosephPorterPitt]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

So many people love to talk trash about LA, especially those who came here from the "wonderful places" that they were so willing to leave behind. It never really made sense to me.

It makes perfect sense. Nobody is trashing the weather. That's why they come. And when they get here they find there's plenty to complain about.
And just because they move it doesn't mean the place they left isn't wonderful. That place may just not have had the job opportunities or family or mate that is out here.

But I do agree that anywhere there is plenty to complain about. And seeing the positive in things is a good idea.

[TeamGray]

When I read through this thread I was reminded of a great motion picture starring Danny Glover and Kevin Kline called "Grand Canyon". It wasn't Oscar worthy but certainly painted the picture of all the different classes in LA, rich & poor, black & white, and how each class struggled with money, crime and just getting along with one another. I believe it was filmed in the late 80's, when LA was immersed in many of these issues (and perhaps still is). In the end the main characters and their families somehow figured out how to make it work.

Living in LA from 64 to 96, this movie made a big impression on me for the realism it portrayed and it left me with a little hope. Although, it didn't prevent me from moving out of California.

[BlueyedCat]

Originally Posted by 12buttons

That last line says it all - I moved to Nashville and am bored silly. LA has so much variety.

I agree 100%. We made the same mistake by moving to Nashville from California and are trying to move back. Living in Nashville is like dieing a slow and painful death.

[Lucinda Laze]

Lived in Rhode Island for about 18 years prior, but moved back to Norway in june 2007. Now i got the itch to move back to us again, and for the first time in my life i can acctually just pick and choose where in the workld i would like to escape to. Never even ben to LA while living in us, something i really regret, but i was a workaholic and took my quick getaways to florida, shorter time of R&R time spent on travel.
From what you guys are writing here it sounds just greate to live in LA, but can someone fill in the not so damn good parts of it, never know where you can end up.

[robertpolyglot]

I don't know. I was born and raised in LA, so I had the benefit of knowing people from growing up with them. Most of them have moved...to the outer suburbs of LA, or out of state. If I transplanted to LA on my own, I don't know how well I'd handle it. I was friends with a "down to earth" segment of the population, who didn't aspire to make it in "the industry."

Some cities grow on you. It sounds like LA is. Some cities fit like a glove right away. Atlanta did for me. Other cities will never grow on you, no matter how long you live there. People have personalities. Cities have personalities. There has to be chemistry.

[AnthonyCburn]

Reading through this thread makes me realize a one thing...

No matter how awesome a place may seem, there will always be others who trash it, because, simply put, not everyone enjoys the same thing about a city. What makes one person jump with excitement makes another miserable.


For me, I am spontaneous, impulsive, and bored with my surroundings very easily, so I need to be somewhere where I can live a completely different life from one day to the next. There is no city in the U.S. that comes close to L.A. in this aspect.

Also, I hear people complain about the distance from neighborhood to neighborhood and act as if it's impossible to enjoy the best of all of them. I visited LA back in 2007 and remember going to Santa Monica and Venice during the early day, then going back near LAX and then over to the Home Depot Center to watch a fight. Afterwards we all went back to Santa Monica for a few drinks and then decided to go to Hollywood to a night club.


People also complain about the cost of living. There are affordable areas in LA that don't seem to be all that bad in comparison to other cities. For a middle income professional living alone, LA is much more affordable than DC! It is a little more expensive than Atlanta, but the quality of life you can get for the price blows both of them out of the water. (At least in my opinion)


Reading through threads on this board sometimes makes me feel that people in LA just don't want anyone else moving to the city because they complain about it so much, seemingly in an effort to keep it all for themselves. I have lived in ATL, MIA, DET, and SC. I currently live in DC, but frequently travel back and forth to LA for work, as I prepare to live there and do the exact opposite. I love the place and would recommend it for anyone.

[DCNita]

Originally Posted by AnthonyCburn

Reading through this thread makes me realize a one thing...

No matter how awesome a place may seem, there will always be others who trash it, because, simply put, not everyone enjoys the same thing about a city. What makes one person jump with excitement makes another miserable.


For me, I am spontaneous, impulsive, and bored with my surroundings very easily, so I need to be somewhere where I can live a completely different life from one day to the next. There is no city in the U.S. that comes close to L.A. in this aspect.

Also, I hear people complain about the distance from neighborhood to neighborhood and act as if it's impossible to enjoy the best of all of them. I visited LA back in 2007 and remember going to Santa Monica and Venice during the early day, then going back near LAX and then over to the Home Depot Center to watch a fight. Afterwards we all went back to Santa Monica for a few drinks and then decided to go to Hollywood to a night club.


People also complain about the cost of living. There are affordable areas in LA that don't seem to be all that bad in comparison to other cities. For a middle income professional living alone, LA is much more affordable than DC! It is a little more expensive than Atlanta, but the quality of life you can get for the price blows both of them out of the water. (At least in my opinion)


Reading through threads on this board sometimes makes me feel that people in LA just don't want anyone else moving to the city because they complain about it so much, seemingly in an effort to keep it all for themselves. I have lived in ATL, MIA, DET, and SC. I currently live in DC, but frequently travel back and forth to LA for work, as I prepare to live there and do the exact opposite. I love the place and would recommend it for anyone.

I live in DC and I've also lived in ATL as well and considering a move to LA. I'm going there this summer for 6 weeks to check things out. I am bored with DC and the surrounding suburbs and looking for a change. Since you've been out there and I haven't would you mind sharing your thoughts and experiences? You can PM me and exchange emails if you don't mind.

[cali3448893]

I moved here from cincinnati and has been living in LA since. I am now alot liberal and always have a taste for cuban food.

[PosterExtraordinaire]

I think what you just described is taking a place for granted. It happens all the time, you plan and work hard to move somewhere and then you move and life becomes your life again.

One thing you have to remember is the place is only as great as the people in it. And specifically the people you make your small circle. As long as you have that small circle you'll be happy anywhere. if you don't you'll be miserable anywhere.

A lot of young people move to big cities hoping to find their way and their circle. If it happens they fall in love with the place, if it doesn't they hate it.

As for me, I grew up in LA. It's different for me. LA is tied to so many memories that I can't separate it from me.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

Hello everyone,

I was sitting at my desk thinking of starting a thread like this just to get some perspective on the situation. Here is my situation.

I moved out to Los Angeles way back in 1983 and have been living here ever since. After many years as I got older, I realize now that I wasn't fully appreciating my time here. I was always focusing on the things I didn't have, such as a girlfriend, or a car or the fact that I couldn't get around the city as I would have liked to.

To make a long story short, I was focusing on the negatives of LA and not focusing enough on the positives But i would say starting late last year, i began to change my attitude and almost overnight, I encountered a complete change and now I have a new found appreciation for LA.

I really like the fact that there is so much diversity here in LA. I've met people from nations such as Canada, Argentina, Russia, and many others.

I really enjoy the many fine restaurants and cultural places here in LA. I think in terms of culture, LA is hard to match. I could probably list so many more positives about LA.

My question is for those of you who moved here to LA, did any of you first not like it and then as time went by, you noticed that you liked it a lot because of a change of attitude or perspective?

Have any of you ever felt this way?

Complete opposite here.. All the things you say you love about LA, I enjoyed them from the start but after several years completely stopped caring about them, and I left LA.