The truth about L.A. from a long time resident (Avalon: live in, costs)

[allenk893]

I just don't like the whole murder thing. The fact that someone could get killed in broad daylight in LA and everyone would just go on about their business and ignore it, makes me realize it's a city I could never live in. It's a place to visit.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by allenk893

I just don't like the whole murder thing. The fact that someone could get killed in broad daylight in LA and everyone would just go on about their business and ignore it, makes me realize it's a city I could never live in. It's a place to visit.

A person is more likely to have a fatal heart attack reading something disagreeable on City-Data Forum than he is getting murdered in his lifetime in Los Angeles.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Leave

NYC was #1 unfriendliest city. LA was #2.

Oh! Gotcha. I see. I still don't think the two compare in unfriendliness, though...if so LA runs a far, far, far second, LOL.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by sweetheart1311

Isn't NYC city # 1 biggest city in the US (based on population) and LA # 2? That explains it, I think.

Yes, I believe that's correct (population). New Yorkers are way, waaaaaaaaay more "crushed in" and compacted into each other, more or less on top of one another than in many other cities. When you go walking the streets of NYC, you are literally a foot behind 10 people and a foot in front of 10 more. You cross any given street with anywhere between 5 and maybe 15 other people. This virtually guarantees that an accidental push, a shove, a glance, anything might tick a person off simply b/c being THAT close to people does automatically put one on the defensive. It's just a fact...we need a certain amount of "personal space" and in a very very small area with a very very huge population...well, fireworks are bound to happen no matter how careful you are.

What I've noticed in NYC (lived in the northeast for 38 years, 15 m. from NYC with frequent/monthly trips into Manhattan, usually Midtown) is that as far as unfriendliness, you're not necessarily talking about people not saying hello. You're talking about volatility. Screaming, giving the finger, what-have-you. In certain areas of the city, if you play your music too loud or otherwise make a lot of noise in your apartment, say, people absolutely will open their windows and shriek at you to shut the f*ck up. Not every 10 minutes or anything...but frequently enough that it's even lampooned in movies and stuff...and on Seinfeld...that sort of thing. I have never yet seen that anywhere in LA. I'm sorry but I just haven't.

In fact...some guy cut me off driving when I first moved here (ETA: I mean to SoCal)...I gave him the finger and yelled at him. (I'm a woman, BTW.) He FOLLOWED me. Or, I guess I should say, he was in front of me but he stayed right with me, trying to stop my car with his. He was going to...I don't know what. He slowed to almost a crawl so I would have to stop...it was two lanes...but then the second lane cleared up and I zoomed off...I was scared...To be honest with you, in New Jersey, I never once expected to have a follow-up to the yelling and the finger, except returned yelling and a returned finger. I think that was my first indication that maybe stuff like that isn't okay and routine as a response to a person in a traffic situation. Seriously. I'm embarrassed and a little sad recalling this. And I wonder why I didn't make friends right away--people must have thought I was a terrible person. Ugh. It's a bad memory.

Again, I'm not trying to vilify the northeast (that's my cradle...I was born there, grew up there...and there are many absolutely fantastic things about it) and I'm not trying to boost LA (a city I'm still really trying to make friends with), but this is just a subject that's clear as day to me as far as the division of friendliness/unfriendliness and it's from the perspective of having lived in both places.

As for the poster who said he/she doesn't want to live where a person can die in the street and people just walk away, OMG, that is the NUMBER ONE complaint and occasional urban legend you'll hear about NYC. Do you read the papers? There was a huge to-do about this actually just a few years back, I think...a woman was stabbed, I think, and she was screaming out on the sidewalk and not only did people walk away, the people safe inside their own apartments didn't call the police...then the person came out to stab her AGAIN! And again, it was no problem for the murderer. Off he went. The woman died...You'll hear "uncaring" stories about this in most major cities and a huge, and very sad, reason is that people don't want to be involved because they don't want to be next. I'm not saying it's okay...it's horrible. But this sure as shoot is not limited to Los Angeles, geez.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by JerZ

OMG, that is the NUMBER ONE complaint and occasional urban legend you'll hear about NYC. Do you read the papers? There was a huge to-do about this actually just a few years back, I think...a woman was stabbed, I think, and she was screaming out on the sidewalk and not only did people walk away, the people safe inside their own apartments didn't call the police...then the person came out to stab her AGAIN! And again, it was no problem for the murderer. Off he went. The woman died...You'll hear "uncaring" stories about this in most major cities and a huge, and very sad, reason is that people don't want to be involved because they don't want to be next. I'm not saying it's okay...it's horrible. But this sure as shoot is not limited to Los Angeles, geez.

I read about that story several years ago in my Social Psychology textbook ...sad. Glaring example of Bystander effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[AliveandWell]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

I am not going to read all eight pages, but as I person who lived in LA for 36 of 41 years (I finally escaped last October) I will say this: L.A. is NOT for the cold blooded people. If you do not like warm/hot weather you will be unhappy.

2) I do NOT have allergy/breathing/sinus problems and the air quality SUCKS! The only good days are immediately after the rain and two days later it's back to the nastiness of smog.

I agree with the rest of the OP. I left L.A. once and made the mistake of moving back. I left again this past October, and outside of visiting my family and friends who still live there, I will NEVER return.

I should give you a few reputation points for this! You know when I say that the L.A. air quality is atrocious, some people just don't believe me. That's fine if they want to stay in denial about how bad the air quality is but a fact is a fact. People can deny certain things all they want to but the facts speak for themselves.

This place is NOT the place it was when I came out here way back in 1983. Now, there are just too many people here and too many cars on the streets. This is what happens when they give the auto industry so much power and neglect the needs of those who are not able to drive such as myself. Our public transportation system is pretty poor and the metro area is just way too spread out all over the place. Plain and simple L.A. was designed poorly from the start. This metro area is not that great for pedestrians. Also, in 1983, the cost of housing and rent was not THIS expensive.

What can I say, L.A. is sometimes a frustrating place to be and other times it feels really good. Some of you need to realize that there is much more to life than constant sunny weather and palm trees. L.A. just does NOT have a great quality of life anymore for the average person. I'm not saying that there is nothing good about this place. Sure there are good things about L.A. but there are also many not so good things. I think its really important to let people know what this place is really like as opposed to what some hear about L.A. from our national media.

Folks, L.A. is NOT just about the movie industry. Anyone who moves here can't expect to hang out at the beach all day and get a tan. You still have to work and live a life.

[dtran103]

Originally Posted by eagle7

The food in L.A. may be good but its far from being inexpensive.

Au contraire. I think the BEST foods in LA are the ones that are inexpensive.

[goodneighbor1234]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

I am not trying to say L.A. is a horrible place to live. There are things I like about L.A. but it is not as good as some think. I was just trying to point out some of the realities of living here. If I find others I will post them.

L.A. is not a horrible place. When you compare it to San Antonio, Texas.... L.A. is a great place.

Move to Texas and your opinion of L.A. will change. I guarantee it.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

I should give you a few reputation points for this! You know when I say that the L.A. air quality is atrocious, some people just don't believe me. That's fine if they want to stay in denial about how bad the air quality is but a fact is a fact. People can deny certain things all they want to but the facts speak for themselves.

i responded to your initial complaint about the polluted air in LA and i really think you're overstating the issue. sure, compared to Alaska or Hawaii, LA has dirty air. But at the same time, LA's air is squeaky clean compared to that of Beijing, China (i've been there) or some city next to a coal burning plant. In fact, the city of LA as a whole doesn't have that bad of air quality. The nastiest air here in SoCal is actually near the freeways and out in San Bernardino and Riverside where it gets much hotter in the summer and there are mountains that block the pollution from being pushed further inland.

[eastontracks]

^^^

lol. Hey I live in San Antonio right now! I'll be visiting LA again a 2nd time within a year (next week) and really look forward to it! Maybe one day, definitely taking steps to eventually getting there. Must plan first.