going back to LA...but lost my way (Long Beach, Pasadena: neighborhoods, living)

[weatheredOUT]

hello everyone:

i'm a late 20's male currently residing in nyc brooklyn. i'm coming back to the w.coast this month, i've decided that nyc is not the place i want to be long term. i've only lived here a few years and prior to that SF. i've lived my 20's in cities where there was public transporation, walkable restaurants, bars, etc. i'm very keen on that and comfortable with that type of interaction. however, the weather in nyc is killing me. i never really appreciated weather until moving out here. i've been wearing a coat for 6-7 months, then 2 weeks of decent spring, now disgusting muggy heat for the next 3 mths. and everytime i look at the google temperature, it says 70's and clear in LA! so yes, weather makes a HUGE difference.
i'm orignally from LA, but haven't been back for about 7-8 years. this may sound strange, but i feel like i don't know LA at all. how do people interact in LA? i guess to clarify, for example, SF/NYC, you go to a restaurant, then walk over to the bars, or cafes, whatever. but it's all walking, and interacting with your environment. how do ppl in LA do it? how do ppl meet in LA? i guess i'm kind of turned off at the fact that everything is so spread out, therefore i feel that it might make my world "smaller" if that makes any sense. anyway, some input from those currently living there would be great! thanks!

[artichoke63]

to begin with, you won't be walking anywhere here. You'll be driving and usually stuck in traffic. But hey, the weather...

[TheRealAngelion]

Originally Posted by weatheredOUT

I'm orignally from LA, but haven't been back for about 7-8 years. this may sound strange, but i feel like i don't know LA at all. how do people interact in LA? i guess to clarify, for example, SF/NYC, you go to a restaurant, then walk over to the bars, or cafes, whatever. but it's all walking, and interacting with your environment. how do ppl in LA do it?

People do the same thing in LA, the big difference is that you might have to drive to the neighborhood or destination (if you don't already live there) where you can have dinner, hop over to a bar afterwards for drinks, and then to a cafe for a little coffee to sober up all within walking vicinity. Neighborhoods that come to mind for this include: West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, Pasadena, and downtown LA.

The cool thing about LA and the experience of living there is that there are so many options to choose from to have a night on the town all with their own unique vibes and attitudes. Having dinner in Beverly Hills, followed by drinks in West Hollywood, and topping off the night clubbing in Hollywood is a part of the LA experience. You have to embrace it for what and how it is and enjoy the ride. If you try to replicate NY or SF life in LA you will become frustrated.