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As in happy. I live in Los Angeles...yay, I'm gay!
This gayness is brought on by a conversation I had with a jatruaquero this morning. It was me defending my town while he was telling me how unlivable this place is.
Los Angeles. I know it's stylish to disparage this city. Too much traffic, too much smog, too much violence, too many earthquakes, fires and floods, too spread out, too "Hollywood"... The complaints go on and on, but many of us know better. Okay, I'll admit, it's no longer the romantic oasis on the edge of the vast desert, but Los Angeles is different from every other place on earth. Because of the movie studios and other media outlets, our city has influenced countless millions who will never come here to visit or live.
So admit it, you've at one point talked about how shallow this silicon/botox fueled city is. Well, I'm here to give you some reasons as to why I think LA kicks the badunkadunk of every other major city...in the universe.
~Los Angeles has the nation's safest downtown, according to Federal crime statistics.
~Santa Monica Pier. You've heard stories of your parents eating cotton candy at the pleasure fair as a tyke before color TV was available right? Well we have one of the only great pleasure fairs left which features games, rides, a carousel, shops and restaurants.
~Venice Beach. This beach attracts freespirited souls from all walks of life-muscle builders, artists, skaters, jugglers and musicians. Lotsa lotsa freaks.
~Food. Los Angeles has a huge variety of cultural restraunts, and they are GOOD. Having lived overseas, I can tell you the Chinese and Korean food you find in this town is often tastier than what you would find in the homeland. Oh yeah, and we've got Tito's Tacos. Boo-ya.
~We have the most Little (Insert name) of Foreign Citys of any other city. Little Tokyo, Little Bangkok, Little Taiwan, etc...
Ok, so the list goes on and on. We've got Griffith Park, The Hollywood Bowl, great amusement parks, Museums galore, and beautiful Gardens such as Vedanta Temple in Hollywood, and of course Hollywood.
So many beautiful places to see, so many beautiful people to do. And while we do have a healthy amount of stereotypical coke-snorting empty-headed Los Angelinos who live for fashion and clubbing, I've run into a myriad of good people who don't fit that ugly mold.
Yay! Viva Los Angeles. I'm gay!
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I have to say the traffic sucks and houses are WAY overpriced, but Disneyland and the Griffith Park Observatory are pretty cool and when you add in Scripps Oceanographic Institute, Mission Bay, Coronado and Silver Strand, Mt. Palomar Observatory, San Diego Zoo/Balboa Park/SD Air and Space Museum, and Fightertown USA (Mirimar NAS) all within a couple of hours drive, I have to admit it's pretty cool.
(Jim-Me = Graduate of Santa Monica Hospital, class of '68)
edit: but the lack of Pro Footbal is a significant minus.
Some Los Angelenos see the absence of pro-football aas a major plus -- it means that on Sundays they generally get to view the best match-ups of the week, rather than a dog game by a home-town team or by some division/regional team. Plus -- no black outs. They always get the full slate of games.
EDIT: Of course, as a Bay Arean, the notion that So-Cal is desirable in any way is completely foreign to me -- although I do like the Getty [mainly for the illuminated manuscripts collection].
...and so help me god, I shall remain gay, so long as I continue to live in LA!
Just a couple of things I'd like to add:
If you live in the suburban areas of LA the traffic is no big deal. The only time when traffic is a problem is during rush hour, but then- that's easily manageable. Go a couple of minutes earlier and you can easily beat the traffic. Simple, no?
Earthquakes? Pshh. What earthquakes? Okay, while there are earthquakes they're are not really so frequent nor as large as people tend to think. I have lived in LA for seventeen years and as hard as I have tried, I have never even been able to feel any of these stinkin' quakes. . Honestly, earthquakes are nothing. If you want to worry about natural disaster, worry about Kansas. They have tornadoes. .
The violence really depends on where you live. I live in a relatively poor area. It's not Inglewood but it's poorer than the neighboring cities around this part of LA. I've lived in this city for almost as long as I was alive and have never witnessed any violence or gangs (gangsters, yes- gangs, no. Although I do realize that they are there). I must say, using "violence" as a reason for LA to be unlivable is a rather, er- "stupid" one. There are plenty of areas here with violence but unless you are planning to live in the poorest area of LA, it's nothing you should worry about.
Housing prices: All I have got to say is that the house I currently live in, more than doubled in cost since my family bought it. Yeah, the rise in prices is a bad thing for others. I agree. For us, however, it was merely a good investment.
Addressing the lack of pro football issue: What sort of red-blooded Los Angelinos actually cares about football? Basketball I can see, but football? Heh. No big loss. Posts: 181 | Registered: Aug 2001
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LA seriously gives me a headache. I don't know if it's the smog or the endless sea of buildings and people. It's fun to visit for a while, but I have to get out eventually.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Are you sure you are an Angeleno? I would have at least expected a USC (or even UCLA) mention in relation to football.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Hrm. Maybe I am judging too much on enthnic highschool aged people. A very large majority of people in my school and the schools around my area are much more interested in basketball.
The older generation is more interested in other sports or no sports at all (particularly older asians for obvious reasons).
edited to add: To be more clear, I was refering more to pro-football [issue] as opposed to college football. I didn't want to repeat "pro-football" again after I said it already. Terrible wording on my part.
quote: It's stinkin' hot and the people think fruit goes in salsa. *shudder*
. . . says the man who lives in an area where the heat AND humidity are higher than most of L.A. county.
And doesn't everyone put tomatoes in salsa?
quote: I don't know if it's the smog or the endless sea of buildings and people.
The smog has decreased quite a lot in the last 10-15 years. And where are you seeing an "endless sea of buildings and people," except maybe downtown? You must be thinking of NYC.
quote: I would have at least expected a USC (or even UCLA) mention in relation to football.
USC and UCLA should be mentioned in relation to basketball. Even I, sports-impaired as I am, know THAT!
*starts chorus* I love L.A.! We love it!Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I totally forgot to brag about our weather in the initial post. Summers never gets very hot and rarely humid, and 55 degree weather is as chillingly cold as it gets in the winter. Contrary to what Tom says, 75-85 degree weather usually with a nice breeze coming in from the ocean is not too hot. Weather-wise, I've lived many many places, and this seems to be the most conistently pleasant weather I've experienced.
I have never seen salsa that has fruit in it. Actually sounds tasty though.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2001
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the sky isn't as pretty, but i live in LA close to the ocean, so the weather is pretty dang nice.
LA definitely has its ups!
limited release movies, and two specialized theaters within walking distance from my apartment. the restaurants ARE awesome and there are so many to choose from. Free movie screenings. Theater every night. Cafe 50's. their milkshakes are the bomb, and their booths are the best places to work on screenplays and song covers.
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I didn't grow up in L.A., but Ventura County is close enough for government work, especially since I lived in Simi Valley, which is right over the hill from San Fernando Valley. And, anyway, until I was six or seven, Simi was so small that we had to go to Canoga Park to do any significant shopping. Also, we had the L.A. tv stations, so it was just the same as growing up there.
And, anyway, after I moved from Simi, I lived in Norwalk for four and a half years. Heck, you could see downtown L.A. on a clear day from the freeway overpass right next to my house.
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I love California, too! Especially LA! I know they have natural disasters three a week over there but I don't care. The weather is just that great. It is. Quality of life, man. It's all about quality of life. The weather makes such a huge improvement in everyone's outlook that people are friendlier and kinder there too. Californians are fantastic!
Very expensive to live there. Cost of living is beyond the Oort cloud. But wow they have some gorgeous weather.
[ July 24, 2004, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: ak ]
Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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When it comes to paisley I've never been dainty 'Tis a tart that would start an inquiry dark *snark snark* at bequest of the headrest
Posts: 3061 | Registered: Mar 2004
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SoCal gives me the creeps. I grew up there and liked it, but these days, I don't even like to visit. It's probably a combination of pretensiousness, fake boobs, and real smog.
Posts: 270 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:SoCal gives me the creeps. I grew up there and liked it, but these days, I don't even like to visit. It's probably a combination of pretensiousness, fake boobs, and real smog.
Utah gives me the creeps. I grew up there and liked it (still sentimental), but these days, I don't even like to visit (save immediate fam). It's probably the combination of prentiousness, fake boobs, rampant prozac, retro-hair-styles, strollers for every undereducated female the short-side of 21, the meth-labs, and the REAL *cough* "inversion layer".
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