LA is a Dump

"I feel much more at home with the Mexicans of Bakersfield than the pretentious whites of LA."

Because there are no Mexicans in Los Angeles.

A little OT, but everyone (including myself) who's been to San Diego, ravs about the place. And yet, very few people seem to want to move there. Why is that? The jobs aren't there? It feels a little too far away from the action? Too hot in the summer?

Years ago I spent a couple of days in Tijuana doing research for a movie. I crossed the border and spent a few hours in San Diego. I overheard a few conversations of tourists with locals regarding Tijuana and Mexico. All those locals were terrified about Mexico (this was before the recent violence explosion). A woman said she had lived in San Diego for over 30 years and not once had crossed into Mexico.

I think people in San Diego feel they are too close to the action.

By the looks of you Calvin...kind of looks like you may have spent some time rummaging through a few trash can in search of aluminum and plastic. I'm just saying, you might want to lose that dead ferret that's wrapped around your chin, Oscar the Grouch.


@ David
Holy cow David. From your depiction, I feel like hoping on the next bus over. Ass everywhere, is just a place I want to be. One day, god willing. One day. Lol.

@Calvin

I was being sarcastic. I have seriously never been to LA. I've seen entire east coast and Canada, but never visited LA myself.
I am from Ljubljana, Slovenia and that is - as far as I know - the most non-LA like place on this planet (yes, I think Ulan Bator is more LA-like). I would be classified as a hillbilly from the most forgotten, tiniest place in Europe.

But who really cares. The world has become so tiny, the place is less denominating than what resides in one's head and heart.

By the way, I just checked the census data, and the percentage of non-Hispanic whites in L.A. County is 27.8%.

And only 8.3% of those are pretentious.

No, LA is a shithole

San Diego is a beautiful city, with perfect weather. But it has two major drawbacks. One, from what I've seen, real estate is super pricey. It's just a little too far from LA to make it a regular weekend commute for people in the industry, and San Diego's industry is basically the port - so, it's a very select group of people who can find employment there, and most of them are military. Those would be my guesses.

As for the OP's post, about LA being a dump. Well, I grew up in Washington state, so I'm familiar with scenic beauty. However, I still wouldn't qualify Los Angeles as a dump. First of all, LAX is a terrible airport so that's absolutely nothing to go by. If LAX stressesyou out, have the good sense to use Burbank/Bob Hope next time like the rest of us locals do whenever possible.

An excellent blog with some advice for those moving to LA, that sums up the pros/cons of LA pretty well: http://sivers.org/la

Los Angeles is not one city. It is a megalopolis. It is many small neighborhoods and towns that someone drew a line around and declared: "You're a city, now!" That's why we all have more loyalty to our neighborhoods than we do to the big city as a whole. That's why your best bet is to explore and find the little town in the big city you like best; West Hollywood, Silverlake, Toluca Lake, Santa Monica, Studio City, Encino, Pacific Palisades, oh my goodness the list is almost endless. Each of these places/neighborhoods has their own little economic core, which has its own unique charm, and each of these places has a community of people that, if you live there long enough, you will grow to know and love.

But, the problem with this is that the places between those neighborhoods, the "fill in the blanks" sections seem not to have an identity or a community, and, as such, yes, tend to look yucky or ugly. C'est la vie. There's places like that in every city I've ever been in.

I've been to Bakersfield, too, and my impression was "hot desert hot awfully hot get me out of the heat please dear god I'm roasting," but I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate me taking my limited experience and saying, "Why would anyone live in the Hell that is Bakersfield?!" Because a few stopovers does not a fair assessment make.

Calvin, you continue to be a negative force. I've lived in LA for 25 years now and find it's natural assets to be quite extraordinary (where else can you get to an ocean or a mountain in an hour??), the people who live here to be creative and all-embracing. If you don't like LA, stay away cause we don't like you either.

Mountain (The Shining) to Ocean (The Goonies) in one hour = Portland

I live in Nuevo Mejico, and know of a lot of Tinseltown movers and shakers, along with other monied types, who commute from Southern Cal to Santa Fe every week, (driving up the price of NM real estate astronomically).

Question: do they do this to get away from CA or NM?

Also, you do know that the entire West Coast of the US is going to slide into the ocean at the end of 2012, don't you? I presume that includes CA. Of course, those of us further inland will be having to cope with Yellowstone erupting, but still....

I'm sorry friends if I made you mad.
It was not my intent to cause a fuss.
If you love LA, well good for you.
The rest of us are perfectly glad,
to let you live in that 80 some
square of miles of concrete,
'Cause the more of you who live there,
the more for the rest of us,
who like feeling dirt and grass beneath our feet.

So call me negative if you must,
but I've spent enough time in your fair city,
to want to experience it only from a bus.
Hordes of humanity, I can do without.
But you all enjoy your congestion,
the stress and the fuss,
while we will be happy to ride through on a bus.

There's a TV series called "Beautiful Homes and Great Estates".

They show $15 million homes in Brentwood, Malibu and other areas like Beverly Hills.

Assuming that people who live in Los Angeles spend a lot of time in their homes, then, life in certain parts of Los Angeles is the best in the world.

Especially when it's below freezing in Chicago and New York. And we tune in the Weather Channel just to laugh.

There are also large areas of Los Angeles that we could do without. Level all the buildings and start building a new city with better building codes.

David:

Now I know you have never spent much time in Bakersfield. LA may have more supply of the female gender, but the Okies and Mexicans of Bakersfield go for quality. And the Bakersfield gals aren't so paper thin you could make airplanes out of them.

Calvin, are we not 'all' God's children?

Judge not, that you be not judged.

For with the judgment that you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when there is the log in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Matthew 7.1-5

Hey, no bashing the Valley. It's hot, but it has its pluses, too. Especially if you're in/near the Hills.

"the more for the rest of us,
who like feeling dirt and grass beneath our feet."

Dude - LA is hardly a concrete city. Most of it is suburbs, with parks and yards and all that good stuff. And beaches and mountains and hiding trails.

"...beaches and mountains and hiding trails."

Wow, their own trails. LA really pampers its stalkers. :-)

Scott:

Dude? Yes, I realize all those things exist somewhat in LA. It's just hard to see them between all that concrete and asphalt. I had a brother in law who managed an apartment complex in LA. They had a swimming pool and not one blade of grass. Everything flat was either covered with concrete and asphalt. As I flew in to Jacksonville last Saturday morning I was amazed to see the acres and acres of trees all around the the city. Other cities have areas that are basically without ground or grass, but nothing compared to the vastness of the LA expanse. Of course, to be fair, that's what new housing developments are doing all over. Little dinky lawns with huge houses sitting next to each other.

I also realize the age gap between some of us makes a difference. I didn't feel so down on LA when I was younger. The impression grew as I got older.