Monday, November 15, 2004

People Who Hate Los Angeles

I read this from Dave Winer. I thought his comments were lame. Then I read this by Doc Searls before I had a chance to put my thoughts down.

Los Angeles is a truly unique city unlike any other on the planet. It is a city dripping with opportunity and seedy characters trying to get ahead by any means necessary. Where Manhattan is a wonderful mass of people and buildings, LA is a city of geography. There is no 'there' there. From the snowcapped Angeles Crest Mountains to the hills of Malibu to the tip of Palos Verdes, Los Angeles is a city you experience by driving through it, in it, around it. It is a car city.

It's a city with no history and a city of dreams. People come here from all over the world to re-invent themselves, to make a new future and to sometimes fail in a really sunny place. Its a city of great wealth and poverty. Driving along Wilshire Blvd. from Downtown Los Angeles through the Central American Pico Union District, to Korea Town, to Mid - Wilshire and the La Brea tarpits, to Beverly Hills to Westwood, to Santa Monica, is truly a cultural experience.

I could go on for pages but more importantly, to me the provincial view of others towards any city is funny. I love New York, LA, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, and of course San Diego. Each of these cities have their pluses and minuses that can really only be experienced when you pour yourself into the unique experience that they offer. If you can't take a city for all its beauty and ugly, you should stay home.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

lost angel-less sucks period! f..k L.A.!

Anonymous said...

Just the fact that Los Angeles is 'a car city' is what sucks about it... what's fun about being inside your car? NOTHING! We are humans we need to walk and be outdoors and do 'stuff'. The nightlife also SUCKS here. Everything closes at 2 am.

Unknown said...

ana carolina said it.

Anonymous said...

Los Angeles is a great city don't get me wrong. I love LA.
You have to realize though why people hate LA. From my vantage point this is usually stemmed from Angelenos attitude (often seen by people from NYC too) that LA is so great and everywhere else is garbage, podunk, or just not with it. I have no problem with civic pride, but after I hear someone go on and on about how much better their home town is than mine it is my only refuge to lash out at that cities negatives.

Anonymous said...

I've been here for over 10 years. I'm here only because I need to help my ailing mother. Otherwise, I'd get the hell out of Los Angeles ASAP. I can't stand the commute in LA. Driving 10 miles takes over 30-60 minutes. Unless you live around the coast, air pollution is really bad. Lots of kids in LA have asthma. Lots of my friends do. And boy, it gets really really hot during summer. But the worst thing is really traffic, and all the rude people who cut you off inch by inch. Also, it's a car nation, and the arsholes who drive huge Hummer + SUVs and block you and brake super fast... really annoying. I really hate Los Angeles. I can't wait to get out.

Anonymous said...

LA sucks shit period.

Anonymous said...

every city has its own pluses and minuses. a car city is awesome. I live in downtown, and i walk constantly, only for far away places do i drive LA's a great city, just take the good with the bad. Also "it gets really really hot during summer"? Duh, its a coastal desert climate. leave if you don't like it. The smog hasnt been so bad recently, honestly. but you either like it or you dont, i guess...

Anonymous said...

I can't figure out what to sightsee first, the scores of homeless people, the gangmembers, the druggies and dealers or graffiti that appears more as landscaping than an eyesore....where to start!!!