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Los Angeles Plays Itself

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Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#41

Post by wwweston »

gtani wrote: post #5
Tenoke wrote: post #2

>She refers to their relationship as long-distance. It takes her an hour to get to where he lives, so she stays for three days at a time, then comes home for one or two. I assume this isn't a typical reaction? I live in London, and if it takes me an hour to get somewhere, I consider that fairly reasonable. Is it actually common for people over there to consider an hour journey as something extraordinary?

I had a friend in Santa Monica ask me a few years back if i wanted to get a burrito, so we get in her car, get on the 10, the 405, and another freeway towards downtown. After driving 40 minutes, i ask her, "are we getting close?", she says, "of course, don't be so impatient"

Others have observed this is a little odd, given that in LA there's almost always decent tacos or burritos close at hand.

On the other hand, ones favorite place for these things might well be an hour away. I live in West LA and my favorite Mexican food is in Eagle Rock and my favorite mediterranean food is in Orange County...

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#42

Post by crimsonalucard »

rogerbinns wrote: post #37
Tenoke wrote: post #2

>She refers to their relationship as long-distance. It takes her an hour to get to where he lives, so she stays for three days at a time, then comes home for one or two. I assume this isn't a typical reaction? I live in London, and if it takes me an hour to get somewhere, I consider that fairly reasonable. Is it actually common for people over there to consider an hour journey as something extraordinary?

I am a Brit who now lives in the Bay Area (~400 miles, 5 hours drive north of LA). What really chews your soul is sitting in stop and go traffic. Journeys with lots of motion seem to pass by quicker as you are actually doing something and the scenery, cars etc around you are constantly changing. But when you are driving in that stop go traffic that feels comparable to walking speed, with the same cars around you, and…

I was born in the bay, I now live in LA. What you experience for traffic in the bay is heaven compared to LA

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#43

Post by remarkEon »

beachstartup wrote: post #34
stephengillie wrote: post #11

It's amazing in a kinda-depressing way to think of LA as a "City without a name/face". It's really a melting pot in more ways than one. Are all of the landmarks there really so generic? Did the movie industry influence less-recognizable monuments and other features in the past? Or is it just that the city's culture lends itself to a "scrubbed" culture?

making LA sound terrible is an entire cottage industry and this is a prime example of some top notch product. the truth is a lot more boring. LA is a great major city to live/work in but an exceptionally shitty place to visit, unless you stay with knowledgeable locals. in that way, it's the opposite of SF and NY, tough places to live in but mind-blowing next-level kind of awesome places to visit.

This was my sentiment exactly...I ended up making some friends in LA over the past 1.5 years and have been visiting enough to the point where I got to know the areas pretty well (mostly in the South Bay..El Segundo, Hermosa, Redondo..less so Santa Monica, Venice). Decided to turn down a school in New York for one in LA because of those reasons you mentioned. I guess I have such a mystical view of NYC and SF because everytime I visit I have such a great time. In a weird way, I think I picked LA because my experience thus far has been more real than NYC or SF.

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#44

Post by crimsonalucard »

beachstartup wrote: post #34
stephengillie wrote: post #11

It's amazing in a kinda-depressing way to think of LA as a "City without a name/face". It's really a melting pot in more ways than one. Are all of the landmarks there really so generic? Did the movie industry influence less-recognizable monuments and other features in the past? Or is it just that the city's culture lends itself to a "scrubbed" culture?

making LA sound terrible is an entire cottage industry and this is a prime example of some top notch product. the truth is a lot more boring. LA is a great major city to live/work in but an exceptionally shitty place to visit, unless you stay with knowledgeable locals. in that way, it's the opposite of SF and NY, tough places to live in but mind-blowing next-level kind of awesome places to visit.

Not to mention that the things to do in LA are so spread out. If you try to visit the city with the intention of visiting as many destinations as possible, you'll be spending more time in the car getting to these places then you will actually being at these places.

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#45

Post by lavamantis »

staunch wrote: post #18
gtani wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a friend in Santa Monica ask me a few years back if i wanted to get a burrito, so we get in her car, get on the 10, the 405, and another freeway towards downtown. After driving 40 minutes, i ask her, "are we getting close?", she says, "of course, don't be so impatient"

West LA has lots of plenty of legit Mexican food, you shouldn't be driving for it. I suggest Tacos Por Favor next time you want some in Santa Monica. http://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-por-favor-santa-monica There are some things you have to drive for, like great dim sum, but the great Middle Eastern and Japanese food more than makes up for it. Two of my favorite restaurants in the world: http://www.yelp.com/biz/zankou-ch…

If you drive > 10 mins for Mexi, you're definitely doing it wrong. There are countless places at any price point and any style. Personally I prefer Gilbert's and Don Antonio's (homestyle; both on Pico). The best tacos I've ever had tho were from a street vendor outside of Liquid Kitty. Just outrageous.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/liquid-kitty-los-angeles

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#46

Post by beachstartup »

remarkEon wrote: post #43
beachstartup wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

making LA sound terrible is an entire cottage industry and this is a prime example of some top notch product. the truth is a lot more boring. LA is a great major city to live/work in but an exceptionally shitty place to visit, unless you stay with knowledgeable locals. in that way, it's the opposite of SF and NY, tough places to live in but mind-blowing next-level kind of awesome places to visit.

This was my sentiment exactly...I ended up making some friends in LA over the past 1.5 years and have been visiting enough to the point where I got to know the areas pretty well (mostly in the South Bay..El Segundo, Hermosa, Redondo..less so Santa Monica, Venice). Decided to turn down a school in New York for one in LA because of those reasons you mentioned. I guess I have such a mystical view of NYC and SF because e…

yes, south bay LA is very nice and quite liveable.

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#47

Post by mturmon »

jetako wrote: post #14
stephengillie wrote: post #11

It's amazing in a kinda-depressing way to think of LA as a "City without a name/face". It's really a melting pot in more ways than one. Are all of the landmarks there really so generic? Did the movie industry influence less-recognizable monuments and other features in the past? Or is it just that the city's culture lends itself to a "scrubbed" culture?

The city does seem to be in constant flux, but there are plenty of landmarks. Griffith Observatory and the Downtown Library come to mind. The author sounds like she spent most of her life west of Hollywood. I would be bitter too if my outlook was so myopic. She somehow managed to miss the bustling Jewelry District and Gallery Row on her way to Skid Row, and must have turned around before she reached the Arts District…

"she spent most of her life west of Hollywood"

Yes, this is just not a very well-informed article. It's pitched as kind of a pithy survey of the city, but it works better as some impressions from the viewpoint of a teen who grew up there.

The author appears to have graduated Brown in 2011 and been in Brooklyn since then. In her childhood and teen years here, it's unfortunate she didn't get to visit more of the city. ("All I ever did was drive the familiar loop of surface streets I knew, smoking cigarettes, blasting the heat with the windows down on winter nights.")

That's all ok as far as it goes, but what mars the article to the point of profound irritation is that she seems to have taken on a lot of tired and dated viewpoints. (Hollywood as an over-riding explanation, the freeways, hauling Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht up from their graves for one more anecdote, the remarks about Downtown.) The article sounds like the way stereotypical older Westside residents talk.

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#48

Post by lavamantis »

jessaustin wrote: post #24
sahat wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually commute every day via 405 and 10. You are right, it's awful during the rush hour, but during non-rush hours it is still faster than taking local streets. A few weeks ago I left work via 405 at 4:45pm and arrived home at 7:10pm, the commute that would take no more than 12-15 minutes without traffic.

You've never been tempted to bicycle that short a distance? Sure it wouldn't be 15 minutes but it also wouldn't be 2.5 hours.

I ditched my car for a bicycle, and I've never been happier. Except when I almost get hit by a car. But that's mostly rare. Mostly.

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#49

Post by beachstartup »

crimsonalucard wrote: post #44
beachstartup wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

making LA sound terrible is an entire cottage industry and this is a prime example of some top notch product. the truth is a lot more boring. LA is a great major city to live/work in but an exceptionally shitty place to visit, unless you stay with knowledgeable locals. in that way, it's the opposite of SF and NY, tough places to live in but mind-blowing next-level kind of awesome places to visit.

Not to mention that the things to do in LA are so spread out. If you try to visit the city with the intention of visiting as many destinations as possible, you'll be spending more time in the car getting to these places then you will actually being at these places.

by next year with the opening of the expo line, public transit will surpass that of the bay area, and within the next 15 years will be in the same league as new york. a lot of money is being spent on it.

blue is being extended next year, then purple:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Rail_%28Los_Angeles_Count...

Re: Los Angeles Plays Itself

#50

Post by johnsberd »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #19
Tenoke wrote: post #2

>She refers to their relationship as long-distance. It takes her an hour to get to where he lives, so she stays for three days at a time, then comes home for one or two. I assume this isn't a typical reaction? I live in London, and if it takes me an hour to get somewhere, I consider that fairly reasonable. Is it actually common for people over there to consider an hour journey as something extraordinary?

Depends on your sensibilities and what you're used to, but personally, I consider an hour exceptionally long. For me, it takes roughly 20 minutes to get into the nearest major metropolitan area by car, or 30 to an international airport. Almost anywhere we'd regularly travel to or run an errand to is within 5-10 minutes; more unusual destinations are within 15-20. An hour is what it would take to drive to the ocean or…

I'm that person. For me it's all about cost. I rent a room in a house in the suburbs for $400mo where if I wanted to live in the city where I work it would cost me around $1k. I don't make a lot of money so even though my time is valuable, it isn't helping my bank account. Until I get a better job it just isn't an option to move into the city.
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