Let’s discuss all the things we hate about LA

Too many fucking people.

So many gays on drugs

Too many psychotic drugged out mentally ill vagrants being allowed to roam the streets, terrorizing the citizens.

No enforcement of laws. People can steal up to $900 worth of stuff in broad daylight with no consequences because it's not a felony anymore. So nobody even reports it because the police do nothing about it.

Too much litter and garbage all over. Disgusting pigs trash their own neighborhoods and trample all over everyone else's property.

It's a better place to live than NYC. I hate that.

The architecture is disjointed and chaotic. There are multi million dollar homes that back up to mid-rise apartment buildings. What's the point of having a backyard and a pool if people can look down onto your property?

It’s tacky, and there’s barely any old money.

But I dig the seamy vibe.

It's ugly, dirty, has no culture, the people in it are fake af and now has a bunch of homeless people taking dumps in the streets.

All of the new money Perisans/middle Easterns who blast their shitty music while cruising up and down Rodeo in their Lambos with tacky holographic paint so people will stop and stare at them in all their luxury logo-ed clothes.

I agree with R8 - it’s the foreigners that have bought their way in to live the American “Hollywood lifestyle.” The glorious 80s and 90s are distant fond memories. Take me now.

R8 Those people are extremely tacky and materialistic and they ruin everything.

The kardashian's represents them. No wonder legitimate Movie Stars live back east in the quiet suburbs/country away from all of these LA freaks.

The kardashians & Shahs of sunset types have ruined LA. They're the new tacky money types.

LA need more Paul Williams architecture/homes.

LA used to be filled with beautiful Movie Star traditional homes, before these insane mega Mansions popped up everywhere. I used to want to live there, but not anymore. LA sounds like a nightmare now. I love my city, it's historical peaceful beautiful and quiet. And far away from loud crazy LA.

West Hollywood. Legit ground zero for HGH gym bunnies and meth-heads

Lol have any of you been to LA lately? What random complaints. While the enormous wealth gap brings a specific range of inequality problems alongside it, I don’t think anyone identified any of them here in a way that is on target. And of course the lifelong losers obsessed with “old money” have made themselves known. Rich people are bad for a society where people suffer because of wealth inequality, it doesn’t matter when they came into their money. Thread has a major bang of insecurity off it.

So what do YOU hate about LA, R13?

R14 i wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate anything (I think that’s the wrong term) but I find the wealth disparity to be difficult sometimes. There’s so much poverty in certain parts and such enormous wasteful indulgent wealth in others, an equilibrium could be reached so easily if people wanted it so.

There’s a lot of smaller things but it balances out. I love the food, I dislike the early bar closing times, I like the weekend options, I dislike the intense summer heat, I like the people but find it difficult to make proper connections….no city is going to tick every box. One thing I will say about it is that there’s a real sense of opportunity, which is nice.

LA isn't ugly. It can be really beautiful.

There's so much homelessness and poverty there. Yet so many billionaires just a stones throw away.

That's truly disgusting.

R17 what major city doesn't have that?

L. A. is a mixed bag. It can be hauntingly gorgeous or depressingly drab and ugly. I actually find it a very interesting place despite all of the hate it gets. The idea that the " new money" Persians and mid easterners are any worse than the old school rich types that predominated decades ago is laughable. Rich people are overwhelmingly not particularly nice people, no matter their origins.

How are any of these complaints not current? If anything, they're more relevant than ever. I hate LA for being so overcrowded and so expensive. It's full of dirty and crazy people. I also hate how even people who have good jobs and lifestyles are generally completely out of touch with the rest of the world yet they think they know everything. LA has so many annoying people trying to "make it" as well. I love the interesting people and opportunities. It's just so expensive and the quality of living doesn't mirror the prices.

R13 drives 50 MPH in the fast lane on the 405 in a 2003 Toyota Yaris weighted down with blankets and art supplies.

[quote]I love the interesting people

Is this sarcasm? Lol.

R18 it’s exaggerated in LA more than your typical major city I think. Except maybe Paris.

R21 you’ve got me all wrong.

Well at least there's a there.

I’ve always felt like LA needs maybe 12 years of a hard-nosed middle-aged white Republican to come in and clean house. Clean up graffiti, tamp down on the gang violence, end some of the government waste, do something about the homelessness, create a more business friendly market, that kind of thing. Kinda like what happened in NYC.

They can go back to the full of shit progressive Democrat people pleaser after there’s a sustainable middle class and better quality of life.

[quote]you’ve got me all wrong.

Ah, right. You probably take the bus. On LA's AMAZING public transit system.

Bye.

LA is only ugly if you're poor and can't afford to live in the nice areas, like Faye Dunaway.

R16, you are not wrong. The pretty parts of LA are all in the canyons, though. The residential part. But the actual city/downtown? Yeah, I do not see the appeal.

I lived there many years ago and even then there was a huge and ever widening chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Los Angeles has some truly beautiful scenery but it seemed to me that only the extremely affluent had access to it. This was unlike other cities I had seen— I mean there are always going to be people who live much more lavishly than I ever will, but LA was the first place I encountered gated communities and an almost obscene preoccupation with how much money one had (or appeared to have).

R26 girl you’re a mess lol.

Seedy is underrated. I grew up watching the old 1970s money that showed the gritty underbelly of LA and NYC and I thought they looked exciting, sexy and mysterious. It's what makes a place interesting. LA is great because you can go to the Bel Air Hotel one day, and the Cecil Hotel the next depending upon your mood.

tbh 50 mph is prolly much faster than the carpool lanes in LA ...

Rick Hilton just sold his father's Bel Air estate for $65 million dollars. And is selling a house he and his wife kathy built for themselves, also in Bel Air. But decided to keep the other Bel Air house they've been living in for 20 years. So they've just put the newly built house on the market for $55 million dollars.

Those are the kinds of people who live in LA.

Watching a shirtless Sam C do his kettle bell workout on the roof deck while working from my kitchen table. It gives me a chubby every time.

In Los Ageless, the winter never comes

In Los Ageless, the mothers milk their young

But I can keep running

No, I can keep running

Aah-ah aah-ah-ah

The Los Ageless hang out by the bar

Burn the pages of unwritten memoirs

But I can keep running

No, I can keep running

Aah-ah aah-ah-ah

Best weather in the world.

It's a city that requires a car but at the same time is not really built for them, hence why parking and traffic remain perennial problems. They keep widening roads but, surprise, all it does is bring more cars. They can extend more subway lines but the city's geography precludes the construction of an efficient, comprehensive network. The ongoing disaster of the high speed rail line between LA and SF is also lamentable.

There are large sections of LA that are truly gorgeous. But there are also large parts that are depressingly ugly and seedy. I have a remedy for that problem. I just don't go into the areas I don't like.

LA is comprised of some of the WORST drivers in North America. These assholes are in their own little world and the road rage is REAL.

They don't understand how to use turn signals, how to merge, or worst of all: how to pull out into the fucking intersection when making a left turn. Nope these asshats stay behind the crosswalk! FML.

Also: Jon's is the poor man's Von's, which is the poor man's Ralphs, which is the poor man's Gelson's, which is the poor man's Whole Foods, which is the poor man's Erewhon. Pavillions is the only safe bet to avoid total judgment.

I’ve known multiple people, myself included, whose cars have been hit while being parked on the street. I lived in South Central for a bit and it was SCARY.

The apartments are disgusting. Who wants to live in a building that looks like a motel? There’s no sense of community. The vibe of broken dreams is alive and well and always will be.

R41, bitter queen in the Midwest

R25 a Republican end government waste? HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

There's also the very real Uber/Lyft shortage in LA right now. Nearly impossible to get one in a timely or affordable manner.

I was stranded at a date's house for over an hour while over half a dozen cars (everything from Uber Black to X) cancelled on me. Finally lied and said one was 60 seconds away. I waited outside in the dark for another 40 minutes before one finally came thru. Thank God it wasn't a dodgier neighborhood!

I hate the weather the most. It’s like being stuck in a bad dream. I prefer 4 seasons.

I loved living there 30 years ago but looking at houses there now reminds me of all the cheap, ugly stucco.

R45 ICAM. I live in NYC and allthough I hate the weather here too, I went out yesterday and felt very chilly and thought to myself "Autumn has finally arrived" and felt weirdly happy about it and even though I know in 3 months I'll be cursing the cold, I realized I liked changing seasons and that it would be very boring to live in a place that didn't have them.

For some reason, LA seems to have a preponderance of the older iterations (ca. 80s and 90s) of store chain graphics and design, even in high-end areas. I always thought it contributed to a somewhat dated and shabby feel. So much just looks like it could use a gut renovation or better yet, a rebuild.

It is boring.

I love living in eternal summer. I spent the first 25 years of my life with 4 seasons. Yes, they have their charms, but it's nice having them "on demand." If I get nostalgic fall or winter, I can take a trip and then go home to LA when I'm sick of it.

LA isn’t ugly though. It’s actually one of the most naturally beautiful cities. And has a natural ambience like no other.

They steal our water to hose down their sidewalks, water their lawns and wash their cars.

Nothing boring about LA. You’re old men. Please.

Also, what is boring is you all finding any reason to shit on every city and town in this world that isn’t NYC. Maybe look at your birth certificates for a little humbling. I’m certain almost none of you are actually from NYC.

Also, a real NYer is willing to acknowledge how fucked up NYC is too.

Best hiking, oceans, All kinds of entertainment (duh). And vast culinary choices .

The architecture is disjointed and chaotic. There are multi million dollar homes that back up to mid-rise apartment buildings. What's the point of having a backyard and a pool if people can look down onto your property?

The point of having a backyard pool is usually to swim in it.

As opposed to NYC where everyone is on top of each other r55?

I love L.A. and lived in Southern California most of my life. But it is very overcrowded, very expensive and the traffic just sucks. And while there are so many great people, so many of the people are so shallow and dumb. I used to joke with my husband that they could never film that show “What Would You Do?” in L.A. because people would just walk right by you if you were in distress or be annoyed you were in their way.

I miss iL.A. but I am also glad we moved away.

NYC is fucked in other different ways but I chose those ways over the ways LA is fucked.

All the ugly 1950’s strip malls. They should be torn down and updated with better designed buildings.

The most shallow are usually the transplants. It’s not even the LA natives r57

NYC is gonna collapse one day.

I have a lot of dislikes for LA but I prefer it over NY. Idk what NY troll is on about.

[quote]The apartments are disgusting. Who wants to live in a building that looks like a motel?

THIS! Why do so many of the apartments look like motels that hookers would take their johns to?

You have to like sitting in cars more than you do walking. It will take at least forty-five minutes sitting in the car to go someplace, anyplace.

I always hear that yet I never experienced it r64. One time it look a good 20 minutes to get somewhere but never as long as everyone else claims

R61 from what I heard, LA has got NYC beat.

Honestly, its a question of tastes. I like older cities with more history. I have lived in NYC, Paris and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Old cities with culture and history. I might however be tempted to live in L.A if we were in the late 60's/early 70's, like in Once upon a time in Hollywood. It's golden age.

Filth

Crime

Bad government

Rampant drug abuse

Pretty much everything

Going there on Monday (after 30 years away). Will report back - although we will be in Hollywood/Universal City for most of the trip.

Just as an update to everyone re the traffic it’s not so bad anymore. Lots of people working from home has really had an impact. Also all you have to do is live near work and the problem alleviates itself.

The thing I’m finding most absurd about the complaints on here is people complaining about some of the architecture being old? Ummmmm I love that. It’s a beautiful and old city with lots of history.

R66 LA has a ton of history. Wtf.

R67 all can be said about NYC too.

NYC has a serious issue with the crazies and the druggies. The random acts of violence by lunatics, especially in the subways, are what I hate most about it. LA is nowhere near as bad in that regard. That's the one thing I would change. Well, that and the weather. Nothing more.

NYC is a fucking cesspool being occupied by people from Kansas and Idaho now. No edge. No energy. Nothing. It lost its personality and originality. LA never has. That’s one thing I will give LA. There, you have to adapt to the city. In NYC they try making everything adapt for you.

It's full of

Niggers.

Chinx.

&

Jews!

Moved from LA 6 months ago after living there 7 years. It’s a disgusting shithole. End of story.

I agree with R44. I can't get an Uber Black on demand when I land at LAX unless I book way in advance. It's a real boner shrinker to get off a first class, transcontinental flight only to take a shuttle bus to an Uber/Lyft lot to get in a dirty Prius.

#NeverAgain #Survivor

What? All my Lyfts have picked me up directly from LAX.

Grew up in and currently live in NYC -- lived in LA for a decade. My biggest dislike of LA was it wasn't truly urban, more a radically overgrown suburb. I feel it has all the downsides of a huge number of people living in one place: expensive and crowded; but few of the upsides -- you can't really get from place to place easily, and there is less random connection and interaction because everyone is in bubble of their own car. It is also a fairly opaque city, there is a great deal there, but it's usually not obvious and because of the car-centric set-up you rarely just stumble across something great.

Having been back a few times over the last 2 decades for work, it is also kind of broken in that the insane amount of traffic on the freeways and major surface street makes getting around and getting things done very difficult (don't know how much this has changed post-pandemic). When I lived there traffic was a thing, but now it's really much, much worse. It has great weather, although I personally prefer a change of seasons; and it has sporadic pieces of great architecture, but the prevailing aesthetic is stucco strip-mall, and that can get rather depressing. NYC has plenty of ugly buildings too, but the general density and more active street life make it feel a bit more cohesive than LA - which is a place that seems too scattered by distance, and because of traffic, time.

Love LA. Love WEHO and specifically Sunset Blvd. There is something in the air there. You can smell it.

Ironically I also love Thai Town. It’s beat down but it has great vibes.

It has a very natural laid back vibe compared to NYC’s fast paced energy.

I heard Uber Black picks you up curbside terminal/LAX, No? Should I try Lyft instead?

I hated the vibe in L.A. Everyone is full of so much "career anxiety", that they feed off each other, "How many auditions does your agent send you on per week?" "Do you think I should find a new agent????"

Everyone is desperate and you can feel it. My friendships were all work-related which meant my relationships with people were "surfacey" and "transactional". I felt really empty after 20 years. I just couldn't take anyone seriously because I knew everyone wanted something from me. They saw me as a potential "opportunity" instead of a real friend.

I left and not one person has ever reached out to me in 10 years. Pretty disappointing.

Alec Baldwin is your next door neighbor.

R81 makes himself sound really important.

Some of my closest friendships came from LA.

Born and raised in NYC, but LA is where I’ve met some of the best people I know.

90% of this thread is Bitter Old Queens who had tried to break into the entertainment industry and failed or who had low-level jobs for years and thus lived in ugly stucco apartments of the sort of hooker would bring her customer to.

The fact that LA felt like a massive collection of suburbs bothered me when I lived there when I was in my 20s back in 08-09. Not terribly--I really enjoyed the years I lived there--but it never really felt "urban" the way other cities did.

But post (mid?) pandemic, I can see the appeal of that life, of being able to drive everywhere and park and not feeling like you really had to leave your general area all that often. I mean there's a reason everyone is moving to the suburbs now--it's just an easier life.

That said, LA would be rough if you were older and single and gay and not much of a joiner.

R83, R81’s account seems a fairly typical LA experience, at least for people in the entertainment industry. I was on the periphery of that world. My ex was a successful writer yet despite his achievements and having ‘made it’ by anyone’s standard he was miserable and had a drinking problem. I was in film school at the time and the constant anxiety over career and people incessantly sizing me up got old real fast. Los Angeles is the only place I’ve ever been where someone will abandon a conversation the second that they determine you are not useful to them. I found that hard to take and it was difficult for me to forge real friendships there.

r83 But you couldn't do anything for them (get them work), so you can meet them on an even playing field, and the friendships form more authentically.

I am not full of myself and I was not important, but I could provide "potential job opportunities" that people wanted. I was just trying to explain how friendship involving work (in that specific business) is not a real friendship. It's a work-related friendship, which is not deep and meaningful.

R84 You just described 90% of the people who work in that business and how they live. (Myself included) It's not glamorous.

I have never lived there by myself but recently I heard someone say that people go to parties mostly to network in L.A. After reading this, it seems mostly true.

It depends on what you’re there for 🙄 not everyone in LA is there to be a star. That’s a lie. And many there are natives

R44 Why is there an Uber/Lyft shortage?

[quote]90% of this thread is Bitter Old Queens who had tried to break into the entertainment industry and failed or who had low-level jobs for years and thus lived in ugly stucco apartments of the sort of hooker would bring her customer to.

So it's their fault they don't like the city? The city had nothing to do with it?

You're saying LA sucks if you aren't well off and successful, which is something I've heard before. But cities are full of people who aren't well off or successful, and some cities don't suck for those people.

People over 40 who still think they’re going to make it in the business.

Suburban Sprawl

Is this an LA vs NYC thread? What does NYC have to do with it? Can't you people compare LA to Chicago or San Francisco or DC for a change? It's like every thread on DL is LA vs NYC.

NYC is overpopulated. I always laugh when DL says LA is but NYC isn’t

“I got sooooooooo much love to give….” 🎶

R96- You've got a lot to give

The golden state has beecome the shithole state

The Cockgobbler’s crusty hole

[quote] It's like every thread on DL is LA vs NYC.

Because deep down even the flyovers know that those are the only two American cities that really matter. Especially in the entertainment industry which is what this site is all about. And it WOUNDS them deeply.

Do you know anyone who's lived in one of the glamorous Old Hollywood apartment buildings? I think it would be so exciting to live in one of those, just like you were a young starlet trying to get a big break in Hollywood.

[quote] Because deep down even the flyovers know that those are the only two American cities that really matter. Especially in the entertainment industry which is what this site is all about. And it WOUNDS them deeply.

I actually agree with this but I'm not wounded. I love these threads because I enjoy reading the great writing and learn from so many who have actually lived in LA and NYC. You've lived it so I don't have to.

I'd never move from my beloved forest in rural northern WI. I've got all four seasons, and, I'm no yokel, I've even been to Green Bay once or twice.

[quote] I’ve always felt like LA needs maybe 12 years of a hard-nosed middle-aged white Republican to come in and clean house. Clean up graffiti, tamp down on the gang violence, end some of the government waste, do something about the homelessness, create a more business friendly market, that kind of thing. Kinda like what happened in NYC.

You're hilarious!

My problem with LA is that it's the second biggest city in America, but yet it isn't a real city. Compared to the more urban character of NY obviously, but even Boston, Chicago, Philly, DC even San Francisco are more real cities.If you are tourist who doesn't want to drive it ain't easy to get around. Personally I think that's sad for America's "second city".

What I dislike about LA is the build on build on build. Every square inch of space used up. Calabasas with multi million dollar homes? In the 2000s if you said you lived in Calabasas you were looked down on. The heterosexualization of Weho. Th straight rich families moved in and took the gay away except for close to SMB. All that being said. I love LA.

OMG just because you’re not in NYC or LA doesn’t mean you’re in “flyoverstan”. Jesus.

Miami is also a world city, btw.

The heterosexualization of WeHo? Ma'am I live here and it's plenty faggy.

How many times are you gonna repeat that LA isn’t urban enough? That’s why it’s unique. And it truly is probably our most unique city.

Saying you live in an overpopulated city isn’t something to brag about, btw. Especially if you’re over the age of 45. There’s a time you need to grow up and live a real life.

R106 is it, though? It's basically Cuba with cocaine. Not that I mind it.

Eric Garcetti

R107 I go there for two weeks every year. Sweetie, it’s becoming straight.

R109 yes. Miami is one of our top cities as far as making money. In a red state. People from all over the world go there.

Unique because it isn't urban r108? Have you heard of Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix. There are plenty of sprawling non-urbananized "cities" in America.

If you are actually a fan of cities, these sprawling messes aren't going to make you happy.

Atlanta is hella urban. It actually feels like a smaller NYC now

In the way the puddle outside is a small ocean r114.

Jersey City feels like a small NYC, the density of Atlanta is still really low.

[quote] NYC is gonna collapse one day.

That's what scares me about living there. What if they don't keep all those heavy buildings balanced and Manhattan Island flips over?

I prefer NY jews over LA jews.

Miami is a ridiculous joke. Maybe it's cosmopolitan if you arrived in a raft from Cuba.

LA and Hollywood are witchcraft central. Half of the celebrities and entertainment execs are practitioners of serious witchcraft. They believe that it's their key to success in Hollywood.

Julia Phillips talks about it here...

The homeless population just seemed to explode like 6 years ago and has gotten much much worse during the pandemic. Even in the nice suburbs in the Valley you can't really walk around anymore without encountering some unhinged person.

They really need to round up all the homeless and get rid of them. You shouldn’t get to just live somewhere for free.

[quote]Let’s discuss all the things we hate about LA

Let's not.

Julia Phillips is prophetic

R86 What did you end up doing? Did you leave? Are you in film there or elsewhere?

I have a friend who was born in LA, moved to Northern California as a child, returned to LA to attend UCLA. And never left. Every couple of years, I visit. After a week of the endless noise, overcrowding, poverty/homelessness - Culver City is invaded by 80,000 homeless people each evening - despair and surrealness of it all, I've had enough and can't wait to leave. To me, LA symbolizes the disintegration of American society at its core.

I live in NYC but love visiting LA.

Worst things during recent visits are the homeless/tents and the Uber shortage. Also I end up spending a ton of money on food and smoothies and coffee.

But the hiking, quality of restaurants (I’m vegan - LA is a Mecca), the beach - wonderful.

I was born in Downtown Los Angeles before World War II. In those days, the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys were all orange groves.

In the 8th grade we rolled down the windows of the bus to smell orange blossoms on the way to school.

Just like Miami, California has too many people and they have ruined it. The entire state of Florida is right behind California and will become another cesspool

The uber shortage is everywhere. Once the pandemic happened there have many fewer people driving uber. It's just really painful in LA because that city really relies on uber given the inadequate public transportation system and how hard parking can be.

OP It's not Mound LA.

These threads are so stupid. We all know LA is better than 99% of America.

[quote]R86, What did you end up doing? Did you leave? Are you in film there or elsewhere?

I broke up with my partner and moved to a different city after completing my degree. I’m not in the entertainment industry but am always happy to talk movies with people who appreciate film history. DataLounge has a much higher percentage of such people than most places online.

There's a rapidly growing culture in Los Angeles outside the entertainment industry, especially around tech in the "Silicon Beach" area that our Eldergays are unaware of.

For kids who graduated college about 5-10 years after I did, say early to mid 10s, LA was a hot place to live. The rap was that for the same price as a crappy shared apartment n the far reaches of Brooklyn, you could get a spacious place in Echo Park or Silver Lake with outdoor space, and there were all sorts of non-acting "creative" jobs in LA, especially around tech. And you could Uber/Lyft everywhere for cheap so you didn't need a car.

Now rents on the East Side of LA are just as high as NYC and there is the aforementioned Uber driver shortage.

Plus there are homeless everywhere.

When I lived there in the late 00s, I lived in Santa Monica and my favorite thing to do was to get up early and go for a run along the beach, there's a great path that goes from Venice all the way up towards Malibu and then grab breakfast on the beach at Perrys.

But there are way too many homeless now to make that enjoyable, which sort of speaks to the major problem facing LA.

Most of those homeless are chronic homeless too--drug addicts, mentally ill or both--not hardworking people down on their luck.

r107 not like the early 2000s. More more families moved in the area.

All the closet cases in hollywood, they create a world of falsehood.

While the traffic is bad - the city is full of terrible drivers who don't seem to understand that lanes exist for a reason and are not optional.

And, in my experience, fall into several subgroups based on the type of car driven:

Entry level white Lexus? Bad Asian driver.

Shitbox minivan? Bad Hasidic woman driver.

Prius? Bad self righteous environmental/New Age drivers. Typically white and gay.

Bentley or Rolls-Royce from the early-00s? Bad elderly white guy driver.

Exotic sports or supercar? Bad Persian driver.

The best drivers? Hispanic men in commercial pickup trucks.

It has a bleak, soulless, almost empty aura about it

Please move then. I could use the parking

[quote] California has too many people

A common Americanism. California is around the size of Italy and Japan and has half and one-quarter the size their populations. Inyo County is the size of Connecticut and has fewer people than Artesia.

I find it grungy and faded. I find the hills dry and brittle and dull brown. The beaches are thronged with people and homeless. So much seems to go on behind walls. I don't mean to sound hostile toward it. I'm indifferent. But the passion for it mystifies me.

Buff colored painted stucco. It's horrible and it's never more than 15 feet away in Los Angeles.

It's a good place if you're shallow, like New York is a good place if you're angry.

R139 on the other hand, the entire population of Canada is about equal to the state of California alone. It IS a lot of people

As for the mix of time periods and the dated 80’s/90’s aesthetic - I honestly wish more was done to preserve it. My best guess is it stems from Los Angeles hosting the Olympic at the time. A ton was poured into architecture and infrastructure at the time and a lot still lingers. I’m personally a huge fan of Postmodern, and it’s a shame to see the vivid pastels being repainted brown in a bid to disguise the shame of the so-called “gaudy” style.

R143, true. But Japan and Italy have been better incubators of international culture than Canada.

Half the entertainment industry is Canadian, you lazy snob. They weren't suddenly elevated because they arrived in LA.

She ain’t what she used to be, but I still love it here and doubt I’ll ever leave.

I would kill to have been here back in the 80s-90s heyday when they had restaurants like this on Santa Monica and Melrose had neon all over it.

When you say L.A. is ugly you're probably talking about a specific area of it. Los Angeles county and city boundaries are huge.

For example: Sylmar is ugly, San Pedro is not North Hollywood is ugly. The beaches are not. The Angeles National Forest is not. There's plenty of diversity. If you're talking a concrete jungle part of the city, sure. I get that. Echo Park, MacArthur park, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the beaches, the canyons, the hills - all are not ugly. The cityscape of DTLA is not ugly nor are its bridges.

There are homeless people in any major city. L.A. happens to get more than most because of its climate. I could go on and on about the ugly vs. not ugly here but it's really what you're looking for.

R148 - I was in LA '85 to '92 Melrose was indeed fun, one of the few places you could spend a casual afternoon walking around outdoors just browsing - used clothes, kitch, records, books, cheap to mid-level antiques. Never did go to the Pasadena flea. Westwood also had a lively outdoor culture to it on the weekends, until the Promenade in Santa Monica opened and some gang shootings happened there -- it became a ghost town very quickly. The early Promenade, like Melrose, had all sorts of quirky mom & pop stores - but soon became much more corporate / upscale; and Melrose was done by the mid 90's along with the whole thrift-store new-wave aesthetic that gave rise to that strip in the first place.

R149 -- People who find LA ugly are obviously talking about the built environment, not the many beautiful natural features the city has grown around. As cities go much of built LA is indeed sub-par, the brown stucco complaint above is spot on. There are plenty of upscale neighborhoods full of beautiful homes, and an urban lifestyle is not inherently better than a suburban one, they just tend to appeal to different types of people; but LA is so overcrowded that the suburban / car-centric set up no longer works very well.

The long lines at In N Out

The fact that you need a car to go anywhere.

People drive like shit when it rains. The driver's actually go faster. I was driving with a friend from Boston who was freaking out watching all these crazy drivers.

I grew up in LA, have lived in NYC and London. All have their pros and cons. I grew up in a beautiful posh area in LA and spent summers at the Jonathon Beach Club, so my experience was wonderful.

R153, do you agree much of the best looking parts of LA are hidden behind walls and hedges and vast swathes of it are a dull beige?

Why are the palm trees in LA mostly those ugly ones that just have a few leaves whereas Florida has palm trees with leaves that are nice and full?

R155, different climates -- Mediterranean vs. swamp-thing

[quote] Exotic sports or supercar? Bad Persian driver.

Silly. Everyone knows Persians drive white BMWs.

[quote] I grew up in a beautiful posh area in LA and spent summers at the Jonathon Beach Club, so my experience was wonderful.

No.

R157 has stated her coastal boundaries.

[quote] The entire state of Florida is right behind California and will become another cesspool

[bold]WILL[/bold] become a cesspool?? What is it currently?

Too much plastic, filler and spray tans.

Green LAXit shuttle very easy to find curbside. It takes you to Uber/taxi location for pickup. Uber took 5 mins. It cost $98 from LAX to Universal City. Uber Black would've been a lot more! This was during rush hour. Universal Hollywood has a lot less rides than Universal Florida and the rides are less thrilling (ex. no fire room on Mummy Ride and Jurassic World drop is a lot lower), but the lot tour is great! Beautiful weather and a fun day out. We will still get our thrills in Disneyland and Six Flags. Full day Hollywood/LA tour tomorrow. We will see a lot more of the real LA then.

The small parking spaces in parking lots.

Most apartments have no off street parking.

I wish it were more walkable and less sprawling. That being said I like L.A and NYC for different reasons so I can never get into the trashing of either one. The only city I truly hate is DC 🤢🤢.

R155 I think the moisture in FL air keeps the leaves more supple.

R139 Spotted the new trend of avocating we all live on top of each other, crammed in cities/ towns built around having half the people or more, while desecrating nature in pursuit of overdeveloped hellscapes.

You bring up the overpopulation in Japan like it's a positive thing. Have you seen how people are living? And no, they aren't thrilled about it either. Watched a documentary about families living like this and everyone was desperate to escape "micro apartments". I'm sure American developers would jump at the chance to make it that way. They might get it too if people keep pushing for more buildings for living spaces, regardless of how shitty.

R166 FYI Japan and Hong Kong are two different places. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the Peoples’ Republic of China. Japan is a different country.

I know that to Americans the population all look the same. But they’re not.

[R164] Ha, me too. Both NY and LA have their own charms but DC is just a place you have to be for a job.

R166 On thing I love about Japan is how whole families bathe together and sleeps together, at least until the kids reach puberty. It's funny how people think its icky when really, it's the most wholesome (and safest) way to be.

R168 Agreed DC is an awful place. It’s not a real city it’s just a big bunch of soul less office buildings.

the plastic surgery. it makes me uncomfortable and sad.

Los Angeles is a plastic surgery layover, not somewhere you live.

I was raped there.

Rose McGowan

Thank you but I’d rather not pay $800,000 to live in someone’s tool shed with homeless people outside my front door.

every whore is on the make

I hate how hard it is to find good quality dick in LA.

Hahahha details please R178

I meant R177

Full Day tour - whew! So, we saw a lot of tents and homeless during our travels to Santa Monica and Venice beach :-( The drive up to the observatory to view the Hollywood sign was terrifying (I hate heights and of course I was on the right/cliff side). I am surprised more cars don't dive off the side! Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive are gorgeous (and homeless free - of course - rich folks can't see that! ;-()

I grew to despise DC. I used to visit a friend who lived in the Circle and Adams Morgan. It was a treat to spend long weekends down there. Great restaurants and clubs. But I stayed with him for a week once (I was interviewing for a government job) and it suddenly all seemed so different. People are not friendly. Everyone seemed to suddenly be so competitive. Even my friend’s acquaintances were giving me the third degree about why I was staying so long. “What job? What agency? What’s your degree in? What college?”. And not in a curious, conversational way, but paranoid and hostile. I didn’t get the job, which initially was disappointing. But looking back, I realized that I had dodged a bullet. After that week, even visiting for long weekends suddenly lost their appeal.

LA is good for day trips. At least they were when I lived in San Diego. A different type of obnoxious.

[quote] Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive are gorgeous

🤭 are u joking? It’s just shops on rodeo and then BH is mostly tall laurel hedges so that you can’t see anything behind them.

^ Thank you. Every time somebody talks about all the gorgeous architecture I wonder if hedges count?

I think Beachwood Canyon or Laurel Canyon are nicer areas than BH or Rodeo Drive but it depends on what you like, I guess.

I found BH a complete plastic bore. Pretty but artificial without real soul, like most of its inhabitants. I concurr with the post above, LA has pretty areas but they are NOT fucking BH or Rodeo Drive, they are in the Canyons.

90210 made it seem like bev hills was all rich white people. It’s actually all persians. Bleh.

I find the comments about overcrowding interesting. I don't doubt there are parts of LA that feel very crowded. After the NYC subway this place feels very open! It has the sprawl of Houston. My neighborhood in LA has 1/2 the people in twice the physical space as my Brooklyn neighborhood. I love it!

Yeah it depends on what you are used to r187. When you move from Iowa, LA is super crowded. When you move from NY, it seems spacious and suburban.

NYC is very exciting. Took me LA to truly appreciate how crowded and people-y it is. When you're young it's so exciting. It's just funny. New Yorkers are so proud of the street life and being able to read the mood off of a crowd and communal moments like 7pm noise for healthcare workers at the beginning of the pandemic. As they should be. Do people in their 20s in LA wonder if it's boring or they're boring?

The new LACMA looks like a airport terminal.

There's parts of LA that are exciting!

The new anti-camping plan.

There’s also much better residential architecture in Silverlake / Echo Park / Beachwood canyon / Mt Washington / Studio city / Glenoaks / Montrose than you’d get in BH. Good architecture benefits from restraint, a lack of budgetary restraint and you end up with some dumb fake Spanish, or fake Tudor, or awful Paul McClean ‘modern’ mess, with far too much input from the client.

L.A proved too much for the man

(Too much for the man)

(He couldn't make it)

So, he's leaving the life he's come to know, oh

R189 I hate plenty of things about NYC ( My dream city was, is and remains Paris anyway) but one of its charms is that, for being pretty much the capital city of the world, there still remains a sort of neighborhood feel to it, at least outside of Times Square/Midtown.

I've always found it a little strange that so many people who post on this forum live in NYC. Is it because the sense of humor is harsh or tough? Is it the topics? I don't see a lot of posts from people who live in New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Portland, etc.

r179 I was kidding, You can swing a dead cat and get laid in LA.

r195 I lived in Paris for a year. It is soooo not what you think. People shit and piss on the streets, everyone fucking smokes, like all the time. If you mispronounce even one word they look at you like you shit on their language. I could never again.

R198, I am the op and I spent 3 months in Paris 2 years ago. It was a million times better than I already imagined. I saw no one pissing on the streets, except for certain parts of Isle Saint Louis where people go piss after getting drunk. I didn't see that much smoking but as an ex smoker myself I would feel hypocritical criticizing if it were true and not once were Parisians rude to me. The people aren't the friendliest, as in, they won't practice eye contact or small talk if their life depended on it, but they are not rude, and anyway, who needs parisians when you got Paris?

R196 or perhaps we simply have a lot of posters who claim that they live in NYC.

This board is supposed to be for gay men. It is much more common for gay men to live in big cities. The biggest city in the US is NYC. Plus there are many older people on here who may not be living NOW in NYC but may have in the past. It's really not that crazy.

r199 Paris had to put public toilets around the city to stop people from defecating on the streets.

R202 Guess I missed them then. I can honestly promise you I never once saw poo, or someone pooing or anything like it on the streets in Paris.

Almost every negative expressed here is valid. But if I was rich I'm sure I'd have no complaints about living there. i.e.; Very rich.

I was warned that the people of Paris were the rudest on the planet but when I was there I was treated so nicely. It is just another stereotype. Yes, there is smoking but confined outside so it didn't bother me.

My experience of Paris is many just want people to use their manners. Bonjours. bon soirs and some effort with the language help out.

Yes R206, the only time I have felt any hostility from anyone in Paris is when I went inside a candy shop of some kind and I forgot to say Bonjour to the sales woman. It's weird, the people like I said are not friendly but they are all about politeness.

R182: Not kidding! BH and Rodeo Dr. look a lot better than NYC (minus Central Park). However, I still love NYC more. LA has a fake, plastic feel to it and you have to drive forever on crowded highways to get anywhere.

[quote]This board is supposed to be for gay men. It is much more common for gay men to live in big cities. The biggest city in the US is NYC. Plus there are many older people on here who may not be living NOW in NYC but may have in the past. It's really not that crazy.

That's very simplistic. There are more gay people in NYC than other cities, but other cities and regions are still teeming with gay people. (See the article.) Together, they far outnumber New York. Plus, since this forum is in English, there should be a large number of people on it from the British Isles, Canada, Australia, and other places English is spoken. I still maintain it's largely a New York based forum, for reasons that aren't especially clear.

R209 girl don’t say british isles. Just don’t.

Too many virgins who can't drive.

One of the things that really struck me during my current visit to LA (I leave tomorrow) is the insane amount of bad, obvious plastic surgery on women.

You take one look at them and immediately recognize that their unnatural faces are a result of trying to look younger, or more attractive, but so many of these women look like caricatures. They look like older women who had a lot of obvious work.

Yesterday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I saw a frightening 70+ year old woman walking up the main drive of the — huge swollen lips, caked on makeup, big fake tits, short tight clothing, fake blonde hair, etc. She looked ridiculous. You don’t see this kind of extreme plastic surgery anywhere else in the US.

And the city really does have a very run down look (especially the roads/highways). Compared to pristine, manicured, flashy Dallas, LA seems more gritty, more urban, more dirty even in affluent Beverly Hills. The city of Beverly Hills looks “heavily used” — from the sidewalks, to the parks, to the street signs.

R212 Was it Jane Fonda?

LA is nothing if not real. Check out Pomona if you disbelieve that.

The smell in Carson.

The traffic on the 405

Another thing is the manner of dress in LA. I dress too casually here as well but there's too many attractive people in their 20s wearing tragic sweatsuit ensembles.

There do seem to be people taking cues from Billie Eilish, and the Kardashians of course, pretty explicitly. Sure there's other references I'm missing

The amount of fake asses and lipo-ed waists that are shoved into high wasted yoga pants.

These Kardashian wannabes really love to show their camel toe

The Kardashians. That is more than enough reason.