I live 5 blocks from Wilshire and Lincoln in Santa Monica. There is a park on the corner that has a fair number of homeless people at any given time. My son walks home from school without fear (though he is situationally aware - as should all kids be). I get asked for spare change once in awhile, but I just ignore it and walk on. I'm not constantly stepping over the detritus of society, fearing for my life at every turn. Is it perfect here? Far from it. Traffic can be mind numbing, but generally you can work around it. The key is being smart about where you live and work and getting to understand the flow of the city.

As Denis says, LA is HUGE. Most people cannot comprehend it when they fly into LAX. And if you can't really grok it from the sky, imagine trying to do it from the ground. It look me about 3 years to start to figure out the lay of the land when I moved here for grad school in '87. I forced myself into it by buying/selling music gear on Recycler. That took me all over LA, and I got to know and appreciate what this place is like.

As for regentrification, it has happened in a number of areas. Most recently Eagle Rock. Highland Park is in the middle of it as well. Chinatown is now largely artists, with most of the Chinese population out in the San Gabriel valley. There also are some very nice parts of East LA, and I've been down in parts of Crenshaw and Gardena that are perfectly safe. There certainly are some areas that are best avoided, but that is a reality for any metropolitan area. No free lunch. Small towns are nice and I understand why some people like them. But I don't think I could live in one. Everything is a compromise...

Eh, that's a fair assesment.

But at least I don't use a signature in my posts that would be considered an example of the useless pablum from the industry I hate.

Propaganda, Joe? Are you out of your mind? I took those pictures at the most random time in the most random place possible. I just pulled out my camera after reading the BS on this thread and started shooting on the street that I was driving up anyways. They are not posed in any way. 115% random. I could shoot much more glamorous pictures any day of the week. That's downtown Hollywood, dude.

Maybe I'm not understanding your definition of propaganda? I always thought that it was intentionally misleading information.

This is just the internet and no one should lose any sleep over it but I find it amusing to expose people and opinions that are completely FOS. It's my hobby. ;) And no one is going to tell me about the place where I live who does not live here. Los Angeles is a lousy place to visit and a great place to live. Just the opposite of most popular travel destinations. It's a huge, confusing city to outsiders and if you don't know your way around or where you should want to be, you could spend your whole vacation in Long Beach and think that is "L.A." It happens all the time. There are people who actually know this place and don't like it here for whatever reason and I respect their opinion. 95% of the time, however, it's outsiders and especially people who lived here for a spell at some point and never really figured-out how to carve out a good life here who hate it. I have cousins in this category. They lived in El Segundo or Westchester and wondered why it was so boring and pointless here. :rolleyes:

It's not a good place for *glass half full* types or people with no game in life. Clock-punchers, etc... I'm surrounded by talented, creative people who are having a ball here and living La Dolce Vida. And I'm not talking about just in the entertainment industry. You can be a lawyer and be creative as hell. Just something you are or are not. I like it here and I'm surrounded by success on a constant basis. :cool:

The other thing is that as I alluded to in another post, it takes a long time to "get" the city and to be able to navigate it (geographically and culturally). If someone lives here for a year, they don't really know the city. They certainly can hate it - plenty of people don't like big cities. I get that. But some of the criticisms in this thread are based on mis/under-information.

Agree with Denis' point - LA is a lousy place to visit unless you have a local to shepherd you. And it certainly isn't for everyone. In some sense, LA is kinda like NYC. There are people who go there, get their butts kicked, and then leave (Robbie Robertson talked about this in The Last Waltz). Some go back and finally figure it out, others find another path. Neither is right or wrong. LA certainly isn't an easy place to live on many levels. There are times that I hate LA and want to leave. But usually I figure out that "taking a geographical" isn't going to fix the problem...

Pure hell... stay far far away...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274902985.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274903021.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274903050.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274903121.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274903295.jpg

Please publish the truth next time! :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274904869.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274904889.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274904906.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274904920.jpg

Most of us could care less how nice one or two spots look like, especially as long as you have kooks like the above running the state!

Uh... Joe... your political paranoia is showing... last I checked the govenator runs this state...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274906072.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274906118.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274906232.jpg

The only time that I think about Nancy Pelosi, the only time that I remember that she exists, is when I see political propaganda like the above on this board. To say that she has no effect on my enjoyment of life here would be a major understatement.

One or two? :D

Coronado

http://cheapostay.files.wordpress.co...-coronado2.jpg

La Jolla

http://californicating.files.wordpre...lla-beach2.jpg

Torrey Pines

http://reotemp.files.wordpress.com/2...rrey-pines.jpg

San Clemente

http://www.thelausches.com/ourBlog/w...n-Clemente.jpg

Dana Point

http://lodging4vacations.com/dana-po...int-harbor.jpg

Huntington Beach

http://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/Image...on%20Beach.jpg

Santa Monica

http://wafaincalifornia.files.wordpr..._santa_mon.jpg

Santa Barbara

http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/Meet...bara-lila2.jpg

Pismo Beach

http://www.pismobeachluxuryhomes.com...each_night.jpg


limited at 10 photos...just scratching the surface...

Dang it. I just spent ten minutes uploading photos of more rural parts of CA and then a glitch in the matrix and poof, gone. Oh well, don't forget the Sierras.

Hell, even Death Valley is cool. ;)

Death Valley

http://exposedplanet.com/images/usa-...ath-valley.jpg

Joshua Tree

http://www.carto.net/neumann/travell...formations.jpg

Glamis Dunes

http://www.wunderground.com/data/wxi...to5150/380.jpg

Kings Canyon

http://wallpapers-diq.net/wallpapers...California.jpg

Yosemite

http://greatoutdoorsacademy.files.wo...ional_park.jpg

Mt. Whitney

http://www.astronomynotes.com/nature...hitney-rwb.jpg

Mammoth Mtn

http://www.travelvivi.com/wp-content...h-Mountain.jpg

Klammath

http://craigwolf.com/news/uploaded_i...6-2-720310.jpg

That place looks awful!

From my neck of the nape, nape of the way, from where I live:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274909512.jpg


From the top of El Cap to Half Dome:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274909633.jpg

Yosemite Valley from Cloud's Rest:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274909797.jpg

one or two spots... :Dhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat3.gifhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat4.gifhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/pub.gif

L.A.

That's where that movie "Groundhog's Day" was made, isn't it?

You guys can have it... Staying where I am except for a visit or two!

Good luck Leland! :)

Waiting for shots of beautiful downtown Manteca...:rolleyes:

Agreed...best wishes for Leland...

To be fair, everyone fully agreed that Manteca is awful

We have been all over California, and it sure has its problems, however, it is likely hands down the most beautiful of all the states, mainly 'cause it's huge and covers a lot of territory. Here is one of our favorite photos of California, looking up out of my brother-in-law's pool(adult beverage in hand) off Rosarita in Palm Springs, up to Mt San Jacinto in the winter(about 8,000' above Palm Springs. We love to visit but will never leave the east coast to live in that place. An east/west thing. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1274924893.jpg