Continuing on with our theme of posts surrounding our recent transformation from Midwest people to Hollywood stars … As with anything in life, if there are a few things you like about something there is usually a few things you dislike about the same thing. Living in Los Angeles stands up to that theory so let us present some of the things annoying us about living in the city of angels.
Weather – I know what you’re saying, “How can this be on the list of things you like and dislike?”. It’s simply really … For the past 30 or so years we have lived in climates where actual seasons occur, and within those seasons various weather events take place. In the spring we love the coming of summer and the thunderstorms you can sleep through with the window open. In the winter we may complain like mad, hoping and waiting for summer to arrive so we don’t have to shovel snow or bundle up every time you step foot out the door. Leaves change colors and fall from the trees, every day seems like a new day just because of the weather. But not here in Los Angeles. Every day is the same. E-x-a-c-t-l-y-t-h-e-s-a-m-e. You know what the weather was like two weeks ago here? Sunny and in the 80s. Yesterday? Sunny and in the 80s. Tomorrow? Sunny and in the 80s. It’s never dark, never gloomy and you need those days every once in a while. It just doesn’t seem real and somehow it effects my psychological makeup because nothing changes here weather wise.
Traffic - Chicago has traffic, believe me I spent the last four years battling it on a daily basis. There’s nothing worse than being outbound on the Eisenhower at 4:30 or trying to make your way past the 90/94 merge just north of the city. But in Chicago the traffic moves and people drive with a sense of reason which is reflected in their actions. Here in LA? Traffic doesn’t move and I can’t make heads or tails why people drive like they do. First let’s talk traffic itself – it’s everywhere and it happens 24/7. Highways, side streets it’s everywhere, all the time. I don’t have any hard data but it seems this is the case for a few reasons, including: everyone and their uncle drives; everyone drives alone in their car; LA is so spread out you have to use a car to get where you want to be. I’ve talked on this blog before about driving habits here in LA and I am not afraid to state that I believe some of the worst drivers are here in California. I could talk about the non-aggressive nature of people in their cars (they pick a lane and stay) or how it seems everyone drives in the far left lane and then decides 1/4 mile from the exit that they need to get over. But the one thing I can’t stand more than anything is the braking. People brake here for no reason what so ever. I’ve been behind cars where the vehicle in front of them is 20 lengths ahead and traffic is moving at 65 miles an hour and the person in front of me brakes. It’s almost as if they’re thinking “I haven’t touched the brake in a while, I should give it a little tap”. Combine the traffic and the drivers and there are times when I have considered not going somewhere simply because getting there is such a horrible experience.
Lack of Neighborhood Feel – Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. As a matter of fact we have a map on our wall showing them. On the news in Chicago things are reported by the area they took place, such as there being a robbery in the Back of the Yards neighborhood or an accident took place in the Gold Coast. We could walk down our streets in Chicago and people would talk to us; every little area had all the things you needed to live, from shops to restaurants and entertainment. Each neighborhood had their own festival at some point during the year and it was such fun. None of that exists here in LA. People who are your neighbors seems to tolerate your existence rather than get to know you. Los Angeles is this massively spread out city that moves from one area to another without you knowing and it’s filled with concrete and graffiti. There is no greenspace, very few parks close by unless of course you want to battle the traffic and drive somewhere to experience what should be in your immediate area.
Everyone is Trying Really Hard – People in Los Angeles always have something going on, they’re always trying to impress. It’s come to our attention that a lot of people are always on the move, wanting to do something new or they have a side project they are working on. It’s go go go and what can you do for me now type of thing. People are trying to catch the next big thing or somehow be involved with something exciting. H has seen this with the people she has hired in the sense they all have their day jobs from 9-5 but each and every one of them has 2-3 other things they are working on or want to do. And they are constantly networking and trying to meet people who can help them right now. The other thing that gets us is how hard people try to impress one another. I could talk about what people wear, what they drive and the attitude exhibited trying to be part of the ‘in crowd’. But I will point to one thing to show how I know people are trying really hard to impress people. Shoes. In particular women’s shoes. I am not convinced that women wear 3 and 4 inch heels to the grocery store because it’s comfortable. For some reason or another women here have their foot on a 45 degree angle inside their shoe when they walk. Crazy heels, elf boots, Uggs in the blazing hot weather … whatever people can do in order to look fashionable and set them apart/jump on the latest trend. It gets old quick for us and we have no desire to look the part or act the part just so we can fit in.
Disclaimer: There are things we really like about LA and some we don’t. Often we come across situations here that we could never experience anywhere else and other times we miss something unique to Chicago and the Midwest. We’re not ragging on LA but rather just pointing out the differences we see on a daily basis here in our new city. So good people of LA that may have taken offense to some of this, please stick around and I am sure we’ll say something nice about you and your city again soon, maybe even tomorrow. It’s not personal, as someone once told me ‘it is what it is’. So if you see Carter and I outside walking please don’t be a hater … please don’t take your 4-inch pink heel off and chase us down Flower Street … please don’t look in the rearview to see us behind you and keep braking every five seconds just to mess with us. Feel the love LA.
I am not sure why you think that the various neighborhoods are not distinct or that they do not have their own fairs and festivals. They are, and they do.
Although I do think that’s true of South Park. It hardly existed a few years ago.
It just takes time to adjust to how space in LA is organized. In NYC and Chicago, the neighborhood boundaries tend to be very clear–one minute you’re in Park Slope, then you cross Flatbush and bingo, you’re in Prospect Heights. The transition between neighborhoods in LA is more diffuse, but there are definitely distinct neighborhoods. Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, Elysian Heights. Or East LA, Boyle Heights, Montebello, El Sereno. Little Armenia, Thai Town, Hollywood. And that’s just naming a few.
I agree with Bert that being in South Park is probably skewing your POV because South Park is like Marina del Rey downtown. That probably doesn’t mean anything to you yet, but basically Marina del Rey is packed with entertainment industry striver poseurs. But those types of people are only a part of LA, not the whole thing. You won’t see a lot of women wearing four inch heels to the supermarket in other neighborhoods.
Re: the weather, there are seasons but they are much more subtle. Winter is rainy season and the temps drop into daytime highs in the 60s. The hills turn green. Winters in LA are really nice, actually.
Traffic, I won’t argue with you about. The traffic is hideous, which is why I walk to work.
Brian, I think it would be great if you revisited this in a few years to see if your POV changes. These posts have made me kind of nostalgic, actually, because this is how I felt when I first moved here.
Thanks for the comments so far — I appreciate the insight that perhaps part of our lack of community feel has to do with living in the south park neighborhood and that very well may be the case. Chicago was much more definitive in their neighborhoods and there was a real sense of community within each.
I interested to see what kind of weather the winter brings although I am sure it will be nothing like I have ever experienced. It will be strange to do holiday shopping in shorts.
Li: Thanks for the idea of revisiting these topics from time to time. It is something I plan to do, perhaps every three months or so for the first year and then we will go from there.
It’s been great to share our thought and ideas on the area, and then have others come back and tell us about their experience as recent transplants or life-long residents of the area.