Los Angeles, California

thebadsleepwell00 / Living in LA / Updated 3y ago
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Does Anyone Actually Like Living in L.A. right now?

I'd say with LA, it takes awhile to "break the ice" with the city. It's easy to see it as vapid, sprawling, etc. But if you dig a bit, you can find your niche. I've traveled a fair amount, and ultimately came to the conclusion that LA gives you access to almost anything compared to most other cities - diverse international cuisine (from street food to high end), the arts, hiking trails, music, etc. There are densely-populated more walkable neighborhoods and there are the quiet ones.

whatinthecalifornia / Living in LA / 1y ago
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Pros: Beaches you can take a train to, park for free or pay for certain amenities at a reasonable price.

Diversity.

International cuisine.

Ethnic markets.

Variety of dogs.

So many museums, some with free admission all the time or some days.

The weather, my skin feels so amazing.

Cons:

Everyone flocks to the San Gabriels and brings their car culture with them. Gotta go outside of LA county to get an immersive nature experience without hearing another person’s convo about peak bagging.

Being used to forested cover and streams. I miss that as well.

We pave waterways and don’t have nice trails along them (please no one suggest that one east of 605). For the size of the city and population we don’t have the correct amount of cyclist or public transit options (but there are some options).

Entitled negligent drivers.

Lots of shitty fast food options everywhere. Need better city planning of squares across the county.

nicegh0st / Living in LA / Updated 1y ago
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Pros:

cultural diversity, the excitement of being a global hub of arts, food, and lifestyles

I’ll say it again: food! We have an absolutely mind blowing food scene here

world class live entertainment as well as production

massive economy with opportunity in everything from conventional careers to niche entertainment jobs, arts, etc

blue skies most of the year

diverse geography. You can snowboard in the mountains, swim and sunbathe at the beach, visit the desert, camp in the forest, or see expansive farmland, all within a few hours drive of downtown

free health care for people with low income

great hiking, everywhere

Cons:

you get what you pay for. It’s expensive.

traffic can be frustrating if you don’t exercise patience

traffic can be dangerous because of crazy drivers that have no patience and/or are impaired

our public transit hasn’t caught up with NYC, and it’ll be a long time til it does. Still, the lines are efficient and they’re adding onto them like crazy. So that’s a pro and a con.

nepo babies sorta run everything

bad air quality (hence the intended switch to widespread electric cars over time, which is a good thing)

Jupitereyed / Living in LA / Updated 1y ago
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This is my subjective list of pros and cons, considering that I moved from Buffalo, NY and am neurodivergent (hence, some things are more stressful and noticeable for me than they may be to other people).

Cons: •Cost of living •You may likely never own real estate in LA proper •Unless you make 5-6k/month, have someone to cosign for you, or get very lucky, you will either have a studio or you will have roomates •Ridiculous amounts of traffic (my afternoon commute is 20-50 minutes for 2.5 miles) •Bad/dangerous driving that isn't penalized where it really should be w/traffic cams • A very visible homelessness problem (which is psychologically stressful, saddening, and sometimes dangerous; I've had some close calls) •Police helicopters circling around every day •Police/Fire sirens going off multiple times a day •A huge population packed into a too-small area •Cost of gasoline •General stores are now beginning to put their contents behind locked cabinets •LA may start going under water in our lifetime, but at least then you'll be happy you were never able to own real estate here •Parking can be a hassle: it's hard to find accessible for free or you have to pay for it •It can be dangerous to be a pedestrian (I've almost been hit multiple times by the impatient driving that ridiculous amounts of traffic creates) •The droughts (and all of the trickle down problems)

Pros: •The natural climate here is wonderful •Many beaches within 40-90 minutes driving time •The flora/fauna here are pretty damn cool •Reasonable access to all different kinds of activities (hiking, walking, skiing, swimming, surfing, etc.) •A focus on healthier eating/lifestyles that can rub off on you if you let it •A dizzying array of food options to choose from for dining out (LA has practically everything; not to say all of it is A+ though) •No shoveling multiple feet of snow or losing traction on black ice for me again •People who grew up here and generally very nice and down to earth •Hummingbirds and wild parrots :) •There are spots that cater to high-end fashion, there are spots that cater to "trendy" affordable fashion •Philz mint mojito iced coffee •PORTO'S •LA can turn into a ghost town on major holidays (especially Christmas)

Living in Los Angeles 2022 | Pros and Cons after living in LA for almost 2 years