LIVING IN LOS ANGELES
Growing up in upstate New York, I heard a lot of rumors about what life was like out on the west coast. Now that I've lived in Los Angeles for the past four years, I feel semi-qualified to address some of the more common beliefs. Sort of a "I've looked at life from both sides now" type deal. Anyway, below are some of those beliefs, and my reactions to them.
"You can't find a good pizza in L.A." - I've heard this one many times, often from people who have lived here and should know better. There have to be ten million pizza places in the L.A. area. They're not all good, but if you can't find a handful to your liking within 20 minutes of your home, you're either not looking or you just don't like pizza. Back where I worked in New York, "CPK" was a statistical term related to quality control on the assembly line (yeah, I know). Out here, it stands for "California Pizza Kitchen", a popular restaurant chain with all kinds of exotic and delicious pizzas on the menu.
"Los Angeles is warm and sunny all year 'round." - First of all, it does rain out here, but mostly just during the winter months. But we also have seasonal changes in other respects. During the winter it's usually chilly in the mornings, and downright cold after sundown. Not to mention the Santa Ana winds, which often blow throughout the day. One winter I worked outside every day in winds gusting to 30-40 mph. When the sun went down it was absolutely freezing. Welcome to sunny California.
"The fruit in California supermarkets is fresher than in NY." - No it isn't. The main difference between supermarkets in L.A. and those in upstate NY is that space seems to be more at a premium out here. Which translates into fewer brands to choose from, full-service deli counters being unusual enough to merit special advertising when the store has one, and salad bars being an extreme rarity.
"Hollywood is a glamourous town." - Um, are we talking about the same place? It's okay, I guess, but the streets are crowded with shops selling T-shirts, postcards and other souvenir items, parking is the usual city nightmare, and many sections are pretty seedy. Landmarks such as Mann's Theater (formerly Grauman's Chinese Theater - the place with all the hand and footprints in the cement out front) and the Hollywood Walk of Fame may be worth a trip of an hour or two, but I'm not sure I'd travel across the country just to see them. How the Capitol Records building ever became famous is an unsolved mystery. In person it won't even attract a second glance.
"Nobody walks in L.A." - This one comes from that Missing Persons song back in the 70's. If you listen closely, you'll hear the lyrics actually are "Only a nobody walks in L.A." which changes the meaning somewhat, but the basic question remains: Do people really not walk in L.A.? Well, Angelenos certainly love their cars, as the chronic rush hour congestion on every major freeway within 50 miles of the city attests. And considering the average L.A. freeway is four or five lanes wide, that's saying something. Los Angeles, in some respects, is a "car culture"; everything is spread out, and between the freeways and the boulevards, there's usually at least three major routes to anywhere you want to go. It's almost taken for granted you'll need a car or public transportation to survive.
On the other hand, pedestrians are a very common sight wherever you go. Heck, I've even tried it myself once or twice. And the police are pretty strict about enforcing laws giving pedestrians the right of way over automobiles, resulting in drivers displaying an acute awareness of the people on foot. During my trips back to NY, whenever I'm driving I notice pedestrians gape in astonishment when I stop to let them cross. So, while everybody doesn't walk in L.A., neither does nobody walk in L.A. Answer your question?
"Los Angeles auto dealers rip you off." - Okay, this one is true. Dealers charge outrageous prices in upstate New York, too, but here in L.A. they've elevated rape and pillage to an art form. A woman I know was billed $90 just to rotate her tires (I always thought they rotated by themselves when you drove the car). The last time I went to the dealer, they charged me $130 to inspect the blower motor and tell me they couldn't fix it. Then they hit my car in their parking lot. And tried to slip one of the replacement body parts onto my bill. Then driving home, I found the $3 in quarters I kept in the ashtray was missing. Couldn't they have left me my quarters and just added another meaningless $3 charge to my bill?
