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It's true that LA is a sprawling chaotic mess of a city with so many subcultures that it's difficult to find the singular definable personality that you might find in a New York, Chicago or San Francisco, but LA rocks.
It always bugs me when people say LA has no culture, because the people who say this usually mean that LA lacks a dominant Anglo-Saxon culture of Broadway shows, Museums and Opera Houses (of which there is actually plenty, if that is what you seek).
Why not check out a Salsa band? or a Gamelan ensemble? or traditional Armenian music? or Indian music? or anything else you seek? That's culture too. Same goes for food... and art... and theater... etc...
Many of LA's most vocal critics are Southern Californians who have fled to paler northern regions because they fear darker complexions and the influence of other cultures. Their sad words are nothing more than excuses for their own failure in embracing the inevitable. They will have to come to grips with diversity eventually.
I'm happy to live in one of the few towns in this world where a musician can make a decent living, where the poor and rich live side by side, where people of almost any conceivable culture live within a few blocks radius. I like living in close proximity to the beach, mountains, deserts and Vegas. Sure the traffic sucks, the smog can get pretty bad and there are plenty of assholes, but that is a small price to pay for the lifestyle I live.
It may not be fashionable to say anymore, but fuck it, I love LA.
It always bugs me when people say LA has no culture, because the people who say this usually mean that LA lacks a dominant Anglo-Saxon culture of Broadway shows, Museums and Opera Houses (of which there is actually plenty, if that is what you seek).
Why not check out a Salsa band? or a Gamelan ensemble? or traditional Armenian music? or Indian music? or anything else you seek? That's culture too. Same goes for food... and art... and theater... etc...
Many of LA's most vocal critics are Southern Californians who have fled to paler northern regions because they fear darker complexions and the influence of other cultures. Their sad words are nothing more than excuses for their own failure in embracing the inevitable. They will have to come to grips with diversity eventually.
I'm happy to live in one of the few towns in this world where a musician can make a decent living, where the poor and rich live side by side, where people of almost any conceivable culture live within a few blocks radius. I like living in close proximity to the beach, mountains, deserts and Vegas. Sure the traffic sucks, the smog can get pretty bad and there are plenty of assholes, but that is a small price to pay for the lifestyle I live.
It may not be fashionable to say anymore, but fuck it, I love LA.
And every town has its problems, both large and small. I've lived in large metro areas like Washington D.C., Denver, and Orlando, and also small cities like Casper, WY and Saratoga Springs, NY. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. So make the most of where you live, but don't go running down other people's home towns.
Unless they live in Detroit.