LA
loves SF. So why do SF people have to hate on LA? Oh, you know, LA is very superficial and clogged with smog. When
they insult LA, they don't even know what they are talking about. Sure, go to
LA without knowing the right places visit. Where will you end up? In Hollywood;
at some club; a creepy dive bar, glitter bar or both; stuck in traffic, always.
That is all pretty miserable, so I can understand why someone's perception of
LA would be skewed. But Los Angeles has so
much history, culture, ethnically diverse people, and hidden beauty to offer.
You only need patience and an open mind to find it.
LA
has problems. As do all cities. But running away from the problems only
inflates them further. I once was visiting San Francisco and speaking with a
respectable urban planner. I asked him if I should focus my concerns on Los
Angeles—the sprawl, the traffic, and the waste—instead of on San Francisco, a
city that is already environmentally aware. He laughed and said you need to get up here. That was it. No
debate or profound thoughts about why it would be beneficial to work in a city
that needs help the most. You need to be
here. I understand that being surround by likeminded people is always
encouraging to get work done. But I can’t let all the other problems be set off
to the side because they are harder to fix.
My
heart cries when I overhear someone speak poorly of LA. San Francisco yuppie, you don't
understand what you are saying! Why not go to Los Angeles and truly get lost
for once. You may find something lovely just when you think all has
disintegrated. Isn’t
that, though, the root of all discrimination? Misunderstanding, incomprehension,
and estranged feelings lead us to label something we don’t get as weird or wrong.
California is a vast land. It makes
sense that people fall into the trap: comparing two wonderful cities that
divide the state from North to South is tempting. I once believed one city
superior to the other. But over more frequent visits to both it became clear to
me that they aren’t even on the same level of comparison. Each place is amazing
by its unique form. When you enter Northern California from the South, it feels
like you’ve stepped into another time zone. The air feels different, as well as
people’s mentalities. People confuse the difference within our state as one
being better than the other. It’s fine to have an opinion or a preference.
Those that simply do not like Los Angeles because they have had one bad
experience do not, however, have the right to negatively speak about a place
they aren’t familiar with.
Just open your eyes. Living in the
state of California, we are lucky to have it all. And we really do have it all.
San Diego has its laidback beach vibe. Orange County is comfortable with breath-taking
scenery. Los Angeles is a pocket of cities within cities, which makes it
fantastic for exploring. Santa Barbara is a luscious mountain landscape painted
on sand. Further up the coast includes numerous cozy-costal and inland farm
towns that I cannot begin to list. Driving up the 101, it if feels like the
state’s growth can’t be stopped. It goes, and goes, and keeps going past
hundreds of curvy miles and straightly paved roads through deserts, beaches,
forests, farmland, suburbs, and average-looking cities. We’ve got it all, and
we are so lucky to hop on a plane and be transported from SF to LA in one hour.
So when you tell me that you think there is no comparison to San Francisco, I
might agree. When you tell me you don’t like Los Angeles at all, I am open to
hearing your valid, well-thought reasons. But when it comes down to a one line
elitist remark about how awful LA is compared to SF, I won’t be listening.
*Photo taken 2/19/2012 in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California by Andrea Dumovich
