Los Angeles....

I spent the entire summer, explaining to people I was from Los Angeles, and in doing so, trying to explain Los Angeles to them.  In comparison, New York City is denser and more populated than the City of Los Angeles (not Los Angeles City), but LA is much more than the city...  People from the cities that make up East LA, or the Greater Los Angeles area, all consider themselves as a part of LA.  So, taking that into consideration, LA, including LA County, is significantly larger than NYC... and a bit more complicated.

This article was an interesting comparison of Los Angeles and New York City...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/iang18/10-things-to-get-over-about-los-angeles-and-10-thi-eg04?fb_comment_id=fbc_573223459400663_5329597_573741299348879#f2b45d674c

One quote from the article:
"L.A. intimidates people because they're afraid to admit it's better than where they're from. In L.A., we order bagels from people that don't yell at us. We don't care if your pizza is better. We like ours, but we like yours, too. We legally smoke weed, we surf, we go to work in flip-flops and we drive Priuses. We work hard, we're laid back, we eat avocados and we do yoga. We respect N.Y., and don't even expect it back. That's how we roll."

New York has a great amount of history and mystique to it, and you will never be bored there. The thing people don't seem to know about Los Angeles though, is how rich the history and culture is there as well.  The city was founded in 1812, and is planted in rich Spanish, Mexican, and Indigenous soil.  It was apart of Mexico, along with all of California, before bought by the United States. 

One of my favorite places to take people when visiting the City of Los Angeles, is Olvera Street, which is situated right across from the Union Station, and before Chinatown.  It is the oldest part of Los Angeles, and distinctly Mexican.  It is the one place you can count on Mexican traditions to be alive and well.  

Old Olvera Street

 2011 Dia de Los Muertos

There are a lot of hidden clubs, theaters, and attractions, making Los Angeles a definite place to explore.  In addition to the fact that we have so many cultures, and different kinds of people.  This cultural mix, though, has traditionally caused LAC a lot of problems... there are a lot of gangs here, and between those gangs, there is a lot of ethnic tension.

I have seen riots and fights between Latinos and African Americans, where race was the main issue...  I've seen whites discriminated against... I was actually in a Mexican restaurant once, with a white family member, and experience blatant discrimination for the first time... and we weren't alone.   I have heard and seen racism perpetrated by all races, to tell you the truth. In the 1990's my family had to relocate during the Rodney King Riots.  My dad has photos of stores near Korean owned stores, with "black owned" spray painted on the walls...

New York, however, I absolutely loved.  It is rich in history and culture, and New Yorkers have a strength of a different caliber.  There were a few things that I loved the most about New York though, and that I think LA could learn something from...

First, New Yorkers are proud to be from New York and from the USA.  I mean, they are extremely proud... same with Bostonians.  Angelinos, from what I have seen, seem to be more proud of their neighborhoods, than they are of their entire city... or state, or country, for that matter.

Second, New Yorkers aren't rude, they are focused, and they do interact with one another, in their own way.  Angelinos tend to keep as separated as possible. (Crash anyone?)



New York City vs. Los Angeles?

I prefer both.  LA is my home, but New York is exciting.  Like one of the interviewees stated that, "NYC is home for me, but L.A. is my secret lover..."  For me, it might just become the opposite.... I love LA, but I might be ready to leave it for a while... fly the nest, and then come home.  :)