What on earth is so appealing about LA?? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: 2014, college)

[ccm123]

LA is a big city, lots of great aspects, and some perhaps not so great. It’s a trade off, just like anywhere else. You make the best of it and thrive where you can.

[fluffythewondercat]

I lived in and about L.A. for some years but eventually lost that lovin' feeling. I divorced my husband, moved up to Northern California and found the pot of gold.

[Vector1]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Same reason 144,000 fans recently attend the two Taylor Swift concerts in Seattle. Much of the appeal of LA is to be near the rich and famous, actors, actresses and musicians that live in that area. Others are wannabees that hope to be "discovered." Then there are those like my friend in Torrance (20 miles south of LA) that likes it there just because he likes the dry, warm weather and sun. Of course this week is a major exception. I have visited there many times but prefer the opposite, I like it quiet with clean fresh air, mountains and woods, rain and cool weather.

People might think you are joking on the part I bolded, but one of my cousins loves celebrity spotting like a hobby.
I find myself in LA several times a year, and while I would never live there, some of the city is still ok. Sadly, much of it has gone downhill compared with the way it used to be.
That is true of Frisco, Seattle, etc.

[CALGUY]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

Pretty women

And handsome men, I might add.

[mattja]

Great weather, great options for recreation (ocean, mountains, and desert all all hour away for the most part), the center of the entertainment business, which means great musicians playing local bars. Broad employment opportunities. That's just a few off the top of my head.

[carminesnow]

many write in here about the weather being nearly perfect all year. so are people generally 'happier' in LA due to this near perfect weather? according to studies they say the happiest people in the world are in northern European countries like Finland, Sweden and Norway.. not warm/sun everyday at all.

[achtung baby]

L.A is Raymond Chandler. L.A is noir. L.A is a very charming dysfunctional (just like LAX!) sprawling miles of emotions and secrets. L.A is David Lynch. L.A is (even though generally I don’t care for his films.) Quentin Tarantino. L.A is like Miley Cyrus in her Flowers video: a woman dressed up in gold lamé floor-length dress in Runyon Canyon hiking trail in the 4 inches heel, dancing, free-spirited hippie style.-it’s odd yet you can’t take your eyes off it..

Just like NYC, Paris and London, any humongous cosmopolitan city is bound to have the dirty, sketchy and shady parts that inhabit many unfavorable people. Hollywood does attract many vapid, social climbing wannabes and users. But the city has backbones that consist very diverses immigrants, old and new, that is the contrast of what the wannabe “striver” culture is. The blue-collar, immigrants stories of L.A are quite “soulful” and touching (google: Jonathan Gold.) and there are equally down-to-earth, salt of the earth type of people (including the ones working in Hollywood or other creative industries.) in L.A.-you just don’t see them in Overheard L.A or cliche media portrayals of reality tv shows that capture more attention.

L.A is midcentury. L.A is Craftsman. L.A is young kids living in a rundown NoHo apartment sharing with 3 roommates with only carport but buying an organic juice and grass-fed beef salad for $55 altogether. L.A is overheard “I’m writing a script about California water crisis and I plan to have Kim Kardashians to star in it.”when walking on the beach in Malibu (true story, happened to me in July 2022.). L.A is fancy valet parking in kids’ pumpkin patch (Mr. Bone in West Hollywood previously with sh*tload of celebrities taking their kids.) L.A is 19 yrs old dog-walker/yoga teacher/bartender/actress/influencer/scriptwriter/vegan chef and her landlord getting into an organic wine business together. L.A is so glorious sunny on the outside but happened to have the most gruesome, eerie murders and weirdest energy under earth. L.A is when a balmy August night you happened to be getting into the rabbit hole of the Manson family/Sharon Tate murder when your husband went to Greek Theater for a concert (that you volunteered to stay home so the toddler daughter went to bed.) and you realized your house was exactly on the hill and was calmly, eerily quiet at night and the detailed of the murder was so disturbing.-only to realize the night happened to be on the same night of the Tate/Cielo Drive murder! (August 8th, around midnight.)

L.A’s appeal is that it’s the juxtaposition of sunshine and noir, grand natural beauty and artificial affection, cosmopolitan and ugly rundown unkempt, dreamland and broken dreams. Under the sexy glitzy glorious glamour of practically perfect weather and the make-believe of Hollywood power, its dysfunctional charm is creeping out through.-exactly David Lynch (Mulholland Drive+ Lost Highway + Inland Empire-L.A Trilogy.) and Raymond Chandler.

I like L.A because L.A is weird. L.A is a perfect city for storytelling.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by carminesnow

many write in here about the weather being nearly perfect all year. so are people generally 'happier' in LA due to this near perfect weather? according to studies they say the happiest people in the world are in northern European countries like Finland, Sweden and Norway.. not warm/sun everyday at all.

There are 3 of my direct reports that came here to Seattle from Southern California, and they all mentioned the weather here as attracting them. We are from the Bay Area, cooler and wetter than LA and we also moved here in part due to the cooler weather. Not everyone finds sunny and warm all year to be "perfect."

We used to take the kids to Disneyland in February, when the weather down there was not as hot. This year would have been a mistake though with all that rain.

[Tex?Il?]

A little off topic, but I'll communicate a big reason why some people might prefer big cities, warts and all over small towns and rural areas. And I'm focusing on this comparison, because honestly the OP is simply describing the downsides to big cities as a whole. If they were to compare LA with other major cities/metro areas then I would address that, but because the description is solely focused on what ALL major cities/metro areas have in common I will focus on that.

We often learn the most about ourselves and where suits us best, by the people we have the most romantic chemistry and compatibility.

I tried living in a small quiet town in regions surrounding by rural natural beauty for my undergrad and grad school education (in the Upper Great Lakes/Midwest and again in the Intermountain West). My career path (GeoSciences) was such that this would be a unique opportunity and experience to get my higher education in such places. I'm originally form the suburbs outside a major city.


In my whole undergrad and grad school experience in small towns in rural, "red" voting areas, the time of my life where I should have the most opportunity to date, I experienced TOTAL dry spells in both my undergrad and grad school experience. Sure, I was a little awkward and a late bloomer, but I STILL had a girlfriend my senior year of high school, I dated a girl for a little bit and made out with another when I returned home to live with the parents in 1.5 years when I was working from home and saving up some money for living expenses when I went off to grad school. Grad school, again total dry spell.

After grad school, and working a couple short term/temp/contract jobs in other rural/small town/conservative areas of the country I moved back home, and less than two years later I had a girlfriend, and even though I had a lot to learn about myself and become more attractive, I still didn't have dry spells in dating that lasted more than a couple years.

Looking back, I learned that I'm just not a good fit for trying to date/get a girlfriend in more conservative areas. Women get hitched younger than in larger metro areas, leaving slim picking later after 25. And those that were available were so introverted or religious, or so independent that it was impossible to get to know them.

Conversely, in larger metro areas, women are appreciative of you and will be open to dating simply by not being a douche and not trying to sleep with them by the third date, and are more likely to be unmarried well into their 30s and even early 40s. And they appreciative men putting effort into being stylish, etc. Women are attracted to the opportunities in large cities, may very well be looking to meet people through social events, etc. There are endless fun ideas of where to go on dates in larger metro areas as well. Especially with women who might be new in town.

Conservative small towns and rural areas can be very lonely if you are locked out of the social circles. I would be open to moving to a smaller, more rural town once I am married (so I wouldn't have to try to penetrate the social circles) but even then it would have to be somewhere that is a bit more liberal and diverse from tourism from elsewhere. (upstate New York, Vermont, Colorado would be ok).

Again I could compare LA with other peer cities, but I don't think that is what the OP is looking for.

[achtung baby]

Originally Posted by carminesnow

many write in here about the weather being nearly perfect all year. so are people generally 'happier' in LA due to this near perfect weather? according to studies they say the happiest people in the world are in northern European countries like Finland, Sweden and Norway.. not warm/sun everyday at all.

The “happiest” measure in the Scandinavian countries is more on the social well-being and the safety nest, not necessarily emotionally. I have quite a lot of friends living and from Scandinavia, they are not necessarily the most cheerful, emotionally extravagant and socially extrovert people. Like every country there are suicide and depression rate even in the most socially balanced and content society.

I don’t think people in L.A or Southern CA are necessarily “happier”, (because there are a lot of dysfunctional, stressed people in L.A.) but they aren’t surly and walking around with a resting b*tch face either. My daughter lived in L.A from 6 months old until she was 10.5 yrs old (and still goes back there every few month.)-she certainly is very happy, loves outdoors, can and want to be out and about all the time and definitely had that “sunny disposition” that many associate with “California girls”.