When you think of Los Angeles, do think of the entire county? Or just THE CITY of Los Angeles? (Riverside: apartment, home)

[Youngcorporate]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

Yes, though it's a little further removed. Culver City is very historic and centrally located.

Burbank is actually more centrally located to the "entertainment industry", hollywood, and Downtown. Culver city is central to the Westside yes, but as an indidviual city Burbank is definitely more important. It's basically the center of the entertainment industry and important role in pop culture.

[JeffSanDimas]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

There is definitely an element of pride to living in Pasadena. We can also be quite the snobs. But why not? It's the best area in LA.



I agree with both of you that Pasadenans definitely considered themselves distinctly separate from LA both geographically and culturally. Especially prior to the staples center/gold line construction there was almost no reason at all to leave Pasadena to go to DTLA. There was professional/college sports, loads of museums, shopping, and restaurants all within the immediate area.


Where I'm not sure I agree is with you saying that Glendale is also part of LA. There's a distinctly different culture there due to the Armenians and it is not like Burbank with all the studios and is one city over from the SFV.

I love Pasadena. In my current situation it's impossible for me to live there (CSUN student - reside in the Conejo Valley right now) but I did get my AA from PCC and live at home and I loved every minute there. My family has been in the area for generations, we still own rental apartments there, and there is even a small street named after my mother's family (Langford Alley). I love the home style there, it looks like a small New England city, and until the 70s it had the WASPy demographics to match, people wouldn't ever know it now, but back in the day the greater Los Angeles area was probably the most WASP major city in the US.


The only things I can do without in Pasadena, is the Old Town nightlife scene, and the schools - but the bad public schools can be forgiven by the prescense of the best private academies on the west coast!



Also, please don't think I am insulting you but IMHO not considering Glendale part of LA because it's an Armenian ethnic enclave doesn't make much sense at all to me. It looks the same as the parts of LA city its adjacent too and blends well. Yeah it does have a lot of Armenians but so does East Hollywood, parts of the Valley, and Pasadena...every big city bas ethnic enclaves. That's like saying Chinatown doesn't feel like part of Manhattan. I mean, a majority of the land area, especially in the Eastern parts of he county is essentially a Mexican enclave and it is still very much LA!

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by Youngcorporate

Burbank is actually more centrally located to the "entertainment industry", hollywood, and Downtown. Culver city is central to the Westside yes, but as an indidviual city Burbank is definitely more important. It's basically the center of the entertainment industry and important role in pop culture.

True, but the difference is Burbank is a large city with some neighborhoods that are very suburban, valley-like living which make it a bit less "LA". Culver City is a small city sandwiched between a bunch of LA neighborhoods. It might as well be an LA neighborhood.

[Gurbie]

To me, "L.A." means The City of Los Angeles. Every place else in Los Angeles Co is "the LA area".

You can use "Southern California" to describe Greater Los Angeles, OC, the IE, etc., and from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

Nobody I met in Europe was familiar with the geographic minutiae out here. But EVERYBODY got "LA" and "Southern California".

[JeffSanDimas]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

True, but the difference is Burbank is a large city with some neighborhoods that are very suburban, valley-like living which make it a bit less "LA". Culver City is a small city sandwiched between a bunch of LA neighborhoods. It might as well be an LA neighborhood.

My friend, I don't quite see what you mean by the sentence I bolded. Suburban, car-centric living is a very big part of LA and our culture. For me and many others I am sure, it's part of the appeal really. Provided you have enough money of course, Los Angeles is a city where you don't have to choose between having a spaciious, single family home with a yard or living in the middle of all the action. In other cities, you have single family homes and suburban neighborhoods, but I don't know of any place where you can live two blocks from "downtown" (not DTLA, but the downtown of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Culver City, and the west side for which the two downtowns are the Hollywood & Highland area and the Wilshire & Westwood area) and live in a very suburban style home, on a SFH block with a yard.


This is changing with the whole lame density thing which is making LA less unique in that regard, but LA was built so that you didn't have to leave the city to live in the 'burbs.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by JeffSanDimas

Also, please don't think I am insulting you but IMHO not considering Glendale part of LA because it's an Armenian ethnic enclave doesn't make much sense at all to me. It looks the same as the parts of LA city its adjacent too and blends well. Yeah it does have a lot of Armenians but so does East Hollywood, parts of the Valley, and Pasadena...every big city bas ethnic enclaves. That's like saying Chinatown doesn't feel like part of Manhattan. I mean, a majority of the land area, especially in the Eastern parts of he county is essentially a Mexican enclave and it is still very much LA!

That's definitely not the only reason. It also has it's a fairly large downtown and it's own set of amenities (shopping, sports complexes, colleges, hospitals, etc). When I think of Glendale, I think of Glendale (not Los Angeles). I think it has it's own identity and the community there has a different vibe than the SFV or NELA.

I think this is different than Culver City where it seems indistinguishable to Palms, Mar Vista, etc. Maybe it's because I grew up in the Pasadena area so I can tell the nuances better, but that is my experience.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Chicano3000X

Usually I don't care to think of any other spot other than L.A., anywhere else is like a suburban wasteland. There's a couple of exceptions like Pasadena(mainly since it has a distinguished downtown area with a nice link to the Gold Line).

You pick and choose what's included in L.A. based on its downtown or its access to public transportation?

When I think of L.A., this pretty much covers it:
City of Los Angeles Map - Larger View

[Those Who Squirm]

For me it's pretty much just the city limits, and even then I limit it to areas that are traditionally addressed as "Los Angeles" on snail mail. So most of the SFV is excluded even though, strictly speaking, it's L.A. Similarly with Hollywood.

And maybe Palms.

I never claimed it was an exact science...

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by HyperionGap

That's definitely not the only reason. It also has it's a fairly large downtown and it's own set of amenities (shopping, sports complexes, colleges, hospitals, etc). When I think of Glendale, I think of Glendale (not Los Angeles). I think it has it's own identity and the community there has a different vibe than the SFV or NELA.

I think this is different than Culver City where it seems indistinguishable to Palms, Mar Vista, etc. Maybe it's because I grew up in the Pasadena area so I can tell the nuances better, but that is my experience.

What do you mean less unique?

[Chicano3000X]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

You pick and choose what's included in L.A. based on its downtown or its access to public transportation?

When I think of L.A., this pretty much covers it:
City of Los Angeles Map - Larger View

I know. It's more of a personal Bias. Because Pasadena has had a good link to L.A., Glendale cool too since it's in between both cities and does have decent downtown nightlife. Problem is that the rails skip Glendale like a disease. What gives? Seriously(and I am not talking about Amtrak)??