Although I’ve lived in Southern California for nearly a year now, prior to Thursday I had never been to L.A. Based on aggregate reviews from people I’ve chatted with, my thesis was that it probably wouldn’t be my scene: lots of people, lots of concrete, lots of fakeness. Thursday’s visit was brief but I learned firsthand there is one thing that would drive me nuts about L.A.: traffic. The U.S.’s second largest city is home to 3.8 million people, less than half of New York’s 8.4 million people but without public transportation. Yes, a mini-NYC without the subway. Already sounds like a recipe for disaster. It took my co-worker and me about 2.5 hours to get a solid 30 miles outside Century City during rush hour. Ouch.
During our brief trip we also cruised down to the beach and took in the famous Santa Monica pier. I’ve seen the view on “Private Practice.” Generally speaking, anytime a roller coaster is involved, the crowd on the beach tends to get a bit dicey (based on a sample size of one from my experiences around Mission Beach). It just screams, “Come hang out here! This is the most tourist-y place to be!” Needless to say, although the beach is always great, I didn’t see anything that led me to believe the beaches around L.A. could top San Diego beaches.
The spectacular view from the office we visited revealed a vast urban sprawl covered in a layer of smog. It was kind of depressing. I prefer the view from my hood in Windan’sea: the ocean, with a fresh breeze, even if there is the occasional stench of seaweed (particularly as you drive south on La Jolla Boulevard toward PB just as you’re passing “The West End”). While I would realistically say I haven’t spent enough time in L.A. to pass judgment, the initial takeaway is that my original thesis is correct. I think it will take a lot to drag me back up there to conduct additional research. San Diego is more laid back, less trafficky and for Reg and I, the beach is right down the street…
