What's your personal point of view about Los Angeles?

[xtremeslide]

Hi there!

Here in the other side of the pond, sometimes i see some news about how bad are the streets of L.A., videos show lots of homeless people livings in tents on the street, drugs making people crazy, prices of the housing (renting) skyrocketing ...

Well, i'd like to hear your personal opinions about this, how much true are on those images, and what do you think that the near future will be in the city.

Is this happening in other places of California?

Or it's just like in the 80's?

[Kuma]

when you say Los Angeles, are you referring to the city or the area? downtown has always had it's share of slums, drug problems and such as I imagine all large cities around the world. the whole spectrum is covered in the area from the ultra rich and their lifestyle to the ultra poor and people with mental problems who should be taken care of.
There are definitely areas you do not want to be unless you have a death wish with the gangs.
the weather is generally nice and is close to the mountains ocean and desert, freeways suck, over crowded, it can take 2 hours to get through LA if there are no accidents.
if it was not for my job, the weather and proximity to Glamis, Dumont and Pismo, I would like to move out.

[xtremeslide]

Thanks kuma,

I talked about the city, but it's interesting to know how the things goes in the surroundings also, (from first hand experience).

Did you notice a raise in the housing prices or more homeless people living in the streets of L.A when you go there?

I know that big cities have no-go areas, gangs, etc.. always was and always be. I remember a thread about security here where a guy form South Central said that they had fences, dogs, gun under the bed...

I meant this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-awe9V_Ec

[Kuma]

I live about 40 miles from LA, I never go there myself.

[Rhino89523]

I don't spend much time in LA, I go for supercross every few years, I have taken my kids to Disneyland a few times, and I pick up cars/motorcycles there from time to time. I also have a bunch of friends that live there I played football with...some of them live in less desirable parts of town that I will go visit sometimes. I don't think LA has changed that much over the many years I have been stopping by. I have not noticed a decline in LA the way I have seen it in San Francisco. I grew up in the Bay Area and used to take trips from my current home in Reno to SF often....SF has slid down hill faster than what I have seen in LA. Rampant drug use, needles literally everywhere, and piles of human feces in the streets. I don't go anymore. LA has a huge homeless population and it definitely seems to be getting bigger. The last time I went to Supercross it was surreal. We were on one side of the fence at the Angel's stadium, huge lifted trucks, just nice stuff everywhere you looked, good looking well dressed people wearing expensive casual clothing. On the other side of the fence in sight is a massive homeless camp that extends for miles down the drainage channel. Money on one side and a guy sharing a can of dog food with his dog on the other....it hit me, made me feel really fortunate and sad all at once.

I don't find LA to be much different than any other city really, we went to France 2 years ago and it was pretty much the same.