How do you define Los Angeles?

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Hollywood

if you dont like LA why are you even wasting your time on this Thread? go look at a thread about your lovely desert city... No more of this.. lets get back on the topic we started on kk

Oh fer crissakes, it's a throwaway line! It's probably on a T-shirt somewhere. Get a sense of humor before the constipation becomes untreatable.

[klamedia]

I've been looking for shirts like these to wear abroad.

[Mr.Hollywood]

LA♥

[VZN]

From LAist (links inside article):

Since When is Los Angeles 'The Big Orange'?

With one Los Angeles Times article, suddenly we're talking apples and oranges here in Los Angeles. Specifically, L.A. being nicknamed "The Big Orange."
For years New York City has been referred to colloquially as "The Big Apple," as millions of visitors and residents have sought to take their own bite out of the major metropolis. The origins of the moniker stem from the early 20th century, and a sportswriter who peppered his horse racing stories with popular slang, and seemed to employ "The Big Apple" as a term for any major city. In fact, in 1920, he even used it to describe Los Angeles, points out Wikipedia.

One website about Orange County calls itself "The BIG Orange," and on the other side of the country, the University of Tennessee's sports teams are called "The Big Orange." Want to call a city "The Big Orange"? How about Tel Aviv, Israel, who started using the nickname around 1989. If you'd like to see a real "Big Orange," head to Australia, where the citrus is one of several in a series of loosely related tourist-trapping "big things."

So just when the heck did people start calling Los Angeles "The Big Orange"?

It's not completely absent from our history, but it sure isn't something that caught on. There are a few references to Los Angeles as "The Big Orange," in the press from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. "What is Los Angeles? The Big Apple it isn't. And to understand Los Angeles, you have to know that it doesn't want to be the Big Apple, and never did. It only wants to be the Big Orange," wrote Jack Smith in 1976. True, there is a blog about places in L.A. that's called Big Orange Landmarks, too.

Other uses in NY-area press use the nickname for Miami, Orange County New Jersey, and, yes, Los Angeles, at least once, in a 1991 article making reference to the Dodgers' move out West. But Google "The Big Orange," and these won't be prominent results. "The Big Orange" is not a nickname for Los Angeles that is in common usage--and definitely not so much so as the Apple is to NYC to prompt the city's tourism board to adopt its use as a motif and slogan, as they did in the 1970s.

One person's compilation of city nicknames hails Los Angeles as The City of Flowers and Sunshine, and the more familiar City of Angels and La La Land, and, yes, The Big Orange. The media love to group L.A. and its surrounding communities as "The Southland," too. Of course, Los Angeles does have a nickname so oft used and obvious that we might even forget it's a nickname at all: L.A.

"What's in a name?" asks Shakespeare's Juliet about her lover's family heritage. And here we ask something similar: Is Los Angeles "The Big Orange"? Is there any other name as, forgive the pun, as sweet? Or is it just a nickname that's doomed, like Romeo, to never ripen?

[milquetoast]

I thought we were the big avacado ...

[LTomi]

L.A. is the best city in the world.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by milquetoast

I thought we were the big avacado ...

I like "the big avacado".

[VZN]

In search of a monument that says 'L.A.'

The drudgery of the freeway commute is not eased by the sights along the way — the graffiti, the bad seat-belt poetry ("Click It or Ticket"), the seemingly endless number of billboards touting lap-band surgery.

Occasionally, it is true, there have been flashes of freeway culture.

Off-beat artist Sandra Tsing Loh performed a piano recital for motorists in a parking structure off the Harbor Freeway in 1987.

Singer Robert Goulet serenaded drivers with a megaphone from a helicopter above the Ventura Freeway in 1991 as part of a Valentine's Day radio promotion. (One of his songs was "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," which seems out of place in Los Angeles.)

And more recently, artist Joel Kyack created "Superclogger," a mobile puppet theater in which shows for stalled freeway travelers will be performed this summer out of the bed of a pickup truck.

But as writer Sharon Mizota recently observed in The Times, the freeway in Southern California is for the most part "an artistic wasteland."

Civic leaders tried to remedy that situation in 1988 when Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley created a West Coast Gateway Committee to solicit designs for a cultural monument that would stretch across the Hollywood Freeway downtown.

It was seen as a symbol that might be to L.A. what the Statue of Liberty is to New York and the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.

Or, at least as the contest literature said, a structure that would make "the ride into and under the gateway … memorable."

Cost of the landmark-to-be was put at $33 million, to be paid by private donors.

A design competition was financed by a $100,000 contribution from a Japanese company that hoped to construct the gateway.

More than 150 concepts were submitted to an international jury of artists and architects, and many were memorable, though not in the way that gateway backers might have preferred.

The entries included a giant baseball glove that would stretch across the freeway, a four-block-long dollar bill that would occupy a similar position and a transparent bird whose wings would extend from the Broadway off-ramp to the Alameda Street off-ramp while dropping an egg near Los Angeles Street.

Other concepts included a 400-foot-tall gold aluminum star ("akin to a lighthouse in the harbor"), 12 inflatable sculptures (the number inflated would indicate the hour of the day) and a nude man and woman holding up a globe.

French juror Roland Schweitzer told The Times the selection process would be difficult. Although Los Angeles has an identity, he said, "we don't know exactly how to show this identity. We have to find it."

Oddly enough, 10 of the 15 jurors were from foreign countries and several had never visited Los Angeles before, raising the question of how they could determine Los Angeles' identity.

Perhaps the composition of the jury explains why the giant mitt was rejected: Few foreigners understand baseball.

Other ideas that were eliminated in the first round of the judging were the four-block-long dollar bill, the nude couple with the globe, the aluminum star and the inflatables.

But the egg-dropping bird survived. "There was a big fight about the bird," admitted juror Sophia Zarabouka, a Greek artist. "But there is imagery to this for me."

The winner, however, was "Steel Cloud" by New York architect Hani Rashid.

The Times described it as an "avant-garde series of geometrical metal shapes housing theaters, museum, cafes, walkways, a genealogy library and other cultural amenities … all growing out of the median strip of the Hollywood Freeway."

The working model looked "as if it were built with an erector set."

"Steel Cloud" might have charmed the jurors, but it did not fare as well in the court of public opinion.

Some likened the design to a freeway crash scene — or Los Angeles after the Big One.

Gloria Molina, then a councilwoman, commented, "It's stressful just to look at the drawings."

There were also concerns that it might stall traffic.

Times columnist Jack Smith wondered if it was a joke being played on L.A.

"The architect is a New Yorker," he pointed out. "Ten of the 15 jurors who chose him are foreigners. How can we be sure it isn't a Trojan horse?"

Rashid was not discouraged.

"We were hoping to get something that would cause a bit of excitement and exuberance," he said.

He pointed out that many works "breaking new ground," such as the Eiffel Tower, had been criticized at first but that "when those things are given the benefit of the doubt, they tend to prove themselves quite fantastic."

But his project didn't get the chance. The funding never materialized and "Steel Cloud" drifted out of memory.

In retrospect, the second-place finisher — the big bird — probably wouldn't have received a warm welcome from the public either.

Imagine the jokes that would have been made about Los Angeles' new landmark laying an egg.

I know the L.A. monument topic is kind of played, but I just want some input:

1) What do you think L.A.'s "image" could be? Would you make a monument of it?

2) Or do you think our city's image is defined by what we have here, and no other monument is needed?

[croyboy]

if anything, maybe something like the statue of liberty or the Jesus statue in brazil, or even the budha statues in china... maybe ours would be of angels (obviously from city of angels). maybe placed on top of rolling hills estates or palos verdes. idk

we might not need a monument to define us either, but i can't say that the statue of liberty really defines new york city. something would be cool.

[VZN]

'La-La Land,' now the dictionary definition of Los Angeles

The Oxford English Dictionary made some stellar updates on March 24, which are now online. For instance, "e-mail" is now "email." You can now, with reference to the OED, eat a banh mi sandwich or a taquito. And FYI (newly added), OMG is there too -- and it dates back to 1917. (OMG!).

But then there's this: La-La Land is in the newest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, and it defines our fair city. Here's the definition:

la-la land n. can refer either to Los Angeles (in which case its etymology is influenced by the common initialism for that city), or to a state of being out of touch with reality—and sometimes to both simultaneously.

What is it, the sun, the palm trees, the nightclubs, the limos, the fact that Spiderman can get arrested on Hollywood Boulevard? Do we deserve this (new word) smack-talking from a bunch of dictionary writers? Maybe they should all be wearing (new word) tinfoil hats.

[PragmaticIdealist]

I think the old architecture in the city that attempted to define a unique Los Angeles style, which itself was a pastiche of other styles, is the element that comes to my mind most when I think of L.A. I wish we had more contemporary architects who would operate in the same way.

Library Tower, for instance, is so successful because of its relationship to these old civic buildings.

[Denny2010]

Lawrence Mann, who moved from the east coast to Los Angeles 33 years ago wrote this about Los Angeles.

"This is the city, Los Angeles California"
Los Angeles has changed a lot since actor/director/writer/producer and honorary Los Angeles cop Jack Webb last spoke that famous line in the Dragnet radio, movie, and TV shows. From humble beginnings in 1781 when the natives were running around barefoot and eating grasshoppers, Los Angeles has since grown to become a modern world class city today. The 115 city block Los Angeles Fashion District is the largest in the nation
and second largest in the world. Los Angeles International Airport is the world's fifth busiest. The Los Angeles Jewelry District is the nations second biggest. Los Angeles has more world renowned art and cultural centers (more than 300) than any other city in the world. Los Angeles is the world's most photographed city. The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest in the U.S. and the world's 7th busiest. More studios and celebrities call Los
Angeles home. More celebrities are also native born Los Angelean's.

Los Angeles is situated on the Pacific coast of Southern California. Unlike the mild climate of the Frisco Bay Area 348 miles to the north, Los Angeles's climate is temperate which is why Los Angeles weather can sometimes change unexpectedly. What may start out as a hot humid sunny day in late August could end with an afternoon thunder shower or a blustery cold day in December or January could become a heat wave the
next day. During the Fall season temperature differences between day and night can be as much as 38 degrees. Los Angeles temperature extremes can vary from below freezing to the low 100's. Although snow falls on the mountains of Los Angeles county each winter, snow has fallen somewhere within the city of Los Angeles only 21 times in the last 100 years, the heaviest being two inches that fell on the downtown city center
on January 15, 1932. Remnants of late summer hurricanes off Baja can influence Los Angeles weather by creating severe storm conditions of lightning, thunder, hail, high winds and heavy rain. A weather condition known as Catalina Eddy causes storms to be trapped in a continuous counter-clock rotation until enough high pressure sets in to move it out. Catalina Eddy which also keeps the area socked in with low thick clouds
during late Spring and early Fall is responsible for flooding when a storm gets trapped in it, sometimes for days. During certain times of the year the famous Santa Ana winds kick up as wind gusts in the city have reached 60 mph and more than 100 mph in the local mountain passes and high deserts.

With miles of beaches and scenic coastline, Los Angeles is bordered by the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the majestic snow covered San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains to the east, making it possible for Los Angelean's to go snow boarding during the morning then a few hours later be surfing at the beach. During early spring it is sometimes common to see cars, SUVs and minivans with both snowboards and surfboards sharing the same roof rack. Visitors can also take advantage of these and other recreational activities such as taking a cruise from the Port of Los Angeles to Catalina Island, visiting Venice Beach and it's famous Ocean Front Walk or how about a trip to Griffith Park where the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles Zoo, Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, pony rides, Griffith Park Carousel, world class golf courses and miles of hiking trails are all located.

To get around this city much of the population travels by freeway. However, 2.2 million commuters in metropolitan Los Angeles use public transit which includes buses, a modern heavy rail subway system, light rail and a commuter rail system. The Los Angeles public transportation system is the second largest and one of the most used public transit systems in the country. Tourists who use Los Angeles public transit have pleasantly discovered that riding trains and buses is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get around this city to see the attractions. Sure beats the high cost of renting a car, buying expensive gas, figuring out confusing road maps, driving in mostly congested traffic alongside rude and sometimes dangerous drivers, then searching (or fighting) for that precious and expensive parking spot like they do on the Westside and Santa Monica.

Los Angeles is a favorite city among preservationists and architects. That's because as other cities were trying to redevelop their downtowns by demolishing the old and building the new, Los Angeles city planners merely 'moved' the downtown center a few miles west along with new construction in what has become the largest urban redevelopment area in U.S. history and left the old downtown behind and largely intact. That old downtown which includes the Historic Core, the Old Bank District, Broadway and thirteen other historic areas is a collection of approximately two-thousand pre-World War Two buildings including sixteen historic movie palaces of which twelve are on Broadway. These areas which has literally remained unchanged since the 1920's have become popular residential areas as well as favorite filming locations for the studios where it is always possible to see film, TV or other production activity especially at night and on weekends.

Whether you are planning that dream trip to Los Angeles or currently live here, whether you're a newcomer or a native, Los Angeles Vacation Guide was created as a reference to provide you with updated information about this world class city.

[pwright1]

As a relatively new resident I find L.A. to be the most interesting city I ever lived in. The comments I constantly read about sprawl, pollution, dead downtown, poor public transportation and so on I'm finding are just not true. I've been downtown, I ride public transportation(cheap too), the air is much cleaner and its pretty dense imo. I've met great people and everyone's not plastic. Architecturally I love it, old and new.
It really takes a while to really see what this city is about. It truely is an amazing gigantic city.

[VZN]

Originally Posted by Denny2010

To get around this city much of the population travels by freeway. However, 2.2 million commuters in metropolitan Los Angeles use public transit which includes buses, a modern heavy rail subway system, light rail and a commuter rail system. The Los Angeles public transportation system is the second largest and one of the most used public transit systems in the country. Tourists who use Los Angeles public transit have pleasantly discovered that riding trains and buses is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get around this city to see the attractions. Sure beats the high cost of renting a car, buying expensive gas, figuring out confusing road maps, driving in mostly congested traffic alongside rude and sometimes dangerous drivers, then searching (or fighting) for that precious and expensive parking spot like they do on the Westside and Santa Monica.

Wow. He said that 33 years ago? That's where we're headed...

[Denny2010]

I believe that it means the present, although much of that statement does reflect how things were back then.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by pwright1

As a relatively new resident I find L.A. to be the most interesting city I ever lived in. The comments I constantly read about sprawl, pollution, dead downtown, poor public transportation and so on I'm finding are just not true. I've been downtown, I ride public transportation(cheap too), the air is much cleaner and its pretty dense imo. I've met great people and everyone's not plastic. Architecturally I love it, old and new.
It really takes a while to really see what this city is about. It truely is an amazing gigantic city.

Thats great to hear. That BS is mostly spewed by people who have never set foot in LA and are regurgitating shit they read or see on tv. sad really.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by PragmaticIdealist

I think the old architecture in the city that attempted to define a unique Los Angeles style, which itself was a pastiche of other styles, is the element that comes to my mind most when I think of L.A. I wish we had more contemporary architects who would operate in the same way.

Library Tower, for instance, is so successful because of its relationship to these old civic buildings.

Totally agreed. It's this fact of freedom to innovate and disregard text-book formalities of "style" that throw so many into the belief that there is no innovative architecture in LA. Noticing the world around you is important; but more important is not being a slave to it.

[tanzirian]

Originally Posted by pwright1

As a relatively new resident I find L.A. to be the most interesting city I ever lived in. The comments I constantly read about sprawl, pollution, dead downtown, poor public transportation and so on I'm finding are just not true. I've been downtown, I ride public transportation(cheap too), the air is much cleaner and its pretty dense imo. I've met great people and everyone's not plastic. Architecturally I love it, old and new.
It really takes a while to really see what this city is about. It truely is an amazing gigantic city.

I am also a relatively new Angelino, but one without the option of working in downtown...and I agree with some of your points, but not others. I would say there is in fact tremendous sprawl, when the greater urban area is taken into account. And it's not that public transportation is poor...it's just that the same sprawl makes it an impractical option for most people, myself included. I think that public transport is really only practical for people working in downtown (or in a few other spots) and having regular office hours...neither of which apply to me. By US standards, the smog can be rather bad...though I have been in Asian cities where it is much worse. And downtown was in serious decline until about a decade ago, though thankfully the future looks bright. But, there is a whole lot that is wonderful about LA, that counterbalance these negatives. The combination and number of urban and natural attractions, the weather, the cultural diversity, etc is as good as any.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

I am also a relatively new Angelino, but one without the option of working in downtown...and I agree with some of your points, but not others. I would say there is in fact tremendous sprawl, when the greater urban area is taken into account. And it's not that public transportation is poor...it's just that the same sprawl makes it an impractical option for most people, myself included. I think that public transport is really only practical for people working in downtown (or in a few other spots) and having regular office hours...neither of which apply to me. By US standards, the smog can be rather bad...though I have been in Asian cities where it is much worse. And downtown was in serious decline until about a decade ago, though thankfully the future looks bright. But, there is a whole lot that is wonderful about LA, that counterbalance these negatives. The combination and number of urban and natural attractions, the weather, the cultural diversity, etc is as good as any.

I always wonder where people live and why they deliberatley chose places that are inaccessible to transit in the first place? The least expensive areas are at this moment in LA history, transit rich. I travel from Silver Lake to deep into the Valley (Northridge) on a very regular basis. I don't drive there. I've never driven there. I don't ever plan to drive there. The quickest and easiest way from my place to that part of the Valley is Red Line to Metrolink Ventura. I'm there in about an hour. My other regular commute is to LAX. I don't drive there either. Red Line, bike or bus to Union Station and then take the Flyaway. This is also the easiest and way to LAX other than a door to door cab ride. Would you like to share where you are originating from and where your destination is? Did you take transit into consideration before settling on a place to live in the metro?
Also the LA urban area is the least sprawling and most densely populated urban area in the US.

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

I am also a relatively new Angelino, but one without the option of working in downtown...and I agree with some of your points, but not others. I would say there is in fact tremendous sprawl, when the greater urban area is taken into account. And it's not that public transportation is poor...it's just that the same sprawl makes it an impractical option for most people, myself included. I think that public transport is really only practical for people working in downtown (or in a few other spots) and having regular office hours...neither of which apply to me. By US standards, the smog can be rather bad...though I have been in Asian cities where it is much worse. And downtown was in serious decline until about a decade ago, though thankfully the future looks bright. But, there is a whole lot that is wonderful about LA, that counterbalance these negatives. The combination and number of urban and natural attractions, the weather, the cultural diversity, etc is as good as any.

I don't work regular office hours either but I still find public transportation pretty good. I chose to live by Sawtelle and Santa Monica Blvds. in west Los Angeles and public transportation is at my two big feet. As far as pollution I still say it has improved by at least 1000% since the 80's. My camera goes with me everywhere and I can honestly say I haven't seen a day where I couldn't take pics because of smog. A marine layer, rain and clouds yes, but smog no.