L.A. Civic Pride

[VZN]

They'll also refer to Los Angeles as 'California'

That's another pet peeve of mine, too. I do realize that L.A. is what you could consider a city that has very strong imagery attached with the state; of course, when many out of towners mention L.A. the first thing that comes to their minds are beaches, palm trees, and sunshine, all of which are quintessential staples of SoCal living. But at the same time, I wholeheartedly believe that we need to find our role as an independent city that has a strong self-image that separates us from all of California, from the North to the South. We're unlike any other area in California - we can only be Los Angeles, and nothing else. So in a way I do cringe whenever I talk to an out of towner and when I tell them I'm from L.A. they go: "Oh, you're from Cali!" It just doesn't add up because L.A. ain't the O.C, the Bay, S.D., or wherever. L.A. can only be... well, L.A. And I believe that this can only be accomplished when Angelinos gain civic pride on a mass scale.

[klamedia]

It's a matter of maturity and time. Most of us never stop to think how far we've come in such little time. In the beginning of last century NYC was the biggest city on earth a title that it had just wrestled away from London. San Fran was the biggest city and most important in California. Los Angeles wasn't even in the top 100 cities according to the US Census.....Peoria, Il was bigger than our City of Angels. The entire metropolitan area had less people than Glendale or Burbank has today. We've come a long way baby!

[VZN]

Originally Posted by klamedia

It's a matter of maturity and time. Most of us never stop to think how far we've come in such little time. In the beginning of last century NYC was the biggest city on earth a title that it had just wrestled away from London. San Fran was the biggest city and most important in California. Los Angeles wasn't even in the top 100 cities according to the US Census.....Peoria, Il was bigger than our City of Angels. The entire metropolitan area had less people than Glendale or Burbank has today. We've come a long way baby!

That's true. We jumped from 2 million in the 60's and wrestled out Chicago as the #2 city in the 80's to 4 million right now. Imagine where we're gonna be in the next decade. People are moving to L.A. But as you mentioned, it's just gonna take time for us to really mature. But how many cities can say that they've hosted 2 Olympiads, survived gang wars, riots, earthquakes all amid severe racial tension and still manage to contain America's largest port and become the 3rd biggest economic metro in the world, at the same time managing to shoot to Alpha city status in less than a century? Time can only tell what we can accomplish in the next century.

[milquetoast]

Originally Posted by VZN

Time can only tell what we can accomplish in the next century.

There it is

[Westsidelife]

Originally Posted by VZN

But how many cities can say that they've hosted 2 Olympiads, survived gang wars, riots, earthquakes all amid severe racial tension and still manage to contain America's largest port and become the 3rd biggest economic metro in the world, at the same time managing to shoot to Alpha city status in less than a century?

Only in LA.

[future_trance011]

Originally Posted by VZN

That's true. We jumped from 2 million in the 60's and wrestled out Chicago as the #2 city in the 80's to 4 million right now. Imagine where we're gonna be in the next decade. People are moving to L.A. But as you mentioned, it's just gonna take time for us to really mature. But how many cities can say that they've hosted 2 Olympiads, survived gang wars, riots, earthquakes all amid severe racial tension and still manage to contain America's largest port and become the 3rd biggest economic metro in the world, at the same time managing to shoot to Alpha city status in less than a century? Time can only tell what we can accomplish in the next century.

In the next century as seen in Sylvester Stallone's 'Demolition Man'? Los Angeles and San Diego will unite into one formidable conglomeration called San Angeles and over take New York City!!! Don't count on it! At least not in our life-times or maybe its possible?

[redspork02]

If the SPICE GIRLS love it here!!!
WHY cant we!!! I LOVE L.A.!!!!!


The Spice Girls seem to like Los Angeles
By MIKE CIDONI Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 12/06/2007 04:13:43 AM MST


LOS ANGELES—It was a different sort of homecoming for the Spice Girls when they performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center.
The show Wednesday marked the first time that two of the '90s British-pop quintet's members joined longtime bandmates in Los Angeles since permanent moves out west.

"I love it here," explained Victoria Beckham (aka "Posh Spice"), who relocated from Spain this past summer with soccer-superstar husband David Beckham and their three sons.

"It's exciting, because we have friends here, and our family is here, as well," she told The Associated Press. "It's exciting. It feels like home. It really feels like we're performing at home."

Melanie Brown ("Scary Spice") moved to Los Angeles in 2003. Other band members said they've grown accustomed to the L.A. lifestyle.

"We've all been here, staying here for quite a while," added "Baby Spice" Emma Bunton. "We've all fallen in love with it, as well. You might have a few more Spice Girls moving here."

The Spice Girls kicked off their tour, the band's first since 1999, on Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. Future stops include Las Vegas, New York and London.

The band also confirmed reports that David Beckham purchased each member a diamond bracelet to celebrate the start of the tour. Said Victoria Beckham: "My husband, when he married me, married all the Spice Girls, and he has to look after us all."

———

[VZN]

That's weird having them say all of that, but I can't knock what they're saying at all. You always have out-of-towners falling in love with this city, and in this case it's kind of crazy that they're from the UK because I know a few cats from the UK who moved over here permanently. A lot of Angelino's don't even know that they're sitting on gold, because a lot of people would kill to be over here right now despite the problems that we're trying to correct in this city. Inside looking out syndrome probably?

[Westsidelife]

^ I'm not surprised. It seems like a lot of people from the UK love LA for some reason. Europeans in general are more loving of this city than, say, those "out east" .

[VZN]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

^ I'm not surprised. It seems like a lot of people from the UK love LA for some reason. Europeans in general are more loving of this city than, say, those "out east" .

Speaking of which I noticed a lot of Aussies wanting to move here too... they catch on faster than the people "out east" too.

[Westsidelife]

The phrase "out west" will at some point be null and void, as people out east continue to flock to the West. Cities like Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle are booming -- far more than most of the cities out east are. Historically, the phrase "The West" has always represented opportunity and prosperity. Activity moves from east to west, not vice versa. Once our country's population is more evenly distributed, the phrase "out west" will have no meaning whatsoever. Like I said, "The West" has always represented something better and brighter -- that is why I put "out west" in quotation marks and left out east alone. If the booming Asian markets aren't an indication of that, then I don't know what is. First it was Europe, then the Americas, and now Asia/Pacific.

[VZN]

Right. Which is why we need to go take advantage of this wave of opportunity right now and correct the problems plaguing this city before we end up missing the boat in the next couple of decades. We haven't had a surge of development like this in years, so our civic leaders better get their heads out of their asses to keep this city afloat.

For example, the expansion of our port was a brilliant move. All we have to do now is become a presence in big business by lowering business taxes and open up a few stock exchanges for us and California and we'll be alright. In time we'll correct our transit problems and we're working on attracting convention center business. We should be leading the west coast in damn near everything in the future. So right now, we're half assing it but we're on the right track at least compared to a decade ago.

As far a population shifts, I did a quick search on California's population and we're 37 million right now. I never knew that we had grown that quickly! This was a huge jump from the 33 million that we had at the beginning of the decade. California is going to become so dominant on the west coast (and in the U.S.) that the term "out west" is going to go the way of the dinosaur, because damn near the majority of the country's population is going to reside there. We're getting most of the immigrants AND we have the highest number of transplants overall coming from the midwest and the east, so it's only due time "out west" is going "out of the window".

We need to get some invitation only letters going on, because this party's gonna be a little too full in the future.

[globill]

[QUOTE=VZN;16989817] Speaking of which I noticed a lot of Aussies wanting to move here too... they catch on faster than the people "out east" too.[/QUOTE

It's not surprising that many Brits and Aussies like LA. After all, it is the largest city in the English-speaking world without winter. That's bound to be attractive to Brits, Aussies, Canucks and Kiwis...and many people "back east".

[klamedia]

Really? It's in the 'English speaking' world?

[future_trance011]

[QUOTE=globill;17033047]

Originally Posted by VZN

Speaking of which I noticed a lot of Aussies wanting to move here too... they catch on faster than the people "out east" too.[/QUOTE

It's not surprising that many Brits and Aussies like LA. After all, it is the largest city in the English-speaking world without winter. That's bound to be attractive to Brits, Aussies, Canucks and Kiwis...and many people "back east".

Some of my observations:

-Brits love LA because weather back home sucks. I recall going to England and seriously not loving the weather, reminded me too much of Seattle. The sense of melancholy due to the constant overcast skies creeping into your cranium day after day with the occasional sunny day once in a blue moon was exasperating. So it makes perfect sense that they'd love LA. Santa Monica and most of the Beach cities are very popular with the Brits who have relocated to LA.

-Aussies love LA because it reminds them of home with its similarities: warm climates, beach-oriented, ocean-loving, sports-obsessed, outdoorsy cultures and on top of that -- the heavy infiltration of American television/media constantly beamed into millions of Australian house-holds. Try living there even a short time and you will understand what I mean. Watching news and not hearing any mention of Los Angeles, Hollywood or California is next to impossible. Australians can easily adjust to life in LA...aside from petty annoyances like learning to drive on the right side of the road and navigating through this humongous city of course(which can be quite arduous at first).

-Germans also love LA because of the weather, scenery, and media/television influence(Thanks to Mr. David Hasselhoff and the blond bombshells of Bay Watch aka "BABE WATCH").

-The French hate America but seem to love LA. Why? Because of LA's pop culture machine that is Hollywood, they love our celebrities and see us as different from the rest of what they perceive as war-mongering Georgebushland..j/k

-The Japanese love LA because of the laid-back attitude of it's people, and simply because it's so different from the stressful, hectic energy of Tokyo.

-My family and I are originally from Colorado(known for it's beautiful, majestic Rocky Mtns but also unbearable winter blizzards) LOVE LA. We love it for it's diverse scenery, sunny skies, multiculturalism on steroids, the sense of optimism always in the air, etc. Yes, the "Mile High City" is certainly beautiful but on that sunny day in 1994, my dad had a deja vu moment(more like an epiphany) while standing at the Santa Monica Pier he recalled peering out into the Pacific Ocean and seeing a pod of dolphins swimming by..and recalling how that sight felt so familiar to him as if he had once been here(which was his first time in California)...and the next day made the call back home to break the news to my Mother..and you wouldn't believe the sheer look of horror on her face when my Dad told her he was moving the family out to LA. My Mother was very hesitant and adamant about how dangerous LA was(especially with images of the Rodney King Riots still fresh in her mind) but she finally came around to that idea with lots of prodding from my brother and sisters..were we kids excited? Oh hell yes! Funny thing is she always harbored a desire to live the "Califronia Dream" but always felt it was impossible or was too scared to do it. Ever since we haven't looked back. Colorado will always be in our blood, but LA is home to us....


I can go on and on and on but I'd have to literally write a book..I'm of course speaking in generalities and from personal experience..so don't take everything I say verbatim and without a grain of salt..of course I'm biased..I LOVE LA! But whether you love LA or hate it, you can't deny the allure this city has on millions throughout the world...I mean there's got to be something attractive about this place, right? 18 million people in this megalopolis and still growing...my oh my! ...

[VZN]

Nice post, future. Out of curiousity, how old were you when you and your siblings moved up here?

-The French hate America but seem to love LA. Why? Because of LA's pop culture machine that is Hollywood, they love our celebrities and see us as different from the rest of what they perceive as war-mongering Georgebushland..j/k

Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk fame lives in L.A. He coulda been anywhere else in the world, but he made his home right here. Just sayin', just sayin'...

[klamedia]

That was quite a genuine story "future" and btw I've always thought your handle was one of the coolest on the board!

[yamota]

brits love LA because as we all know british food is crappy; bland and tasteless, and the second they bite into a double double animal style from in N out, they're hooked

[milquetoast]

Originally Posted by yamota

brits love LA because as we all know british food is crappy; bland and tasteless, and the second they bite into a double double animal style from in N out, they're hooked

I don't think if I ordered one of those here, that they would understand... or would they?

[Ripper777]

I moved to New York back in the summer and I'm the only person that wears an LA Dodgers cap in the city. I wear it everywhere and have folks yelling at me "Dodgers suck!" or "go back to LA." My boss evens gets mad and says its disrespect to his eyes... lol. I usually just flip'em off or yell back "FU hater." Everyone in NYC are haters. I think its all based on the realization that New York's peak is long over and LA's is just gearing up.