LA's Problems

Just to put my two cents in (I haven't posted recently and I also stay away from these absurd competitive group masturbation sessions)

I think the main problem with LA is that it's not THERE yet. I guess it has always been true that LA is a place obsessed with its own (poorly planned) future, but I think it is about to go through one of it's HUGEST changes yet, and in a very different direction. Right now it's all potential. It's not a place people like in that conventional provincial citystate kind of way, and they don't like it that way for a reason. It isn't really a place to be proud of. It is majorly fucked up in a lot of ways. traffic. crime. smog. poverty. segregation and inequality. to name a few.

But to me LA is the most intriguing city on earth, and many people around the world are starting to agree. Some of you guys might not know, but LA is having somewhat of a "moment" right now, a moment that could turn into a pretty nice new identity. I'm graduating with a degree in cultural studies, so I've had to keep tabs on cultural trends. "culture" people- (artsy folks) really like to talk about LA now and how it's a really exciting place to live in because SO MUCH IS GOING TO CHANGE (for the better) AND YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT!

BUT
it's not there yet. If you've got a bad pre-conceived notion of LA, then please wait ten years before coming.

I didn't read that post mid-town
but the gorges around New York are incredible.

also earlier, people responded to my post about LA not being "there" yet-- just to clarify I meant "there" (as I did state, only poorly) as in the way people from more traditional cities (i.e. east) expect cities to be (quaint and enticingly liveable).

I don't expect people to understand LA at first glance. But I do think that it needs to grow into the kind of place where even if you didn't grow up in a place like here it appeals to you at least somewhat at first glance. i don't know why I think this, but maybe there is a little part of me that likes Thomas Kinkade.

I love LA because it's seems like everything that happens here is important. It's not the most important city in america in terms of "being the capital." But it is the most important city in america in terms of being the place where relevant decisions/struggles that will affect the rest of the country and world are taking place. So I'll be staying around for quite a while more.

New York is a beautiful state. Definitely.

But seriously, dude, have you ever been to Hawaii? It has every major eco-system represented. Talk about features. Also Utah is pretty spectacular in terms of variation. Forests, mountains, deserts, lakes, INCREDIBLE rock formations. They call it Land of Contrast I think. New Mexico and Arizona are similar in this regard. New York is a beautiful state, but you're definitely the only person I'll ever hear in my life say that it's 2nd in scenery or whatever. I think the gorges/niagara falls areas are top notch, though, and something to be proud of if you're New Yorker.

Also, I was curious about the "oldest forest in the world" thing. I looked it up online and only found really confusing science stuff. Do you mean like there has continuously been a forest there longer than anywhere else? I guess that makes sense. Because the world's oldest forest in terms of the age of trees is the Bristlecone pine forest of the eastern sierra nevadas (CA). They're the oldest living things on earth, but I always thought there had to be like some lichen somewhere that's lived for like a billion years or something. maybe not. Sorry for derailing this thread. oh wait it's already been derailed about twenty times. Maybe if we derail it enough we might go full circle and be back on track?