Los Angeles, CA

Glad to see my home town made the top 20 at least. LA Has negatives as any city does. After living on the east coast for 3 years I have to say I miss the Hell out of it. The weather,the people,everything...To me the traffic is not that bad. try drying in Miami or philly to me that is much worse.True the city is not laid out perfectly for good transit. Unless you work downtown though and commuting from orange county its not too terribly awful.

ehhhh the freeway system is confusing as hell

LA can keep itself. I don't like the traffic, the car reliance, the superficial people, and the smog. There are some cool sites, but this city is just not for me. I prefer Northern Cali over LA any day of the week!

Never lived there, but I have had fun everytime I visited. Fun Nightlife, entertaining city. The traffic sucks, but I'm used to that. No, habla Ingles either, but again, I am also used to that where I live. i don't know what its like to live there but it is fun to visit.

Lost Angeles is a plain sh_tty city. It's full of smog, traffic, arrogant retards, weirdos, superficial/materialistic people, racists, very segregated, and this city is definitely over-rated. It tries to emulate NYC and other big cities, only to be scorned by outsiders, like me. I lived in L.A. while attending college in this smog hole. I realized how crappy it was to live here. people in L.A. also can't drive for sh_t. They would tail-gate you, or cut you off, or if you signal to change lanes, another driver will be a jerk and cut you off. Oh, and there are tons of un=insured illegal immigrants also driving the freeways and roadways of L.A.  People are jerks like I"ve said. They always try to think that their sh_t doesn't stink. L.A. is all about being hardcore, being a show-off, being a bad-a$$, etc. you get my jist. The thing is, nobody could care less if this slice of hell sinks beneath the Pacific Ocean. I would be very happy the day the "Big One" strikes L.A. and destroys this ug... Read more

L.A. plain sucks. Overpriced houses that are old and ready to fall apart. People here are also mean, rude, shady, cold and self-centered. People here cling to politically correctness, and are brainwashed by the media and hollywood.People here are also immature and like to talk smack about other people. So stupid. Professionalism, maturity, and ethics don't go hand-in-hand with L.A. pricks. They like to be dishonest, lie, cheat, do anything to get ahead of you.Plastic surgery here for boob jobs are common as getting your car oil changed. people here tend to be jersk and assholes. They like to dish out pain and suffering to you. People also can't get along here. People of different races and ethnicities live apart in different neighborhoods of L.A. L.A. culture is based on the hispanic culture, since there is a shitload of mexicans, legal AND ILLEGAL living here. The LAPD won't do shit to round them up because LAPD has to spend time looking for major gangbangers in the city. Oh, and did ... Read more

Los Angeles completely SUCKS!! Don't come here! People like me thought that L.A. is a great "paradise" to live in. No way jose! It's NOT! people here are shady, self-centered, materialistic, snobs, arrogant, mean-hearted and very segregated. People of different race and ethnicity can't get along. Race wars. Ridiculous place to grow up and raise a family. I'd rather living in the Bay Area or Oregon, the midwest like Illinois or Ohio or east coast. LA is just plain fake and tries to look good on the outside, but totally sucks on the inside.Traffic is also a problem here.  You drive for 1 hour to just travel 2 miles. Ridiculous!Oh, and spanish is becoming the official language here as there are many illegal mexicans moving here in swarms. They're overrunning the city, and these mexicans are very racist people. They like to play the race card, when in fact, they always say things like "gringo" "mayate" "chinito" etc.

I live in Southern California and I think Los Angeles sucks.  It's dirty, loaded with illegal aliens and the people are rude and self centered.  The only good thing about this city is the climate.   I like Northern California much more.

LA is the epitome of a sh--ty city. Smog, terrible traffic, jerks, a-holes, arrogant snobs, materialistic people, gang capital of the world you name it, is just all adjectives of pure hell.  Always hearing the LAPD helicopter buzzing above helping police do police chases or looking for gangs.At first, I though I had some adjustment to do to "enjoy" living in L.A.  But I soon realized that people in L.A., in general not all of them, tend to think only of themselves, are materialistic, annoying, don't care about the welfare of other people around them, ignorant (worse than ignorant people from the south or midwest!) and only care about their "california" lifestyle.  In fact I have met plenty of peeps in LA who have never ventured outside their state's border or even been to the Bay Area! What?!!  There is also a HUGE divide and gap between the rich and the poor people.  It seems like the rich hords all the wealth while the poor people are just living in misery.  LA is all about red tape,... Read more

I grew up in L.A. and some people have commented that its peak was in the 70s and I would say that is true. In my opinion, all of the natives of L.A. simply dont seem to live there anymore and hence it has lost its identity of what one would imagine it would be like from watching television-surfers, beaches, totally laid back and friendly. The reality is that the traffic is bad, people are quite soulless and caught up in the material aspect of life and are generally stressed out with little or no time to lay on a beach! Having said that, it does have energy and culture and is never boring. I have lived up near Sacramento once where the people where perhaps more normal but I as much as I complained about L.A., I realized that I prefer to be in a place that is more culturally diverse, energetic, and dynamic. In short, I would say it depends very much on what you are looking for. If you are here away from family and want to develop close friendships and have your neighbors over for... Read more

LA is paradise lost.  overgrown and overcrowded.this would be a great place otherwise.. great climate with ocean to the west and mountains to the east . but, the city is one big pit,  hate to say it, but it is true. venice beach is ok, though.  dodger stadium is a great place to watch baseball.

It is huge, not too many things to see, but it's worthy to go....I would suggest the Universal studios, Venice Beach, Holiwood bvld, and the chinese theatre...be prepared to drive

LA is a very fun city to visit, but I think it would be a hideous place to live. It is just baffling how all its urban amenities and cultural attractions are totally centered and accessible only by vehicle. I understand there is the Metro system but it doesn't really get out to West LA which as far as I'm concerned the only part of LA I feel comfortable in. LA has it's positive aspects. Santa Monica is a beautiful locale and very clean with a great downtown area. I had fun rollerblading on the beach from Venice up to Santa Monica and the weather was perfect. The Farmers market on Fairfax is a good place to spend some time, it has a lot of atmosphere with delis, crepe joints,bakeries gourmet markets and fresh west coast produce (the best!). Driving on Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd at night has quite a lively scene. The rest of LA to me is dirty and sprawly. Downtown feels unsafe even in the daytime and and is not really much of a destination, that is absolutely absurd that a city... Read more

LA is an example of bad urban planning. Sprawly and way to car oriented as tourist or in town on buisness your stuck having to use a car all the time. There is no in between in LA when it comes to everything. Culturally it is either hyper Ghetto or ultra Hollywood think Paris Hilton/Snoop Dog. Economically, almost everything revolves around Hollywood. Neighborhoods are either extremely wealthy or ghetto/border line ghettos. Climate wise yeah its in the 70s year round for the most part(on the beach) but you can't mention climate without air polution. Yeah it gets 300 plus days of sun but you can barely see the sun through the smog/hazy brownish gray sky. Landscape is brown the streets/highways are graffited and trash strewn and you get an overall sense that people don't really care about their city. To Los Angeles credit is trying on the surface but LA doesn't attract the best and the brightest of people from abroad or domestically and as with Phoenix, San Diego, Las Vegas, and ot... Read more

As a native Angeleno, this city really is not that great. The illegal immigrants practically clog this city. It is crowded, filled with crime, we have a terrible mayor (Villaraigosa)- He has made our town way worse. The public school system is absolute disarray and hell. Downtown is smelly and filled with bums. The beaches are filthy. The San Fernando Valley is just another facet of Suburbia. The Dodgers are not doing so well. You are considered a criminal if you smoke or like guns- or less government for that matter. Hollywood is really not that great- just a bunch of sleazy clubs and old gross motels.The Chinatown in San Francisco, NYC, and Toronto is way better. The San Gabriel Valley is desolate. We have Compton, Watts, Carson- Heavy duty gangbanger area. Just about everything here can be found somewhere else, and it will be nicer. The weather here can be hot as hell. Just because it is diverse, is not a reason to go here. You think it will be a good experience for your kids- I thi... Read more

I've never lived here, and frankly, never much wanted to, but I have visited a score of times on business and pleasure. I like the place. It may be, like someone once said, 20 suburbs in search of a city. But it is also vibrant and alive and interesting in a way that many big cities are not. I'll take the word of Enkidu, who's comments are listed below, as some evidence of my feelings for the place. I have no doubt that it can be a hellhole. I've seen some ugly stuff there. But you can get that in any city, all of it and more. I don't think LA is paradise on earth. Far from it, but it is equally far from the demonizing I see going on here.

I visited LA a while back so I imagine it changed a bit. My experience was not bad but I can definitely understand the frustration of the people who live there. Everyone from there I know has strange but true crime stories. Most of them are done in broad daylight. At least where I'm from, the criminals sleep all day and get busy at night, the way it should be. Anyway, Some areas were beautiful and some were not. But, the bad parts were not as run down as I thought they would be. Don't move there if you don't have descent money because living in the hood there is like living in a prison yard. Nice place to visit, would not want to live there.

June 10th: It is burning up where I live and what is worse is that in Phoenix, Arizona there are not many beaches nereby(there are many pools..but I want something new to do). But just then I got a great idea! I am so glad that I am not a big spender..because I had saved enough money to go and take three good friends of mine to..uh huh..Los Angeles! So when I see them, I tell my friends(who don't want their names on the internet)and at first they say they want to pay on their own way..but I don't give out and I tell them (calmly but loudly) don't worry about it..I will pay for it(it was my way of thanking them for being great friends and understanding me and each other)! June 17th: We land at the airport(LAX)and we get a rental car (a Chrysler 300!) and we find a stylish place to eat then we go for the hotel we picked out. We don't waste any time going on our venture of Los Angeles. My friends talked,looked,shoped,bought, I did the same..but what really caught my mind, it was the peopl... Read more

I lived in Toronto for most of my life, and I must say, I'm puzzled with how many negative stereotypes LA has (in contrast to the mostly-false good impressions people have of Toronto). I don't know where to begin

If Los Angeles had snow...it would be a mix between Buffalo, Detroit, and Hartford. The only redeeming part of LA is all the East Coast and Midwesterers that make it livable. The locals seem to suffer from a schizoid reaction from too much sun...not too mention a low appreciation for history. Morally bankrupt. This place was cool in the 70's. Not anymore.... Warm weather and decent food masks a much bigger problem.

Overcrowded. Expensive. Not terribly clean. Often scary. Poorly managed. But the weather is nice, and it beats Newark.

Los Angeles is Huge and Diverse,just like the State it's in...don't rely on people's Negative or Positive Comments as the overall outlook of the entire City or Metro area..Los Angeles has Good and Bad Areas,Safe and Dangerous Areas,Beautiful and Ugly Areas... I'm sure their are parts of L.A that you will enjoy to live in or visit,because L.A has a Great Variety of things to See and Do,in fact probably more than any other city in America... I just got back from a recent trip to Los Angeles,and I was there for a couple of weeks and I can honestly say that I had a Terrific Time...L.A is not one large hell-hole like what some people on here labeled it to be,and yes their are areas that are Runned Down and Unsafe to be in,but this type of area is found in every Major U.S City,and represents a very small part of The Greater L.A Area..Most areas I saw were Really Nice and Safe,and believe it or not,I didn't see any Gangsters or a Drive By(SHOCKED)LOL The Mountains and Beaches surrounding L... Read more

Went to LA on a connecting flight. Just from the edgy people I met on the flight and in the airport, I believe every bad thing rateitall people have said on this site. I truly feel for people that got caught up in this cesspool. Well, I guess if you're from LA and live in the rich parts, this place is great for you. But for real human beings that aren't from here, stay away. I had too many stereotypes of LA flying in, and too many of them were coming true, from the way my seatmates acted, to the final landing approach...through about 1 mile of smog. I used to live somewhere with terrible people, and this place was just giving me similar vibes. I value one complainer over 10 ravers anyday...and oddly enough, most of the reviewers here hate this place. Bad sign! You have been warned!

Lost Angeles or what I call "hell-A" is such a hell-hole...the worst city on the West Coast...and the worst in the US. I have had a bad experience with this f_cked up city, and will never come back. I actually came to LA for college...thinking that this is such a good experience to get away from home. At first, things seemed whacky and weird, and I probably thought I needed to adjust myself to a new city. I was completely wrong!!! I soon realized how rude, shallow, fake, cold and materialistic people are here. I think LA locals are more cold than New Yorkers!! Rent here is crazy,..and even living in a sh_tty apartment in a ghetto-looking area is even expensive! The air....horrible...except for the locals who love the "beautiful" brown skies! Blah! Traffic here is horrible...if you think traffic in your hometown is bad...then you've got to come to this sh_thole to experience HORRIBLE traffic. I remember communiting to my college campus, only four miles away...yet it took about an hour ... Read more

Los Angeles is a pit. I cant wait to get out. I am so dissapointed of ever coming here. No jobs, Smog, traffic is crazy, . Most expensive place to live, . The rent are so costly to live in a rundown neigborhood. Having a degree in Los Angeles means nothing. The only thing these people look here for , PLease speak the Spanish Language and the job is yours. I had so many bad experiences here, that I will not waste my energy or time to wrrite them.I am advising everyone please Pray, use wisdom and caution before coming here. This place is dirty, lots of people that are so rude. They will judge you by the way you dresses, lived , or what you drive. If you don't have a car , they will laugh at you and think you are poor. Give me a break, some people prefer not to drive in this hell hole traffic so they will ride the bus. Another thing the endless hit and run accidents. Los Angeles is boring and a place that is starving. Please also beware of lots of scam artists, they will rob you in a seco... Read more

This city is wack now. It reminds me of the old south with the segregrated communities. And the police Department here act as if they are nazi's. I can't stand this city no more which is why I'm moving. So far I have been in atlanta visiting for months and I like it here better as a black man I have a chance to grow here I'm done with cali not mention atlanta have some fine ass black women there and they are a lot nicer.

Beautiful city! Love the restaurants, shopping and scenic beauty everywhere you turn. The climate is mild and unbeatable with no humidity. One of the world's most beautful cities, bar none!!

Eh, no thanks! Dirty filthy city full of weirdos and posers and drug addicts, yuk!

I used to enjoy visiting this city, but I can't ever imagine living there. Superficiality seems to reign supreme (of course, that could just be my East Coast prejudice), which isn't necessarily a bad thing if one is like me and occasionally likes taking a break from the harshness of the so-called Real World. Interesting restaurants...especially the venerable Musso and Frank's on Hollywood Boulevard (they serve a great Prime Rib), which has been around since the days of Lon Chaney, Mabel Normand, and John Barrymore (Tom Snyder was there the day I visited). A wide variety of interesting bookshops and film memorabilia stores that I spent a lot of time in. Naturally, the more esoteric sites were the ones that really captivated me. The cemeteries are beautiful and lush and loaded with the monuments of celebrities from Hollywood's Golden Age (Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, etc.), but you need to be careful, as the cemetery authorites have been known for overall rud... Read more

I can't believe some of you people here actually LIKE this craphole of a city. Crass, fake, phony, brain dead weird people all around, horrible crime rate, the worst traffic anywhere, smog, etc.....you people MUST be on drug to praise this cesspool! Oh, almost forgot all those wonderful car chases on the freeways, something like 3000 a year? You can have your city, no one who is sane would live here.

Don't like it.

Just in LA on business a few months ago. Here is my take. It is REALLY smoggy, and I lived in Houston, so I know what smog is. I was surprised at how physically large the city is, again like Houston. Lots and lots of cheap looking houses with discolored palm trees. Venice Beach was by far the most interesting place I saw while there. Pasadena is a good side trip for you, with the Playhouse and all that. The weather while I was there was typical apparently:hazy sunshine and temp's in 70's. Hollywood was really a big letdown, much less glamorous than portrayed on TV . The UCLA campus is gorgeous, as is Beverly Hills. LA actually has a fairly convenient subway/light rail system .LA also has a really vibrant restaurant scene, with amazing quantity and quality. To sum, LA has drawbacks clearly, and I would not want to live there, but to visit, it is pretty good. It is a unique place, which is what you want in a place you visit.

At first glance, LA's tough to get around, overcrowded, traffic's a mess and public transportation is basically non-existent. Gotta watch where you're going or you'll wind up in Compton. It's funny that there's no real downtown; you'd think the downtown was where the large buildings are at but you'd be mistaken. That's the financial district and all in all is pretty ghetto. Weather is great but you've got the smog. People are cool; some say fake but who cares really. If you want a great time, what you need to do is befriend some locals. The club scene is like no other but you need to know someone who can get you into the best spots out in Hollywood. And all means, spend some time on the beach scene...Manhattan, Redondo, Hermosa, Venice...the list goes on and on...

I use to live in LA (or what I call hell-A) and I couldn't stand the smog, traffic and the people. People here can be very mean and close-minded. Traffic is so f_cking horrible. My friend who lives only 10 miles away from work has to commute in traffic for three hours! CRAZY! Cops (esp. LAPD) are very nazi-like, and probably could be equivalent to communist soldiers. There is just too much crime too as many of you mentioned. Gang shootings, graffiti, roberies, rape...oh..and don't forget the random shootings on the LA freeways....very scary. Thank God I no longer live in this smog-infested hell-hole...and never would want to come back.

On Driving: There are certain types of drivers that don't prevail in the LA highways and those are the slow or dull witted drivers. There are a lot of cars here, and plenty of bad drivers. The only way to drive well and efficiently is to drive offensively. Out-of-towners will see this as maniac driving. In reality, it's quite predictable. You just have to be awake and alert while you drive. A spot in front of you means someone will take it if they are trying to merge into your lane. LA driving is not for the meek. If you miss your left turn signal arrows, go to Orange County. Note that there's really no speed limit in CA highways. The DMV handbook basically states that one can drive at whatever speed is reasonable and safe for the conditions. Be prepared to drive fast and in an alert manner. On traffic: Rush hour can be raher lengthy, from 7am-10am and 3pm-7pm any given day. Traffic here is not for the impatient types. Yes, there is a lot of traffic here. Again, because people want ... Read more

An extreme dissapointment. I thought it was getting a little annoying seeing every show and movie now taking place in New York . But after seeing this place for what it really is, anD not what televison and movies ( some tv and movies, others show it for what it really is) i am not surprised. This place was a fad that hit its peek in the 70's (in the 70's, what does that tell you) and has been and will continue to go down hill ever since. When the big one hits, i hope the 20 or 30 decent people in LA get out in time. America has much better cities to offer, like most of the East Coast cities and Chicago.

Probably arguably the most diverse city in the world. LA is a melting-pot of people hailing from all parts of the world. In short there's no place like it. On the negative side, there's way too much sprawl. The place is almost a paradox to me, on the one hand it lacks character but on the other hand, it does have a vibrancy all on its own. And no, this city is not all about Hollywood and Bel-Air etc. Whether you're on the coast by Santa Monica and Venice Beach or whether you're further inland towards Beverly Hills and Pasadena, you're bound to find something that suits your interests. Most of it is just dull sprawl, but don't just accept it at that. There's a wide array of things to see; the problem seems to be that its all not centrally located like in many other cities. I consider LA one of the least scenic cities in California, too much smog and sprawl, but considering that CA is one of the most naturally appealing states in the country, that's a fair understatement. Think of it thi... Read more

On parking: Parking is a bitch in L.A. You will pay for parking basically every time you leave the house unless it's the grocery store, if you find parking at all. Add $10-15 in parking for any random outing or date for the most part. But parking alone isn't enough of a reason to bash an entire city like this, it's just the way things are. SUPPLY and DEMAND. Too many people here because it is such a great place, too many cars, more cars than parking available. Watch out for street cleaning days on residential streets, the parking tickets sure do add up. It's enough to cry about...not it doesn't reach the point of hating L.A. On weather: I always thought it'd be even hotter out here. In reality it's not hot here ever. It's pleasant, sunny and warm most of the time. Not hot enough in my book. 70s, sunny, most of the time all the time. On Rain: When it rains in L.A., it's like a local catastrophe. Very amusing. It's like a snow storm day in other normal states, traffic greatly diminis... Read more

Not as bad as I had originally thought. I think this is a city everyone should visit once in their lives, but maybe only once. However, I still think it's overrated. It's like Detroit w/ palm trees...

GO SPARKS!

Non-stop action, sight-seeing and people watching. So much to do and experience, driving PCH in a convertible is awesome.

LA is perhaps the most misunderstood U.S. city, and impossible to rate unless you have lived here for several years. Most important to understand is that, unlike most cities, there is no central core: center is everywhere, and nowhere. One night you might be in Hollywood, another in Westwood, another in Santa Monica, another in the Fairfax, and each time you feel you have arrived at the center, but you have not: you have only experienced yet another neighborhood that has its own dynamic and intensity. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the false front and fakery of Hollywood celebrity and wanna-be celebrity is the character of the place: there are ten million people here who want nothing to do with Hollywood: the Hollywood set and attitude seems loud and pervasive because it is what is on television. LA is the most diverse meltingpot in the nation, and probably in the world.

The San Fernando Valley is where I'm from, and ever since I moved out to Arizona I've missed it like crazy. Despite all the smog and traffic, I think L.A.---and most of Southern California---is such a beautiful and exciting place.

Man, I really don't get the anger and animosity that some of you people have toward Los Angeles. Well, I certainly don't claim L.A. is paradise, it is certainly not what most of you claim it is. I think those of you that seem so angry are full of crap. I have lived here for fifty years, and for the most part the people that live in L.A. and Southern California in general are just regular people, just like you would find anywhere else. As for rude or superficial or flakey or whatever, yea, I would imagine that we have people like that just like any other city, but we are not unique in that. I think maybe you left with bitter feelings because, and I'm just guessing, maybe you couldn't keep up, and maybe your feelings were hurt, I don't know. If it makes you feel better to downgrade a whole population, well, than I suppose there is nothing I can do to change your mind. Also don't confuse Hollywood with the real Los Angeles, most of these creeps come from your part of the country and belie... Read more

Such a horrible place to live. I have never encountered such rude, discourteous and cold people in my life. None of my neighbors would talk to one another, this hell-hole is segregated, traffic, smog...oh..the horrible laundry list of LA could go on and on. LA is also beauracratic, and you have to talk politically correct. Ex..It's not a freeway, it's a roadway!. And last but not least, there are jerks who dominate this city. Jerks who walk 1mm pass you and say excuse me. Gosh, I hope a huge quake shakes this fugly city for giving me a hard time.

Ah, L.A. There's one thing it doesn't get credit for - it can actually be a very scenic city, with the Malibu/Santa Monica coastline and the hills. It also has the glamour of being one of the U.S.'s two media/pop-culture nerve centers (NYC being the other). But it seems like the kind of pop culture L.A. embraces is the worst kind - I think of Jessica Simpson as its poster child. And driving and parking in L.A. can be tolerable, but will never be called easy. That said, even though it's clearly the most despised city in America, I actually enjoyed calling it home for a couple of years, especially after another sunny day on the beach.

Oh my...I can't believe some of you here who say LA is a wonderful city. It's more like a polluted hell-hole with trash, bums and freaks almost everywhere you go. People are really cold and mean. If you don't do things the way they want to do it, then they make a big deal out of it. Then there's traffic, and the retarded layout of the roadway. Boy, whoever designed the roads of LA must have been snorting PCP from Compton. One street ends at point 1, but starts again at point 2 which is several block down a parallel road. Ridiculous. Housing and rent cost is also ridiculous. A rundown shabby mud-hut in East LA cost $600,000! Don't believe what hollyweird projects on the screen. LA is horrible, it's like hell on earth, and life is very stressful living here. This is why I got the hell out of LA.

Having lived all across the country, it amazes me whenever I meet someone from Los Angeles that they can't imagine living anywhere else. Why anybody would want to live in a sprawling mess of a city with endless traffic, choking smog, crass superficiality, and no clear downtown, when the much more attractive and beautiful San Diego is less than two hours away, is beyond me.