Tuesday May 19, 2009 
Tuesday May 19, 2009 Yeah, I Know.. But I Still Love LA
A not-uncommon conversation, when heading to Los Angeles on a flight, goes something like this:
(Passenger 1) “So, where are you from?”
(Victim, uh, Passenger 2 – me) “Los Angeles.”
(Passenger 1) “Oh, that’s too bad. It’s such a terrible city. The smog, the traffic, the crime…”
(My outside voice) “Hmmm.” (My inside voice) “Gee, buddy. What Shangri La do you live in that’s so fabulous? Please just stay there….”
(Passenger 1) “No, seriously. How do you stand it? What an awful place to live.”
(My outside voice) “Guess it’s not for everyone.” (My inside voice) “May a plague of 1 million grasshoppers be feasting on your luggage as we speak…”
So why is that perfect strangers seem to feel that it’s fine to knock your hometown? I just don’t get it – to me, it’s the height of rudeness. I fervently pray that they will go away and never visit my city again – rude people are not needed here.
I’m going to share with you just a few FABULOUS things about Los Angeles. And if you don’t agree, no problem. Just don’t come here to live and then complain.
December through May: The weather. It’s sunny, cool and glorious. Our rainstorms are very well behaved – they come at night and clear out the next day, leaving the skies dazzling bright.
Disney Center, Dorothy Chandler Music Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Groundlings Theater…: Boredom only comes when you have no imagination. There is so much entertainment in this town that it’s crazy. And as my son will point out to you, there’s a huge club nightlife here, where you can go to a little hole-in-the-wall bar and catch a performance of the Hold Steady, only to find out later that they’ve been named best band of the year by NPR’s “All Songs Considered.”
People leave you alone: No, seriously. No one cares about your personal business. Jewish married to a Catholic? No one cares. Asian married to a Latino? Your business. Gay or straight? Don’t care. My husband comes from a small town and he constantly exclaims over how wonderful this is. Oh stop - I can hear tongues clucking. If you want that small sense of community and invite it into your life, you can be talked about if you like. After all, what would the starlet magazine business do without gossip?
The Art Scene: By the ton. For example, Saturday night we were invited to the Folly Bowl in Altadena. This is held in a private home where the artist owners carved an amphitheater into their hillside and created an intimate place for musicians to play. We sat there, with perhaps 80 other people, sipping our wine and eating our picnic dinner, while listening to great jazz up close and personal. For $10 each. As for galleries and art studios, don't get me started... so many that you could spend all your time wandering from one to the next...
As I think about it, I’m going to adjust my airplane conversation as such:
(Passenger 1) “So, where are you from?”
(Victim, uh, Passenger 2 – me) “Los Angeles.”
(Passenger 1) “Oh, that’s too bad. It’s such a terrible city. The smog, the traffic, the crime…”
(My outside voice) “Are you kidding? You don’t know the half of it! Mudslides! Earthquakes! No public transportation! Social unrest! Horrible people! Believe me, you DON’T want to live here!” (My inside voice): “Now go away and leave Los Angeles to those who can appreciate it!”
Posted by terrymckenzie ( May 19 2009, 03:51:24 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [2]
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I know exactly how you feel. I tend to receive similar comments when I tell people that I am from Houston.
Posted by Eric Sisson on May 19, 2009 at 06:42 PM PDT #
Isn't that so obnoxious? I did have a moment of glee when that vp from Ketchum twittered something nasty about Memphis, the hometown of his biggest client, FedEx. At last - someone gets in trouble for being snotty!
Posted by Terry McKenzie on May 19, 2009 at 06:58 PM PDT #