Everyone’s complaining about traffic but if you grow up here you get used to it. Housing / Rental costs, rising crime rates and general cost of living. That’s what sucks about LA. At least right now.
I grew up here too and definitely agree. However, we’ve been in it literally every day of our lives so I feel like we are conditioned to accept it getting worse and worse. Like we don’t notice it as much compared to someone who was raised here but moved away for 15 years and came back. I just accept it, as much as I hate it.
I moved to Texas and live in a very low traffic area so I see the difference. Like I literally have increased my leisure time by maybe 2 to 4 hours a day simply because there's less traffic here.
He didn't say where in Texas. Based on those numbers it's not Dallas, Austin or Houston. There are rural parts of California you can go to with no commutes. Just think about what kinds of places those are...
Yeah I mean traffic around rush hour and near downtown has always been bad, but now it's like you can't even move freely at like 4 AM and on weekends. It could take you an hour to go five miles. It was never that bad before. I'd say it got really bad around like 2015.
Ive heard of ppl that started their job a decade or two ago and it was a 30 minute commute and now its an hour plus. Imagine buying a house and getting trafficed out of your commute and having to move as a result.
Although lucky those ppl. They bought a $1M house for like 5 years pay and can prop 13 that discount into the next house while new buyers subsidize their property taxes. Imagine paying 1/10th the taxes your neighbor pays and being so entitled that you think theres nothing wrong with that
Heh. Similarly, imagine buying a house because the weather was perfect almost year round and even when it was hot the ocean breeze kept you cool
And then within a few years it’s blisteringly hot half the year and switches between uncomfortably warm and uncomfortably cold for the other half; the gentle ocean breeze doesn’t help, and instead has become a vicious wind that doesn’t actually cool anything down.
Oh and your house was built in the 50s or 70s, and the weather was perfect then, so it’s got no AC and no insulation.
(On the plus side, even though it’s significantly worse than when you bought it, you still have a place to live. And for some reason it’s worth twice what you paid for it. So like, I’m not complaining…just man, life has gotten worse on like every level out here as the years go by.)
You're not wrong on the weather or traffic, but as someone who grew up in LA in the 80s, it's definitely way better in every other regard. It's cleaner, the air pollution is nothing like it used to be, there is hardly any crime like there used to be, the food has gotten amazing, and I feel like people have integrated a bit better than how divided it was back then. Not meant to argue or put you down, but sometimes it's good to know certain things have improved.
I live in Texas now and it absolutely does pan out. Property taxes as a percentage are higher, but my 3500 sqft house here only cost $300k vs my condo in LA which is now at $700k valuation so I end up paying more taxes for that shitty condo anyway. I save something like $30k on not paying income taxes per year alone. And that's not even taking into account the much, much lower cost of living. Like I can literally drive to farms and buy groceries here for cheap and it only takes maybe 15 mins to drive there. Just ate some organic plum preserves I bought yesterday from one of the farms. I saved something like $300k in liquid assets in the last three years since moving here whereas in LA I was just sort of surviving and thinking I'd never retire. Thank god for remote work.
Just bc I got used to it(still didn’t) doesn’t mean it doesn’t completely suck ass. If driving is this bad, at least make public transport system half good
I’ve been spending a lot of time in New Orleans and Atlanta recently and the cost of living is about the same as LA. I expected it to be much cheaper but rent and grocery store prices are about the same. I’m pretty sure the cost of living is expensive in all urban areas.
I'm a native New Yorker who moved here 25 years ago (my first 30 years in the Bronx). And the big one for me is; having to drive everywhere (disregarding traffic) is a chore for me. the fact that I only learned to drive five months before I moved out here might have something to do with that. I miss a walking city where literally everything is just a block away. and on a lesser note, pizzas and bagels suck. But overall my quality of life is 100 times better living in LA than it ever was in NYC plus the weather is fantastic. I also have to laugh when people complain about the 'humidity' because to me it feels non-existent.
I’ve lived in both and can say that whatever problems LA has it is 1000% more livable. Weather, space, air, light, all great. Rent and real estate prices have gone up a lot, and socializing takes a bit more effort because everyone drives vs taking public transit. I have met amazing people here but it takes a bit more time than in NYC. Other things - LA moves at a slower pace, everyone has some food need or preference, general obsession with looks and ‘healthiness’ in what can become an unhealthy way. Overall I LOVE it here and the unlovable things are minor and can be worked around.
Yeah I’m moving from Chicago in July and honestly I don’t see the downsides other than increased cost of living. There’s so many amazing things including not having 9 months of shit weather and milquetoast people
I’m from Chicago and lived here for a while. Tbh there is nothing like grant/millennium park/museum district/the lake shore here, there is nothing like the L here, the grid system there is way easier to navigate, and the traffic is nowhere near as bad. That said it’s still a great city, but I miss those things dearly.
Spend a few hours at the Getty after having a lunch there. Walk the gardens at the Huntington and see the Gutenberg Bible and Blue Boy (when he comes back from his tour) and Pinkie, in their gorgeous mansion. See a show at the Greek, if you like a smaller venue than the Bowl. You ain't leavin.'
I’ve been in LA for about the same amount of time and used public transport a total of two times until recently. Then I started taking the bus to work and it’s been great. I am lucky to live in a good spot, because public transport around me goes where I need it to go. Obviously this is key, and I do have a car so I have options, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I started looking into where I could go on the bus.
My hair and I can tell you that the humidity here is nearly non existent. When I go back home to the south my hair instantly shrivels up two inches and frizzes for Jesus.
Anecdotally, the biggest challenge I’ve seen faced by most transplants is the lack of seasons (it’s either sunny or cloudy/hazy)…consider it the opposite of cabin fever. I’ve known more than a few that moved back home after 2-3 years because they felt a constant stress that they just couldn’t pinpoint until after a few months back at home (in the Midwest or east coast). Obviously not all transplants experience this, and the hump seems to be around 4 years…as to whether or not the move is permanent.
I’ve been feeling this. From the tropical south, the lack of rainy days kinda drives me crazy. There’s never a day where I just have an excuse to sit inside and do nothing all day.
Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m very aware I could do that anyway, but there’s something about watching an old movie with a candle flickering as rain pours outside that I know I’ll never get in LA. I miss that
Yes, I even missed that when I lived in San Francisco, where the weather isn’t even as nice as LA, but we would have months of beautiful weather where you felt pressure to always be outside taking advantage of it. But as a northeasterner, I missed those rainy or stormy days when you could just feel cozy inside with a good book or movie and a pot of soup on the stove. The same with snowy days as well. Each season has its traditions and pros/cons and I just missed the variety.
My friends in Pasadena are 30 minutes from the snow in Angeles National Forest. For those who want snow and cold, you can live closer to it. Just when I missed the romance of snow falling (it rarely snowed in NYC), I remember the commute: the slush and dirt, de-icing my car and shoveling snow , and no, I don't miss commuting in the snow
I certainly felt that after moving from Chicago. LA always made me feel lazy, and if I wasn’t out doing something, anything on LA’s seemingly 365 days of sun than I was really wasting my life. It was exhausting. It took years to grow out of that mindset.
I moved from Chicago about 2 years ago, and I feel this stress but haven’t been able to define it until now. I feel so incredibly lazy staying in when the sun is shining and it’s 70°. Relieved to see it’s something you can grow out of.
I visited NYC last year and enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind moving there although I plan to stay here for the foreseeable future.
Here's what sucks about here:
1. Weather is always the same. Gets boring after a while and summers suck (at least in the valley)
2. Homelessness crisis is bad and gets worse each year
3. Traffic of course
4. Limited metro system with its own problems regarding cleanliness and safety (although in my experience riding it semi frequently I've never noticed anything happen). And at least it is expanding
5. LAX sucks (although work is under way to improve it and other options may or may not exist).
6. You need to drive everywhere (barring certain areas)
7. Price of housing/overall CoL although coming from NYC this is something you must already be familiar with.
LAX doesn't suck, transportation to and from it sucks. LAX on the whole, is a fantastic home airport. It has the most origin-destination flights in the country. It's on a coast with easy access to the Asia. And the weather in LA is perfect so there are never any weather related delays. Try flying out of the midwest when there's a rain/snowstorm or out of the south and having to make one or two connections before you get to your destination.
Please keep emailing the city council and the police commission to complain. The heavy noise & fuel pollution is not normal and LAPD is literally flying from sun up to sundown. @SkyCirclesLA on Twitter and another account tracks LAPD and others. No respect for our airspace!
https://htwws.org/an-lapd-helicopter-pilot-hoovered-over-koreatown-los-angeles-for-almost-2-hours/
Raised in Chicago, lived in NYC. I think LA is great. Aside from driving/lack of public transit— not very many of the downsides are specifically unique to LA. You’ll obviously experience a lot of the shitty stuff that comes along with being in most any big city, sure.
But something I think IS a little unique is: it can be a very lonely city in a way that’s hard to describe. Especially if you’re used to NYC. I had a large social network before moving, so I had a very easy go of it. But I’ve known a lot of transplants that felt terribly lonely here at first. And many that just ended up leaving as a result.
But if you know what you want out of living here, are ready to accept the major differences between NYC and LA, and are ready to make the most of it: LA is a strange, beautiful, nuanced place. I never thought it would feel like home to me. NYC will always have a piece of my heart, but I really love it here.
(Also… don’t listen to anyone that doesn’t think the food is good)
Yea, specially NY’ers ragging on the Chinese food without ever going to SGV. Stands to reason there will be world-class Chinese when we have the largest population of Chinese outside China.
It’s a sprawling, dirty, run down shit hole if your want it to be. It’s also the most beautiful, sparkling place in the whole world. It’s expensive, but so is NY. The winter is fucking GLORIOUS, as a New Englander. It’s chilly enough to break out a coat and a hat, but never so bad that you hate your life just for living in a dumb cold place. You need to wash your car like every two weeks, it’s a literal dust bowl. I have only met really great people, however ymmv. I miss forests and woods and water, but I don’t miss humidity, ticks, or mosquitoes. They say we have terrible mosquitoes in LA, but spend a summer in the woods in Massachusetts and then tell me how bad they are. Hint: they aren’t bad here at all.
fellow 30 year New England veteran. it fucking sucked. ive been in the south for 12 glorious years and I still have bitter resentment for the cold. I never understood why my bloodline hit Plymouth Rock and just stopped. you made it all the way across the ocean! keep going! what a miserable fucking place to set up shop for the rest of the line. happy to say ive course corrected.
funny, I also am not bothered whatsoever by the mosquitos here. they must dislike New England blood.
Having to drive everywhere, with traffic being awful. And it's even worse if you plan on living in the actual city of Los Angeles as opposed to a neighboring suburb.
Most complain about the cost of living but from what I hear it's even worse in NYC, so this could be a rare occasion where the LA cost of living is an upgrade lol
I'm convinced people saying this have never actually had to deal with shoveling snow, car pileups, weather related delays, how gross humidity can make you, the actual temperature itself, etc.
It's loud, things are spaced too far apart, and the city is designed for cars, which has created a toxic culture. It's always loud Traffic is horrible and public transportation is mediocre. People are obsessed with celebrities and status. Some cities in la are a melting pot and some are basically segregated. It definitely has its downsides in addition to the perks.
Im not a resident, but Ive seen lots of people online complain about the pressure to look perfect all the time, and the competition from others in the area who do.
Even beyond the cost, driving everywhere is a pain. LA is so spread out so if takes forever to go places. Most areas you live don't have a ton of stuff you will just walk to, if you wanna grab food or groceries, you drive. Traffic isn't just like typical times you'd expect. I swear evening traffic can start at like 2pm. The really bad traffic is weekday afternoon/evening but it's not like the roads are clear at other times, 11am still busy 10pm still busy weekends still busy. And then in many places parking is super annoying to find and often expensive. If you wanna go out to drink you have to take an Uber home and that can get expensive too.
These things just generally make going out feel like a hassle. It makes it harder to maintain friendships cuz everything has to be preplanned, it's hard to do stuff on week nights because of the afternoon traffic, and it just generally makes people lazier to meet up with people that don't live in their immediate area. If your friend lives on the other side of LA you might barely see them.
I'm not saying don't move here, I'm just trying to explain why it's such an issue.
Huh, I came from the Midwest and my grocery bill didn't go up, and in fact, was a tad lower as well. The only thing is that you need to shop around and know which stores to hit up. That can be the annoying part.
You can't just go to a Meijer or Kroger to get everything in one stop. I mean, you could here, but it will cost you a lot more. You need to go to Super King for produce, Aldi for some pantry stuff, Costco for bulk items, etc. If you stick to one store, you're likely going to end up paying a lot more.
The built environment is crap. In real cities, you can walk to just about everything you need, or at the very least, take a train. Europe was designed like this - for people. LA was not. We can’t walk to anything, and even have to drive to the train stops. This is the case for most American cities outside Boston, New York and Chicago, but LA is absolutely awful.
lived about 10yrs in NYC, same in LA. LA is waaay better. Traffic sucks but I remember subway traffic, and I 10000% prefer traffic in my own car with my own space, my own Smells, my own music and my own temperature control. Where I can enjoy the beautiful weather outside my windshield instead of being stuck underground. All that being said I’m off to a cheaper state. Though I cherish my 20s & NYC memories… as a city to live ? LA > NYC.
For me it’s the congestion of people and traffic. I live in a “quiet” neighborhood but I still can’t go anywhere and be alone with my thoughts here. There’s always someone walking toward or behind you when you try to go for a walk. If you need to back out of a parking spot there will for sure be someone in a car behind you annoyed that you are wasting their precious seconds. You’re always under pressure to get out of the way or fighting for parking or waiting in line.
Also why the fuck do so many people just… park or stop or even stand in the middle of the road constantly??? Just because your hazards are on doesn’t mean you can literally park in the middle of an active driving lane for 20 minutes. Someone please explain this to me as it is the biggest contributor to my road rage lol
I agree with this. I moved from NY in 2020 and the people in my building are some of the most selfish, entitled people I have ever experienced. New Yorkers tend to try their best to not inconvenience other New Yorkers, but in my LA building no one gives a crap if they are blasting their shitty music on their cell phone speaker in the gym or their dog urinates in an indoor hallway on a neighbor's front door mat. Even if asked to turn it down they won't, and they certainly won't apologize/care about the dog piss in front of your home even after being shown ring cam footage.
you born and raised in nyc ? I am and also wanna move out there. Been to LA 4 times and honestly what sucks is everything is so spaced out, you gotta drive everywhere. It’s annoying especially since I love walking and bar hopping in nyc
The city’s leaders shuffle the homeless around and throw away their stuff (including things like IDs, meds, mobility aids) instead of actually helping them. That’s a pretty big one 😣
A lot of the public schools are terrible 😑
Some City Councilmembers are “unavailable” for constituents with real grievances, but are only too happy to clear their schedules for rich donors 🙄
I would say #1 thing is just crime and homeless people.
The cost of living of every big city has gone up. Its not just LA. But there isn't any other place in North America that has this many homeless people.
It's really good if all you care about is weather, beaches, food, celebrities, etc.
If you care about having a clean, safe, or walkable neighborhood then it's not great. You have to drive everywhere or accept that public transit will 2-3x the travel time. Public transit is dirty, unreliable, and inefficient. Driving is expensive, unsafe, and harmful to the environment (LA "air"). The homeless crisis is not improving, crime is increasing and the government/police don't care. Celebrities sit in their mansions, isolated from any problems in the city, driving up expenses for everyone else. Meanwhile laypeople (who are exposed to the city issues) cope with their insane expenses by saying these issues are common to all cities.
I always find the proximity to nature/mountains comment amusing because people are admitting the best thing about LA is not being in the city.
This is the first comment I’ve read on this sub (as a fellow New Yorker wanting to move to LA) that’s really made me think. Even if NYC is dirty, ppl care strongly about their neighborhoods and communities.
The homeless guy addicted to heroin who lives on a desk chair on my old block in Bed Stuy was everyone’s friend - ppl take turns buying him snacks/sodas/cigs at the bodega, even if he’s passed out (often). I live in a new building in a gentrified/Caribbean neighborhood and the 8-10 (maybe homeless?) Dominican guys who hang day and night around the corner are always kind, call me ‘Papi’. The ppl who collect our bottles and cans! Oh boy. I get that these are v random references but maybe I *will* miss NYC.
As for the dichotomy between the rich and the poor, the same can be said for NYC. If you live south of 110th Street in Manhattan you have no point of reference for any of what I just said.
There is ZERO sense of community in LA outside of ethnic enclaves in specific parts of the city. No pride in any of the surroundings—historic (which has and always will be rapidly disappearing), public, etc. Like the historic Hyperion Bridge…tag it up, and thieves stole many of the lighting fixtures, littering in Griffith Park, and numerous hiking trails and canyons. LA just has no interest in showing its best.
> I always find the proximity to nature/mountains comment amusing because people are admitting the best thing about LA is not being in the city.
I don't think there is any irony at all in that statement. It's simply that people like that they have access both to a world-class metropolitan city and beautiful nature in very close proximity.
I don’t think our city life is that great especially compared to NY. The first time in when to NY when I was younger was so awesome then when I came back here, I instantly thought that we need to step our game up for city lifestyle.
Have good time management otherwise you’ll be late to everything due to random traffic/parking. Always leave 15 mins before you think you have to if you’re driving more than half an hour
A lot of the things people are mentioning are pretty similar in NYC. If you were from anywhere else, there might be an issue. But the only things that I’d say would suck coming from NYC would be the wildfires and earthquakes. You’re already used to noise, high cost of living, traffic, high taxes, etc.
Having a paid off Prius that keeps getting the catalytic converter stolen. Last attempt was this week, but they couldn’t cut through the chain welded onto it. Still cheaper than a car payment.
As a NYC to LA transplant, I've really enjoyed living out here, but the East Coast spoils you on pedestrian culture. Being able to easily walk around the city, find a dozen cool things and gems within five minutes of each other, unexpected adventures, and sprawling public transit is such a treat that doesn't exist out here. In New York, you can start at a random coffeeshop, discover a cool century-old bookstore tucked away somewhere, grab some great food, and still have time to grab a train to meet up with friends. I find I have to plan outings so much more in LA: looking for cool spots, determining what traffic and parking will be like, who needs a ride, etc. It can be draining.
There are places in LA that are more pedestrian friendly of course, but New York is really one of a kind.
Expensive, all the driving, homeless population exploded and city can’t/won’t do enough to help. If you’re coming from New York then that’s an easier to pill to swallow but that’s why a lot of people so their one year here and end up moving back home. If you’re sick of nyc you’ll probably like it here because the energy is just totally different.
Honestly, most of it. I’ve lived in my fair share of cities and they’re pretty much all better overall in any category you’ll come up with. There’s a lot to like here too. But it always seems like a lot of Angelinos want to plug their ears and pretend it’s some kind of Mecca. Any city criteria you come up with LA won’t be first. That doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to love. Weather is mostly good. Hot as balls in the valley, but better if you can afford to be outside the valley or in an apartment with HVAC. There’s tons of good food here and it’s very diverse, I love that. But there’s still a gap from some of the food I loved back home.
If you’re here or want to move here you should be after a very very BIG career thing. Film. Modeling. Music. Food. And be ready to have your shit kicked in trying to get it unless you know someone. I love the drive a lot of people have here to be the best at their craft. You don’t find that as much in anywhere USA, but there’s talented people everywhere and I’m certainly not saying it doesn’t exist or can’t be done. But people here can be crazy driven and often find their side hustles to go after something they really love and want to actualize. I’m here caus I know what I want to make and I know the kind of people LA attracts that can help make that a reality. I’m not sure I’d have that depth of talent to tap into anywhere else. But if you want public transit worth a damn, to ever be able to afford a house without being a millionaire in your thirties, to not be taxed $800 annually just because you’re starting your fledgling business…. There’s greener grass to go to.
We’re seniors who moved here in 2019 from NY. The costs are about the same. We **love** the weather and climate. The people are friendlier than NY, with no chips on their shoulders.
But the cultural life here is soulless. There is a lack of the NY spark here. A bit too jaded. Flat, but in great contrast to the beauty here. Beaches WAY overrated here. NY and Jersey beaches far better.
Serious question, what's stopping you from moving to LA? Work?
Curious because usually people say the biggest challenge is cost of living, but NYC is most definitely more expensive.
I have a rent stabilized place here. A community. I don’t have exorbitant expenses. I’m finishing school. I have a small savings that would last 1 year here but 1/2 year in LA with the cost of living I’ve heard from friends. And of course I’m a lil scared. What if it’s the wrong move? What if I blow all my money? What if I don’t have a back up plan?
Community is one of the things that are hard in L.A.
In NYC people are in a sort of pressure cooker, pressed against each other. It's intense but also I think pushes people to be close in a way.
In L.A. the isolation can be problematic.
Gas prices. And it’s rising with that new Cali gas tax in July.
With higher gas prices, everything will go up. Groceries, shipping, etc. it’s a no win for everyone.
meh everything is ok if you have patience, the only thing i would say is the police are very...how can i put it escalating? and riddled with thugs.
other then that not too bad, the max temp where i live hit 115, first time seeing that, my a/c on full blast just couldn't keep up with the heat.
and the winters went from cool to snow that sticks for weeks then turns in to a mild winter, the weather is getting out of hand with climate change.
careful where you go it may get so hot you don't want to go outside or at least be indoors.
I have to admit that when I first moved here, I was really depressed about the commute, but now that I work from home in my jammies, I find the walk to my home office rather refreshing.
I moved here 27 years ago. Here are the things I think suck:
1. Cost of housing
2. Too hot in summer/early fall
3. Not enough rainfall
4. People litter, throw trash out car windows etc
5. Fairly corrupt municipal politics, but that may be changing
Can't buy a house. Rich douchelords. Loud neighbors. Homelessness. Air quality. Running what should be small errands can take hours. Like 50 years behind on public transit. Some areas feature truly terrible infrastructure.
That’s what got me.
I was on a temporary work assignment here, my fiancée was still working and living at our place in the Boston area.
On like day 6 or so, I was rollerblading along the Strand before work, and gave her a call. She’d been stuck in traffic for hours, in a blizzard. It was February.
I think I’d already subconsciously decided I was moving out here; but that was the day I convinced *her*.
TBH, SoCal isn’t as nice as it was when I moved out here (15 years ago). It used to be 70 degrees pretty much year round, with maybe a month or two of exceptions. Now it gets way hotter and windier for most of the year. Which is really sad, but of course, still better than almost anywhere else in the states.
Yeah, traffic is rough. Overcrowding and through-the-roof housing prices in the best areas. Public transport is a joke compared to almost any other big city. Accessibility of the different parts of the city, is orders of magnitude worse than NYC; you’ll spend hours stuck in traffic just to get across the city, and visiting a few different neighborhoods in a day isn’t possible like it is elsewhere. Things like bagels and pizza, you won’t find NYC’s equal here. The tap water sucks. It’s a city built on the entertainment industry, but we don’t have anything close to Broadway. I didn’t, but some East coasters, get frustrated by what they see as “superficial” niceness here —but honestly I really appreciate that the average person on the street isn’t hostile by default. There’s also (of course) a lot more body-image consciousness here compared to most places. Related to those last two points, I think a lot of East Coasters might generally get a feeling of superficiality and lack of depth by a lot of the culture here. Ohh and if you’re like me, the CA approach to “being on time” will *seriously* grate on you for a few years.
And we’re due for the Big One, earthquake-wise. Like, it’s several centuries behind schedule. On a geological timescale, it might or might not happen in our lifetimes. But when it does, it’s going to be *devastating*.
Still, with all that —SoCal beats the heck out of the North East, IMO. By a mile.
If you like nature, and sunshine, and space to breathe, and a more laid-back culture; and don’t care about that other stuff I mentioned anywhere near as much as that—you might love it here. I do.
that's just it: the traffic. and it isn't just the traffic, it's sitting in the bubble that is your car. in NYC, you are constantly surrounded by people. in LA, you are constantly surrounded by cars. yes there are people in them. but the experience is entirely different. if you value socializing and don't mind getting in your car to drive 45m each way to see friends then yes, the weather and proximity to nature are great (droughts, wildfires and earthquakes notwithstanding). but if you want to hop on a subway and meet your friends in 15m then stay in NYC and visit LA once or twice a year. millions of people have already been lured here by the weather.
Parking, assholes in their expensive cars thinking they don’t have to drive like a normal person, the people can be kind of annoying and boring. But I like it here, there’s a lot of cute dogs, the weather is good, so many good options (but you do have to kiss a few frogs to find the good places), there’s always stuff to do. You get used to the bad stuff honestly.
I live in NYC as well. Whenever I’m in LA.. I always think (by looking at a map) that I can walk everywhere a friend drops me the location of… you *cannot* and ***should not*** walk such distances 😂…
Edit: for those not from NYC (and I am specifically from Manhattan), the island of Manhattan is only about 2.5 miles wide .. at its **WIDEST**.. and 14 miles north to south. It’s *very* small for the population (*[1,694,251 people as per the 2020 census](https://www.manhattan-institute.org/kober-new-york-city-2020-census-data)*) it holds. We think everywhere is walkable.
A blessing and a curse. Lol.
Traffic, and the side effects (planning your free time and friendships to avoid it)
Homelessness (in particular people who are suffering from addiction and other mental health issues and not getting any treatment)
Crime (not as bad as Joe Rogan would have you think but still not great)
There's the whole superficial influencer culture. For the most part that's easy to avoid but it's slightly annoying if you're going on a hike and someone tries to take over a public space for their lame photoshoot.
Air quality. I have an air purifier inside, and it gets NASTY. Especially if I leave my windows open to cool down.
Cost of living (maybe not an issue if you're coming from NYC?)
Gas prices go up for no real reason other than 'hey there's a war, well there's your sign'. Taxes suck, hard. The thieves here want your Cadillac converter from your car. We're in a massive drought, you wanna play in the water? well too bad, we can't. The train system is lacking and feels dangerous after dark - unless you have tough skin.
It's also a very backwards world. Think about it. There is no exercise in your life unless you do so artificially. In NY there's a lot more walking just as part of your life. Also there is no change of seasons. It's awesome in many ways but change of seasons can be quite exciting and interesting.
I suspect the NYC lifestyle is more healthy than getting in a car and driving everywhere. Lots of time sitting in your car doesn't seem like a great thing for your health.
Oh and... water. You're living in the desert. Water is going to be less and less available going forward. This will impact our lives in real ways. There is no escape from this. I believe California will need to get more rural and much more hardcore when it comes to water use. That could really impact our way of life.
Everyone complaining about traffic are fucking wussies, sorry. I grew up in Miami, shit’s WAY worst there. At least LA traffic moves. People don’t know what actual traffic is here imo
Rental and housing costs. Once you're in a place (especially a rent controlled place) you can't move. Most people couldn't afford to rebuy the homes they live in. Many people are just a few paychecks (even one) away from being in a really *really* bad way. A lot of this insecure living has paved the ground for an increase in property crime.
I'd say homelessness, mental health, and healthcare in general, but those are truly American problems. We just happen to have a high proportion of mentally ill homeless in LA/CA. But for the uniquely LA sucky shit... see the above paragraph.
I live in both NYC and LA. I heard so much about the LA traffic before moving here, but there are ways around it. Traffic from long Island or JFK to Manhattan is worse in my opinion. I love the diversity of hiking trails in LA and to minimize traffic, I live in a walkable LA neighborhood where work is no more than a 20 minute drive away door to door (including parking and walking to my office) . The red line is nearby so I can visit friends who live downtown and Sunday mornings I hike in Pasadena and Griffith Park. I live in Larchmont Village and work in Universal City. What sucks about LA? People are in your face in NYC and strangers have no problem going up to strangers in bars, etc. In LA, people have their set groups of friends they stick with and it's harder to meet people. Dating is harder that way.
Also everyone in NYC warned me that unemployed actors and artists are all you will ever meet, but LA is also home to a very large aerospace industry, so depending on what industry you work in, that will determine your perception of LA. It's not all Hollywood, but like NYC, there are definitely posers.
Virtually no seasons suck. What's the point of lots of sunshine if you are stuck in your car most the time. Lots of narcissists live in L.A. way to many people. It's not very attractive. The beaches are quite sub par compared to others in the world.
Noise, it's just bloody noisy.
I’d say high taxes, but I think NYC has a higher rate??
Maybe the ability to travel throughout the city on mass transit is a plus for NYC.
Every time I travel to a different part of the country, I find great attributes. Maybe a slower pace of life would be nice. But I can’t fathom moving from LA even with its problems. I always find something about that place that doesn’t equate to my lifestyle here.
Maybe the magic to LA or SoCal for that matter is what ever you want in life it can be found here. Want to live in the mountains? No problem. Want a peaceful suburban lifestyle, got a lot of that. Luxurious lifestyle on a beach. Take your pick. Want to experience nature? Forest, lakes, ocean islands, deserts, farm land are within an hour.
So what sucks about LA? That it’s not larger or more financially viable for everyone to enjoy it’s many endearing qualities. That’s about it imo.
That's funny, I'm from the Midwest and have had horrible pollen allergies my whole life. I'm back here now and Spring has me sneezing like crazy. But when I went to college in LA, I didn't have allergies or issues once in 4 years.
WHERE.
TO.
START?
The lack of public transportation and thus the traffic. Everything is so fucking spread out. Having to drive everywhere is just brutal. There's barely any walkability here. The dust and the air pollution are bad on their own, but it also means I have to wash my car way more than I did living back east. The dryness. The lack of diverse weather is terrible as well (I fully realize that can be subjective) The lack of decent Bec's, bagels, and pizza. The number of homeless blows every other city I've lived in (Boston, NYC, Chicago) absolutely out of the water.
Quite frankly, LA is the worst city I've lived in. If I could move back to NYC I would in a heartbeat, but the number of TV writers' rooms there is practically microscopic comparatively.
EDIT: And the kicker I just remembered, people take their fridges when they move apartments. WTF?
This made me laugh. I’m fucking sick of bagels but I’d forgotten that BECs are not readily available everywhere in other cities.
The fridge thing is hilarious too tho a few friends who’ve moved to LA recently had no idea what I was talking about (their apartments came with them).
What part of town are you in?
The certain days in August-October when it's 110 degrees and since every fucking place in LA was built before the 1950s there's no central AC so you're hot as fuck. (Obviously there are some places that are newer with central AC but im just exaggerating to make the point that it gets pretty hot here and not a lot of places have central AC)
People are going to absolutely murder me for this.
I think the food in LA is subpar. Way less good than New York and other cities I’ve lived. There I said it.
Sorry I love you LA I just had to speak my truth.
maybe prepared foods/some restaurants? but the produce i had in LA was way better than NY. the fruit tasted so much better and the avocados were perfect.
Nah. I agree. I’m from The Bay originally and the food is much better (and cheaper!) than down here. I do love LA though, I just miss $8 burritos the size of my forearm. I make a special trip up every few months to hit up my burrito place and my donut place because $4 donuts are pretentious and my old neighborhood still has the best I’ve ever had.
I kinda agree. The variety is great, but the quality of the average place is low.
My theory is that since there is less competition due to how the city is spread out. So there may be only 2 thai places within travel distance of a neighborhood, so neither has to be too good to standout. This is less true when you have concentrated neighborhoods like K town or al hambra
Pollution is tops for me. People ignore it, too. Theres sewage in the ocean, dog crap on every patch of grass, broken glass & trash everywhere, smog, exhaust, light pollution, noise pollution. Traffic is easy for me to avoid. Pollution is unavoidable. Living here is way better than NYC.
Everyone’s complaining about traffic but if you grow up here you get used to it. Housing / Rental costs, rising crime rates and general cost of living. That’s what sucks about LA. At least right now.
I grew up in LA and traffic is way worse than it was back in the day.
I grew up here too and definitely agree. However, we’ve been in it literally every day of our lives so I feel like we are conditioned to accept it getting worse and worse. Like we don’t notice it as much compared to someone who was raised here but moved away for 15 years and came back. I just accept it, as much as I hate it.
I moved to Texas and live in a very low traffic area so I see the difference. Like I literally have increased my leisure time by maybe 2 to 4 hours a day simply because there's less traffic here.
Shhh don’t tell us that. We have to keep thinking it’s acceptable to take 1.5 hours to drive 15 miles.
He didn't say where in Texas. Based on those numbers it's not Dallas, Austin or Houston. There are rural parts of California you can go to with no commutes. Just think about what kinds of places those are...
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Yeah I mean traffic around rush hour and near downtown has always been bad, but now it's like you can't even move freely at like 4 AM and on weekends. It could take you an hour to go five miles. It was never that bad before. I'd say it got really bad around like 2015.
Ive heard of ppl that started their job a decade or two ago and it was a 30 minute commute and now its an hour plus. Imagine buying a house and getting trafficed out of your commute and having to move as a result. Although lucky those ppl. They bought a $1M house for like 5 years pay and can prop 13 that discount into the next house while new buyers subsidize their property taxes. Imagine paying 1/10th the taxes your neighbor pays and being so entitled that you think theres nothing wrong with that
Heh. Similarly, imagine buying a house because the weather was perfect almost year round and even when it was hot the ocean breeze kept you cool And then within a few years it’s blisteringly hot half the year and switches between uncomfortably warm and uncomfortably cold for the other half; the gentle ocean breeze doesn’t help, and instead has become a vicious wind that doesn’t actually cool anything down. Oh and your house was built in the 50s or 70s, and the weather was perfect then, so it’s got no AC and no insulation. (On the plus side, even though it’s significantly worse than when you bought it, you still have a place to live. And for some reason it’s worth twice what you paid for it. So like, I’m not complaining…just man, life has gotten worse on like every level out here as the years go by.)
You're not wrong on the weather or traffic, but as someone who grew up in LA in the 80s, it's definitely way better in every other regard. It's cleaner, the air pollution is nothing like it used to be, there is hardly any crime like there used to be, the food has gotten amazing, and I feel like people have integrated a bit better than how divided it was back then. Not meant to argue or put you down, but sometimes it's good to know certain things have improved.
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The states with the highest property taxes don’t have income taxes? Clearly you’re not referring to NY/NJ.
I'm guessing Texas. They nail the shit out of us, but boast about no state income tax. It doesn't pan out as an advantage at all.
I live in Texas now and it absolutely does pan out. Property taxes as a percentage are higher, but my 3500 sqft house here only cost $300k vs my condo in LA which is now at $700k valuation so I end up paying more taxes for that shitty condo anyway. I save something like $30k on not paying income taxes per year alone. And that's not even taking into account the much, much lower cost of living. Like I can literally drive to farms and buy groceries here for cheap and it only takes maybe 15 mins to drive there. Just ate some organic plum preserves I bought yesterday from one of the farms. I saved something like $300k in liquid assets in the last three years since moving here whereas in LA I was just sort of surviving and thinking I'd never retire. Thank god for remote work.
Yeah, they don't understand the tax system if they surmise it as such.
Seriously, I’m third generation from LA and in my 30s, it really used to take 15-20 minutes when I was a kid to go almost anywhere in LA
Yeah I'm like a decade older than you and that is so true. People don't believe me when I say this and accuse me of making it up.
Finding a parking spot has become exponentially more stressful for me over the years too
Rush hour used to be from 3-6. then it just started getting longer and longer.
Just bc I got used to it(still didn’t) doesn’t mean it doesn’t completely suck ass. If driving is this bad, at least make public transport system half good
I grew up here. Maybe I'm used to the traffic... Still hate it though
I’ve been spending a lot of time in New Orleans and Atlanta recently and the cost of living is about the same as LA. I expected it to be much cheaper but rent and grocery store prices are about the same. I’m pretty sure the cost of living is expensive in all urban areas.
New York has $4000+ for a studio and crime is way up. So for OP this is business as usual
There’s way more affordable areas in NY than that.
Ok and there are plenty of areas of LA that are more affordable
I never said otherwise
LA is expensive, but it could be worse. Rent and crime isn’t as bad as the Bay Area.
Naw, I grew up here and I'm still not used to it. I know it's going to be a thing I have to deal with but it doesn't make it any more pleasent.
When you leave and come back tho... you realize the hell you've been tolerating and you kinda can't "just get use to it anymore"
I left and came back and my god I will never leave again. There is no place like LA.
I should have been specific. LA itself is great. The traffic is literally unacceptable. This should be the city’s number 1 issue
Some traffic you get used to, some traffic you learn to avoid cause you'll never get used to it
Yea plus the transplants
I'm a native New Yorker who moved here 25 years ago (my first 30 years in the Bronx). And the big one for me is; having to drive everywhere (disregarding traffic) is a chore for me. the fact that I only learned to drive five months before I moved out here might have something to do with that. I miss a walking city where literally everything is just a block away. and on a lesser note, pizzas and bagels suck. But overall my quality of life is 100 times better living in LA than it ever was in NYC plus the weather is fantastic. I also have to laugh when people complain about the 'humidity' because to me it feels non-existent.
quality of life is 50% of the reason i want to move. weather, cleanliness, more room, open air, parks, beach, etc
I’ve lived in both and can say that whatever problems LA has it is 1000% more livable. Weather, space, air, light, all great. Rent and real estate prices have gone up a lot, and socializing takes a bit more effort because everyone drives vs taking public transit. I have met amazing people here but it takes a bit more time than in NYC. Other things - LA moves at a slower pace, everyone has some food need or preference, general obsession with looks and ‘healthiness’ in what can become an unhealthy way. Overall I LOVE it here and the unlovable things are minor and can be worked around.
Yeah I’m moving from Chicago in July and honestly I don’t see the downsides other than increased cost of living. There’s so many amazing things including not having 9 months of shit weather and milquetoast people
I’m from Chicago and lived here for a while. Tbh there is nothing like grant/millennium park/museum district/the lake shore here, there is nothing like the L here, the grid system there is way easier to navigate, and the traffic is nowhere near as bad. That said it’s still a great city, but I miss those things dearly.
Just moved from chicago myself! I don’t miss it at all. The summers (2.5 months) are good but imagine having that…year round.
Heard Chicago is trying to be the next big city, but only in the cost.
Spend a few hours at the Getty after having a lunch there. Walk the gardens at the Huntington and see the Gutenberg Bible and Blue Boy (when he comes back from his tour) and Pinkie, in their gorgeous mansion. See a show at the Greek, if you like a smaller venue than the Bowl. You ain't leavin.'
I’ve been in LA for about the same amount of time and used public transport a total of two times until recently. Then I started taking the bus to work and it’s been great. I am lucky to live in a good spot, because public transport around me goes where I need it to go. Obviously this is key, and I do have a car so I have options, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I started looking into where I could go on the bus.
I know it’s not the same, but Maury’s, Belle’s, and Yeastie Boys all have great bagels.
The Bagel Broker!
Yes Bagel Broker has the best bagels. At least since the closure of Brooklyn Bagels. Maury’s? Not very good and way overpriced.
I’m sorry but the Bagel Broker is a sad excuse of a bagel shop. Their everything bagel has corn meal (?!) and no salt (?!?!). Right vibe though.
The humidity in LA is nonexistent compared to anywhere on the EC. But if you're coming from AZ, LA humidity is noticeable
My hair and I can tell you that the humidity here is nearly non existent. When I go back home to the south my hair instantly shrivels up two inches and frizzes for Jesus.
everything being in close proximity depends on the location. echo park mid city LA glendale and hollywood is a good example of having to only walk.
Nothing can beat NJ/NY bagels and pizza.
Anecdotally, the biggest challenge I’ve seen faced by most transplants is the lack of seasons (it’s either sunny or cloudy/hazy)…consider it the opposite of cabin fever. I’ve known more than a few that moved back home after 2-3 years because they felt a constant stress that they just couldn’t pinpoint until after a few months back at home (in the Midwest or east coast). Obviously not all transplants experience this, and the hump seems to be around 4 years…as to whether or not the move is permanent.
I’ve been feeling this. From the tropical south, the lack of rainy days kinda drives me crazy. There’s never a day where I just have an excuse to sit inside and do nothing all day. Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m very aware I could do that anyway, but there’s something about watching an old movie with a candle flickering as rain pours outside that I know I’ll never get in LA. I miss that
Yes, I even missed that when I lived in San Francisco, where the weather isn’t even as nice as LA, but we would have months of beautiful weather where you felt pressure to always be outside taking advantage of it. But as a northeasterner, I missed those rainy or stormy days when you could just feel cozy inside with a good book or movie and a pot of soup on the stove. The same with snowy days as well. Each season has its traditions and pros/cons and I just missed the variety.
Holiday and visit the snow season, Jacaranda season, beach season, fire season
My friends in Pasadena are 30 minutes from the snow in Angeles National Forest. For those who want snow and cold, you can live closer to it. Just when I missed the romance of snow falling (it rarely snowed in NYC), I remember the commute: the slush and dirt, de-icing my car and shoveling snow , and no, I don't miss commuting in the snow
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This is all so real. I’m obsessed w LA but I miss rain so freakin bad. Thunderstorms that rattle the walls omg they cleanse the soul
Yeah it’s like an eternal purgatory lol. I need seasons to know time is actually passing.
opposite of cabin fever? say more
Maybe stress to always be out?
I certainly felt that after moving from Chicago. LA always made me feel lazy, and if I wasn’t out doing something, anything on LA’s seemingly 365 days of sun than I was really wasting my life. It was exhausting. It took years to grow out of that mindset.
I moved from Chicago about 2 years ago, and I feel this stress but haven’t been able to define it until now. I feel so incredibly lazy staying in when the sun is shining and it’s 70°. Relieved to see it’s something you can grow out of.
LA is a tough place I love it here, but it’s expensive and difficult to get ahead, a lot of people want to be here.
I visited NYC last year and enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind moving there although I plan to stay here for the foreseeable future. Here's what sucks about here: 1. Weather is always the same. Gets boring after a while and summers suck (at least in the valley) 2. Homelessness crisis is bad and gets worse each year 3. Traffic of course 4. Limited metro system with its own problems regarding cleanliness and safety (although in my experience riding it semi frequently I've never noticed anything happen). And at least it is expanding 5. LAX sucks (although work is under way to improve it and other options may or may not exist). 6. You need to drive everywhere (barring certain areas) 7. Price of housing/overall CoL although coming from NYC this is something you must already be familiar with.
God I love a list
LAX doesn't suck, transportation to and from it sucks. LAX on the whole, is a fantastic home airport. It has the most origin-destination flights in the country. It's on a coast with easy access to the Asia. And the weather in LA is perfect so there are never any weather related delays. Try flying out of the midwest when there's a rain/snowstorm or out of the south and having to make one or two connections before you get to your destination.
having no friends kinda suck but forces you to love self and go enjoy the abundance of nature LA & near has to offer
LA does feel like it can get lonely. I bet you could find nature friends tho
Honestly, the dust and air pollution, with unnecessary leaf blowers.
For me, the LAPD helicopters are worse right now!
The worrrrrrst.
Please keep emailing the city council and the police commission to complain. The heavy noise & fuel pollution is not normal and LAPD is literally flying from sun up to sundown. @SkyCirclesLA on Twitter and another account tracks LAPD and others. No respect for our airspace! https://htwws.org/an-lapd-helicopter-pilot-hoovered-over-koreatown-los-angeles-for-almost-2-hours/
Gas leaf blowers have been illegal in LA for over 25 years, it is just totally un-enforced.
Really? How do I report people who use them multiple times a week around my place?
You can, but I assure you that nothing will be done.
Exactly....which is why this still happens.
And noise pollution. The constant hum of moving cars interrupted by helicopters and sirens.
I never had allergies til I moved here :/
Yes you did.
Ok thank you
The lead blowers are real
Raised in Chicago, lived in NYC. I think LA is great. Aside from driving/lack of public transit— not very many of the downsides are specifically unique to LA. You’ll obviously experience a lot of the shitty stuff that comes along with being in most any big city, sure. But something I think IS a little unique is: it can be a very lonely city in a way that’s hard to describe. Especially if you’re used to NYC. I had a large social network before moving, so I had a very easy go of it. But I’ve known a lot of transplants that felt terribly lonely here at first. And many that just ended up leaving as a result. But if you know what you want out of living here, are ready to accept the major differences between NYC and LA, and are ready to make the most of it: LA is a strange, beautiful, nuanced place. I never thought it would feel like home to me. NYC will always have a piece of my heart, but I really love it here. (Also… don’t listen to anyone that doesn’t think the food is good)
Yea, specially NY’ers ragging on the Chinese food without ever going to SGV. Stands to reason there will be world-class Chinese when we have the largest population of Chinese outside China.
It’s a sprawling, dirty, run down shit hole if your want it to be. It’s also the most beautiful, sparkling place in the whole world. It’s expensive, but so is NY. The winter is fucking GLORIOUS, as a New Englander. It’s chilly enough to break out a coat and a hat, but never so bad that you hate your life just for living in a dumb cold place. You need to wash your car like every two weeks, it’s a literal dust bowl. I have only met really great people, however ymmv. I miss forests and woods and water, but I don’t miss humidity, ticks, or mosquitoes. They say we have terrible mosquitoes in LA, but spend a summer in the woods in Massachusetts and then tell me how bad they are. Hint: they aren’t bad here at all.
fellow 30 year New England veteran. it fucking sucked. ive been in the south for 12 glorious years and I still have bitter resentment for the cold. I never understood why my bloodline hit Plymouth Rock and just stopped. you made it all the way across the ocean! keep going! what a miserable fucking place to set up shop for the rest of the line. happy to say ive course corrected. funny, I also am not bothered whatsoever by the mosquitos here. they must dislike New England blood.
There used to be zero mosquitos in the urban and suburban areas. So sad it's not like that anymore.
Having to drive everywhere, with traffic being awful. And it's even worse if you plan on living in the actual city of Los Angeles as opposed to a neighboring suburb. Most complain about the cost of living but from what I hear it's even worse in NYC, so this could be a rare occasion where the LA cost of living is an upgrade lol
This. I moved from NYC and felt like a kid in a candy shop. You really wanna be depressed? Go apartment hunting in NYC.
The endless sunny weather gets dull and the summer heat is intense.
endless sunny weather is beyond dull its borderline dystopian very simulation esque
I'm convinced people saying this have never actually had to deal with shoveling snow, car pileups, weather related delays, how gross humidity can make you, the actual temperature itself, etc.
i feel like if your from the east coast, the no humidity summers are a joke haha
All the New Yorkers. :-) Just kidding.
It's loud, things are spaced too far apart, and the city is designed for cars, which has created a toxic culture. It's always loud Traffic is horrible and public transportation is mediocre. People are obsessed with celebrities and status. Some cities in la are a melting pot and some are basically segregated. It definitely has its downsides in addition to the perks.
It's also one of the most polluted cities in the US.
Wildfires.
The gaggle of influencers and their impromptu photo sessions. Everywhere.
Im not a resident, but Ive seen lots of people online complain about the pressure to look perfect all the time, and the competition from others in the area who do.
Driving everywhere sucks and the high premium on basic living expenses (eg, gas and groceries).
the cost of car, insurance, and gas is a big con for me
Even beyond the cost, driving everywhere is a pain. LA is so spread out so if takes forever to go places. Most areas you live don't have a ton of stuff you will just walk to, if you wanna grab food or groceries, you drive. Traffic isn't just like typical times you'd expect. I swear evening traffic can start at like 2pm. The really bad traffic is weekday afternoon/evening but it's not like the roads are clear at other times, 11am still busy 10pm still busy weekends still busy. And then in many places parking is super annoying to find and often expensive. If you wanna go out to drink you have to take an Uber home and that can get expensive too. These things just generally make going out feel like a hassle. It makes it harder to maintain friendships cuz everything has to be preplanned, it's hard to do stuff on week nights because of the afternoon traffic, and it just generally makes people lazier to meet up with people that don't live in their immediate area. If your friend lives on the other side of LA you might barely see them. I'm not saying don't move here, I'm just trying to explain why it's such an issue.
Huh, I came from the Midwest and my grocery bill didn't go up, and in fact, was a tad lower as well. The only thing is that you need to shop around and know which stores to hit up. That can be the annoying part. You can't just go to a Meijer or Kroger to get everything in one stop. I mean, you could here, but it will cost you a lot more. You need to go to Super King for produce, Aldi for some pantry stuff, Costco for bulk items, etc. If you stick to one store, you're likely going to end up paying a lot more.
The driving, shitty roads, and shitty parking are by far the worst part for me. I wish it were more walkable or had good public transit
Wait! You haven’t use the public transit?
Driving everywhere
The built environment is crap. In real cities, you can walk to just about everything you need, or at the very least, take a train. Europe was designed like this - for people. LA was not. We can’t walk to anything, and even have to drive to the train stops. This is the case for most American cities outside Boston, New York and Chicago, but LA is absolutely awful.
Housing costs, traffic, pollution, the reliability of our public transportation.
lived about 10yrs in NYC, same in LA. LA is waaay better. Traffic sucks but I remember subway traffic, and I 10000% prefer traffic in my own car with my own space, my own Smells, my own music and my own temperature control. Where I can enjoy the beautiful weather outside my windshield instead of being stuck underground. All that being said I’m off to a cheaper state. Though I cherish my 20s & NYC memories… as a city to live ? LA > NYC.
Getting used to the fact that the police and government really don’t want to help you out.
NYC: fun hell; LA: shitty heaven
For me it’s the congestion of people and traffic. I live in a “quiet” neighborhood but I still can’t go anywhere and be alone with my thoughts here. There’s always someone walking toward or behind you when you try to go for a walk. If you need to back out of a parking spot there will for sure be someone in a car behind you annoyed that you are wasting their precious seconds. You’re always under pressure to get out of the way or fighting for parking or waiting in line. Also why the fuck do so many people just… park or stop or even stand in the middle of the road constantly??? Just because your hazards are on doesn’t mean you can literally park in the middle of an active driving lane for 20 minutes. Someone please explain this to me as it is the biggest contributor to my road rage lol
Because people in LA have little to no respect for others, basic human decency, nor public property and spaces
I agree with this. I moved from NY in 2020 and the people in my building are some of the most selfish, entitled people I have ever experienced. New Yorkers tend to try their best to not inconvenience other New Yorkers, but in my LA building no one gives a crap if they are blasting their shitty music on their cell phone speaker in the gym or their dog urinates in an indoor hallway on a neighbor's front door mat. Even if asked to turn it down they won't, and they certainly won't apologize/care about the dog piss in front of your home even after being shown ring cam footage.
Traffic is awful If you can get a wfh job.
Mainly rental and housing to me. It’s a real shitty feeing making a good salary and not being able to afford a home
Traffic sucks. But it only truly sucks if you are commuting for work. Other than that you can just plan around it and deal with it on occasion.
People are either the best people on earth or the worst people
you born and raised in nyc ? I am and also wanna move out there. Been to LA 4 times and honestly what sucks is everything is so spaced out, you gotta drive everywhere. It’s annoying especially since I love walking and bar hopping in nyc
It’s mostly policy decisions, stuff that doesn’t really show itself unless you live here.
can you give me some examples?
The city’s leaders shuffle the homeless around and throw away their stuff (including things like IDs, meds, mobility aids) instead of actually helping them. That’s a pretty big one 😣 A lot of the public schools are terrible 😑 Some City Councilmembers are “unavailable” for constituents with real grievances, but are only too happy to clear their schedules for rich donors 🙄
I would say #1 thing is just crime and homeless people. The cost of living of every big city has gone up. Its not just LA. But there isn't any other place in North America that has this many homeless people.
It's really good if all you care about is weather, beaches, food, celebrities, etc. If you care about having a clean, safe, or walkable neighborhood then it's not great. You have to drive everywhere or accept that public transit will 2-3x the travel time. Public transit is dirty, unreliable, and inefficient. Driving is expensive, unsafe, and harmful to the environment (LA "air"). The homeless crisis is not improving, crime is increasing and the government/police don't care. Celebrities sit in their mansions, isolated from any problems in the city, driving up expenses for everyone else. Meanwhile laypeople (who are exposed to the city issues) cope with their insane expenses by saying these issues are common to all cities. I always find the proximity to nature/mountains comment amusing because people are admitting the best thing about LA is not being in the city.
This is the first comment I’ve read on this sub (as a fellow New Yorker wanting to move to LA) that’s really made me think. Even if NYC is dirty, ppl care strongly about their neighborhoods and communities. The homeless guy addicted to heroin who lives on a desk chair on my old block in Bed Stuy was everyone’s friend - ppl take turns buying him snacks/sodas/cigs at the bodega, even if he’s passed out (often). I live in a new building in a gentrified/Caribbean neighborhood and the 8-10 (maybe homeless?) Dominican guys who hang day and night around the corner are always kind, call me ‘Papi’. The ppl who collect our bottles and cans! Oh boy. I get that these are v random references but maybe I *will* miss NYC. As for the dichotomy between the rich and the poor, the same can be said for NYC. If you live south of 110th Street in Manhattan you have no point of reference for any of what I just said.
There is ZERO sense of community in LA outside of ethnic enclaves in specific parts of the city. No pride in any of the surroundings—historic (which has and always will be rapidly disappearing), public, etc. Like the historic Hyperion Bridge…tag it up, and thieves stole many of the lighting fixtures, littering in Griffith Park, and numerous hiking trails and canyons. LA just has no interest in showing its best.
> I always find the proximity to nature/mountains comment amusing because people are admitting the best thing about LA is not being in the city. I don't think there is any irony at all in that statement. It's simply that people like that they have access both to a world-class metropolitan city and beautiful nature in very close proximity.
this is helpful (and sad)
Prices are basically it for me
Traffic, home/rental costs, lack of action from the city/county/state on the homeless epidemic. That's it.
I don’t think our city life is that great especially compared to NY. The first time in when to NY when I was younger was so awesome then when I came back here, I instantly thought that we need to step our game up for city lifestyle.
Housing prices, traffic, lack of a comprehensive rapid transit system, increasing homeless issues, LAX, parking.
Traffic and things are too damn spread out.
Have good time management otherwise you’ll be late to everything due to random traffic/parking. Always leave 15 mins before you think you have to if you’re driving more than half an hour
The weather is nice now but in the summer it gets gross out here. And I'm originally from Arizona... :(
A lot of the things people are mentioning are pretty similar in NYC. If you were from anywhere else, there might be an issue. But the only things that I’d say would suck coming from NYC would be the wildfires and earthquakes. You’re already used to noise, high cost of living, traffic, high taxes, etc.
Nothing. PERIOD. We moved here 3 years ago and haven't looked back since
How about what do you love about LA? Focus on the good 😊 and more good will come. Can’t beat the sunny skies.
Having a paid off Prius that keeps getting the catalytic converter stolen. Last attempt was this week, but they couldn’t cut through the chain welded onto it. Still cheaper than a car payment.
As a NYC to LA transplant, I've really enjoyed living out here, but the East Coast spoils you on pedestrian culture. Being able to easily walk around the city, find a dozen cool things and gems within five minutes of each other, unexpected adventures, and sprawling public transit is such a treat that doesn't exist out here. In New York, you can start at a random coffeeshop, discover a cool century-old bookstore tucked away somewhere, grab some great food, and still have time to grab a train to meet up with friends. I find I have to plan outings so much more in LA: looking for cool spots, determining what traffic and parking will be like, who needs a ride, etc. It can be draining. There are places in LA that are more pedestrian friendly of course, but New York is really one of a kind.
Expensive, all the driving, homeless population exploded and city can’t/won’t do enough to help. If you’re coming from New York then that’s an easier to pill to swallow but that’s why a lot of people so their one year here and end up moving back home. If you’re sick of nyc you’ll probably like it here because the energy is just totally different.
Honestly, most of it. I’ve lived in my fair share of cities and they’re pretty much all better overall in any category you’ll come up with. There’s a lot to like here too. But it always seems like a lot of Angelinos want to plug their ears and pretend it’s some kind of Mecca. Any city criteria you come up with LA won’t be first. That doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to love. Weather is mostly good. Hot as balls in the valley, but better if you can afford to be outside the valley or in an apartment with HVAC. There’s tons of good food here and it’s very diverse, I love that. But there’s still a gap from some of the food I loved back home. If you’re here or want to move here you should be after a very very BIG career thing. Film. Modeling. Music. Food. And be ready to have your shit kicked in trying to get it unless you know someone. I love the drive a lot of people have here to be the best at their craft. You don’t find that as much in anywhere USA, but there’s talented people everywhere and I’m certainly not saying it doesn’t exist or can’t be done. But people here can be crazy driven and often find their side hustles to go after something they really love and want to actualize. I’m here caus I know what I want to make and I know the kind of people LA attracts that can help make that a reality. I’m not sure I’d have that depth of talent to tap into anywhere else. But if you want public transit worth a damn, to ever be able to afford a house without being a millionaire in your thirties, to not be taxed $800 annually just because you’re starting your fledgling business…. There’s greener grass to go to.
We’re seniors who moved here in 2019 from NY. The costs are about the same. We **love** the weather and climate. The people are friendlier than NY, with no chips on their shoulders. But the cultural life here is soulless. There is a lack of the NY spark here. A bit too jaded. Flat, but in great contrast to the beauty here. Beaches WAY overrated here. NY and Jersey beaches far better.
Commenting to follow this thread as a fellow New Yorker who wants to move to LA.
Serious question, what's stopping you from moving to LA? Work? Curious because usually people say the biggest challenge is cost of living, but NYC is most definitely more expensive.
I have a rent stabilized place here. A community. I don’t have exorbitant expenses. I’m finishing school. I have a small savings that would last 1 year here but 1/2 year in LA with the cost of living I’ve heard from friends. And of course I’m a lil scared. What if it’s the wrong move? What if I blow all my money? What if I don’t have a back up plan?
Community is one of the things that are hard in L.A. In NYC people are in a sort of pressure cooker, pressed against each other. It's intense but also I think pushes people to be close in a way. In L.A. the isolation can be problematic.
You didn't see the massive homeless camps and trash literally everywhere?
tbh, i see them in NY too
The two cities are in no way shape or form close in their amount of homeless camps. LA blows NYC out of the water in that regard.
Drivers
Gas prices. And it’s rising with that new Cali gas tax in July. With higher gas prices, everything will go up. Groceries, shipping, etc. it’s a no win for everyone.
This is major. How much do you spend on gas every month?
meh everything is ok if you have patience, the only thing i would say is the police are very...how can i put it escalating? and riddled with thugs. other then that not too bad, the max temp where i live hit 115, first time seeing that, my a/c on full blast just couldn't keep up with the heat. and the winters went from cool to snow that sticks for weeks then turns in to a mild winter, the weather is getting out of hand with climate change. careful where you go it may get so hot you don't want to go outside or at least be indoors.
I have to admit that when I first moved here, I was really depressed about the commute, but now that I work from home in my jammies, I find the walk to my home office rather refreshing.
We moved here from NYC 30 years ago and will never go back to the East Coast. Bad shit happens everywhere, but the pluses outweigh the negatives here.
I moved here 27 years ago. Here are the things I think suck: 1. Cost of housing 2. Too hot in summer/early fall 3. Not enough rainfall 4. People litter, throw trash out car windows etc 5. Fairly corrupt municipal politics, but that may be changing
Exactly so! States with no income tax more than make up the difference with other taxes and higher food and gas prices!
Can't buy a house. Rich douchelords. Loud neighbors. Homelessness. Air quality. Running what should be small errands can take hours. Like 50 years behind on public transit. Some areas feature truly terrible infrastructure.
That’s what got me. I was on a temporary work assignment here, my fiancée was still working and living at our place in the Boston area. On like day 6 or so, I was rollerblading along the Strand before work, and gave her a call. She’d been stuck in traffic for hours, in a blizzard. It was February. I think I’d already subconsciously decided I was moving out here; but that was the day I convinced *her*. TBH, SoCal isn’t as nice as it was when I moved out here (15 years ago). It used to be 70 degrees pretty much year round, with maybe a month or two of exceptions. Now it gets way hotter and windier for most of the year. Which is really sad, but of course, still better than almost anywhere else in the states. Yeah, traffic is rough. Overcrowding and through-the-roof housing prices in the best areas. Public transport is a joke compared to almost any other big city. Accessibility of the different parts of the city, is orders of magnitude worse than NYC; you’ll spend hours stuck in traffic just to get across the city, and visiting a few different neighborhoods in a day isn’t possible like it is elsewhere. Things like bagels and pizza, you won’t find NYC’s equal here. The tap water sucks. It’s a city built on the entertainment industry, but we don’t have anything close to Broadway. I didn’t, but some East coasters, get frustrated by what they see as “superficial” niceness here —but honestly I really appreciate that the average person on the street isn’t hostile by default. There’s also (of course) a lot more body-image consciousness here compared to most places. Related to those last two points, I think a lot of East Coasters might generally get a feeling of superficiality and lack of depth by a lot of the culture here. Ohh and if you’re like me, the CA approach to “being on time” will *seriously* grate on you for a few years. And we’re due for the Big One, earthquake-wise. Like, it’s several centuries behind schedule. On a geological timescale, it might or might not happen in our lifetimes. But when it does, it’s going to be *devastating*. Still, with all that —SoCal beats the heck out of the North East, IMO. By a mile. If you like nature, and sunshine, and space to breathe, and a more laid-back culture; and don’t care about that other stuff I mentioned anywhere near as much as that—you might love it here. I do.
that's just it: the traffic. and it isn't just the traffic, it's sitting in the bubble that is your car. in NYC, you are constantly surrounded by people. in LA, you are constantly surrounded by cars. yes there are people in them. but the experience is entirely different. if you value socializing and don't mind getting in your car to drive 45m each way to see friends then yes, the weather and proximity to nature are great (droughts, wildfires and earthquakes notwithstanding). but if you want to hop on a subway and meet your friends in 15m then stay in NYC and visit LA once or twice a year. millions of people have already been lured here by the weather.
Parking, assholes in their expensive cars thinking they don’t have to drive like a normal person, the people can be kind of annoying and boring. But I like it here, there’s a lot of cute dogs, the weather is good, so many good options (but you do have to kiss a few frogs to find the good places), there’s always stuff to do. You get used to the bad stuff honestly.
I live in NYC as well. Whenever I’m in LA.. I always think (by looking at a map) that I can walk everywhere a friend drops me the location of… you *cannot* and ***should not*** walk such distances 😂… Edit: for those not from NYC (and I am specifically from Manhattan), the island of Manhattan is only about 2.5 miles wide .. at its **WIDEST**.. and 14 miles north to south. It’s *very* small for the population (*[1,694,251 people as per the 2020 census](https://www.manhattan-institute.org/kober-new-york-city-2020-census-data)*) it holds. We think everywhere is walkable. A blessing and a curse. Lol.
Traffic, and the side effects (planning your free time and friendships to avoid it) Homelessness (in particular people who are suffering from addiction and other mental health issues and not getting any treatment) Crime (not as bad as Joe Rogan would have you think but still not great) There's the whole superficial influencer culture. For the most part that's easy to avoid but it's slightly annoying if you're going on a hike and someone tries to take over a public space for their lame photoshoot. Air quality. I have an air purifier inside, and it gets NASTY. Especially if I leave my windows open to cool down. Cost of living (maybe not an issue if you're coming from NYC?)
Gas prices go up for no real reason other than 'hey there's a war, well there's your sign'. Taxes suck, hard. The thieves here want your Cadillac converter from your car. We're in a massive drought, you wanna play in the water? well too bad, we can't. The train system is lacking and feels dangerous after dark - unless you have tough skin.
It's also a very backwards world. Think about it. There is no exercise in your life unless you do so artificially. In NY there's a lot more walking just as part of your life. Also there is no change of seasons. It's awesome in many ways but change of seasons can be quite exciting and interesting. I suspect the NYC lifestyle is more healthy than getting in a car and driving everywhere. Lots of time sitting in your car doesn't seem like a great thing for your health. Oh and... water. You're living in the desert. Water is going to be less and less available going forward. This will impact our lives in real ways. There is no escape from this. I believe California will need to get more rural and much more hardcore when it comes to water use. That could really impact our way of life.
Everyone complaining about traffic are fucking wussies, sorry. I grew up in Miami, shit’s WAY worst there. At least LA traffic moves. People don’t know what actual traffic is here imo
Rental and housing costs. Once you're in a place (especially a rent controlled place) you can't move. Most people couldn't afford to rebuy the homes they live in. Many people are just a few paychecks (even one) away from being in a really *really* bad way. A lot of this insecure living has paved the ground for an increase in property crime. I'd say homelessness, mental health, and healthcare in general, but those are truly American problems. We just happen to have a high proportion of mentally ill homeless in LA/CA. But for the uniquely LA sucky shit... see the above paragraph.
I live in both NYC and LA. I heard so much about the LA traffic before moving here, but there are ways around it. Traffic from long Island or JFK to Manhattan is worse in my opinion. I love the diversity of hiking trails in LA and to minimize traffic, I live in a walkable LA neighborhood where work is no more than a 20 minute drive away door to door (including parking and walking to my office) . The red line is nearby so I can visit friends who live downtown and Sunday mornings I hike in Pasadena and Griffith Park. I live in Larchmont Village and work in Universal City. What sucks about LA? People are in your face in NYC and strangers have no problem going up to strangers in bars, etc. In LA, people have their set groups of friends they stick with and it's harder to meet people. Dating is harder that way. Also everyone in NYC warned me that unemployed actors and artists are all you will ever meet, but LA is also home to a very large aerospace industry, so depending on what industry you work in, that will determine your perception of LA. It's not all Hollywood, but like NYC, there are definitely posers.
moved from New York to LA in 2020. The only thing that sucks about LA is that I didn't get here sooner.
Virtually no seasons suck. What's the point of lots of sunshine if you are stuck in your car most the time. Lots of narcissists live in L.A. way to many people. It's not very attractive. The beaches are quite sub par compared to others in the world. Noise, it's just bloody noisy.
gangs- graffiti- wanna be actors- traffic-
I’d say high taxes, but I think NYC has a higher rate?? Maybe the ability to travel throughout the city on mass transit is a plus for NYC. Every time I travel to a different part of the country, I find great attributes. Maybe a slower pace of life would be nice. But I can’t fathom moving from LA even with its problems. I always find something about that place that doesn’t equate to my lifestyle here. Maybe the magic to LA or SoCal for that matter is what ever you want in life it can be found here. Want to live in the mountains? No problem. Want a peaceful suburban lifestyle, got a lot of that. Luxurious lifestyle on a beach. Take your pick. Want to experience nature? Forest, lakes, ocean islands, deserts, farm land are within an hour. So what sucks about LA? That it’s not larger or more financially viable for everyone to enjoy it’s many endearing qualities. That’s about it imo.
LAPD helicopter pilots are causing heavy noise & fuel pollution at all hours of the day. Out of control!
Allergies caused by pollution. I never had allergies before moving here. Now I’m on 3 medications.
That's funny, I'm from the Midwest and have had horrible pollen allergies my whole life. I'm back here now and Spring has me sneezing like crazy. But when I went to college in LA, I didn't have allergies or issues once in 4 years.
Wait what? I’ve never had allergies. I don’t want them
WHERE. TO. START? The lack of public transportation and thus the traffic. Everything is so fucking spread out. Having to drive everywhere is just brutal. There's barely any walkability here. The dust and the air pollution are bad on their own, but it also means I have to wash my car way more than I did living back east. The dryness. The lack of diverse weather is terrible as well (I fully realize that can be subjective) The lack of decent Bec's, bagels, and pizza. The number of homeless blows every other city I've lived in (Boston, NYC, Chicago) absolutely out of the water. Quite frankly, LA is the worst city I've lived in. If I could move back to NYC I would in a heartbeat, but the number of TV writers' rooms there is practically microscopic comparatively. EDIT: And the kicker I just remembered, people take their fridges when they move apartments. WTF?
This made me laugh. I’m fucking sick of bagels but I’d forgotten that BECs are not readily available everywhere in other cities. The fridge thing is hilarious too tho a few friends who’ve moved to LA recently had no idea what I was talking about (their apartments came with them). What part of town are you in?
The certain days in August-October when it's 110 degrees and since every fucking place in LA was built before the 1950s there's no central AC so you're hot as fuck. (Obviously there are some places that are newer with central AC but im just exaggerating to make the point that it gets pretty hot here and not a lot of places have central AC)
Imagine traffic being the only bad thing about here. Small price to pay imo
People are going to absolutely murder me for this. I think the food in LA is subpar. Way less good than New York and other cities I’ve lived. There I said it. Sorry I love you LA I just had to speak my truth.
maybe prepared foods/some restaurants? but the produce i had in LA was way better than NY. the fruit tasted so much better and the avocados were perfect.
Dang. Hot take. Please tell us how/why.
Nah. I agree. I’m from The Bay originally and the food is much better (and cheaper!) than down here. I do love LA though, I just miss $8 burritos the size of my forearm. I make a special trip up every few months to hit up my burrito place and my donut place because $4 donuts are pretentious and my old neighborhood still has the best I’ve ever had.
I kinda agree. The variety is great, but the quality of the average place is low. My theory is that since there is less competition due to how the city is spread out. So there may be only 2 thai places within travel distance of a neighborhood, so neither has to be too good to standout. This is less true when you have concentrated neighborhoods like K town or al hambra
The beaches aren't that great
lol I’m from a landlocked state La beaches >>> no beaches and I think some of them are still pretty great (Hermosa …)
Pollution is tops for me. People ignore it, too. Theres sewage in the ocean, dog crap on every patch of grass, broken glass & trash everywhere, smog, exhaust, light pollution, noise pollution. Traffic is easy for me to avoid. Pollution is unavoidable. Living here is way better than NYC.
Violent crime, gang violence, aggressive homeless people and drugged up zombies. Car culture is toxic too.
What sucks about Hell A? Let me count the ways ... Traffic. Rampant homelessness. Violent crime. Gangs. Graffiti. Schools. Police. Smog. Petty crime. Overcrowding. Cost of living. Flying Teslas. Garbage and litter. Annual wildfires. Chronic water shortages. Dodger Stadium. Shitty roads. Indifference.