"Gloss Angeles" a Los Angeles Travel Page by gilescorey

Los Angeles has always had an inferiority complex(to New York, and to San Francisco), and as such, Angelenos often compensate by mirroring their local media and expounding a dream vision of the city that is neither fair, nor accurate. That "spectacle" is much in evidence on VT, and though this is very much the city of "hype", hype alone will not make Los Angeles into the American Dream. Let LA be what it is. VERY imperfect. But, love your city. The future is bright for the City of Angels, but she needs truth and devotion to truly fly. So....let's begin....

Ah...Poor Los Angeles...she will forever have an indentity crisis. Nobody comes to LA for "LA". They come for themselves. At the turn of the twentieth century, magazines and speculators promised cheap land and beautiful weather. A two car garage and swimming pool for every waterlogged East Coaster. Later, immigrants seeking a better life, actors seeking fame....nobody came for "the city". That self-promotion, that lack of community still defines Los Angeles, today. Add an unrealistic, Hollywood-fueled image that no city could ever match, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

And, Los Angeles is a disaster. Paradise gone wrong. A modern distopia. Yes, everything negative ever said about LA is true. The pleasant surprise is all that is never said - all that a savvy traveler can discover, given some imagination and determination. Micro-climates, clashing cultures, bizarre architecture, incredible natural beauty and unparalled design.There is sadness, here. Metro LA ranks seventeenth of the seventeen largest US metro areas in its population of "working poor" - a depressing, & shocking statistic. But, this contrary image to "palm trees and movie stars" suggests there is another LA for visitors; a city made up of a wide swath of cultures and social stratems to season the 85 square miles that make up Los Angeles. Consider also the marvel of "natural LA", with abundant beaches and national recreation areas to soften the blight of urban sprawl.

Nevertheless, Los Angeles has become a city on the verge. She is one of the few American cities still gaining population. In the six years since I've lived here, the city has changed dramatically. Downtown has become prime real-estate; a bustling urban metropolis. Mass-transit has taken hold, with the Gold Line completion and the current construction, Union Station now buzzes with harried travelers, fulfilling it's gatsby-era promise. Hollywood is caught somewhere between high-rent and counter-culture, with bikers and round-bellied tourists side-stepping eachother along the Walk of Fame.

This is an exciting time to visit the City of Angels. It truly is. Just don't move here, okay?