"How to Love LA" a Los Angeles Travel Page by Powerkeni

There's no city in the world people love hating more than Los Angeles. I've been living here four years, and I'm amazed by how many people driving expensive cars and dining at expensive restaurants complain about how they wished they lived someplace else (usually New York, London or Paris in that order). LA is definitely a love it or hate it city, but I believe that if most people gave the city a chance, rather than looking for validation of their pre-conceived notions (it's fake, the people are stupid, etc.) they'd realize what many already know...LA is one of the world's great alpha cities, and as such has all of the positives and negatives of a hyper-diverse megalopolis.

Right off the bat, let me say that Angelenos are not stupid. In fact, if LA is stupid, then so is New York, because there are more transplanted New Yorkers living here than anyplace else in the country. This is a fact. The Fairfax District on Saturdays is packed with enough black-hat wearing Hasidim that you'd think you were in Brooklyn (my hometown). Then there's the huge Israeli contingent in the Melrose area. Then all of the New York media people populating Hollywood. What disappoints me is how many of my transplanted New Yorker friends came here and spend all of their time hurling insults at the city, even though they will NEVER leave the friendly confines of LA to return home, hence our sky-high cost of living.

That being said, a trip to LA (or living in LA for that matter) is still significantly cheaper than doing so in New York or San Francisco. If you're a renter, there are still incredible deals to be had in neighborhoods like...wait, I'm not going to tell you, because that would drive up the rents. (sorry!)

As for visitors, this isn't a place where the sights are laid out in a line with a bright arrow pointing at them. The Hollywood sign is a friggin' sign, and nothing else. And many of the designated tourist attractions are overrated, which is why locals avoid them like the plague.

And finally, do some research! There are some cities that have all of its top attractions laid out, and even a first time traveler knows where to go. Cities like New York and Paris come to mind. Then there are cities just as interesting that require quite a bit of research to figure out. Cities like Tokyo and Buenos Aires. LA definitely falls into the second group. A person visiting Chicago knows the best views are to be had at the Sears Tower or John Hancock tower, but ask 12 different Angelenos for the best views of LA, and you’ll get 12 different answers. Also, one of the most famous vistas of LA (you’ve seen it, the picture of downtown with the snow-capped mountains in the background) is taken from a park that 99% of Angelenos don’t even know exist! So, here’s some help on the research front. Two GREAT websites:

http://experiencela.com/ Click on “Adventures” for self-guided walking tours to different parts of town. Also has a destinations list and a great activities calendar.

http://www.turnhere.com/ Awesome website with a huge LA section. These are guided video tours of areas by locals. What better way to plan then by actually seeing someone walk around the area you want to visit.

The best guidebooks on the area (in order) are 1. NFT (Not for Tourists) Los Angeles, 2. Time Out Los Angeles and 3. ACCESS Los Angeles