One day, bitches: the future of the Los Angeles Metro

the bar is great, but the roof's even better!

None received! I just felt misunderstood!

My ex-gf lives in South Pasadena, it's really nice!

Did you go to USC Vic? I took a couple of Boyd's classes which were a lot of fun. - I did indeed live through... all that. And it's never been about TS: Casper vs. Boyd for me, as MacPherson was hands down better than both

Have you folx been to the bar at Hotel Figueroa? Parking's terrible, but last time I was there was v. cool.

-- Remy (rem...), June 15th, 2005.

I think we did once! Wasn't that a Thanksgiving FAP with Brian?

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), June 15th, 2005.

No no that was at the HMS Bounty on Wilshire in Koreatown right across from the legendary Ambassador Hotel / Coconut Grove (depicted in The Aviator) - it's only gotten scene-ier since then, as apparently Ev@ Longoria or whatever she's called is a "regular." But it's still pretty chill, and getting drunk there is fun if you have any imagination coz the whole make-believing you're inside a boat thing is v easy to do.

I like the Hotel Figueroa, especially the Moroccan-themed bar / mezzanine inside, plus the ornate bathrooms downstairs, but every time i've gone there and hung out near the pool w/ a drink my friends and i have gotten a VERY weird vibe for whatever reason...as if we're surrounded by robotic USC frat-prepboys instead of real people. Which is probably true... fwiw The Fig is nice but I think the Bonaventure + the Biltmore easily pwn it hands down

seriously though, from my experience, the "i don't leave the eastside" people are far more vocal and obnoxious about the sentiment. in fact, i can't recall ever meeting anyone who used the "i don't leave the westside" catchphrase.

dude, they are everywhere, really. Just to go back to overusing Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Los_Angeles

The Westside's traffic congestion is legendary. Although once served by the Pacific Electric Railroad's streetcars, it was the first region of Los Angeles to be developed largely around the automobile, and is notorious for its lack of significant public transportation. Its residents are also noted for their NIMBY attitude toward transportation projects such as the Exposition Boulevard light rail line and the Wilshire Boulevard extension of the MTA Red Line subway, although this has begun to change as traffic continues to attenuate the region's quality of life. The almost transcendently gridlocked San Diego Freeway is the primary transportation corridor in the region, and much of the area's commercial development is along it. The proposed Pacific Coast, Beverly Hills, and Laurel Canyon freeways undoubtedly would have sped up the region's traffic flow, but went unbuilt in the face of massive community opposition; unfortunately, a great deal of high-density development took place in anticipation of these roadways' construction, resulting in significant congestion on the area's surface streets. In particular, getting to Hollywood from the West Side is notoriously difficult, with major east-west streets between the regions jammed during virtually all waking hours.

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Culture

The Westside is generally thought of as the white part of the city of Los Angeles, in contrast to Latino-dominated East Side, the Latino and Asian areas such as Pico-Union and Koreatown in and around downtown, and the black and Latino neighborhoods of South Central. Despite the two areas' relative proximity, many Westsiders rarely cross the Santa Monica Freeway into South Central, or at least they go no further east or south than the University of Southern California campus and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In fact, a longstanding phrase amongst Westside natives is "Life ends east of Sepulveda."

East of Sepulveda? Thats frankly appalling. They're missing 80% of "the city" - but, by choice! I just cannot comprehend this viewpoint of self-denial, but then again I didn't grow up near a beach. Just asking you directly dean, what is it that compels you to not go "East of La Brea" ? You can't really deny that most of the city's historic, architectural and cultural landmarks and institutions (LACMA @ Stanley/Fairfax is close enough to count) are on this side. Why avoid it?

If we're ever to develop and progress further as a unified, distinct city we have to get rid of any of these provincialized/localized attitudes that only foster more divisiveness, esp along racial and socio-economic lines. ALL of Los Angeles should be for ALL TEH PPL RAH

we can't develop in any way unless we truly believe we are living in a GREBT PLACE OK...& WE R

This is corny bullshit. Use your brain, Vic. Have you actually heard this in "real life"? Anyone who says this is a douchebag and you've got to be one too if you're this gullible.

Just asking you directly dean, what is it that compels you to not go "East of La Brea" ? You can't really deny that most of the city's historic, architectural and cultural landmarks and institutions (LACMA @ Stanley/Fairfax is close enough to count) are on this side. Why avoid it?

Remember your parody argument? Gee, now do you think I was serious?

And wasn't the original Zankou in Glendale?

The lack of a world class Metro is very unbelievable... and embarrassing. I mean come on, a city that had horrid "third world" traffic a decade ago replete with rickshaws and coolies - BANGKOK - even they have a citywide train now. Watching that LAPI film in a packed Egyptian Theatre screening with people clapping and cheering at all the old landmarks (some of which are no longer there...I also don't remember the black building's name...and that one rollerink that was in Xanadu) was a lot of fun, but I actually felt intensely sad when it went into the history of public transport (and Bunker Hill, etc), since one almost gets the sense that LA was egregiously swindled, and still doesn't fully realize it. Didn't the film mention that the decision to not implement a metro in the 50s was won by only two votes on the citywide council?

Echoing my last post: you dont want to see any place improve, or even care to, if you don't like it in the first place.... and if you don't like it here: leave!!

Oh yeah, she's great.

You can't really deny that most of the city's historic, architectural and cultural landmarks and institutions (LACMA @ Stanley/Fairfax is close enough to count) are on this side. Why avoid it?

Isn't that just a fancy way of saying the East side is better? The fact is most people don't often venture beyond their little neighborhood. Most people only come to the west side on a Saturday or Sunday during 3 months out of the year to go to the beach. Other than that, people might come out to go to the Getty or something. How is that much different from westsiders only venturing out occassionally to visit the MOCA or LACMA?

Until I saw the prices for Rose Bowl tickets...who got da hook up?

Hurrah! He is free! Perhaps.

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), June 15th, 2005.

Vik, you're also saying some incredibly offensive things about certain groups of Angeleno's. The comments border on hate speech as far as I'm concerned.

Also, the Bounty has survived far worse than Eva Longoria (and has more famous semi-regulars).

I'm more interested in hearing your (hopefully a bit elaborated) opinion on why there is no Metro, what lack-of-development led to it being this way. It's easy to claim offense, but why don't you add to the discussion and set it right then? I have civic proide but it's not that I have an excess of personal pride in that I won't be corrected - CORRECT ME CHOW! SET ME STR8 (good luck w/ that)

http://www.visitwesthollywood.com/whpress/images/map.gif

The black line is The City of West Hollywood. The classic definition of the Fairfax district is not within the city boundary at all. Also, Fairfax continues for many miles south going through many different neighborhoods.

It seems like you're reading the most hysterical accounts of why people vote for what and taking it at face value, or you're making sweeping generalizations based on hackneyed assumptions about a person would or wouldn't want something in their neighborhood. Even if it is a NIMBY attitude, I find it difficult to blame a person for being self-centered at a highly local level (and I don't even necessarily believe that is what's going on regarding potential Metro extensions).

I think it's fine to discuss this and I'm really happy you brought it up, but I also think that you're jumping to extreme conclusions (perhaps in jest?).

The funny thing is that nobody really talks about the eastside. Fairfax may not be the westside but you definitely don't live in East LA. It's like everybody wants to define themselves into a no-mans land. Or I guess it's just the natural instinct to assume that your neighborhood is the center of town.

Doesn't NY have a similar thing with uptown and downtown where those terms are all relative to where you live?