ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I must have missed the memo where adults aren't supposed to like theme parks and toys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandlerbing Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Good idea, but it's just a start. If I had the time and money, I would make a more extended visit to the city. Beverly Hills is very nice but also very expensive and can give you an unrealistic view of the city. LA is a huge, diverse city with many regions and lifestyles. Try to visit a whole bunch of different areas if you can, including some of the more "average" ones where you'd be more likely to end up living. Just a tip though, make sure you know where the ghettos are and avoid them, they can be pretty sketchy to even pass through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Was going to say. Only visited briefly, but LA does not have some great downtown core with huge impressive infrastructure. From my perspective it was a giant sprawl with various spread out hot spots. Here's a pic of the downtown skyline: http://en.wikipedia....les_cropped.jpg For a city of 16 or so million people, it's really not that impressive. America in general is more laissez-faire and as a result you're going to find a lot more culture than most places in Canada. In a city like Los Angeles the possibilities are endless. From the perspective of the people I met there, you, unfortunately, need a bit of a bank role to really enjoy the city though. Seemed to be very looks orientated and the "nicer" areas seemed like a giant Yaletown. That being said, I'm sure if you find the right group of people it could be a ton of fun. Los Angeles, like any city in the states, seemed to have a ton of places to drink for cheap. Unlike Vancouver, which seems to have a minimum $6.00/drink policy, the states seems like a great place to get hammered for cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Good idea, but it's just a start. If I had the time and money, I would make a more extended visit to the city. Beverly Hills is very nice but also very expensive and can give you an unrealistic view of the city. LA is a huge, diverse city with many regions and lifestyles. Try to visit a whole bunch of different areas if you can, including some of the more "average" ones where you'd be more likely to end up living. Just a tip though, make sure you know where the ghettos are and avoid them, they can be pretty sketchy to even pass through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandlerbing Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I had mentioned in my second post that a friend will be moving with me. He is equally qualified and is just about a receive his CPA designation. So our combined salaries will be in the 70-80K range. I know LA downtown core is too high for 40K itself. I'm practical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Yes, my friend and I are going out there in July again. SNA mentioned some areas to check out. I've noted them in my Memo and we'll see what they're like. San Diego is also another option. Glassjaw, I was in London as a student for a year in 2006. I was there in January - March this year again just for a visit. I have family over there. I loved it. Cities like London, New York and Paris are world-class cities and have so much to offer. When I came back to Vancouver, I went straight to Granville Street, this was on Friday at 11:30 PM, I seriously felt like I was back in a village. LOL. Vancouver is cute and small. As far as the arrogances goes, I didn't notice this in 2001 when I first came to Vancouver. I think this gradually grew somewhere in the 2004 year when housing prices skyrocketed. Media, politicians, realtors all scream on rooftops "world-class" Vancouver to attract foreign investors, which does nothing but fuel the arrogance. Vancouver is beautiful, small, and offers a lifestyle that's not available in some parts of the world, but it's far from world-class. World-class means the best of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACanuck Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 It takes a lot longer than an hour to get to Tofino, unless you count riding the weak waves of English Bay as "surfing". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruletherink Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Los Angeles influences the country, and sometimes the rest of the world. For better or for worse, Los Angeles is a big, big city. So in a way, big city attitude is expected. Vancouver is small, but views itself as New York Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruletherink Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 In my opinion, Dubai is not a major city either... it is more of a resort city.. a middle eastern law vegas for rich Saudi's to relax and poor asian migrant workers to make a buck. And yes, I have been there.. and had a great time too, but in no way would I say it is a 'major city'. It does have major league modern architecture, but other than that.. it's not influencing world culture or policies. Plus the fact u can only go to the hotels to have alcohol is kinda lame. Also yes, their highways are wide, but jam packed too with ppl who don't know how to drive either at times. LA is even worse, with an even bigger highway, that is always full it seems. So please stop with your 'dubai' and 'world city' smugness. Otherwise, good riddance..g'luck in LA.. and wished you stayed in Dubai to begin with. Oh and one last thing, it also rained in Dubai right after I landed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I wouldn't say the nice areas are like Yaletown. That's far too many highrises and restaurants. I would say the nice areas are like a giant ocean park (nice area of south surrey near cresent beach). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACanuck Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 To be fair anywhere someone goes for a short period of time(ie, vacation) you may get a skewed view. But as someone who has lived in both LA and Van for long periods of time now in my 30's I would choose Van as my first choice to live. I did live in Cali in my mid 20's so I will say it was fun living here during that time. You can have a good lifestyle if you have a decent income. Since we are comparing cities, my favorite would be Melbourne, Oz. Best city in the world for me after Van and I've seen plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 In my opinion, Dubai is not a major city either... it is more of a resort city.. a middle eastern law vegas for rich Saudi's to relax and poor asian migrant workers to make a buck. And yes, I have been there.. and had a great time too, but in no way would I say it is a 'major city'. It does have major league modern architecture, but other than that.. it's not influencing world culture or policies. Plus the fact u can only go to the hotels to have alcohol is kinda lame. Also yes, their highways are wide, but jam packed too with ppl who don't know how to drive either at times. LA is even worse, with an even bigger highway, that is always full it seems. So please stop with your 'dubai' and 'world city' smugness. Otherwise, good riddance..g'luck in LA.. and wished you stayed in Dubai to begin with. Oh and one last thing, it also rained in Dubai right after I landed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I think you're confusing Vancouver with Toronto...who believe they are New York. Vancouver is more of a Pacific Northwest version of L.A. Which is fine. People in here seem to be bashing Vancouver for being proud of themselves. It's not a major global city, but that's no reason to think that the ppl who live here can't be proud of their city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNACanuck Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Actually comparing Van to SF is very valid since both are very similiar. Weather, environmentally, demograghics or cost of living both are very similiar and nice. Its funny living in LA because so many people I know hate it when it rains. I tell them I love the rain... Since it cleans the crap out of the streets, keeps the criminals inside and after the front passes it cleans the air. Best part of the rain, it reminds me of Van. Can't wait til I retire back in Van if not sooner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Actually comparing Van to SF is very valid since both are very similiar. Weather, environmentally, demograghics or cost of living both are very similiar and nice. Its funny living in LA because so many people I know hate it when it rains. I tell them I love the rain... Since it cleans the crap out of the streets, keeps the criminals inside and after the front passes it cleans the air. Best part of the rain, it reminds me of Van. Can't wait til I retire back in Van if not sooner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I wasn't necessarily referring to the scenery. More the people. I've never lived there and only been in California for brief periods of time, so I'm admittedly making some very superficial comments here. However, from what I saw, things like wealth, nice cars, plastic surgery, being "seen", nice clothes, hair extensions/fake tans, being exclusive, etc... were qualities very valued by many people in LA. A lot of these people also got the money from their parents, so working was not as valued. It's also possible I'm imposing my perception of YaleTown people on LA people based on superficial similarities in dress and maneurism. LA is massive, so I'm sure there are lots of down to Earth people too, but I certainly saw my share of gold diggers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandlerbing Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I don't understand why people in Vancouver compare themselves with LA or New York or San Francisco. That shows a level of insecurity. Toronto does it with New York often, or so I've heard. Dunno why it's necessary. I wonder which American city Montreal compares thmeselves with - they're unique in their own way. I love their women :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edler0023 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I don't understand why people in Vancouver compare themselves with LA or New York or San Francisco. That shows a level of insecurity. Toronto does it with New York often, or so I've heard. Dunno why it's necessary. I wonder which American city Montreal compares thmeselves with - they're unique in their own way. I love their women :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NucksPatsFan Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 If you enjoy seeing celebrities you'll love LA. I've been to LA three times and my god you recognize people from movies and TV everywhere. A friend and I were sitting on the patio of a Jamba Juice or whatever it's called in West Hollywood on Sunset and I forget the cross street, maybe Crenshaw? Anyways, we were there maybe an hour and a half just talking and enjoying the sun and we saw Nathan Fillion (Castle from Castle), Tristan Wilds (Dixon from 90210), The guy who plays Chuck in Chuck, Selena Gomez, Jeff Bridges and Hugh Laurie all walk by or get into or out of a car. It's ridiculous. But after all, it is their home. It's like seeing jensen ackles and jared padalecki from Supernatural in Vancouver, not unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trek Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 this thread is pretty arrogant with some of the posts I'm reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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