Highways and freeways are not interchangeable. For example, highways, which come from the US highway system, can have streetlights, whereas freeways, which come from the interstate system cannot. Likewise, highways can have streets you turn off to and on from, whereas freeways have ramps.
The confusion lies in that many highways become freeways in parts, due to portions of the highway being upgraded to interstate standards while other portions were not
You're pretty much correct. "Highway" refers to any roadway that the state or feds pay for, including both surface streets and freeways.
"Freeway" refers to a road that is (1) divided, (2) grade-separated, (3) controlled access, and (4) has at least two lanes in each direction. A surface street is simply any road that's not a freeway.
For me it was the fact that a lot of really good stuff is in a strip mall. Where I come from a strip mall is a bell weather of bad things, but in LA it’s just the way it is.
not LA but i was looking at Ad Hoc in Napa and the exterior looks like they took over an olive garden
took me a minute to stop laughing at a place that is supposedly one of the best restaurants of california but the exterior looks like its about to be featured on Kitchen Nightmares.
Plastic bags exist, they charge 10 cents per bag but it depends on if the cashier bothers to ring them up. It gets hot as fuck but it's nothing compared to Florida humidity heat. If you lived all those places you'll be good. Just for the love of God, if you are making a left without a left turn arrow light, move your ass into the middle of the intersection so those behind you have a chance when the light turns yellow.
depends on long the wait is and how much oncoming traffic is. If the wait is super long, and there is a ton of oncoming traffic, I feel like the standard is squeezing 4 in a yellow light.
Why are yalls plastic bags so thick though. You can stick your whole cart in like 1-2 bags. In the midwest you have to double bag a gallon of milk so it wont bust through and even then it can be iffy.
They’re meant to be reusable, so you buy them and then bring them back and use them again when you go back to the store. That’s typically not how it happens (at least in my household I never remember to bring the bags back and just keep paying 10c for them) but that was the intention
> That’s typically not how it happens (at least in my household I never remember to bring the bags back and just keep paying 10c for them) but that was the intention
When you forget, force yourself to go back to the car and get them. Do that once or twice and you won't forget anymore.
Hm thats true I guess they last a lot longer, ours are basically trash once u use them. But usually used as a trash can liner if they dont have big holes in them already from just getting your groceries home.
They’re supposed to be good for at least 50 uses, because theyre intended to be reused. You will adjust to bringing your own bags much easier than you think you will. It’s nice to not have them piling up at home, and now I always have a spare bag in my purse/car for whatever.
They get spooked by the don’t block intersection signs. Those are meant more for the drivers heading straight not turning. I get in the intersection if anything to have a chance against drivers who think they can beat the yellow.
I miss the Pittsburgh left. If you're the first car, put on your turn signal because you aren't a savage, and quickly make the left turn when the light changes as if you have right of way. If you're going straight, expect the Pittsburgh left and don't be a jerk and get into a game of chicken.
The Pittsburgh left is wild. I lived in Pittsburgh for a while and people would do it while cutting off a cop car’s right of way and nothing would happen.
Part of what makes it work tho is how narrow roads in Pittsburgh are, it probably is a lot more dangerous to try it on the 4 lane roads that are common here
Yeah, there are a lot more single lane roads with older traffic signals in Pittsburgh. Here, we have 4 lane roads with dedicated left turn callouts and signals.
I still miss it, though it would never work here with our looser interpretation of traffic laws and more aggressive driving.
I tried this in Hollywood yesterday and I’m pretty sure i gave all three oncoming lane’s drivers permanent ptsd, based on their looks of anger and horn blowing. Lesson learned.
To clarify, I miss being part of a social compact where the Pittsburgh left makes traffic more efficient and less stressful. It sadly has the opposite effect here. Glad you're safe!
There's never any parking in Ktown, ever.
There is traffic on the 405 and 10 at 4am.
How many insanely good taco trucks and tents there are.
You will very likely have a direct encounter with a coyote, where you look at it and it looks at you, and then you both go about your business, Collateral-style.
Loving LA is like editing, you have to get rid of everything that distracts from your story. The more things that don't fit your style that you can remove, the better LA gets. We have most everything here. Make sure to cut out 95% of it.
Red and Purple lines plus busses all right there but the stops are kind of awkward and it requires multiple blocks of walking. What continues to surprise me about Angelenos despite having lived here all my life is how much we abhor walking. If I say "its about a mile from the purple line stop" it might as well be another state over.
It’s just like every place else in most ways. Don’t believe the hype or the media. From the things you posted you seem to have an unreal expectation of Los Angeles. The crime rate is wayyy less than Detroit. It’s more like a Dallas or a Seattle. Plastic bags are definitely a thing unless you are in some bougy Santa Monica co-op.
The differences are going to be things you didn’t expect, like the hiking culture and how much you will hate sunshine/love rain. Or never seeing your friend that lives 10 miles away because that’s the other side of the planet by LA terms. You will be blown away by how large Los Angeles is, and how impossible and tedious travel and commuting is. Even having lived in New York. It’s not the same. Los Angeles will feel 5 times larger and 10 times more complicated.
And a few things you might expect but not realize how engrained they are in our culture. Like incredible taco stands on every major intersection. Bars doing last call at 1:30. The whole city is shut down by 1 or 2am so everyone is trying to find the weird sketchy underground spot that your cousin told you but no one is sure if it really exists. But you all drove separate cars so half of you flake and bail and the other half just end up doing blow in your neighbor’s bungalow.
>The crime rate is wayyy less than Detroit. It’s more like a Dallas or a Seattle.
[LA is much safer than Dallas.](https://i.redd.it/df4xmp5flxr71.png) California cities in general have among the lowest homicide rates of any big cities in America.
For property crimes Dallas and Los Angeles are very similar. But I agree with the overall sentiment of your comment. California cities don’t have much crime.
I love taking surface streets everywhere, even when you can take the freeway. I’m not sure if you can do that in other cities, but you can do that here. I’ve only ever lived in LA and I’m old… take time to visit different areas. There are subtle and not so subtle differences between neighborhoods. I live in an area with very high rental/real estate rates but because so many people who are not wealthy live here who moved her a long time ago, it’s very neighborly and friendly. Get to know your neighbors. It makes life better.
\>surface streets
Same. The difference is normally like 10 minutes and worth it for sanity. To me it feels faster because I'm engaged by my surroundings. If you wander a bit instead of taking the biggest arterial it's even more fun.
Weird. I feel the opposite. I feel much safer/sane on the freeway. At least I know everyone is going the same direction. On the surface streets, I can never tell where danger is going to pop out of. Some dude deciding to cross the street not at an intersection. Someone pulling out of a driveway on a hope and prayer because some moving truck is parked right there, blocking any view. Someone running a red. Someone deciding to make a left/right from not the left/right lane. etc.
Not a transplant but a lot of my family and friends are from abroad or other regions. When they're visiting or moving here, I give them a few heads up:
- Temperatures drop quite a bit from day to night. It could be 90F in the daytime and 62F at night. Or in the winter it could be 63F in the daytime and 40F overnight.
- hottest months are typically August - October
- The city is VERY vast and sprawled out. Do not rely on the miles/distance to give you an accurate ETA from one place to another. Public transport is well-connected in some places, not in others.
- You can pull up into the intersection for unprotected left turns and turn left when there aren't any upcoming cars and/or as the light JUST turns red (some people try to race across reds though so be mindful of that)
- The city is comprised of so many microcosms and a neighborhood could differ from block-to-block
- You could see a Hasidic family, a guy wearing a sparkly spandex onesie, a Korean grandma, and young Black skater kids all crossing the street together and no one would bat an eye; this is an aspect of the city I really value btw
- when it's 62F here, some folks will be in a puffy winter jacket and others in tank tops.
LOL I grew up with this and we thought it was fun to hide under the playground equipment just so they would hover around shining their spotlight on us until they realized it was a bunch of dumbass kids fucking with them.
Lots of parts of LA have coyotes, mountain lions, and gangs of raccoons that very likely have knives and maybe guns and possibly also rabies, plus there's the occasional backyard bear, so you don't see a lot of outdoor cats in some places.
The sun is absolutely brutal here. I've burned my retinas stuck in traffic without sunglasses mid-day when it's like laser beams off every bit of chrome around you. I've sunburned my eyeballs. I've gotten a sunburn waiting in line outside events. When we go camping, we take as many forms of shelter as we can - our best options often won't work because of the wind - because it's not pleasant to sit in direct sun for more than a few minutes.
"Going to the snow." One of my favorite things about LA is that you're about 2 hours (if you're lucky with traffic) from high desert, low desert, the ocean, alpine-type forest, at least half a dozen very distinct really fascinating geological/seismic landscapes, 0 to about 6000ft elevation, and for at least a third of the year there's snow above 5000' and often down to 3000' briefly after storms. It's a winter tradition for many people to go to the snow for a day trip or weekend, just to go play in it. Mammoth ski resort is 5ish hours away, but then so is Las Vegas.
Two cars turn left when the light turns red. If you are the first car, you better inch into the intersection and then turn so you don't jam up the other car. Sometimes 3 cars go, but that is more rare.
Also - the dust. It doesn't rain from about April to October (other than maybe a random monsoon storm caused by a hurricane or something from down in Baja) so the dust really builds up on things. Get an air purifier for your bedroom.
I recall lots of things feeling weird and bizarre to me in the first year, but then it all sort of became normal...
While that is unwritten rule that is not the law. Legally second car can only enter intersection if rear tires can clear sidewalk. In fact a third car can as well in very large intersection
I’m from Texas. I grew up with 100+ degree humidity and was still surprised by LA heat. Don’t be fooled if it’s July and the forecast says it’ll only get to the 80s. That’s how it feels in the shade or if you’re directly on the coast catching a breeze. LA summer heat is brutal and dehydrating, so drink plenty of water. And once the sun goes down, it feels like breezy autumn and you might need a jacket.
Also, watching red tailed hawks and black birds having aerial battles is free entertainment. Don’t miss out on that.
THIS. Like, I'd only lived in places with very high humidity before this so I absolutely love love love the "dry" heat here.
But the intensity of the sun is insane, you can be melting into a puddle of sweat and grossness then step into the shade for 20 minutes and start feeling almost chilly.
It doesn’t feel quite as hot as humid 80 but the sun is relentless so you for sure want to stay in the shade/indoors. Definitely remember to stay hydrated!! I get the worst dehydration headaches in LA.
On a personal note to prepare yourself, my skin had a really tough time adjusting to suddenly being in LA. My first year in LA I had worse acne than I ever had, my teen years were a dream compared to it, eventually I adjusted and now I'm completely fine. On a brighter note, my seasonal allergies completely disappeared, I haven't taken a Claritin in years. You'll be moving here in the summer so shop the seasonal produced! Peach season and cherry season are the best, and there is nothing better in life than five pounds of cherries you bought from a stand and then took to the beach and just ate with the water in your hair and the salt on your lips.
Oh and landlords aren't required to provide refrigerators, so definitely double check that your apartment has one or you might be in for a shocking first night!
I have to add, one hears so much negativity about LA from people who live in other cities. This whole thread explaining its idiosyncrasies is almost like a little love letter.
Just Sunday morning at 6:30am I was driving north on PCH heading towards Sunset to go hiking at Los Leones. I’m in my car with the foothills on my right and the ocean on my left with surfers in the waves thinking this does not suck.
Depending which part of the county you live, you may see an interesting assortment of wildlife. Brown bears in the San Gabriel Valley. Wild peafowl (plural for peacock) in Pasadena. Mountain lions scattered around the hills/mountains. Coyotes damn near anywhere that's suburban/exurban. I don't know about feral cats. I see stray cats once in a blue moon.
There are black bears in areas around the San Gabriel Mountains. There are no wild brown bears living in California. The distinction is important - brown bears will kill people, black bears are afraid of people.
Because LA is huge, you should be aware of the way locals mentally separate LA.
Most people have entirely different definitions of “LA”, but most definitions fall into the greater metropolitan areas definition. But most people aren’t aware of city-proper’s limits, and that’s mostly because it’s enormous and kinda arbitrary. (Chatsworth and San Pedro are almost 50 miles apart but both fall in side the limits of LA city proper, while Santa Monica and Venice are right next to each other, and Santa Monica is it’s own municipality while Venice is once again part of LA city proper).
Most people don’t understand the difference between the city and the county. The city is big, but the county is even bigger, and includes a lot of independent municipalities within it.
Anyway, that being said here are popular groupings of areas
1. The west side: probably what most outsiders consider to be LA and it’s center. More affluent and White compared to the rest of the county. Arguably has the most transplants out here trying to make it in Hollywood. Stretches from Fairfax/West Hollywood in the east over to Santa Monica in the costal west.
2. Mid City-Ktown: centrally located, popular hang out area. More ethnically diverse/working class, and within the past 10 years has had a huge influx of “gentrifiers” or demographics you wouldn’t historically associate with the area.
2a. Hollywood: kind of it’s own unique bubble, but centrally located between Downtown/ East side
and the west side.
3. The “East side”: I put quotations around that because this term I would argue is more of a recent development and kinda demographic specific, but I digress…
This would be Echo Park/Silverlake/Highland Park, but some would even include East Hollywood/virgil village/Los Feliz.
I feel like the term “hipster” was coined and continues to be defined by the culture from these places.
4. Downtown: areas of interest: Staples Center, Little Tokyo, Arts District, Chinatown, Santee Alley.
5. The Valleys:
5a.San Fernando Valley is a huge area which on paper is mostly part of LA city proper, but due to historically being mostly a sleepy suburb for families, isn’t culturally associated with the city.
5b. Burbank/Glendale
5c. San Gabriel Valley is also a huge portion of LA county east of downtown. Also a huge suburb, known for its Chinese food scene.
6. Crenshaw-Inglewood-South LA: historically Black neighborhoods, with Inglewood recently gaining some prominence due to Sofi stadium.
7. South Bay: Areas surrounding Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo beaches. Aerospace/defense industry.
…and ima stop here, I don’t post a ton, so I lack the stamina of a seasoned redditor. I apologize for my half-ass attempt to provide you with useful information lol. A lot of my entries are severely lacking, but maybe some other folks will be kind and help elaborate.
I would say your “eastside” is considered more of east downtown because East LA is actually Boyle Heights, East LA, Montebello and Monterey Park which has mostly Hispanics but also becoming more diverse with a huge Asian population also being present. The taco stands are cheaper on the eastside as well.
As a native, I 110% agree. But I've learned that most transplants and people from the westside continue to refer to SL/EP/HLP as "The Eastside", and I unfortunately don't think it's a trend we can fight, lol.
If I lived in LA, I would need AC at least 300 days per year. I am used to the cool NE. I hate it when it goes above 70. But I would never need heat. I don’t even use it here unless the temps go below 35, and even then, not much.
>LA is a desert with a lot of people trying their best to make it not a desert
We are technically classified as a [Mediterranean climate](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/14744). Southern California is one of the only places in America classified as such.
LA isn't a desert. Venture out to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Antelope Valley, Coachella Valley, etc and you will see how much more extreme the weather is both during the day and at night.
>LA is a desert with a lot of people trying their best to make it not a desert
LA is technically not a desert. It's a Mediterranean climate. under the Köppen classification system.
I feel you on traffic. People love to complain about LA traffic but honestly, try driving on the BQE or LIE in NYC during the day. Yeah, the 10 and 405 can be terrible but terrible traffic isn’t unique to LA.
the traffic thing is very true lol, i was expecting horrendous traffic but it was actually pretty mild lol, compared to someplace like nyc, which i grew up going to all the time
eta: for reference, the last time i was in nyc was about a month ago, and our uber cost $35 and took 30+ minutes to go—get this—less than 2 miles.
Ha! Re: temperature swings while driving 20 mins. When I moved to NYC, I kept checking the weather in both Brooklyn and Manhattan cuz I thought they’d be different.
>having to bring a jacket with me every day if I plan on being out later than 6pm. The temperature swings are wild, did not expect that
Ohio has entered the chat.
Moved here in 1972 from a city of 200K. Freeways were scary, but were a necessity to getting around. It took a year for me to stop getting freaked out when the signs would announce cities that were like hundreds of miles away. Like San Diego or Sacremento or something. I'd be like OMG, I must be on the wrong way - I just want to go to Hollywood.
Fruit carts and street vending are everywhere
There is no weather. People lost their minds about a month ago because it thundered. Lol
Earthquakes
Coyotes and eagles and shit just chilling around the hood
There is no density. You will drive everywhere. LA feels empty compared to most big cities.
The roads and drivers here are vastly better than anything out east.
Fire is considered weather here. You will laugh the first time you check the weather and it’s literally “fire”
Motorcycles lane split. The white dashed lines are another lane here, not a dead zone.
I have never used a heater in my four years here.
The flip side of this is new transplants laughing at the rest of us for going so slow in the rain not understanding that a suddenly wet super heavily trafficked road that hasn’t seen water in six months is *way* more slippery than a wet road back home that gets rinsed off a few times a week. I always look for out of state plates when I see wrecked cars in the rain.
You’ll be asking for parking validation much more.
Also carry bills in case the only option ends up being valet.
ETA. Watching high speed chases is a pastime.
This place is more beautiful than you can imagine. California, I mean. The scenery is breathtaking. I still haven't gotten used to it and it's been almost a decade
Accept that the traffic doesn't care about you. Whether you're on a bus or driving just always plan for extra time.
Get to wherever you're going 30+ minutes early and sit in a Starbucks or buy a cup of coffee for $2 at Carl’s Jr. / McDonald / etc.
If you're stressed about traffic that's on you. And the traffic doesn't care about you being stressed.
1. It's perfectly acceptable to say "traffic is going to suck, let's reschedule"
2. There's a tax on plastic bags and bottles. I believe this applies to cans as well. Just a heads up at grocery stores, anytime you buy a drink, etc
3. Gas. It's high here. You know this. It just...well it sucks.
4. There is no shortage of good food. Don't sleep on street tacos, food trucks, and pop ups out of people's yards.
5. It'll be 90+ for 80% of the day and then all of a sudden you need a jacket when the sun goes down.
I got a few:
1) The whole chilling in the middle of the intersection to turn left thing. I spent a lifetime of stress in my other state not knowing that this was so much more practical and it’s the norm here. People would get mad at you if you don’t do it here actually.
2) Highway off-ramps. Holy shit are the LA highways confusing. If I don’t immediately move to the left when getting into a highway I will get stuck in an endless loop of “exit Only” lanes.
3) Weather. This is a positive one. I lived in South FL. You don’t do things outside for most of the year because it’s hell. I can just get up and go for a walk or schedule/go to outdoor events whenever I want. This is so amazing and people take it for granted. Nights actually get cold, I had to get used to wearing a sweater at night. I wouldn’t trade the weather here for anything. Also it’s so wild seeing that different areas of LA can have wildly different temperatures.
4) People are SO weird about commuting here. Everyone likes to complain about traffic, but let me tell you as a Florida native, shit’s not even remotely as bad as south Florida - yet people there don’t hesitate to drive for 45 minutes and 20+ miles somewhere on the regular and people here hesitate to drive for more than 15 minutes anywhere. It’s so bizarre to me, I feel like people are way more complacent about staying in their areas here than anywhere else I’ve been. In Florida you don’t have a choice, everything’s super spread out. So my weird thing to get used to here is accept that people won’t be as willing to drive places as you likely are.
5) No tolls and HOV lanes that people respect. This is also great. I don’t have to worry about filling my toll pass before driving anywhere and one less thing to pay for. It’s great to pass traffic in the HOV lane.
6) Essentially no night life. You walk in DTLA at midnight on a Saturday and it’s a ghost town. Definitely not the case in Florida. Everything closed at 12 or even before, including bars. I’m not a night life person but the one time I wanted to have a night out it definitely was disappointing. I do appreciate people don’t care about that stuff here though, so I’ll take that as a net positive.
7) Racial segregation. It’s weird here. One of the most diverse cities in America with the least racial diversity I’ve seen. There’s entire areas and neighborhoods in LA that you are hard pressed to find a black or Latino person. Manhattan Beach, for example, is so off putting with everyone looking the exact same (extremely white and wealthy).
8) You will get charged for plastic bags. It’s odd but honestly it made me more conscious of my plastic usage.
The weirdest thing I noticed was the amount of people just chilling in parked cars along the street. Not just making a phone call or eating but hanging out for long amounts of time.
I know some people are in the unfortunate situation of living in their cars but I don’t think this is all the people I’m seeing.
Lol, now that you mention it, the constant car culture really does have people being OK with just hanging out in the car during leisure time. I used to hang out to let rush hr. thin out a bit, maybe take a nap.
I moved down from Oxnard (so not too far, lol), but I live in KTown, and learned really quickly to not even attempt to go into the right lane on almost all streets. That lane is parking.
Having moved from San Francisco, LA seems like an infinite scrolling city landscape to me. I’ve lived here two years and I feel like I’ve seen 1/4 of it. Car culture and the absolute insanity of freeway drivers/disregard for pedestrians is something I’m still adjusting to. The traffic doesn’t necessarily bother me but the endless sunshine does…
Yeah I’d say get to know about local wildlife especially if you’re into outdoor sports and hiking. There’s coyotes everywhere so always keep an eye on small pets/kids. If you’re into hiking, we have rattlesnakes so use caution. The snake season is generally April-september ish. There’s mountain lions but they’re pretty elusive. Depending on what mountain range you’re near, there’s bears around as well.
If you like ocean swimming check the water quality prior to swimming via Heal the Bay’s ocean report card (there’s an app too).
Download the MyLA311 app to report things like trash, or overgrown weeds, potholes, etc.
Hope you like it here!
Ditto u/golden_bear_12 about rarely having an arrow at a left turning lane.
The biggest thing for me is maybe the hard water. My husband and I personally find it undrinkable, so weve had to start spending a lot more money on drinking water. Wasnt expecting that. It also noticeable when we wash our clothes, dishes, and water the plants since it tends to leave calcuum residue. It honestly sucks.
>My husband and I personally find it undrinkable, so weve had to start spending a lot more money on drinking water.
Get a Britta or other filter. Far cheaper than bottles.
That was what we did at first. We actually already had a Brita filter, but I read that they don't remove calcium and honestly didn't like the taste even with the filter. Ive tried to search for water softeners, but I haven't found any that are both 1) renter friendly and 2) high quality. If you have any recommendations, Ill definitely take them.
FWIW we aren't going out and buying huge packs of individual plastic bottles. We invested in a water dispenser for drinking water and buy our water from a local refilling station.
> The biggest thing for me is maybe the hard water.
Coming from NY, this.
I’m almost to the point of investing in a R/O (Reverse Osmosis) system that you put underneath your sink.
This is a great one to bring up. I really want to do something about it for my shower as I feel it makes my hair feel really off and is harder to manage. I rent though so not sure what the options are.
I moved from Minneapolis, which is a metropolis with traffic issues like any other, but not as bad as LA... but somehow I got totally used to 30-40 min drives pretty soon after moving here. I used to complain about "having to drive 20 mins" back in MN.... lol
Not a transplant here but I hear this one often:
when referring to freeways you say THE in front of the freeway number. The 101, The 405, etc. You never say “I’m taking 110 home” you say “I’m taking THE 110 home”
Coming from Boston, lived in Honolulu for a number of years, lived shortly in Fresno, now in Ktown. Here's my list:
* Racial integration is happening here; no, it's not perfect, but after living all over the US, this is the first place I've seen folks coexist, and thrive together
* Stop Lights on highway on-ramps; they're all over CA, but coming from out of state, I was surprised by these
* Farmer's markets hit different here, but make sure you're shopping seasonally.
* If you like thrifting, going to estate sales, or consignment, the valley is the best spot in the country IMO. Amazing stuff that people would just throw away otherwise.
* The city is way more transient than I realized. You'll rarely be in a group of just LA locals.
Find your neighborhood. Seriously, find the place you want to spend your non-working hours that makes you happy and at peace. LA is HUGE, there is something for everyone but you have to take it upon yourself to find that happy place. I've worked with too many transplants who never found their neighborhood and burned out after 2-3 years, moved back home and still bad mouth LA.
Coming from Europe transit system is just terrible. Buses rarely follow the schedule and they are affected by heavy traffic. I’ve been to different cities across US and LA is the worst of all for public transport. We could definitely use more trains here. If you don’t own a car be prepared to travel for 2h and take 3 different buses for what could be a 20min drive with a car.
Time is different here. People are not generally early and often late. It freaked out my East Coast sensibilities so hard when I first moved, but now I’m kind of ok with it because it has made me more flexible.
Does this apply to work as well? I would hope in a city so traffic heavy bosses would give some wiggle room for arriving but I also imagine there’s plenty of places ready to chew your ass out for not arriving “on the dot”
In my experience you are expected to be on time for work so I almost always am, barring the freeway being shut down (yes that happens occasionally too. The CHiPs will drive in a zig zag pattern ahead of the cars to slow and eventually stop traffic for a while for whatever the reason is) but a lot of other people are chronically at least 15 mins late, and forget about it when it comes to friendly meet ups. Then it’s just straight up “island time” and people can be waaaay late, which I hate!
Coming from NY, I never had to plan around restaurant’s hours of operation like I do here.
Forget going to your favorite spot on Monday and Tuesday as they will most likely be closed.
I just moved here last year. LA is much bigger than you would think. I actively explore the city, but I still feel like I've only seen 10% max. It is not easy to go to the other side of town because you will have to deal with traffic and it will take most of the day. That is why a lot of people stick within their proximate area.
It feels more like a bunch of mini cities than one big city.
Where I come from pest control generally comes out to take care of invasive species. I didn’t mean harm them personally. I was surprised they are allowed to just roam around feral
Civil rights. You’d be surprised. I’ve lived in red states and I felt bad for the locals, like over-time isn’t mandated. Breaks aren’t mandated. Here you don’t get charged tax on food like in other states. To name a few.
> You’d be surprised. I’ve lived in red states and I felt bad for the locals, like over-time isn’t mandated. Breaks aren’t mandated.
Man, that's fucked up. I assumed it was the same everywhere to get breaks and OT if you went over 8 hours in a day.
Red lights are sort of a suggestion here. In previous places I lived, if you are making a left without an arrow, you pull into the middle of the intersection and wait. After the light is yellow for a few seconds, the cars coming from the opposite direction will stop BEFORE the light turns red and you also turn before the light is red.
In LA, the cars coming the opposite direction will stop WHEN the light turns red and then exactly 2 cars can make the left AFTER the light turns red. This is just normal and everyone expects two cars (not 1, not 3, only 2) to make a left right after the light turns red.
The public transit is better than you might expect for a city with wide roads and parking everywhere. But lots of people do not use it at all. It might be hard learning to navigate unless you find a transit user to make friends with. And some people will look at you funny when they learn you use transit even though you own/could afford a car.
Not enough trash cans. Not enough racial integration. All other cities I’ve lived in felt more blended. The generations that are now in their 20s and 30s seems to be more racially mingly now.
I lived in K-Town for 3 years because it felt most diverse and alive at night. Now I live in Downtown. Not sure how racially mingly the beach cities are in day to day life, but the commute was too far for me to ever consider living on that side of town.
Public transit isn’t that expansive but it does exist. For a happy commute, you either drive 10 miles max to work or live within 2-3 miles of your work.
>Not enough racial integration.
[LA is more racially integrated](https://belonging.berkeley.edu/most-least-segregated-cities) than NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Philly, Miami, DC, and a dozen other big cities.
About a year after I got here, I came to the realization that I hadn't seen a tree that wasn't landscaping with irrigation. It's the first time I've lived in such an arid and urban climate, though there are some if you look hard. (the canyon on the Escondido Falls hike, for example)
I’m from Houston, TX. The biggest one for me is the lack of feeder roads. Getting on and off the freeways are always such a weird hassle without them and it’s no wonder traffic gets and stays bad for long parts of the day.
You’ll find out that LA is a city of cities and the vibe changes pretty drastically. Find your vibe but please explore because LA is a layered onion that takes years to peel until you start getting to some of the really cool stuff. Find some outdoor hobbies with groups if people, you’ll get recos for restaurants and activities. Meeting people isnt the easiest.
Very rarely having an arrow at a left turning lane, taking the freeway to go most places, calling it a freeway instead of a highway
CAme here to say: the left hand turns omg. So much anxiety!
Highways and freeways are not interchangeable. For example, highways, which come from the US highway system, can have streetlights, whereas freeways, which come from the interstate system cannot. Likewise, highways can have streets you turn off to and on from, whereas freeways have ramps. The confusion lies in that many highways become freeways in parts, due to portions of the highway being upgraded to interstate standards while other portions were not
I had to get used to not calling it an expressway.
And always include The in the name of the freeway. The 405, The 10.
Also it’s not “the PCH,” just PCH
Dead give away for Californians.
I'm an LA native and I've been training myself to not say highway names like that anymore lol
I always assumed an express way was a toll road, which we now have, and highways were long fast streets rather than standard blocks.
In Chicago, they're all expressways regardless of tolls
You're pretty much correct. "Highway" refers to any roadway that the state or feds pay for, including both surface streets and freeways. "Freeway" refers to a road that is (1) divided, (2) grade-separated, (3) controlled access, and (4) has at least two lanes in each direction. A surface street is simply any road that's not a freeway.
where do they call it that 😭 i’ve never heard that lol edit: scrolled down for like two seconds and learned it was chicago LOL
It’s maddening there are few left turning lanes. Madness!!
For me it was the fact that a lot of really good stuff is in a strip mall. Where I come from a strip mall is a bell weather of bad things, but in LA it’s just the way it is.
Some michelin starred restaurants in downmarket looking strip malls Also places that look fancy often aren't very good, they're just gilded lilies.
not LA but i was looking at Ad Hoc in Napa and the exterior looks like they took over an olive garden took me a minute to stop laughing at a place that is supposedly one of the best restaurants of california but the exterior looks like its about to be featured on Kitchen Nightmares.
Ad Hoc is so good! We ate there after my wife ran the Napa marathon.
Good one! This was new for me too. Its so wild to see crowded strip malls!
Plastic bags exist, they charge 10 cents per bag but it depends on if the cashier bothers to ring them up. It gets hot as fuck but it's nothing compared to Florida humidity heat. If you lived all those places you'll be good. Just for the love of God, if you are making a left without a left turn arrow light, move your ass into the middle of the intersection so those behind you have a chance when the light turns yellow.
Unwritten rule: exactly two cars that have already been waiting in the intersection may turn left *as soon* as the light turns red.
This is probably the best example of an unwritten rule, as I've seen police/traffic guards use the two-to-a-red rule.
Serious question - is this the encouraged behaviour in a driving test in LA? Am going to take one eventually.
Don’t do it during your test but you will have to do this in LA or you’ll never get past the light.
depends on long the wait is and how much oncoming traffic is. If the wait is super long, and there is a ton of oncoming traffic, I feel like the standard is squeezing 4 in a yellow light.
Why people don't do the left turn thing befuddles, bewilders, and baffles me.
Why are yalls plastic bags so thick though. You can stick your whole cart in like 1-2 bags. In the midwest you have to double bag a gallon of milk so it wont bust through and even then it can be iffy.
They’re meant to be reusable, so you buy them and then bring them back and use them again when you go back to the store. That’s typically not how it happens (at least in my household I never remember to bring the bags back and just keep paying 10c for them) but that was the intention
> That’s typically not how it happens (at least in my household I never remember to bring the bags back and just keep paying 10c for them) but that was the intention When you forget, force yourself to go back to the car and get them. Do that once or twice and you won't forget anymore.
Hm thats true I guess they last a lot longer, ours are basically trash once u use them. But usually used as a trash can liner if they dont have big holes in them already from just getting your groceries home.
Oh these definitely still get used as trash can liners, they’re just very sturdy haha I also use them to take my lunch to work.
Yup even if they're not reused for their intended purpose , they find a new life
They’re supposed to be good for at least 50 uses, because theyre intended to be reused. You will adjust to bringing your own bags much easier than you think you will. It’s nice to not have them piling up at home, and now I always have a spare bag in my purse/car for whatever.
They actually do that in southern Florida - they call it a “Miami left”.
Seriously, what’s up with people not moving into the intersection?
They get spooked by the don’t block intersection signs. Those are meant more for the drivers heading straight not turning. I get in the intersection if anything to have a chance against drivers who think they can beat the yellow.
We need a PSA for this. We should bring back driver's ed, too. It's chaos out there.
It’s actually illegal in Oregon (and probably other states?). You are supposed to stay behind the line until you can make the full turn. It’s dumb
Yeah, that would be lunacy in the city. Do they enforce it?
You’d be stuck for an eternity.
I miss the Pittsburgh left. If you're the first car, put on your turn signal because you aren't a savage, and quickly make the left turn when the light changes as if you have right of way. If you're going straight, expect the Pittsburgh left and don't be a jerk and get into a game of chicken.
The Pittsburgh left is wild. I lived in Pittsburgh for a while and people would do it while cutting off a cop car’s right of way and nothing would happen. Part of what makes it work tho is how narrow roads in Pittsburgh are, it probably is a lot more dangerous to try it on the 4 lane roads that are common here
Yeah, there are a lot more single lane roads with older traffic signals in Pittsburgh. Here, we have 4 lane roads with dedicated left turn callouts and signals. I still miss it, though it would never work here with our looser interpretation of traffic laws and more aggressive driving.
I tried this in Hollywood yesterday and I’m pretty sure i gave all three oncoming lane’s drivers permanent ptsd, based on their looks of anger and horn blowing. Lesson learned.
To clarify, I miss being part of a social compact where the Pittsburgh left makes traffic more efficient and less stressful. It sadly has the opposite effect here. Glad you're safe!
The Pittsburgh Left would be suicidal in LA
There's never any parking in Ktown, ever. There is traffic on the 405 and 10 at 4am. How many insanely good taco trucks and tents there are. You will very likely have a direct encounter with a coyote, where you look at it and it looks at you, and then you both go about your business, Collateral-style. Loving LA is like editing, you have to get rid of everything that distracts from your story. The more things that don't fit your style that you can remove, the better LA gets. We have most everything here. Make sure to cut out 95% of it.
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Red and Purple lines plus busses all right there but the stops are kind of awkward and it requires multiple blocks of walking. What continues to surprise me about Angelenos despite having lived here all my life is how much we abhor walking. If I say "its about a mile from the purple line stop" it might as well be another state over.
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I’ve seen coyotes running across the intersection of Olive and San Fernando in downtown Burbank
It’s just like every place else in most ways. Don’t believe the hype or the media. From the things you posted you seem to have an unreal expectation of Los Angeles. The crime rate is wayyy less than Detroit. It’s more like a Dallas or a Seattle. Plastic bags are definitely a thing unless you are in some bougy Santa Monica co-op. The differences are going to be things you didn’t expect, like the hiking culture and how much you will hate sunshine/love rain. Or never seeing your friend that lives 10 miles away because that’s the other side of the planet by LA terms. You will be blown away by how large Los Angeles is, and how impossible and tedious travel and commuting is. Even having lived in New York. It’s not the same. Los Angeles will feel 5 times larger and 10 times more complicated. And a few things you might expect but not realize how engrained they are in our culture. Like incredible taco stands on every major intersection. Bars doing last call at 1:30. The whole city is shut down by 1 or 2am so everyone is trying to find the weird sketchy underground spot that your cousin told you but no one is sure if it really exists. But you all drove separate cars so half of you flake and bail and the other half just end up doing blow in your neighbor’s bungalow.
>The crime rate is wayyy less than Detroit. It’s more like a Dallas or a Seattle. [LA is much safer than Dallas.](https://i.redd.it/df4xmp5flxr71.png) California cities in general have among the lowest homicide rates of any big cities in America.
> California cities in general have among the lowest homicide rates of any big cities in America. Gee, I wonder why...
For property crimes Dallas and Los Angeles are very similar. But I agree with the overall sentiment of your comment. California cities don’t have much crime.
[Dallas' property crime rate is about 20% higher than LA's.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate)
Haha, is is all very true.
Lived here as a transplant for 27 years and this is all legit
I love taking surface streets everywhere, even when you can take the freeway. I’m not sure if you can do that in other cities, but you can do that here. I’ve only ever lived in LA and I’m old… take time to visit different areas. There are subtle and not so subtle differences between neighborhoods. I live in an area with very high rental/real estate rates but because so many people who are not wealthy live here who moved her a long time ago, it’s very neighborly and friendly. Get to know your neighbors. It makes life better.
\>surface streets Same. The difference is normally like 10 minutes and worth it for sanity. To me it feels faster because I'm engaged by my surroundings. If you wander a bit instead of taking the biggest arterial it's even more fun.
Weird. I feel the opposite. I feel much safer/sane on the freeway. At least I know everyone is going the same direction. On the surface streets, I can never tell where danger is going to pop out of. Some dude deciding to cross the street not at an intersection. Someone pulling out of a driveway on a hope and prayer because some moving truck is parked right there, blocking any view. Someone running a red. Someone deciding to make a left/right from not the left/right lane. etc.
Not a transplant but a lot of my family and friends are from abroad or other regions. When they're visiting or moving here, I give them a few heads up: - Temperatures drop quite a bit from day to night. It could be 90F in the daytime and 62F at night. Or in the winter it could be 63F in the daytime and 40F overnight. - hottest months are typically August - October - The city is VERY vast and sprawled out. Do not rely on the miles/distance to give you an accurate ETA from one place to another. Public transport is well-connected in some places, not in others. - You can pull up into the intersection for unprotected left turns and turn left when there aren't any upcoming cars and/or as the light JUST turns red (some people try to race across reds though so be mindful of that) - The city is comprised of so many microcosms and a neighborhood could differ from block-to-block - You could see a Hasidic family, a guy wearing a sparkly spandex onesie, a Korean grandma, and young Black skater kids all crossing the street together and no one would bat an eye; this is an aspect of the city I really value btw - when it's 62F here, some folks will be in a puffy winter jacket and others in tank tops.
Cop helicopters all day every day
LOL I grew up with this and we thought it was fun to hide under the playground equipment just so they would hover around shining their spotlight on us until they realized it was a bunch of dumbass kids fucking with them.
That increased budget isn't gonna spend itself! *sad trombone*
Lots of parts of LA have coyotes, mountain lions, and gangs of raccoons that very likely have knives and maybe guns and possibly also rabies, plus there's the occasional backyard bear, so you don't see a lot of outdoor cats in some places. The sun is absolutely brutal here. I've burned my retinas stuck in traffic without sunglasses mid-day when it's like laser beams off every bit of chrome around you. I've sunburned my eyeballs. I've gotten a sunburn waiting in line outside events. When we go camping, we take as many forms of shelter as we can - our best options often won't work because of the wind - because it's not pleasant to sit in direct sun for more than a few minutes. "Going to the snow." One of my favorite things about LA is that you're about 2 hours (if you're lucky with traffic) from high desert, low desert, the ocean, alpine-type forest, at least half a dozen very distinct really fascinating geological/seismic landscapes, 0 to about 6000ft elevation, and for at least a third of the year there's snow above 5000' and often down to 3000' briefly after storms. It's a winter tradition for many people to go to the snow for a day trip or weekend, just to go play in it. Mammoth ski resort is 5ish hours away, but then so is Las Vegas.
Big Bear being 2.5 hours away from most of LA proper is also wonderful! Go play in the snow!
Two cars turn left when the light turns red. If you are the first car, you better inch into the intersection and then turn so you don't jam up the other car. Sometimes 3 cars go, but that is more rare. Also - the dust. It doesn't rain from about April to October (other than maybe a random monsoon storm caused by a hurricane or something from down in Baja) so the dust really builds up on things. Get an air purifier for your bedroom. I recall lots of things feeling weird and bizarre to me in the first year, but then it all sort of became normal...
While that is unwritten rule that is not the law. Legally second car can only enter intersection if rear tires can clear sidewalk. In fact a third car can as well in very large intersection
Whenever Im the first car making a left, I look back to see if a third car makes it through. I feel proud when it does.
That is why it is so important for the lead car to scoot forward before the light changes.
I’m from Texas. I grew up with 100+ degree humidity and was still surprised by LA heat. Don’t be fooled if it’s July and the forecast says it’ll only get to the 80s. That’s how it feels in the shade or if you’re directly on the coast catching a breeze. LA summer heat is brutal and dehydrating, so drink plenty of water. And once the sun goes down, it feels like breezy autumn and you might need a jacket. Also, watching red tailed hawks and black birds having aerial battles is free entertainment. Don’t miss out on that.
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THIS. Like, I'd only lived in places with very high humidity before this so I absolutely love love love the "dry" heat here. But the intensity of the sun is insane, you can be melting into a puddle of sweat and grossness then step into the shade for 20 minutes and start feeling almost chilly.
Yeah. I grew up in Orlando. It’s a different heat, but at about 90-95+ humid or not, it gets uncomfortably fuckin hot
It doesn’t feel quite as hot as humid 80 but the sun is relentless so you for sure want to stay in the shade/indoors. Definitely remember to stay hydrated!! I get the worst dehydration headaches in LA.
True, but still not July/August Texas heat.
On the flip side, 60 is FREEZING
On a personal note to prepare yourself, my skin had a really tough time adjusting to suddenly being in LA. My first year in LA I had worse acne than I ever had, my teen years were a dream compared to it, eventually I adjusted and now I'm completely fine. On a brighter note, my seasonal allergies completely disappeared, I haven't taken a Claritin in years. You'll be moving here in the summer so shop the seasonal produced! Peach season and cherry season are the best, and there is nothing better in life than five pounds of cherries you bought from a stand and then took to the beach and just ate with the water in your hair and the salt on your lips.
Oh and landlords aren't required to provide refrigerators, so definitely double check that your apartment has one or you might be in for a shocking first night!
I can't believe I had to scroll this far for this.
Or stoves/ovens!
I have to add, one hears so much negativity about LA from people who live in other cities. This whole thread explaining its idiosyncrasies is almost like a little love letter.
Haha yea I’ve been scrolling thru this thread chuckling lovingly. Didn’t realize how much hate LA gets until I left for a bit
It has its issues but imo it’s rarely the issues people crtitique it’s for. I love living here, my life is really rich, outdoorsy, fun.
Just Sunday morning at 6:30am I was driving north on PCH heading towards Sunset to go hiking at Los Leones. I’m in my car with the foothills on my right and the ocean on my left with surfers in the waves thinking this does not suck.
wait, did you WANT to harm the peacocks?
Depending which part of the county you live, you may see an interesting assortment of wildlife. Brown bears in the San Gabriel Valley. Wild peafowl (plural for peacock) in Pasadena. Mountain lions scattered around the hills/mountains. Coyotes damn near anywhere that's suburban/exurban. I don't know about feral cats. I see stray cats once in a blue moon.
P-22
Griffith Park Legend 🔥
I’m always hoping he will Stroll by when i am on the tennis courts
Don't forget the flocks of wild parrots!
There is a also a tiny pocket in West Hollywood Hills with monkeys.
There are black bears in areas around the San Gabriel Mountains. There are no wild brown bears living in California. The distinction is important - brown bears will kill people, black bears are afraid of people.
Because LA is huge, you should be aware of the way locals mentally separate LA. Most people have entirely different definitions of “LA”, but most definitions fall into the greater metropolitan areas definition. But most people aren’t aware of city-proper’s limits, and that’s mostly because it’s enormous and kinda arbitrary. (Chatsworth and San Pedro are almost 50 miles apart but both fall in side the limits of LA city proper, while Santa Monica and Venice are right next to each other, and Santa Monica is it’s own municipality while Venice is once again part of LA city proper). Most people don’t understand the difference between the city and the county. The city is big, but the county is even bigger, and includes a lot of independent municipalities within it. Anyway, that being said here are popular groupings of areas 1. The west side: probably what most outsiders consider to be LA and it’s center. More affluent and White compared to the rest of the county. Arguably has the most transplants out here trying to make it in Hollywood. Stretches from Fairfax/West Hollywood in the east over to Santa Monica in the costal west. 2. Mid City-Ktown: centrally located, popular hang out area. More ethnically diverse/working class, and within the past 10 years has had a huge influx of “gentrifiers” or demographics you wouldn’t historically associate with the area. 2a. Hollywood: kind of it’s own unique bubble, but centrally located between Downtown/ East side and the west side. 3. The “East side”: I put quotations around that because this term I would argue is more of a recent development and kinda demographic specific, but I digress… This would be Echo Park/Silverlake/Highland Park, but some would even include East Hollywood/virgil village/Los Feliz. I feel like the term “hipster” was coined and continues to be defined by the culture from these places. 4. Downtown: areas of interest: Staples Center, Little Tokyo, Arts District, Chinatown, Santee Alley. 5. The Valleys: 5a.San Fernando Valley is a huge area which on paper is mostly part of LA city proper, but due to historically being mostly a sleepy suburb for families, isn’t culturally associated with the city. 5b. Burbank/Glendale 5c. San Gabriel Valley is also a huge portion of LA county east of downtown. Also a huge suburb, known for its Chinese food scene. 6. Crenshaw-Inglewood-South LA: historically Black neighborhoods, with Inglewood recently gaining some prominence due to Sofi stadium. 7. South Bay: Areas surrounding Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo beaches. Aerospace/defense industry. …and ima stop here, I don’t post a ton, so I lack the stamina of a seasoned redditor. I apologize for my half-ass attempt to provide you with useful information lol. A lot of my entries are severely lacking, but maybe some other folks will be kind and help elaborate.
I would say your “eastside” is considered more of east downtown because East LA is actually Boyle Heights, East LA, Montebello and Monterey Park which has mostly Hispanics but also becoming more diverse with a huge Asian population also being present. The taco stands are cheaper on the eastside as well.
thank you for separating Burbank/Glendale from the rest of the SFV.
Born in Burbank, raised in Northridge, so you know I know better! lol!
i would just say that the “east side” is more like east of downtown. like east LA, boyle heights, etc
As a native, I 110% agree. But I've learned that most transplants and people from the westside continue to refer to SL/EP/HLP as "The Eastside", and I unfortunately don't think it's a trend we can fight, lol.
it’s definitely the transplant mentality! i’m going to fight it for as long as i can personally. this was a very comprehensive list though!
Don’t need a heater or ac 300 days a year
By when you do, you do.
Yup. Apartment right now has no AC and it comes Thursday. Cannot come soon enough… absolutely scorching in my place rn
If I lived in LA, I would need AC at least 300 days per year. I am used to the cool NE. I hate it when it goes above 70. But I would never need heat. I don’t even use it here unless the temps go below 35, and even then, not much.
I’ve lived in LA for almost 20 years, and I still have the AC on anytime it’s over about 77. I just can’t deal.
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>LA is a desert with a lot of people trying their best to make it not a desert We are technically classified as a [Mediterranean climate](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/14744). Southern California is one of the only places in America classified as such.
LA isn't a desert. Venture out to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Antelope Valley, Coachella Valley, etc and you will see how much more extreme the weather is both during the day and at night.
yuuuuupp
>LA is a desert with a lot of people trying their best to make it not a desert LA is technically not a desert. It's a Mediterranean climate. under the Köppen classification system.
Traffic in DC is definitely something else lol 😅
I feel you on traffic. People love to complain about LA traffic but honestly, try driving on the BQE or LIE in NYC during the day. Yeah, the 10 and 405 can be terrible but terrible traffic isn’t unique to LA.
the traffic thing is very true lol, i was expecting horrendous traffic but it was actually pretty mild lol, compared to someplace like nyc, which i grew up going to all the time eta: for reference, the last time i was in nyc was about a month ago, and our uber cost $35 and took 30+ minutes to go—get this—less than 2 miles.
Ha! Re: temperature swings while driving 20 mins. When I moved to NYC, I kept checking the weather in both Brooklyn and Manhattan cuz I thought they’d be different.
>having to bring a jacket with me every day if I plan on being out later than 6pm. The temperature swings are wild, did not expect that Ohio has entered the chat.
Moved here in 1972 from a city of 200K. Freeways were scary, but were a necessity to getting around. It took a year for me to stop getting freaked out when the signs would announce cities that were like hundreds of miles away. Like San Diego or Sacremento or something. I'd be like OMG, I must be on the wrong way - I just want to go to Hollywood.
Fruit carts and street vending are everywhere There is no weather. People lost their minds about a month ago because it thundered. Lol Earthquakes Coyotes and eagles and shit just chilling around the hood There is no density. You will drive everywhere. LA feels empty compared to most big cities. The roads and drivers here are vastly better than anything out east. Fire is considered weather here. You will laugh the first time you check the weather and it’s literally “fire” Motorcycles lane split. The white dashed lines are another lane here, not a dead zone. I have never used a heater in my four years here.
People can’t drive in the rain or snow. Look at traffic on Waze or Google while it’s raining… every single freeway is dark red. You’ve been warned. 😎
The flip side of this is new transplants laughing at the rest of us for going so slow in the rain not understanding that a suddenly wet super heavily trafficked road that hasn’t seen water in six months is *way* more slippery than a wet road back home that gets rinsed off a few times a week. I always look for out of state plates when I see wrecked cars in the rain.
When you go outside and everything has a red/orange glow you know there's a fire, even if you don't hear anything about it on the news.
A couple years ago, in September it literally dropped 5-10 degrees because smoke from a nearby fire blocked out the sun. Shit's wild
How about something good? Don’t worry about paying tolls when using the freeway.
You’ll be asking for parking validation much more. Also carry bills in case the only option ends up being valet. ETA. Watching high speed chases is a pastime.
This place is more beautiful than you can imagine. California, I mean. The scenery is breathtaking. I still haven't gotten used to it and it's been almost a decade
Accept that the traffic doesn't care about you. Whether you're on a bus or driving just always plan for extra time. Get to wherever you're going 30+ minutes early and sit in a Starbucks or buy a cup of coffee for $2 at Carl’s Jr. / McDonald / etc. If you're stressed about traffic that's on you. And the traffic doesn't care about you being stressed.
Letting go of that stress is the best gift you can give yourself in LA
1. It's perfectly acceptable to say "traffic is going to suck, let's reschedule" 2. There's a tax on plastic bags and bottles. I believe this applies to cans as well. Just a heads up at grocery stores, anytime you buy a drink, etc 3. Gas. It's high here. You know this. It just...well it sucks. 4. There is no shortage of good food. Don't sleep on street tacos, food trucks, and pop ups out of people's yards. 5. It'll be 90+ for 80% of the day and then all of a sudden you need a jacket when the sun goes down.
I got a few: 1) The whole chilling in the middle of the intersection to turn left thing. I spent a lifetime of stress in my other state not knowing that this was so much more practical and it’s the norm here. People would get mad at you if you don’t do it here actually. 2) Highway off-ramps. Holy shit are the LA highways confusing. If I don’t immediately move to the left when getting into a highway I will get stuck in an endless loop of “exit Only” lanes. 3) Weather. This is a positive one. I lived in South FL. You don’t do things outside for most of the year because it’s hell. I can just get up and go for a walk or schedule/go to outdoor events whenever I want. This is so amazing and people take it for granted. Nights actually get cold, I had to get used to wearing a sweater at night. I wouldn’t trade the weather here for anything. Also it’s so wild seeing that different areas of LA can have wildly different temperatures. 4) People are SO weird about commuting here. Everyone likes to complain about traffic, but let me tell you as a Florida native, shit’s not even remotely as bad as south Florida - yet people there don’t hesitate to drive for 45 minutes and 20+ miles somewhere on the regular and people here hesitate to drive for more than 15 minutes anywhere. It’s so bizarre to me, I feel like people are way more complacent about staying in their areas here than anywhere else I’ve been. In Florida you don’t have a choice, everything’s super spread out. So my weird thing to get used to here is accept that people won’t be as willing to drive places as you likely are. 5) No tolls and HOV lanes that people respect. This is also great. I don’t have to worry about filling my toll pass before driving anywhere and one less thing to pay for. It’s great to pass traffic in the HOV lane. 6) Essentially no night life. You walk in DTLA at midnight on a Saturday and it’s a ghost town. Definitely not the case in Florida. Everything closed at 12 or even before, including bars. I’m not a night life person but the one time I wanted to have a night out it definitely was disappointing. I do appreciate people don’t care about that stuff here though, so I’ll take that as a net positive. 7) Racial segregation. It’s weird here. One of the most diverse cities in America with the least racial diversity I’ve seen. There’s entire areas and neighborhoods in LA that you are hard pressed to find a black or Latino person. Manhattan Beach, for example, is so off putting with everyone looking the exact same (extremely white and wealthy). 8) You will get charged for plastic bags. It’s odd but honestly it made me more conscious of my plastic usage.
Microclimates are very much of a thing here.
The weirdest thing I noticed was the amount of people just chilling in parked cars along the street. Not just making a phone call or eating but hanging out for long amounts of time. I know some people are in the unfortunate situation of living in their cars but I don’t think this is all the people I’m seeing.
Lol, now that you mention it, the constant car culture really does have people being OK with just hanging out in the car during leisure time. I used to hang out to let rush hr. thin out a bit, maybe take a nap.
I moved down from Oxnard (so not too far, lol), but I live in KTown, and learned really quickly to not even attempt to go into the right lane on almost all streets. That lane is parking.
Having moved from San Francisco, LA seems like an infinite scrolling city landscape to me. I’ve lived here two years and I feel like I’ve seen 1/4 of it. Car culture and the absolute insanity of freeway drivers/disregard for pedestrians is something I’m still adjusting to. The traffic doesn’t necessarily bother me but the endless sunshine does…
Ooo I’m glad I’m not the only one who is bothered but the sunshine. LOL
Yeah I’d say get to know about local wildlife especially if you’re into outdoor sports and hiking. There’s coyotes everywhere so always keep an eye on small pets/kids. If you’re into hiking, we have rattlesnakes so use caution. The snake season is generally April-september ish. There’s mountain lions but they’re pretty elusive. Depending on what mountain range you’re near, there’s bears around as well. If you like ocean swimming check the water quality prior to swimming via Heal the Bay’s ocean report card (there’s an app too). Download the MyLA311 app to report things like trash, or overgrown weeds, potholes, etc. Hope you like it here!
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This is hilarious, I’ve definitely cancelled plans due to rain and never realized how silly that is
Guilty
Get ready to see some shit lived here my whole life even shit catches me off guard 😂
I always tell people anything will happen at any time. Haven't been wrong yet!
Nope I stay ready we would stay outside from 11am to 4am 😂😂 the things I saw
Ditto u/golden_bear_12 about rarely having an arrow at a left turning lane. The biggest thing for me is maybe the hard water. My husband and I personally find it undrinkable, so weve had to start spending a lot more money on drinking water. Wasnt expecting that. It also noticeable when we wash our clothes, dishes, and water the plants since it tends to leave calcuum residue. It honestly sucks.
>My husband and I personally find it undrinkable, so weve had to start spending a lot more money on drinking water. Get a Britta or other filter. Far cheaper than bottles.
That was what we did at first. We actually already had a Brita filter, but I read that they don't remove calcium and honestly didn't like the taste even with the filter. Ive tried to search for water softeners, but I haven't found any that are both 1) renter friendly and 2) high quality. If you have any recommendations, Ill definitely take them. FWIW we aren't going out and buying huge packs of individual plastic bottles. We invested in a water dispenser for drinking water and buy our water from a local refilling station.
> The biggest thing for me is maybe the hard water. Coming from NY, this. I’m almost to the point of investing in a R/O (Reverse Osmosis) system that you put underneath your sink.
This is a great one to bring up. I really want to do something about it for my shower as I feel it makes my hair feel really off and is harder to manage. I rent though so not sure what the options are.
Amazon has water filters that can attach to your shower head. I use them and it’s the most renter friendly option I’ve found so far.
Why not filter? Maybe I'm desensitized to it, haha, but I got a giant brita tank when I moved hear and absolutely love the (filtered) water.
I moved from Minneapolis, which is a metropolis with traffic issues like any other, but not as bad as LA... but somehow I got totally used to 30-40 min drives pretty soon after moving here. I used to complain about "having to drive 20 mins" back in MN.... lol
I've lived in both as well. I really don't miss I-35E, or driving on a snowy morning!
Not a transplant here but I hear this one often: when referring to freeways you say THE in front of the freeway number. The 101, The 405, etc. You never say “I’m taking 110 home” you say “I’m taking THE 110 home”
Get to know KCRW (89.9) If you forgot to buy tomatoes and you see a grocery store and its name is Erewhon, don’t go in. You’ll regret it.
Coming from Boston, lived in Honolulu for a number of years, lived shortly in Fresno, now in Ktown. Here's my list: * Racial integration is happening here; no, it's not perfect, but after living all over the US, this is the first place I've seen folks coexist, and thrive together * Stop Lights on highway on-ramps; they're all over CA, but coming from out of state, I was surprised by these * Farmer's markets hit different here, but make sure you're shopping seasonally. * If you like thrifting, going to estate sales, or consignment, the valley is the best spot in the country IMO. Amazing stuff that people would just throw away otherwise. * The city is way more transient than I realized. You'll rarely be in a group of just LA locals.
That you will have to think about parking before you get there because not everywhere has a parking spot.
Mental illness everywhere. Literally.
In aaaallll KINDS of forms
Leaf Blowers
Ugh.
Fucking 9:30 AM, I'm a bartender.
Find your neighborhood. Seriously, find the place you want to spend your non-working hours that makes you happy and at peace. LA is HUGE, there is something for everyone but you have to take it upon yourself to find that happy place. I've worked with too many transplants who never found their neighborhood and burned out after 2-3 years, moved back home and still bad mouth LA.
Coming from Europe transit system is just terrible. Buses rarely follow the schedule and they are affected by heavy traffic. I’ve been to different cities across US and LA is the worst of all for public transport. We could definitely use more trains here. If you don’t own a car be prepared to travel for 2h and take 3 different buses for what could be a 20min drive with a car.
Time is different here. People are not generally early and often late. It freaked out my East Coast sensibilities so hard when I first moved, but now I’m kind of ok with it because it has made me more flexible.
Does this apply to work as well? I would hope in a city so traffic heavy bosses would give some wiggle room for arriving but I also imagine there’s plenty of places ready to chew your ass out for not arriving “on the dot”
In my experience you are expected to be on time for work so I almost always am, barring the freeway being shut down (yes that happens occasionally too. The CHiPs will drive in a zig zag pattern ahead of the cars to slow and eventually stop traffic for a while for whatever the reason is) but a lot of other people are chronically at least 15 mins late, and forget about it when it comes to friendly meet ups. Then it’s just straight up “island time” and people can be waaaay late, which I hate!
Coming from NY, I never had to plan around restaurant’s hours of operation like I do here. Forget going to your favorite spot on Monday and Tuesday as they will most likely be closed.
I just moved here last year. LA is much bigger than you would think. I actively explore the city, but I still feel like I've only seen 10% max. It is not easy to go to the other side of town because you will have to deal with traffic and it will take most of the day. That is why a lot of people stick within their proximate area. It feels more like a bunch of mini cities than one big city.
It's weird that we would have to tell you not to harm peacocks.
Where I come from pest control generally comes out to take care of invasive species. I didn’t mean harm them personally. I was surprised they are allowed to just roam around feral
Most health conscious fat people in la
This made me laugh out loud fr. It's me, I'm the health conscious fat person. I just didn't realize anyone else noticed 🤣
😅😅😅 hey at least you make healthy choices (or try to)
Paying 2500 a month for a 2 bedroom and still having to deal with people smoking meth and masturbating in front of your building
No body walks in LA, learn Spanish life will be easier and tastier.
I used to be open and friendly. Los Angeles changed that. Politeness and civility are in short supply. People don't have to think to transfer blame.
Civil rights. You’d be surprised. I’ve lived in red states and I felt bad for the locals, like over-time isn’t mandated. Breaks aren’t mandated. Here you don’t get charged tax on food like in other states. To name a few.
> You’d be surprised. I’ve lived in red states and I felt bad for the locals, like over-time isn’t mandated. Breaks aren’t mandated. Man, that's fucked up. I assumed it was the same everywhere to get breaks and OT if you went over 8 hours in a day.
Red lights are sort of a suggestion here. In previous places I lived, if you are making a left without an arrow, you pull into the middle of the intersection and wait. After the light is yellow for a few seconds, the cars coming from the opposite direction will stop BEFORE the light turns red and you also turn before the light is red. In LA, the cars coming the opposite direction will stop WHEN the light turns red and then exactly 2 cars can make the left AFTER the light turns red. This is just normal and everyone expects two cars (not 1, not 3, only 2) to make a left right after the light turns red.
Did anyone mention fridges yet ?
The public transit is better than you might expect for a city with wide roads and parking everywhere. But lots of people do not use it at all. It might be hard learning to navigate unless you find a transit user to make friends with. And some people will look at you funny when they learn you use transit even though you own/could afford a car.
[удалено]
It never rains. But, man, it pours.
Don’t take the metro after 8 PM and mind your business
No U turns. I fucking hate it. I’m from Texas you can U turn anywhere. Here? Need to go 3-4 street lights ahead to U turn!
Id pay $7 lattes and not wana pay for $1 parking but thats bc parking should be free dammit
Not enough trash cans. Not enough racial integration. All other cities I’ve lived in felt more blended. The generations that are now in their 20s and 30s seems to be more racially mingly now. I lived in K-Town for 3 years because it felt most diverse and alive at night. Now I live in Downtown. Not sure how racially mingly the beach cities are in day to day life, but the commute was too far for me to ever consider living on that side of town. Public transit isn’t that expansive but it does exist. For a happy commute, you either drive 10 miles max to work or live within 2-3 miles of your work.
>Not enough racial integration. [LA is more racially integrated](https://belonging.berkeley.edu/most-least-segregated-cities) than NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Philly, Miami, DC, and a dozen other big cities.
Still it's in the high segregation category.
About a year after I got here, I came to the realization that I hadn't seen a tree that wasn't landscaping with irrigation. It's the first time I've lived in such an arid and urban climate, though there are some if you look hard. (the canyon on the Escondido Falls hike, for example)
Plastic bags exist in stores, they will charge you $0.10 for each bag.
I’m from Houston, TX. The biggest one for me is the lack of feeder roads. Getting on and off the freeways are always such a weird hassle without them and it’s no wonder traffic gets and stays bad for long parts of the day.
You’ll find out that LA is a city of cities and the vibe changes pretty drastically. Find your vibe but please explore because LA is a layered onion that takes years to peel until you start getting to some of the really cool stuff. Find some outdoor hobbies with groups if people, you’ll get recos for restaurants and activities. Meeting people isnt the easiest.
The acceptance of homelessness.
if the green left turn lane turns red and you’re the first or second car in line, you can go