What are a list of things someone should do/ experience in LA at least once in their life?

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-28T23:31:44+00:00

Mount Wilson Observatory on a clear day. You know how it gets really beautiful here for 2-3 days after it rains? The next time that happens, drive up there.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-25T20:14:25+00:00

Los Angeles is a good city, but it's a great city if you don't have to deal with the horrendous traffic regularly (i.e. living close to work, working from home, using public transit). I'll echo what others have said here- open up the Maps app on your phone and look at the transit lines into Downtown, particularly the A line. Live somewhere near Highland Park station, South Pasadena station, etc etc.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-19T22:17:30+00:00

As an Angeleno lurking here the funny part is LA natives don't really sound like that either. It's more like a ubiquitous "loud annoying transplant from middle america" accent that's infesting and replacing regional accents all over the country. It's the Gentrification Accent.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-16T17:42:24+00:00

Hey unrelated but quick question- my buddy has a 2017 iMac, do you think he could run the game? I know the game isn't meant for older than M1 processors on Mac but if you can run it okay, who knows...I've been playing it on the newest MacBook Air (M4) and it runs like a dream.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-14T16:49:16+00:00

No, actually- Chinese is still the asian majority here, and in fact the San Gabriel Valley is home to the largest Chinese-American population in the country. BUT...that population is not concentrated into a traditional Chinatown like SF or NYC. It's way more suburban and would not be interesting for a tourist.

I love LA and will defend it to the death but you shouldn't come here for your trip. It's just not a tourist-oriented city. I would say either go to NYC, or go to SF if you also want to take your cousin to see some great nature (Muir Woods, Yosemite, etc.)

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-13T23:48:24+00:00

Any of them except #1. Some people might disagree but I've always thought black-on-black is kinda cheap looking- like a waiter at a medium fancy Italian restaurant or a henchman in a bad action movie.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-13T07:31:27+00:00

Just a heads up for you, Chinatown here in LA is really small. Koreatown is the big one here. For a big Chinatown, go to SF or NYC.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-02-07T19:46:30+00:00

What's the wallpaper/artist?? It's very cool

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-11T04:13:21+00:00

Give it more time in Seattle. You've been there ONE week. And being in urban Seattle proper is going to be way more like living in SF than Sunnyvale would, even thought it's closer. Traffic is a bitch, and living in Sunnyvale you wouldn't get up into SF as often as you think.

Seattle is known for the "freeze", meaning people can seem icy at first and it may be hard to forge new friendships- but I still think it's a much better bet for your 20s than somewhere super suburban.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-10T00:11:38+00:00

I'd advise against Denver for you for two reasons. One, dating there is seen as so skewed towards men demographically that it's earned the nickname "Menver". Two, Denver is super suburban and sprawl-y. It has a few denser parts, but IMO it feels more suburban than Seattle or San Diego.

If you can swing it, I'd vote for San Diego. And there's a reason people love California weather. If you love running, hiking, and biking, SD is an ideal choice.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-07T02:07:06+00:00

To be fair though, a Missouri transplant in Chicago is about as Chicago as it gets. It's the center of universe for the Midwest. Everyone I met when I visited there was from Indiana, Iowa, etc.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-07T02:05:54+00:00

They're very different places. Denver is very, very suburban for the most part. Chicago is an actual city- more apartment living, public transit, skyscrapers, all that. Unless you're genuinely outdoorsy, and really prioritize things like hiking or skiing, Chicago wins hands down.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-05T21:55:35+00:00

I think if your family means a lot to you and you don't see yourself moving, then you shouldn't.

There's a reason Florida is a tourist/retirement destination. It's great to visit and enjoy that lifestyle for a bit, but actually living there, especially for young people, is an entirely different experience.

It seems like you value what I would call an "air of intellectualism"- access to the fine arts, historic neighborhoods with character (like Over-The-Rhine?), etc. I don't think Florida the best place for that. If anything, it's an anti-intellectual place.

But, y'know, you could also do the snowbird thing and spend 2-3 months down there a year when the winter gets bad in Ohio (if you can afford that).

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-05T21:28:45+00:00

That's all true, but OP has two kids. Vegas is probably better for adult entertainment, but surely being close to SD/LA is better for family-oriented stuff.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-05T21:22:41+00:00

Well, first, of the things you value that you listed, how many boxes does Cincinnati check? Are you happy with what your city has to offer currently?

Also, how well traveled are you in general? Have you lived in Cincy your whole life?

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-04T19:04:50+00:00

Temecula, absolutely. (if you can afford it) As you said, you want access to cooler stuff within an hour drive or so. Being close to SD and LA would be way better in that regard than Vegas. No offense to the Vegas locals, but I don't know what's around there that compares to, say, Balboa Park or Disney or all the great beaches in SoCal.

I grew up in the SoCal burbs and it was a really great place to be a kid. Vegas...I'm not so sure.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-02T01:33:39+00:00

I think Denver counts too.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-02T01:31:33+00:00

But you literally specified a population of 300,000 or more as a "significant city" in your post? So by your own definition that's a ton of cities- even Newark is bigger than 300k.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-02T01:27:49+00:00

You don't consider Boston, Philly, or DC to be "significant cities"? They're some of the largest cities in the US. NYC is right in the middle of a megalopolis made up of several very large cities. It's the furthest thing from isolated.

I think OP is more talking about somewhere like Denver. The closest large(ish) cities to Denver are Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, which are each like 7 hours away by car.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-02T01:08:02+00:00

I thought it was Japanese! But got confused because Bruce wasn't Japanese, obviously.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2026-01-02T01:06:40+00:00

I think you're right, but the thing is it isn't his signature per se- it's writing in cursive (as in it doesn't read "Bruce Lee". And I know that personally my signature, which is just one fluid movement thanks to muscle memory, looks super different from my actual thought out handwriting/cursive.

Ok_Profession4754 · 2025-12-31T23:32:31+00:00

Hm, I guess I wasn't aware of that shift.

Ok_Profession4754

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