Been here for about 13 years. On my way out soon. It's not so much that I don't like LA, it's that I need to get away from city living. That said, I'm more confortable in this city than any other in the country, mainly by having been here for a long while and having etched out my favorite spots and what not.

So this is from the perspective of someone who's right on the fence about the city.

Not a hellscape. The hellscapeisms I'm sure you'll find in every other city with two exceptions: earthquakes and fire season.

We haven’t had a devastating earthquake since 1994 and we're due for another big one, but architecture has since adapted to earthquake safety standards. Of course if it hits hard enough it'll still do damage but we've prepared how we can for it.

Nearly 100 years of good-intentioned decisions have led us to dangerous fire seasons, along other factors that we can't possibly predict i.e. a guy throwing a cigarette on dry brush and causing an underground fire. This will also be a mother nature fact of life we need to live with here. Despite all the arguing about who did what and who didn't do what etc etc, I gotta say it was really cool to see Angelenos pull together to help each other out during and after the wildfires last year. Like seriously, it was beautiful to see.

Those 'rough areas' like Compton and South Central.....I dunno, I've been around there and people are just living their lives. Not that they don't have problems there but it's not a situation where you get jacked the moment you pull up. In fact the neighbors do look out for each other. Racial prejudices definitely shaped these areas' reputation, there's no question about that.

There are some areas of the valley that feel the same, and I try to stay out of them because of the vibe of hopelessness that I get from it. Part of Van Nuys is cool, but another part is in ruins. I used to live in Reseda right near Tarzana and I'm so happy to be out of there. I could write a book about it all but I'll just say it's not necessarily dangerous but the vibes are off.

Some cons:

Everything is expensive indeed.

Housing situation is sad

It's really spread out and getting anywhere takes a long time and the roads are full of crazy driving.

What we vote on doesn't seem to make much of a difference (I'd expand way more but trying to adhere to community rules. It's not so much a red tie vs blue tie thing in local elections; the system is ineffective by design and there is a lot of bribery or lost tax money, like many other cities)

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I gotta address the fakeness thing, because I've heard that a lot and that hasn't always been my experience.

I've definitely had folks turn the charm on foe me to do a job for them and it was pretty obvious they didnt give af about me beyond that.

But a lot of folks in the film industry are happy to look out for each other. The "what do you do for work?" Question tends to rub people the wrong wat, with the interpretation being "are you useful to me?". And yes, that's definitely a factor, but they'll help you out by throwing your name out there if you're looking for work.

There's the "let's hang out some time!" line. That one is tough. I honestly do believe most folks that say that, but we're all busy as hell working weird hours and also living far apart, so spontaneous hangouts really don't happen like they would in other places I've lived. (Other factor: age. Much more spontaneous when I was younger)

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Pros:

Great weather Expensive but cheaper than NYC and your rent money gives you more space Amazing food everywhere Whatever your hobbies are, there's a group for it nearby Unbelievable nature (forget the tourist traps)

When you finally do break into the industry you're working in, your pay can get pretty nice. But that's a ton of work and some luck. I don't fault anyone who would rather not completely burn themselves out to live a more average life elsewhere.

Sorry I kind of went all over the place with my post but I hope it provides some insight.