My last time out here I said I could see why I might consider moving out west at some point. This trip has made me realize that probably wouldn't happen. L.A. isn't a city, it's a bunch of cities stitched together, none of which have decent transportation options outside of owning your own car. Cabs? Overpriced and hard to find. Buses? I saw two the whole time I was here. Shuttles? I took one from the airport and it took me 2.5 hours to get to my hotel ... a co-worker who took a later flight actually checked in before me! Trains? Uh uh. And even when you do have a car, traffic is always a hassle.I find it slightly terrifying that transportation options are so limited, especially when I do something like walk into a bar to find it packed with people chugging shots and downing beers only to see them stumble out to the valet to collect their cars and weave home. I'm not saying Chicago doesn't have more than its fair share of drunk drivers, but at least the city gives you an option to get home otherwise after an evening of carousing.
So it's funny, after all the preconceptions I thought would keep me from likeing L.A. -- the plastic girls, the burnished boys, smog, fakeness, celebrity culture, blah de blah -- the one actual reason that turns me off of the city is its lack of transportation options.
Go figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment