7 ms·

But then you have no choice but to get everywhere by car. It's an awful life for some people.

fjabre 8y ago
Not true. Many of these neighborhoods are extremely walkable. I used to live in one called West Hollywood
trixie_ 8y ago
You mean people without a car? Because the freedom of having a car and being able to go literally anywhere relatively quickly is pretty great. I've lived in both LA and NYC for a number of years. In both places you can easily live 10 minutes from where you work, or an hour away. Where you live/work is up to you.
- michaelchisari 8y ago
  relatively quickly I don't know what Los Angeles you live in.
  - trixie_ 8y ago
    Every workplace in LA has housing within a 20 minute rush hour commute. If you don't want to live close by that's on you. When I do drive places other than work it's not during rush hour so the traffic isn't that bad. NYC isn't any different and often even if you live close by the commute can still easily be 40 minutes between walking to stations, waiting for trains, and changing trains. Personally I'd rather be stuck in my car than stuck in a train.
    - michaelchisari 8y ago
      Personally I'd rather be stuck in my car than stuck in a train. Agree to disagree.
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  LA has the worst traffic in the nation. They responded to traffic problems by just building more and harder, and it just made the problem worse. Which is why they're starting to turn around and embrace multi-modal development. Cars are nice for some things, but they don't scale well. The bigger the city, the worse cars work.
  - fjabre 8y ago
    Ive lived in NY and LA. I definitely had worse traffic problems in NYC than LA. Ive never seen my GPS do the sort of gymnastics it did when driving to Long Island during rush hour.
    - TulliusCicero 8y ago
      https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-us-cities-with-the-worst-traffic-2018-2 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-us-cities-with-the-wo... Of course, NYC is #2, so not much better. But at least there you have a viable option besides driving.
    - ahoy 8y ago
      The point is that in NYC you have other transit options. In LA you (realistically) dont.
      - starpilot 8y ago
        Living carless in LA is getting better every year. Keep in mind the massive amounts of bike lanes being built, and perfect cycling weather year round. Along with the Metro and rideshare, it's pretty feasible to not have a car.
        TulliusCicero 8y ago
        > Keep in mind the massive amounts of bike lanes being built Weather I'll give you, how many miles of bike lanes are really being built though? What's the ratio between bike lane miles vs car lane miles in the city? What percentage of the bike lanes are protected vs unprotected? Are there any protected intersections? I don't dispute that LA is taking biking more seriously, but it'll be a loooooong time before biking is even a second class citizen like walking in LA.
- thret 8y ago
  He means with a car. I would be very averse to buying a house somewhere that required me to drive everywhere.
- paulcole 8y ago
  Not having a car is freedom. I’m 35 and have never driven and hopefully never will. Can’t imagine having another expense and hassle to deal with. I have a nice bicycle, live near work, and can get to the beach or mountains fairly easily by either bike or mass transit.
  - trixie_ 8y ago
    Pick any 2 points in LA and compare the time between driving and public transit. Thinking of all the places I travel to around here like the desert, mountains, Vegas, beaches, etc.. I can't imagine not having a car.
    - paulcole 8y ago
      Believe it or not there’s a world outside of LA.
  - michaelchisari 8y ago
    I lived without a car for 4 years in Chicago and it was bliss. If I really needed one, I had a car rental place nearby. I took public transportation everywhere. I walked everywhere. I didn't have to worry about where I parked or getting towed or broken into. I live in LA now and I miss that sense of freedom every day.
- astura 8y ago
  Sitting in miles of traffic for hours a day then worrying about parking is just not a life I'd want to live.
jazzyjackson 8y ago
I thought this, but it really only holds true if you work in a different neighborhood you live (likely tho it is) I've spent some time in Marina del Ray and Long Beach, and they're walkable cities in their own right if you ignore the rest of LA (my preferred strategy)
- fjabre 8y ago
  And isolated away from the LA sprawl Long Beach and Marina/Venice/SM are sizable cities unto themselves. It's a common misconception. Yes LA is not walkable but many cities inside of it are and are some of the most walkable places I've visited in the US.
  - gamblor956 8y ago
    Marina Del Rey and Venice are actually just neighborhoods of the city of LA. Santa Monica and Long Beach are their own cities.
    - zjaffee 8y ago
      MDR isn't a neighborhood in LA either, it's technically an unincorporated part of LA county.

Not true. Many of these neighborhoods are extremely walkable. I used to live in one called West Hollywood

You mean people without a car? Because the freedom of having a car and being able to go literally anywhere relatively quickly is pretty great. I've lived in both LA and NYC for a number of years. In both places you can easily live 10 minutes from where you work, or an hour away. Where you live/work is up to you.

michaelchisari 8y ago
relatively quickly I don't know what Los Angeles you live in.
- trixie_ 8y ago
  Every workplace in LA has housing within a 20 minute rush hour commute. If you don't want to live close by that's on you. When I do drive places other than work it's not during rush hour so the traffic isn't that bad. NYC isn't any different and often even if you live close by the commute can still easily be 40 minutes between walking to stations, waiting for trains, and changing trains. Personally I'd rather be stuck in my car than stuck in a train.
  - michaelchisari 8y ago
    Personally I'd rather be stuck in my car than stuck in a train. Agree to disagree.
TulliusCicero 8y ago
LA has the worst traffic in the nation. They responded to traffic problems by just building more and harder, and it just made the problem worse. Which is why they're starting to turn around and embrace multi-modal development. Cars are nice for some things, but they don't scale well. The bigger the city, the worse cars work.
- fjabre 8y ago
  Ive lived in NY and LA. I definitely had worse traffic problems in NYC than LA. Ive never seen my GPS do the sort of gymnastics it did when driving to Long Island during rush hour.
  - TulliusCicero 8y ago
    https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-us-cities-with-the-worst-traffic-2018-2 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-us-cities-with-the-wo... Of course, NYC is #2, so not much better. But at least there you have a viable option besides driving.
  - ahoy 8y ago
    The point is that in NYC you have other transit options. In LA you (realistically) dont.
    - starpilot 8y ago
      Living carless in LA is getting better every year. Keep in mind the massive amounts of bike lanes being built, and perfect cycling weather year round. Along with the Metro and rideshare, it's pretty feasible to not have a car.
      - TulliusCicero 8y ago
        > Keep in mind the massive amounts of bike lanes being built Weather I'll give you, how many miles of bike lanes are really being built though? What's the ratio between bike lane miles vs car lane miles in the city? What percentage of the bike lanes are protected vs unprotected? Are there any protected intersections? I don't dispute that LA is taking biking more seriously, but it'll be a loooooong time before biking is even a second class citizen like walking in LA.
thret 8y ago
He means with a car. I would be very averse to buying a house somewhere that required me to drive everywhere.
paulcole 8y ago
Not having a car is freedom. I’m 35 and have never driven and hopefully never will. Can’t imagine having another expense and hassle to deal with. I have a nice bicycle, live near work, and can get to the beach or mountains fairly easily by either bike or mass transit.
- trixie_ 8y ago
  Pick any 2 points in LA and compare the time between driving and public transit. Thinking of all the places I travel to around here like the desert, mountains, Vegas, beaches, etc.. I can't imagine not having a car.
  - paulcole 8y ago
    Believe it or not there’s a world outside of LA.
- michaelchisari 8y ago
  I lived without a car for 4 years in Chicago and it was bliss. If I really needed one, I had a car rental place nearby. I took public transportation everywhere. I walked everywhere. I didn't have to worry about where I parked or getting towed or broken into. I live in LA now and I miss that sense of freedom every day.
astura 8y ago
Sitting in miles of traffic for hours a day then worrying about parking is just not a life I'd want to live.

jazzyjackson 8y ago

I thought this, but it really only holds true if you work in a different neighborhood you live (likely tho it is) I've spent some time in Marina del Ray and Long Beach, and they're walkable cities in their own right if you ignore the rest of LA (my preferred strategy)

fjabre 8y ago
And isolated away from the LA sprawl Long Beach and Marina/Venice/SM are sizable cities unto themselves. It's a common misconception. Yes LA is not walkable but many cities inside of it are and are some of the most walkable places I've visited in the US.
- gamblor956 8y ago
  Marina Del Rey and Venice are actually just neighborhoods of the city of LA. Santa Monica and Long Beach are their own cities.
  - zjaffee 8y ago
    MDR isn't a neighborhood in LA either, it's technically an unincorporated part of LA county.