# Los Angeles DWP and Lost Angeles in general **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318 "2009-10-10T16:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/41 "2009-10-17T03:37:58Z")
I know what I want is a fantasy under the best of circumstances, but they’re what made me want to leave LA in the first place, and the major reasons why I don’t want to move back. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/42 "2009-10-17T21:53:58Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > It is the greatest city on earth, as far as I am concerned. Great weather, huge diverse population, close to outdoor wonders, amazing food, what else can you ask for? This thread reinforces my notion that California is Where The Rich People Live. It’s where you move to after you strike black gold when you’re out shootin’ at some food. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/43 "2009-10-21T02:27:54Z")
On the other hand… Looking at NYC transit, courtesy of Google Earth, it takes a little over an hour to go from Central Park to Brighton Beach. Or from the Cloisters at the northern tip of Manhattan to Wall Street, it takes around fifty minutes, give or take a minute depending on which train you take. As good a transit system as it is, it’s not instant teleportation. It still takes time to get around, even when the subway does go where you want to go. And just as in L.A. or anywhere else, any reasonable out-of-towner will normally plan a rational itinerary and not be jumping all over the map on one day. I’m all in favor of public transit, not least because I’d rather read a book than attend to the road. But even the Metro takes time. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/44 "2009-10-21T02:32:39Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > A way to get to more than one of those in a day. (Or after three drinks.) And you have less to crow about than the New Yorkers. The BART works great where it goes, but IIRC it doesn’t actually cover much of the City at all. For the rest of it, it’s traffic-bound trolleys and buses (disregarding for a moment the cable cars’ obvious charm). Have you ever _stood_ a ride on the Haight Street bus at 5pm? And I do mean “stood”. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/45 "2009-10-21T04:54:27Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Heh yeah, but also LA was the quintessential sprawl city. I heard a piece on NPR recently (last week I think) that seemed to imply that the city to outsprawl all other cities in the USA was Houston, TX. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/46 "2009-10-22T00:54:58Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I heard a piece on NPR recently (last week I think) that seemed to imply that the city to outsprawl all other cities in the USA was Houston, TX. Oklahoma City is also greater in geographical extent than L.A., chiefly by reason of the decision to make it coextensive with Oklahoma County and merge their governments. Los Angeles is a special, and somewhat tragic case. It reached a million in population in the early 1920s, a time when automobiles were certainly popular, but far less available, on a per capita basis. A lot of families had one car if that, and for anyone else needing to get around, it was the public transportation system, which by that time was still working fairly well. By “working fairly well”, I mean that the tracks still went pretty much everywhere, but travel times on some runs were increasing due to competing street traffic. Meanwhile, the downtown district was still a hopping, happening place. Amazingly enough, the two better class, sit-down establishments in Olvera Street, La Golondrina and El Paseo Inn, were not only restaurants but also late-hours nightclubs. All this was gone by 1955 or so. A number of factors contributed to its demise, but the most important was undoubtedly the misguided efforts at urban renewal which would eventually eliminate about 50000 housing units in the immediate area. Ramming the freeways through was another punch to the solar plexus. And before any of this happened, the decay began as early as 1930 when one historic building after another got knocked down to be replace with parking lots; this because the social and geographic peculiarities of L.A. made parking lots the highest valued utilization of the properties in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/47 "2009-10-22T14:35:58Z")
> [@pinkyvee](#): > > which is a sneaky way Mayor Anthony V … AKA Mayor Antonio Voldemort … raises taxes without saying he’s raised taxes. > > I’m so G-Damned sick of fees.:mad: > Hurry me away from this dishonest and greedy city I used to enjoy. Here in MN we had/have some ‘conservative’ politicians that make a big deal about holding the line on taxes… …but try to implement ‘fees’. These ‘fees’ are higher than a private company would charge and they are mandatory and you MUST get through the government. However, these ‘fees’ aren’t taxes…oh noo…not taxes at all. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/48 "2009-10-22T14:42:01Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Prices rise. Film at 11. Yea…but it’s all fair. His bill went up 10x in several years and so did the job pay. For example , several years ago minimum wage was what $5? Good thing minimum wage is now $50. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318.md?page=2)