So after a grand total of 3 days of shitty weather we're back to pretending like Winter never happened. All right, California.
Tonight I'd like to discuss ever so briefly (because I just spent the past two hours teaching a high schooler how to lie about her aspirations and I am BEAT) my triple-dip weekend.
That's right, I chewed tobacco with people of three different nationalities.
...But I also spent the weekend in three different counties: Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego. I visited one of my very closest friends who recently moved to Huntington Beach in Orange County, spent one crazy birthday night in San Diego's downtown Gaslamp district, and bought groceries and went to the bank in Los Angeles.
Firstly, just to get the educational portion of this blog out of the way, please refer to the following map which labels some (but for whatever reason not all) Southern California counties:
Los Angeles: Where I live
San Diego: Where I'm from
Orange: Disneyland
With my move to LA and subsequent awareness of my immediate surroundings, I found this to be an insightful opportunity to look at the nature of these three places. Now, this post deserves a lot more time and cocaine than I'm giving it, but I at least wanted to touch on some of the differences I noticed within the great, beautiful county-centipede we call the South Coast.
I choose to do so in the form of a stream of conscious adjectives. Like a regular Virginia Woolf.
H'okay.
So.
I visited my friend's apartment, the beach, a Wahoo's, and found parking at all three places. Orange County is just really good at taking a load off my mind. With the exception of a few boug-y patches it is considerably tamer than the two metropolises Eiffel Towering either side of it, and I appreciate that calm. Visiting Huntington Beach certainly made me blow a kiss to Oceanside... the overall hassle-ness of LA beaches like Santa Monica and Malibu has made me incredibly cynical about beaches that aren't ones I grew up around. So, for the Angeleno willing to trade in the LA designer tag for something more comfortable and affordable, there is Orange County.
As someone raised in San Diego I have a much better idea of the nuances that go with each city within the county, so I'm reflecting on just the downtown area. Growing up, I never visited the Gaslamp much for several reasons (poor, underage, reclusive, scared of one-way streets), but coming back after living on the crispy edge of DTLA, it's interesting to see San Diego's take on "urban cityscape." The first thing I noticed was that it is very polished and well-kempt. Now, living in LA I've been trained to be filled with dread and anxiety in these sorts of areas. There will be lots of traffic, no parking, overpriced parking, and lots of bars and restaurants I can't afford but will be forced to eat/drink at and pretend I have the disposable income to do so just so I can save face in front of people who are all just as poor. San Diego is maybe 25% of that, tops. DTSD has a lot of things nailed; namely the look, the busy-but-not-gonna-be-an-ass-hole-about-it vibe, and the bang for your buck. I was not at all stressed driving or being in downtown, and I could even sort of afford the places we hit up. It was swell. The one thing I will say is that DTSD is a total baby compared to DTLA. LA is fierce. San Diego is small and virginal. I don't know if San Diegans not from LA are aware of that. To reference the highly relevant and topical show Rugrats, DTSD is Chuckie and DTLA is Angelica. Except in this scenario Chuckie is a hot surfer.
And finally...
My tri-polar assessment of LA is obviously indicative of the reality of the place. LA is just a fuckin' mish-mash. It's the world's most expensive and desirable Hometown Buffet. In as much a literal as a poetically profound sense, LA has everything; you just have to be willing to put up with a lot of shit to get it.
Tonight I'd like to discuss ever so briefly (because I just spent the past two hours teaching a high schooler how to lie about her aspirations and I am BEAT) my triple-dip weekend.
That's right, I chewed tobacco with people of three different nationalities.
...But I also spent the weekend in three different counties: Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego. I visited one of my very closest friends who recently moved to Huntington Beach in Orange County, spent one crazy birthday night in San Diego's downtown Gaslamp district, and bought groceries and went to the bank in Los Angeles.
Firstly, just to get the educational portion of this blog out of the way, please refer to the following map which labels some (but for whatever reason not all) Southern California counties:
 |
| San Bernadino accurately depicted as a large space containing absolutely nothing. |
San Diego: Where I'm from
Orange: Disneyland
With my move to LA and subsequent awareness of my immediate surroundings, I found this to be an insightful opportunity to look at the nature of these three places. Now, this post deserves a lot more time and cocaine than I'm giving it, but I at least wanted to touch on some of the differences I noticed within the great, beautiful county-centipede we call the South Coast.
I choose to do so in the form of a stream of conscious adjectives. Like a regular Virginia Woolf.
 |
| SPOILER ALERT: She's actually a snail. |
So.
Orange County
 |
| I managed to crop out the CVS's in the four corners of this photo. |
Calm
Average
Accepting
Neighborly
Breathable
Family-friendly
Mellow
Non-egotistical
Mature
I visited my friend's apartment, the beach, a Wahoo's, and found parking at all three places. Orange County is just really good at taking a load off my mind. With the exception of a few boug-y patches it is considerably tamer than the two metropolises Eiffel Towering either side of it, and I appreciate that calm. Visiting Huntington Beach certainly made me blow a kiss to Oceanside... the overall hassle-ness of LA beaches like Santa Monica and Malibu has made me incredibly cynical about beaches that aren't ones I grew up around. So, for the Angeleno willing to trade in the LA designer tag for something more comfortable and affordable, there is Orange County.
San Diego
 |
| Complimentary sailboats for all hotel patrons. |
Glitter-sandy
Crisp
Colorful
Groomed
Confident
Self-loving
Naiive
Smiley
Smiley
As someone raised in San Diego I have a much better idea of the nuances that go with each city within the county, so I'm reflecting on just the downtown area. Growing up, I never visited the Gaslamp much for several reasons (poor, underage, reclusive, scared of one-way streets), but coming back after living on the crispy edge of DTLA, it's interesting to see San Diego's take on "urban cityscape." The first thing I noticed was that it is very polished and well-kempt. Now, living in LA I've been trained to be filled with dread and anxiety in these sorts of areas. There will be lots of traffic, no parking, overpriced parking, and lots of bars and restaurants I can't afford but will be forced to eat/drink at and pretend I have the disposable income to do so just so I can save face in front of people who are all just as poor. San Diego is maybe 25% of that, tops. DTSD has a lot of things nailed; namely the look, the busy-but-not-gonna-be-an-ass-hole-about-it vibe, and the bang for your buck. I was not at all stressed driving or being in downtown, and I could even sort of afford the places we hit up. It was swell. The one thing I will say is that DTSD is a total baby compared to DTLA. LA is fierce. San Diego is small and virginal. I don't know if San Diegans not from LA are aware of that. To reference the highly relevant and topical show Rugrats, DTSD is Chuckie and DTLA is Angelica. Except in this scenario Chuckie is a hot surfer.
 |
| And Orange County is Tommy. Or else Dill. |
And finally...
Los Angeles
 |
| Celestial sunset or fire and brimstone? |
Dirty
Gritty
Glamorous
Impressive
Kooky
Energetic
Chaotic
Systematic
Arrogant
Tough-loving
Passionate
Jaded
My tri-polar assessment of LA is obviously indicative of the reality of the place. LA is just a fuckin' mish-mash. It's the world's most expensive and desirable Hometown Buffet. In as much a literal as a poetically profound sense, LA has everything; you just have to be willing to put up with a lot of shit to get it.
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