Lifestyle of United States(Los Angeles)! Can Someone speak a little?

Question

I'm from brazil
I'm speak inglish soso ! sorry for inglish!



I want know everything, houses, clothes, food, cars, extreme sports (BMX sponsorship) , skateparks(how many?), jobs, money, people, festivals,salary of a Brazilian,how much things in Los Angeles? and all that you can tell me about LOS ANGELES!


because I'm going live in Los Angeles next year!



thank you !


:P

Answer 1

For a number of reasons, we get a bunch of questions asking what it’s really like in Los Angeles.



First of all, I'll tell you what it's NOT like: It's not like anything on TV. People watch shows on TV and think that’s what it’s like out here. The “Real OC”, Newport Beach, The Hills, etc. Ever wonder why people in those shows never have to pay bills, do laundry, and are NEVER stuck in traffic? Because it’s FAKE. And the news doesn’t help either, since they know that sex and sensationalism sells. News flash: There aren’t running gun battles in the street. There aren’t shootouts every day. Also, you don’t see celebrities just walking down the street, all glammed up, or sipping a cappuccino at Starbucks waiting to sign autographs. We don't go surfing during lunch hour.



Some sections are REALLY nice, others are “ghetto”. Too many people have this vision in their head that LA is one or the other (either Beverly Hills or Compton). In fact, most of it is working class and middle class stiffs working to pay the bills.



You NEED a car to live in Southern California. We don’t have an effective public transportation like New York or San Francisco. One reason is that LA is larger in area than either of those, without a central hub where everything is. Back in the 1960’s, we might have done it. But by the time local governments got their act together, it was much more difficult to make a working public transit system. Also, unlike NY, we have earthquakes, which make it a little more difficult to build underground.



The freeway traffic is probably the worst thing about living here. The 405 is the worst. Know why they call it the 405? Because you go 4 o' 5 miles per hour, and it takes 4 o' 5 hours to get where you're going. Freeway Traffic is bad from 6-10 AM and bad from 3-7 PM. I don't know why they call it rush hour. It's more than an hour, and nobody's rushing, that's for sure.



The gangs are the cause of many rumors. Keep in mind that there are gangs in any large town, in every part of the country. In LA, the gangs aren't really downtown, they are in South LA, East LA, and north Long Beach (an extension of the South LA gangs, actually). And here's the deal: Mostly, they just kill each other.



Gas is expensive in California. It’s about 20-30 cents above the national average.



Yes, gas and real estate are very expensive in SoCal. However, this would be the best time to BUY a house because it's a buyer's market right now. There are a lot of foreclosures, and too many houses on the market.



Yep, freeways are a drag, it's smoggy in summer, and expensive to live here. Yet, if it's so bad, why do we have thousands and thousands of people moving here?



Weather, Activities, Plenty of jobs, Beaches, mountains, deserts all within driving distance, and plenty of opportunity for those who have the skills and tenacity.



In colder parts of the country, people keep their cars in their garages all winter. Kids get snow toys for Christmas. Here, kids get BIKES, scooters, and skateboards. 10 AM Christmas morning, the streets are FULL of kids on their new bikes, scooters, etc.



The job market is good here, mainly because there are SO many people here that it creates its own job market. Then there are MANY industries, including tourism, entertainment, shipping, manufacturing, etc. It’s an incredible economy.



However, it is not for everyone. Every time someone posts this question, you get the LA haters who post their bile and venom. A lot of them don’t know what they are talking about. Some people never even visit, and hate it on principle and stereotypes. Some actually visited once, and found out it wasn’t like it was on TV, and it certainly wasn’t Mayberry. And some actually lived here, and couldn’t deal with the expense, the traffic, or the somewhat impersonal nature of living in a large metropolis. To those I would say “good luck” to you wherever you are, but please don’t spew your hatred in this forum.



As for lifestyle, it’s rather casual. You work during the week, and then go do something fun on the weekend, so that you can impress your coworkers around the water cooler on Monday.



To summarize, LA a HUGE metropolis that really defies easy description. I live in one of the nicer suburbs, but the commute is no fun, often 1-2 hours each way each day. However, 340+ days of sunshine really helps. Yeah, it's expensive. Mrs. Obviousman and I both have to work to pay the mortgage. But is it worth it? You bet!

Answer 2

I don't live in LA and never would. I've been all over the country and I'll try to distill it down into a few simple facts.



Housing costs are higher on the east and west coasts and less expensive and more stable in the center of the country.



People in the large cities of California and the northeast tend to be rude and obnoxious. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of nice, decent people, but there's a lot of jerks. People in the Midwest and deep south tend to more mannerly and polite. They still have and use manners. In the deep south you'll find lots of "Yes ma'am" and "Yes Sir".



If you want to get a true taste of America, try to do a little traveling. You'll find that when you get away from the large cities, people in small towns and rural areas are decent, honest, hard working folks that still help people in need. Their values are much different than those in the large cities and while things may not be as exciting from a culture standpoint, at least you can walk down a street safely and leave your house unlocked whenever you go somewhere.



Please don't go back to Brazil and tell people that the US is nothing but roving gangs, bars on windows and drive by shootings.



Something else, Americans as a whole are very patriotic. We fly the American flag in our yards, on our clothes and our vehicles. We also have a political system that sure isn't perfect, but is much different than a lot of so called democracies in other parts of the world. We're proud of the freedoms we have and of who we are. For example, at first my Australian wife thought we Americans were being arrogant and cocky but now realizes that here the common individual has more rights and is more able to change things in our government that elsewhere.



As an example, if we don't like the political candidates we have to choose from, we don't have to vote. In Australia, you get fined if you don't vote. Our schools are run by boards consisting of locally elected, non-paid individuals rather than the state calling the shots. Unlike Australians, we have the constitutional right to own firearms. On the downside, this means nut cases can own guns but on the up side, this means the military or police can't enforce illegal martial law because we can shoot back.



Good luck, enjoy yourself and try to have some good stories to tell the folks back home.

Answer 3

Los Angeles is a VERY VERY big place and diverse. You need to be more specific. Do you know where in Los Angeles you will be staying?



I can write some spanish (no portugese). If you want, send me a private message and maybe I can help.

Answer 4

E ai cara bão.... vc lembra quando vc respondeu minha pergunta aonde eu posso encontrar rampas de skate aqui em goiania......

vc me falou que tem a pista do setor perim q se chama:

Pista do itamaraca , la é perfeito (uma das melhores do centro oeste) e é publica !!



queria saber melhor onde fica esta rampa???



me add ai no msn e me manda um e-mail.. [e-mail]

Answer 5

there's like 70,000 homeless people in downtown alone, it's a nightmare.