Los Angeles is an f'ing dump

What an ugly town. Driving on the 5 or 710 freeways, it is ugly and dirty. Go further east, it's worse. Exit off the 110 lord knows what you get.

Tagging is an absolute epidemic. Every overpass has either ugly scrawl, or it's been painted over this week before getting re-tagged this weekend. Every building off La Cienega in Culver City has it. There's tagging over the bridge at Avenue of the Stars in Century City. Long Beach. Burbank. Hollywood. The San Fernando Valley is a dump.

The oceans from Santa Monica and south are cesspools of bacteria and crud. You literally cannot go in the water the week after it rains from all the garbage run-offs.

It's happening over the years before my eyes, and it's depressing. I am embarrassed when I talk to newcomers.

The tagging is the worst eyesore, by far.

 

It's ART man, ART!

 

the razorwire is attractive, though.

 

It also has the country's largest homeless population:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/ussocietyhomeless;_ylt=AgpP4wDtUCJZ.pLBSyf9.GcDW7oF

 

Go ahead, someone say it: "Blame soccer."

 

i blame fucking soccer.

 

How could I forget?

That argument was 20 years ago. I am talking about the scrawl done with some sort of heavy sharpie pen. It is f'ing EVERYWHERE.

 

Funny, I had the same reaction the first time I went to LA. Midwestern kids grow up with the Baywatch image of LA as beaches, sunshine and trendiness, but the 1st time I actually got there and drove around was amazed how ugly and dirty so much of the city is.

But later I went to San Diego and discovered that the LA of childhood imagery does exist, its just a couple hours south and goes by a different name.

 

that's disappearing fast, too.

 

Blame soccer, but don't blame the Australian women's soccer team.

(NSFW)
http://lancemannion.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/the_matildas.jpg

As for SoCal, the Anza-Borrego State Park in spring and Big Bear in winter are fun. But yeah, the coast is pretty much ruined. I always think of that scene in Cannery Row where Doc goes down to La Jolla to collect sea critters...he's all alone until he meets some weird beach hermit guy. That sort of thing is gone with the last century.

 

Long Beach is my hometown, and it's still the best city in the world (even though I've been gone 15 years).