Readers React: What is it about L.A. that keeps people coming?

Oct. 22, 2015 9:48 AM PT

To the editor: As a proud native-born Californian, I have heard it all about Los Angeles: It’s too big, you spend your life on the freeway in traffic jams, the Santa Ana winds are blowing again, the drought, and on and on nonstop negatives. (“Coming to and leaving L.A.: Five writers reflect on how the City of Angels drew them in, or pushed them away,” Op-Ed, Oct. 16)

I also know it is the place my parents were drawn to like many of that greatest generation who came west after World War II and got a fresh start.

This is a city that is constantly reinventing itself and has in some ways become unrecognizable to me. And yet it is still a place that refuses to show or acknowledge its age, just like the people who live here. If you take the time to learn about our interesting history and dig very deep, you will find the best buried treasure — something for everyone.

I really enjoyed these five pieces about my hometown and appreciate the writers’ honest reflections. It’s a funny thing: People are constantly complaining about Los Angeles, and yet they still keep coming.

Frances Terrell Lippman, Sherman Oaks

To the editor: It’s nice to know someone actually likes Los Angeles. I have lived here for more than 40 years and still have little good to say about the city.

It is congested and noisy, with air traffic from police helicopters and the Santa Monica Municipal Airport a huge nuisance. Rush hour begins at 2 p.m., and the streets have countless potholes.

The city is run by real estate developers who have bought City Hall. Seriously, why do we have a mayor and City Council?

With that said, I do think Los Angeles will be a better place in 20 years. Several more mass-transit projects will be completed, and by then, drones capable of carrying humans will transport workers from the San Fernando Valley to downtown in 15 minutes. Whoever invents these drones will become an instant billionaire.

Dave Wagner, Los Angeles

To the editor: I have lived here most of my life but have spent time in other places long enough to appreciate living in a city whose special qualities I couldn’t easily define.

Reading this piece, I finally got it: L.A. is the city of magical thinking. In her short piece, Meredith Maran wrote of Los Angeles being “the mecca of magical thinkers,” creating the perfect title of the city I love.

Carol Barkin, Studio City

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