The reality behind California.
Are you a movie fan like me? Every time you watch movies, do you imagine yourself being able to see extraordinary places in Hollywood, walk around Hollywood Walk of Fame and the downtown area, and live a day like in the movies? My boyfriend and I decided recently to visit Los Angeles and spend our days “like in the movies”. We plan this trip very carefully in order to be able to visit as many places as possible and try the delicious meals that Los Angeles has to offer (Read our simple guide “How we plan our trips“).
I can’t deny that California has beautiful places but it also has places that I would never want to have visited because not everything is like in the movies, so don’t expect too much when you visit Los Angeles.
When my boyfriend and I planned this trip, our purpose was to visit as many tourist places and try as many different food as possible, especially Asian food. With this in mind, we decided to rent a car so we could quickly get around places and decided to pay for an economical Airbnb outside of Los Angeles.
However, let me warn you that if you can easily become nervous or stressed when driving, I do not recommend you drive a car at all. Driving in California is not that simple.
Pros and Cons about visit Los Angeles.
Pros:
- Uber is available if you do not want to drive.
- There is less traffic outside Los Angeles. Life is quieter and Airbnb is cheaper.
- Los Angeles offers you a variety of food, especially Asian cuisines from all over the world. There are a lot of restaurants all over Los Angeles.
- The architecture of houses and the design of gardens are undoubtedly beautiful.
- Although it depends on where you eat, the food, in general, is cheap. Normally with $20 two people can eat full.
- Many tourist sites are free.
- In the suburbs, you do not see a lot of homeless people and the streets are clean. You can park free at almost every street corner.
- You can visit Los Angeles using public transportation, but keep in mind that since the distances from one place to another can be quite far, it’d take longer.
Cons:
- Prepare for the traffic if you decide to drive. No matter what time of the day it is, the traffic is horrible. It can take up to 30 minutes to travel 6 miles.
- Many of the restaurants are small and do not have public restrooms. Those with public restrooms are not very clean.
- Parking is a BIG problem in this city. Most places do not have their own parking lot. If you manage to park on the street, you are lucky. Otherwise, you will have to pay around $15 to $20 or more in private parking lots. We spent in total around $80 only in 4 days for parking in Los Angeles.
- Gasoline is expensive, between $3.33 to $ 4per gallon, almost twice the price in Florida.
- The weather is unpredictable. It may be 54F at dawn and 80F in the afternoon. Always pack some extra clothes.
- Many homeless people in the downtown area. The streets are dirty and smell bad.
Do I regret visiting California?
Not really. I am very happy to see Los Angeles because it helped me open my eyes and see the reality of many cities. It’s sad to see how many human beings have to adapt to living in these bad conditions, but it’s sadder to see how nobody does anything about it. Los Angeles gave me a lesson and I’m happy to have been there. I’m grateful that each city I visit offers me a new opportunity to grow spiritually.
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