East Coast Versus West Coast

I’ve been living in Los Angeles for nearly 30 years. I’ve been all over this vast metropolis – from the high desert to San Diego. Los Angeles is unlike any place I have ever lived. It is vibrant, exciting, and one hot mess from the sea to the mountains to the deserts.

Los Angeles is no longer the eutopia it used to be. Core issue here is – too many people discovered this place in the post-war years and have come to So’ Cal’ in an effort to escape the very elements they’ve brought with them. Southern California has also become the epicenter for uncontrolled immigration and out of control homelessness. As a result, crime has spiraled out of control. It has become too expensive to live here hence the growing homeless population.

What has happened here was inevitable.

When I was growing up in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles was a faraway place we saw on television and in the movies. Friends of mine and their families were packing up and moving out of the heat and humidity and cold dampness of the mid-Atlantic and make new lives on the West Coast. People flocked to California for jobs, better pay, a perfect climate, fresh communities, and quality education.

This is the way it was 50-60 years ago.

People loved Southern California for its balmy climate, the ocean, the mountains, and the excitement of the entertainment capital. Contrary to popular belief, there are not celebrities on every street corner though I’ve seen a few in three decades.

LA was never an easy adjustment for a guy like me.

I am an East Coast boy and always will be.

The sharp contrast between East Coast and West Coast becomes very apparent when you move to Los Angeles and observe your surroundings. Most apparent are the people. Because Los Angeles is big on entertainment – narcissism is the first thing you notice….“Hellllloooo?!” Though Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles are a continent apart, they’re very much alike. D.C. is an entertainment capital but for an entirely different reason – politics and enormous egos.

New York can also be considered narcissistic. It is, after all, “The Big Apple” – New York – “HEY, I”M STANDIN’ HERE!!!” However, I love New Yorkers for their abundant character. When you have a friend in New York – you have a genuine friend in New York. Though hard edged, New Yorkers will embrace you given a chance. The same can be said about Boston where everyone knows your name.

There are many ironies that encompass East Coast and West Coast. The more different they are – the more they tend to be the same. The masses came to Los Angeles a half-century to escape the perceived oppressiveness of the Midwest and the East. And now – the masses are flocking to Mid-America and the East to escape the things they despise most about California.

Go figure…