CITY & ITS PEOPLE
LA Neighborhood Roast
Every area has its own personality. Laugh first, then you'll know where you should live.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- Santa Monica is the most beginner-friendly part of LA
- In Burbank everyone works in entertainment, and nobody brings it up
- Pasadena is the least LA part of LA
- There's no "best" part of LA, only what fits you right now
Full text
🌊 Malibu
People who live in Malibu: actually live in Malibu. Everyone else: says every week, 'I really want to move here.' All these years later, they still live near the 405.
☀️ Santa Monica
The best place in LA for beginners. Also the place where more people than anywhere on earth say, 'I just want to go for a walk on the beach today,' and then, while they're at it: a matcha, the farmers market, then Erewhon. And the day's gone.
🛹 Venice
Artists. Entrepreneurs. Skater kids. Yoga teachers. Sound healers. And one person who does who-knows-what but seems to be doing really well. All on the same street.
🎥 Burbank
LA's most low-key place. Everyone works at a studio, but nobody brings it up. Until someone asks, 'Where do you work?' 'Disney.' 'Warner Bros.' 'Netflix.' And everyone goes, together: 'Oh.'
🌴 The Valley（SFV）
Everyone on the Westside says, 'It's too far.' Everyone in the Valley says, 'It's really not.' Summers hit 40°C (104°F). Winters are colder than the beach. But the houses are way bigger, and you don't spend half an hour looking for parking.
🦚 Pasadena
The least LA-like place in LA. Lots of trees. Beautiful houses. Polite people. At 9 p.m., it genuinely gets quiet. Old Money elegance, and Rose Bowl weekends.
🏡 Irvine
If Disneyland, Whole Foods, good schools, Tesla and an HOA had a baby, it would be Irvine.
Last word
LA doesn't have a 'best' area, only the one that fits who you're right now. I used to love Beverly Hills and Melrose most. Now I'm more often in Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica, Pasadena, and the SGV for food. The most interesting thing about this city isn't that every area is the same; it's that every area lives like a different city.
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).