Plain & Simple
May 14, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , trackback
I was listening to some radio banter yesterday about how vastly different California communities are. One DJ said that if you think of California as a bowl of granola, Nor Cal would be ordinary granola sprinkled with raisins whereas So Cal would be granola infused exotic mangos, papaya and flecks of gold. Although tongue-in cheek, it got me thinking about our trip last week.
During our Disneyland extravaganza, we took a break to see our friends living in the area. The weather was stereotypical So Cal: sunny, slightly breezy, temperate and perfect for outdoor activities. However, rather than hanging out at the parks or famous beaches, we drove 45 minutes and met our friends at an outdoor shopping mall called The Grove. We had lunch at a trendy restaurant, walked around the Farmer’s Market (which has now become more of a tourist attraction), browsed upscale stores and (the kids) played on a grassy patch, in front of a Las Vegas inspired water fountain, smack in the center of the mall. After the “exhausting” afternoon, we drove 45 minutes to another part of the LA region, had a huge dinner and then piled into our separate cars to drive another 45 minutes home.
Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time relaxing, catching up with friends and staring at B-list celebrities. But why is it that on a nice day, no one thought anything about spending most of our waking hours in a man made environment that promotes excessive consumption. Or driving hours just to have lunch, dinner and do a bit of window shopping. They say that in LA, every destination takes at least 45 minutes to reach and I no longer doubt that saying.
To be fair, my friends often plan trendy itineries for us visitors and we have gone to parks, beaches and even museums on other trips However, we always had to drive long distances, fight for parking and wait in long lines. I recognize that the Bay Area isn’t perfect. We too have congested freeways, excessive spenders, and insufficient public transportation but at least we seem more willing and able to find a good restaurant within walking distance, even in the suburbs.
I guess I am happy being just plain granola.
CindyC at Organicpicks
If you enjoyed this entry, please subscribe to the Organic Picks Blog
Copyright 2007 Organicpicks
Find More Green Products & Reviews..
Comments»
Haha, it’s the old NorCal versus SoCal debate, once again!
I actually grew up in the Bay Area so I spent 18 years of my life there, and have now spent 7 years of my adult life in LA.
I love LA, I love the Bay Area, but really, they are more similar than different.
There are plenty of people who, if you were to visit San Jose, would take you to Santana Row (which is basically the same thing as the Grove IMO) and then after that, would drive you to Palo Alto for dinner.
Conversely, when I have guests in LA, we now generally stay within a 15 mile radius. We walk along a beautiful walking path by my apartment, or we drive 10 minutes to some of my favorite restaurants, or we go to the park near my place, etc etc.
On a daily basis, I am almost never more than 45 minutes driving from my home in LA. My work is 20 minutes driving (okay I walk, subway, and bus so it takes about an hour but I’m guessing that’s not what you meant when you said every destination was 45 mins away.) Some of my favorite restaurants are within a 5-10 minute drive. I go to music venues, theatres, etc, all within 15-20 minutes.
The point is, Los Angeles gets a bad rap, and yes, there are many superficial people with nose jobs live in LA, but there are also many intelligent, enormously thoughtful, creative people who live here.
Sorry for the rant, I’ll shut up now.
I would love to know what kind of granola NYC would be considered!
Ardous,
By no means do I believe all people in LA are superficial and self-absorbed. Some of my best friends now live there and we often have conversations about reducing consumption, protecting the environment and simplifying our lives. And I know there are a lot consciencious people who are trying to do better or else the original GreenLA girl wouldn’t have so much to blog about. Not really trying to revive the old Nor Cal vs. So Cal rivalry (did too much of that in college) but as a native Nor Cal girl, So Cal is just not my scene.
However, to your point, I sure there are plenty of nice venus that don’t involve shopping and cars. So what do you suggest we do for our next trip (likely to happen in October) that will open these Nor Cal eyes to another side of So Cal
Organicneedle: I see NYC as savvy and real granola
NYC has true public transit and denser living space, compared to northern or southern CA. California has the granola image (and some substance), but the crunchy part of NYC is the real deal.
I say seattle is the granola- We have a public market that is second to none, greenies running all over the place. Wind power and light rail is coming! NEW YORK CITY??? When I think of green cities NYC is close to last on my list. Now I know what those guys in the Pace commercials are yammering about
I love the West coast! I always feel “at home” when I’m there. Perhaps I’m just a granola kind of girl. My hubby and I have talked about moving there (my husband is from Santa Cruz) but it’s just so expensive so we just compromise by visiting once a year.
Robj - A couple years ago I visited Seattle for the second time and for the second time went to the big farmers market downtown. That place rocks!
Sure. Where to go without a car kind of depends on where your friends are and where your hotel is.
But LA, has many great parks (Griffith Park for one) and outdoor amusements (La Brea Tar Pits) that are fairly PT accessible.
The Griffith Park observatory is actually a great time for the whole family. You take the metro to Vermont and Sunset, and then there is a shuttle to the observatory.
The Hollywood Bowl is also another great outdoor venue for concerts and such and is also easily accessible via metro (Hollywood & Highland stop.)
If your family is feeling more amusement park-y, Universal Studios is also right on the metro red line.
RobJ, I totally gave you that. Seattle is the real deal. Been there and love it - definitely one of the places I would love to live. But people in Seattle maliciously will the perpetual drizzle to keep out the Californians