I believe that there are numerous factors that contribute to our “image” of Los Angeles, but the three most important factors in my opinion are where we live, how we commute and where we commute to. These three factors shape what “our” image of Los Angeles in dramatically. Each of these factors is a simple part of our daily lives but provides a large impact of what we think of when it comes to LA. If you look at it this way it’s a starting point, method of travel and finishing point that shape our “image” LA. Starting with where we live, we can see how our “image” of Los Angeles might be shaped. As someone who lives in the San Gabriel Valley in eastern Los Angeles County my image of LA is probably a lot different to how it is described in a movie, TV show, or in a song. First thing I think of when it comes to LA is mountains because living in Monrovia I live right below the San Gabriel Mountains. Somebody who lives in a Westside City like Malibu might picture beaches when somebody says LA. So the first part of our “image” is where we live. …show more content…
Most people who live in the LA area probably have to make a commute to work, to school, or to some other daily obligation that they have. Some people take the bus to work so their LA is shaped by bus stops and the bus lines that they take. Some people might drive to school so their version of LA might be shaped by the freeways or streets they take. Others might bike or even walk to work so their LA might be a lot more scenic than somebody else’s LA. I believe that the daily commute to a location is the second part of every Angeleno’s “image” of
In Barbara Berlund’s Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, Berlund explains how San Francisco grew from a young settlement which grew rapidly thanks to in part of the California Gold Rush which took place in 1949. Of course with the growing of this small settlement came it’s conflicts and how it rised to where it stands present day. A primary factor which helped San Francisco flourish a ton was the influence from those who had power and chose what would happen throughout the city, for example the Big 4. Those who were wealthy did not make this city what it is today without the help of people who made up the middle class as well. Every establishment within this city set the social order as to how the inhabitants of San Francisco would go about their life in society.
Several works we have read thus far have criticized the prosperity of American suburbia. Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus, and an excerpt from Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "A Coney Island of the Mind" all pass judgement on the denizens of the middle-class and the materialism in which they surround themselves. However, each work does not make the same analysis, as the stories are told from different viewpoints.
Chicago, one of the most popular cities in America. Visits from families all around the country, what makes this place so great? Is it the skyscrapers that protrude the sky? Or is it the weather people loved? Does Chicago being the second most favored city in America show that this town has some greatness? In the nonfiction novel The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson uses imagery, tone, and figurative language to portray the dreamlike qualities of Chicago and the beauty that lies within this city.
There are always different areas and beliefs in big cities, but in some cities they are taken to a whole new level. Everyone is proud of where they are from naturally, whether it’s in regards to their sports team, schools, or maybe a famous product that originated from there. There is a very well known divide in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where there seems to be a highway or street creating an invisible line. Cincinnati is well known for its education, food, and the diverse lifestyles one may be able experience in the rather large suburban area. If someone asks a Cincinnatian where they’re from, they will proudly respond with either the Westside or Eastside! Common phrases one may hear are, “Westside best-side or Eastside money-side.” It’s not necessarily true that someone is considered good or bad due to their response; it’s just a pride factor to them.
James Howard Kunstler begins his work, “The Geography of Nowhere,” at a top speed and continues from there. He starts chapter one, Scary Place, by describing the story of Judge Doom from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, which is the fictional character that is supposedly responsible for Los Angeles becoming taken over by the freeways. He then continues quoting Lewis Mumford, who was basically the dean of American urban academics in the beginning of the 1900s. He gloomily predicted, would completely demoralize mankind and lead to the nuclear holocaust (p. 10).
The imagery throughout the selection emphasizes the negative characteristics of the city, enlightening us of Lutie Johnson’s perspective. This imagery makes the city seem suffocating. It almost seems inessential as it is so meticulously detailed, describing the “announcements of dances…heavy waxed paper…chicken bones and pork-chop bones.” This could
Quarterly . Vol. 56, No. 3, Los Angeles and the Future of Urban Cultures (Sep., 2004) , pp. 583-605. Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/40068235
image in the mind of the reader, the image of a typical town on a normal summer
In general, California is very well known for countless things that make it a famous, notable state and establish their society. California is one of the most populated states in the USA with it’s 38.8 million people, and 10.1 million specifically in Los Angeles. It is the third largest state and would be the 34th most populated if it was it’s own country. There economy is centered on technology and finance as it contains most movie
After World War II, the United States of America became a much wealthier nation. As America gained wealth and the populations in urban cities and transportation technology increased, many Americans spread out, away from the urban cities, to fulfill the common dream of having a piece of land to call their own. The landscape constructed became known as the suburbs, exclusive residential areas within commuting distance of a city. The popularity and success of the suburban landscape caused suburbs to sprawl across the United States, from the east coast to the west coast and along the borders between Canada and Mexico. By the 1990s, many suburbs surrounding major urban cities developed into being more than merely exclusive residential areas. The new kind of area developed out of suburbia, the post-suburban environment, has the characteristics of the suburbs and the characteristics of the central city, or what postmodern political geographer and urban planner, Edward Soja calls, ‘the city turned inside out' (Foster 1). The post-suburban environment, is “a fundamentally decentralized spatial arrangement in which a variety of commercial, recreational, shopping, arts, residential, and religious activities are conducted in different places and are linked primarily by private automobile transportation” (Kling 1). The multifaceted aspects of the post-suburban environment make it an attractive and dynamic space with opportunities of employment. Topanga Canyon, near Los Angeles, California, is such an example of a suburb space that's developed into a dynamic post-suburban space. Since the post-suburban space of Topanga Canyon is dynamic and filled with employment opportunities, it's attractive to Mexican immigrants who wish to have a better l...
In many ways, today’s Los Angeles can credit Anglo immigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s as the driving force behind their communal roots. Their imagined reality of a rural city, the process of creating, leaving and fighting for their neighborhood, have left traces in the city. These traces can be seen in the fragmented infrastructure of Los Angeles. They can be seen in the callous, sometimes violent, social interaction within the community. Yet as youth and minority groups continue to socially interact in increased acceptance, Los Angeles will begin to lose some of its fragmented feel. Each generation will continue to unite Los Angeles through shared social interaction and experiences.
Los Angeles: A Diverse Metropolis. People always wonder why the City of Angels is different from other cities. This paper will answer this question and explain the uniqueness that makes L.A., “L.A.” Los Angeles, since its birth as an embryonic city, has become one of the most diverse metropolises, offering to the public what no other city can. This paper will emphasize the relationship between the federal government and the western United States.
Generally speaking, life in the city is more hectic and clamorous. While a vast majority of Americans pack themselves into our major cities, there are still millions who live outside of the cities. Certainly, there are a lot more activities in the city: shopping malls and restaurants galore, thrift stores, libraries, and concert...
The two neighborhoods that I chose to use for this assignment are vastly different. The main reason is because they are on opposite sides of the country. The first neighborhood that I visited is the one that I grew up in. This neighborhood is in Connecticut, on the East Coast, all the way across the country from the neighborhood that I currently live in here in West Hollywood. Most of my family lives in Connecticut and Massachusetts and I’m the only one who lives on the West Coast. A big difference is that the neighborhood in Connecticut has houses that are more spaced out, have larger lawns, and very many more trees. There are very few apartments there, unlike where I live now where my entire street is almost all apartment buildings.
Where I live is one of the greatest neighborhoods in the city to live in; however, it does have its drawbacks. Importantly, it has nearly everything a resident might want, beautiful picturesque scenery, proximity to shopping, and many of the cultural centers. Nevertheless, the roads can be some of the most congested in town, and the streets are not safe to walk late at night. Fortunately, I wake every morning to the most beautiful sun-lit house. I sit on my porch sipping coffee, while I drink in an atmosphere that steals my breath away.