Guest Blog: Coast 2 Coast Showdown

I've decided to do something a little different to kick off this (HLLWN!!!1) week. A blogging community site I'm a member of, 20 Something Bloggers, has blog swaps every now and then, where they pair you up with a blogger you don't know and you write guest blogs for each other. This week, I was paired with Linda over at Celluloid Geek, an L.A.-based blog that focuses on feminist issues. I'm an unabashed feminist, so it seems uncanny that I would get matched with her. And naturally, because of the notorious feud between L.A. and NYC, I asked her to write a post comparing the two cities. (Even though, LBO, sorry Linda, there's no comparison.) A big Southern welcome to Linda! Thanks for writing.






All right y'all, I won’t lie. I’ve only had a tiny interaction with New York City - due largely in part to a late/canceled flight - so you should just think of my relationship with the Big Apple as being in the "wandering hands, horizontal make-out sesh" phase. But what I can tell you is that I fell in love at first sight. But as we all know, being 3,000 miles away, like in any LDR, leads to no good.

Luckily, I have a new, sexy city that wines and dines me and you know what? I think L.A. > N.Y.C. Now hear me out East-coasters - this is not a conclusion I came up with because I’ve lived here for most of my life. Nope. I’ve put on my nerdy glasses, strapped on some suspenders and armed myself with a calculator in order to break it down for you in a Coast 2 Coast Showdown. Here's the breakdown.

Housing
If you’re moving to either of these big cities, you’re going to need a place to call home when you're sloshed. And I can guarantee it’s easier to find a 2-bedroom/2-bath place in L.A. than N.Y.C. Or if you can find one in the big apple, you’ll probably be too broke to afford a place with an equally large kitchen, small bathroom and enough space to house a few shelves and cabinets.
+5 Los Angeles for being chic and economically savvy

Transportation
L.A. is traffic central and everyone around the world can’t help but point it out like an eighth grade bully making fun of a hand-me-down backpack. If you love sitting on your butt and playing ‘Let’s guess which driver has had the most plastic surgery’ and avoiding freeways between 8-10 a.m. and 4-7 p.m., this place is for you. Sure, we have public transportation, but sadly it’s not as popular* as New York’s. And if you’re thinking about cabs... yeah, no one uses them either.
+2 New York, one for cabs & one for the subway

Weather
L.A. doesn’t have seasons and N.Y. seems to have extremely hot summers and hellish winters. I can wear my summer clothes all year long, always find someone next to me on the beach and never buy a sweater and survive. I’m guessing all you east-coasters can’t really do this. Na-na-na-na-na!
+7 Los Angeles, because who doesn’t love summer clothes?

21+ Scene
There are dive bars and trendy/chic spots a-plenty. Want to drink some ‘earthy-friendly’ concoctions? Try the dives in NoHo, a free-love, environment-loving area. Want to be around celebrities? Sunset Boulevard is the place to be. Want hipsters and love rockabilly? Downtown L.A. is for you. Much like the iPhone and its endless apps, we have a bar for your personal taste and price range. The big difference between L.A. and N.Y. is last call. Here, all bars close promptly at 2 a.m. and no later. Yeah. So while you see Carrie in SATC staying out all night and teasing Mr. Big , we have the cast of Melrose Place coming back after the bars have closed and killing off their land lady.
+4 New York because although it’s nice to wake refreshed after "drinking til the bar closed," it would be great to continue to party at a bar rather than someone's house

Other Entertainment
On the days when our 20-something selves aren’t out drinking, we look for other things to pass the time: book readings, concerts, etc. L.A. takes the cake when it comes to ‘secret concerts’ and TV tapings. I spent most of my high school years watching free concerts for the show Pepsi Smash and it was incredible! There’s always a hot band playing somewhere and a show that needs an audience. So if you’re looking for a cheap thrill for you and your friends, you can definitely find it. Then again, some cool things happen in New York: conferences, huge book signings, N.Y. Fashion Week and Broadway.
+6 New York, because you got us here; there’s L.A. Fashion Week and touring Broadway shows, but nothing beats the original thing.

And the winner is: oh, wait! Shit… OK it’s a freakin’ tie. New York may not be as bad as I made it out to be. Actually, like an old lover, it still has a place in my cold, black heart. But L.A. has some amazing qualities that keep me hanging on. Yeah, I can’t see Rock of Ages or Hamlet with Jude Law (BTW, WTF?!), but I have celebrity sightings and free entertainment to tide me over. Maybe all you East Coast folkies can take your summer clothes out of storage and check it out for yourselves.

*ed note: awesome