City of Angels
Welcome to my lens on Los Angeles. Here you will find information on the positive elements of the city, as well as a challenge it currently faces. For those of you who have never been to Los Angeles, this lens aims to give you an inside look of the city, predominately known as the City of Angels, from someone who did not grow up there but now lives and attends school there.
Background
Hollywood
A non-profit organization, Hollywood Sign Trust, was established solely to support and maintain the sign.
A security system was also installed to protect the sign from any forms of pranks and vandalismBut there's more to L.A. than just Hollywood
- It is an area rich of cultural diversity, with residents speaking a total of 224 different languages.
- Even with it's cool weather and the Pacific ocean coast, Los Angeles more resembles a desert because of it's minimal rainfall (15 inches/year).
- It is heavily invested in international trade as our nation's #1 manufacturing center. Products include clothing and metal.
- Like every region, there are areas conflicted with crime and extreme poverty. Things aren't as bad as they were in the 1990s, but they still exist.
- There are 300+ museums and 80+ stage theaters.
Downtown Los Angeles
The Financial District; where business gets done.
Centers of intellectual stimulation
- Exposition Park:Originally an agricultural park, Exposition Park is now a cultural center. It is located near the University of Southern California, and includes attractions such as the California Science Center and the California African-American Museum.
- Getty Center:Filled with classical art and sculpture, the Getty Center is also an institute of research. If you've never been here, you must go. Admission is FREE.
Major Universities in Los Angeles
Loyola Marymount University: LMU is less known than USC and UCLA, but in 2007 it was named a "Treasure of Los Angeles" by the City of Los Angeles. Known by locals as an institution committed to service, LMU students volunteer approximately a total of 175,000 hours every year.
Our favorite basketball team
Go Lakers! Beat them Spurs!
An AMAZING, TRUE story - Carissa Phelps
Excerpt from Carissa's Facebook page. Please read.
Again, she was only twelve years old.
However, amazingly, Carissa turned her life around. She graduated from UCLA with a law degree and an MBA in June 2007, and is now on a mission to save children who are in the same situation as she was. Carissa's website is here. She is a resident of Los Angeles.Please watch her story
Her documentary is sponsored by Virgin Mobile's Re*Generation non-profit organization.
A little known fact
Just outside these skyscrapers (view of Downtown L.A.), there is a population that is often ignored and looked upon with pity and contempt. The rising cost of living has lead to an increase in the number of homeless people.
It is estimated that on a given night, there are approximately 91,000 people who are homeless, making Los Angeles the capital for homelessness in America.
Coming in far second is New York City with about 48,000. In addition to poverty, the reasons for homeless in Los Angeles, as well as in other cities, include the decrease in work opportunities, lack of affordable housing, insufficient government support, and less commonly, mental illnesses, domestic violence and drug addiction. To read more about homelessness, please visit here.Two powerful images
"Did you know this about Los Angeles?"
What is the city doing?
Margaret Mead, a U.S. anthropologist once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
I mean, it's true. We can't rely on the government for everything. We have the power to make change ourselves.The BEST movie about Los Angeles
If you live in, visit, have vistited, or like L.A., you should watch this movie.
Crash (Widescreen Edition)
It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.
Comments
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barbarajill
Los Angeles is my new home, so I really enjoyed your lens. Posted September 09, 2008 |
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Snow_Bui
It is! Some areas in Los Angeles (around Dodgers Stadium, for example) look like some areas in the poorer region of Mexico. It's sad but true. Posted July 11, 2008 |
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eccles1
I am so glad I stop by.. you have a wonderful lens Posted July 05, 2008 |
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eccles1
I am so glad I stop by.. you have a wonderful lens Posted July 05, 2008 |
