A few reflections from a Native Chicagoan living in LA for a full year:

1. I never appreciated how clean Chicago is as a big city until I moved here and then went back to visit. Still, this weather tho…

2. I took for granted the reliability of public transportation and how mobile you can be without a car back in Chicago. Still, this weather tho…

Continued in comments…

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Maybe you need to venture out and try different cuisines. Have you been to ktown? Check other posts for restaurant recs. Food culture in LA is way more diverse than Chicago. Check out quarter sheets if you’re looking for good pizza (not deep dish).

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Carribean food, go to Mid City along Washington. Wi Jammin is great and usually has a line.

Look up Jonathan Gold. He was the late food critic for the LA Times. Reviewed Michelin-level restaurants to hole in the wall ma + pa restaurants. Look through those reviews bc a bulk of those restaurants are LA institutions.

As a native, I think you gotta ignore the food “scene” and talk with other natives about what their spots are. I also recommend looking at Jonathan gold’s last list and seeing what’s still open. We have so much that cannot be covered by thrill list and zagat. Also helpful to follow famous chefs on Instagram and see where they are eating.

Tell us what cuisines you’re looking to explore

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There’s several Jamaican restaurants in Ladera Heights and Inglewood. It’s not all jerk chicken (though they all have it). If you don’t want to go that far, Dereks, one of the better ones, opened a location in downtown Culver but I haven’t tried it.

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3. LA claims to have a foodie culture, but all the cool/chic restaurants I tried, the only food that impressed was the Girl and the Goat (a Chicago restaurant). The pizza game here is pretty weak. Smorgasburg (sp?) is a pretty neat thing to check out. I am tired of the birria taco and hot chicken trend that seems pervasive here. Still, this weather tho…

4. I learned that LA folks don’t know how to share a public space. Maybe it’s a Midwestern behavior, but greeting people, small talk and being pleasant in public is lost on people here. Still, this weather tho…

5. LA offers so much more entertainment options than Chicago. You can find something to do almost every day here. In my experience, Chicago’s pretty quiet from Sunday to Wednesday.

6. Gay culture here is pretty monolithic despite being much more diverse of a city than Chicago. We seem to have segregated ourselves in WeHo and the east side. WeHo is just Boystown times 10. East side bars like Precinct and Akbar are more chill. It could be a result of the pandemic rather than how LA functions, but everyone still seems on edge about breaking from their cliques and just having a good time.

7. I enjoy how diverse LA is compared to Chicago overall. Chicago is a segregated city, and LA is more integrated somewhat.

8. Chicago has its fair share of weirdos, but it seems to be exacerbated here in LA. I never felt unsafe but while in Hollywood and using the Metro, I tend to feel the need to be more alert even on my normal routes. That’s not to say you should always let your guard down while in a big city, it’s just there there are way more variables in a commute that can give you a bad time than Chicago.

9. While I thought I would miss dynamic weather (I like a cozy summer thunderstorm), only needing a light jacket in December is something j can get used to. It was also weird having a Christmas here with no snow and people walking around in shorts. I always associated Christmas with snow.

10. If you’re struggling with self image and weight, you don’t realize how much a lot of what would bother you is thrown into your face here (especially if you’re gay). The positive spin on this is that people here like to do active activities instead of just something sedentary. Hiking is more accessible here than back home, however cycling is a struggle in this city compared to Chicago (both terrain wise and how people view cyclists here).

11. I’m not anti-dog, but people here seem way more obsessed with their dogs than back in Chicago. It’s bizarre to me how much people keep their dogs with them all the time.

Overall, happy I made the move! One year down and hopefully many more here!

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I generally am less impressed by the "new american" & "fusion" food in LA, but I have not found anywhere else with better ethnic food offerings

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My biggest gripe here is that not everything needs to be covered in cheese (and that’s saying something as a midwesterner) or fusion. Agreed the diversity of food outpaces Chicago. There, you can find very good Ethiopian, Eritrean, Somali, Caribbean, Peruvian, Vietnamese food.

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Please dont rely on "influencers" for food. Some of the places they recommend are nice in terms of aesthetics, but the food is mediocre at best. If you know any LA natives who know all the good stuff, mom and pop shops, ask them. Dont go to the hippie places because they overcharge for an avocado toast.

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LA food scene crushes Chicago in almost every type of cuisine, at every price point.

You need to explore the area beyond the all the cool/hip/trendy spots to fully appreciate it, and a car will absolutely optimize this experience.

You mentioned Ethiopian/Eritrean food - you probably haven’t been to the Little Ethiopia strip of Fairfax Ave near the Grove. Inglewood also has great Ethiopian food, and a Somali restaurant by the name of Banadir - hands down one of the most flavorful meals I’ve ever had.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Name a cuisine, and you will find it here. I drive all over LA County to eat , I can try to provide recs and locations.

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Native Chicagoan moving to LA the day after Christmas!! Appreciate you sharing your perspective, OP! 🙂 I’m SO excited for the weather! PS - never forget that Lou Malnatis ships frozen pizzas country wide!

Hahaha I’m laughing at that - my last move was from Chicago to Detroit and I didn’t see that as a huge difference and yet somehow my entire personality became that I was from Chicago too!

I’m doing a month of temporary housing in Studio City. Once explore I’ll figure out where to actually land! I’ve never been before 😁 took a transfer for work because why not!

#1 having lots of rain and wind help wash away pollution

#3 you have not had enough food if you think G&tG is the best this city has to offer. It’s OK, but was not impressed with it when I visited Chicago because at the time I knew of a dozen restaurants in LA doing the same thing, often better. Burn through the LA Times 101 list and then get back to us.

#11 this is a mix of the pandemic, but more so, the celebrity bag-dog trend that never died

There are other gay bars than just WeHo and Silverlake. Try downtown, plus there are some on the far east side.

Yeah. I frequent Akbar and Eagle in Silverlake and Precinct in DTLA. These places seem more relaxed/chill than WeHo places. What I really miss most about going out in chicago is there is more of a bar culture to meet new people. Everyone comes out in cliques and don’t expand their social gatherings. Chicago’s Andersonville bars are very easy to meet new people and strike up a conversation. You can’t really do that in Boystown bars (except maybe Northend).

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1-100% the dog thing is unearthly.
2- food scene is not that good here which is unfortunate :) you’re not the one one to stay this. It’s interesting and I like that we can recognize that. The food here isn’t that good. :)
3- there are so many reasons to be here though and pros>cons I’m happy to be here

Yea I’ve been meaning to try out food in Miami. And fair, to each their own!

Try Irvine

Weather + clean - nightlife

Hahaha new yorker here. When I visited Chicago I was amazed at how clean it was. I don't think you'll find another densely populated city as clean in America. Chicago also has alleyways which help with the cleanliness. Those alleyways would become a danger point in either NY or LA.

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