As Randy Newman would say, "L.A. We Love It"

Ah, Los Angeles, the sprawling, far reaching suburban type feel, the smog, the traffic, the cheese, the surfers, the porn industry, the bums. Contrary to popular belief, quite a nice place to live.

There are a lot of people out there in this big old world that detest Los Angeles(or think they do anyway). I hear about it all the time, "You live in La La Land"?, "Los Angeles, The Land of Fruits and Nuts", or the ever so bold comment "I HATE L.A." Really? Have you ever actually been to L.A? Do you really, truly know it, or are you just slightly familiar with Venice Beach, The Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, the vapid excuse for television programming also known as The Hills, Universal Studios and some of the other various and plentiful tourist trappings of the entertainment capitol? Well, if those are the only places you've visited or viewed on your television, shame on you. There is a whole other side to L.A., an amazingly, awesome side, a place I am proud to call "home".

Granted, there are some things about this city that I don't really care for; road rage, smog on a hot day, scientology, the public school system here is deplorable to say the least(what city doesn't have its cons), but the good far outweighs the bad. Once you find your niche, your pocket, a whole new universe opens up. Where else in the world can you get the ocean, the desert, snow, mountains, hot springs, amazing wineries, chinatown, thai town, little tokyo, the flower mart, the wholesale district, restaurants of ALL kinds, friendly, helpful people, all kinds of cultures, nature reserves, crazy huge flea markets, hiking not to mention shopping all within a 2 hour drive of one another. Not many places my friends, not many. I love waking up in December or January and being able to take my dogs on a walk wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, no long johns, no hats, no gloves, no shoveling my driveway, or salt on my car, no tornado drills or hurricanes here. I relish my ability to open the door to my backyard and pull some lemons or oranges off the trees to make fresh squeezed juice in the dead of winter, or sit on the patio enjoying a cup of coffee. Bar-B-Que on New Year's Day anyone? I think you get the picture.

Many of you may think L.A. is nothing more than a ginormous slab of cement on top of which us locals reside along with the cockroaches and wanna be actors, the wide eyed star struck youths trying to "make it". So far from the truth. So to those of you who choose to turn your noses up at Los Angeles, go ahead, truth be told, you really have no idea what you're missing.