Bag Ban

As of the first of the year, LA and most surrounding cities enacted a plastic bag ban for major retailers. The ban will extend to smaller stores this summer. I am completely in favor of the ban. Too many bags just get tossed out immediately after a single use. However, stores now have to charge for paper bags too.

Ever since moving here we have used paper bags from the grocery store for our trash. On the rare occasion we shopped at Target or somewhere without paper bags, we used the plastic bags for trash as well. After buying handy reusable bags for shopping in preparation for the ban and subsequent paper fees, we realized we needed some receptacle for our trash, so we purchased plastic trash bags.

But wait, this doesn't make sense! So instead of throwing away 5 or so plastic bags a month (full of trash), now we will throw away 30 plastic bags a month and pay for the privilege of doing so (we have a cat so daily removal is a necessity whether the trash can is full or not). Granted I got the tiny 4 gallon bags and the trash can itself is only 2 gallons, but that is still a big increase in plastic going to the landfill. This article points out some good alternatives to lining the trash can with virgin plastic bags: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/02/collecting-garbage-without-plastic-trash-bags/. The embedded video is pretty funny too.

Back when we had a house, it was much easier. I just scooped the cat waste straight into the outside bin, composted most food waste, and we were only left with maybe 2 bags a trash a week (usually not even stuffed full). I'm sure I'll think of something better than buying trash bags for next month.

On a side note, when will people ever learn that you can't put your recycling in the bin in a plastic bag. Drives me up a tree! Your recycling should be dry, so there is no reason you need any sort of liner.

Attitude

One of my favorite things about living in LA is the attitude of many people. It certainly isn't the friendliest place on earth, but the attitude is unique.

I thought about calling it a youthful attitude. That's pretty accurate, but not quite right. I also thought of stubborn, but other cities can be described as stubborn. I'm going to go with willful. The LA attitude is like that of a willful toddler.

these are way fun!

Much like toddlers, people here can be a bit self obsessed. They want to be paid attention to. They are not always cognizant that they need to use their nice words when dealing with others.

However, the attitude comes with a lot of upsides. People try new things. They aren't afraid to look silly. Frankly they don't care what you think. I frequently see adults skateboarding and riding kick scooters. I think that is awesome. These aren't just young adults either. These include folks with gray hair. I've seen them riding for fun, riding with their kids, riding to/from work, and riding for errands. I've seen people in scrubs and guys in business shirts. My personal favorite was a guy riding away from the grocery store on his skateboard with a new frying pan in hand.

Having lived other places, I know that many other cities carry social pressures about acting "outside the norm". Despite many areas being flat and blessed with far nicer sidewalks than LA, I really can't imagine a 40 year old cruising into work on a kick scooter in other cities. Why is that? Why let social stigma affect our actions? Be like that toddler and think you're the greatest thing ever.

Areas to live in LA: maybe

This is part 3 of my entirely opinion based series on where to live in LA.

The maybe area lies within the "yes, but" category except for the desert and high desert.

Desert and High Desert: I love the desert when it is vast and empty and full of interesting geology. This area has a bit of that. However, due to the availability of cheap land, it is slowly gaining boring suburbs. It is also a transportation nightmare. Unless you live along the Metrolink line, you get to enjoy grueling long car rides through limited options into the city.

Chinatown: This area extends past the commercialized Chinatown to include several other largely immigrant communities. For many recent immigrants, cheap housing and lower crime make this a desirable area. However, if you're not a recent immigrant you may feel out of place.

Downtown: For years if you weren't homeless, there was no reason to linger in downtown after sunset. Like many American cities, downtown is slowly experiencing a renaissance. Unlike other cities, it isn't totally overtaken by yuppies just yet. Apartments in historic buildings can be had for reasonable rates. This is also at the hub of the current hub and spoke model public transport system. The massive homeless population is not to be ignored, though. They bring with them the odor of open sewers and street trash like you wouldn't believe. 

Hawthorne and Torrance: These are suburbs with lots of single family homes or squat multi-family units. I have no particular love for the area nor do I loathe it. If you work in aerospace, this may be a good area to situate yourself due to proximity to jobs. What I dislike, are the prevalence of big box stores and sprawling parking lots. However, I do like the Carson Ikea better than the Burbank Ikea for the very reason of the massive surface lot. A parking garage at an Ikea is just insanity!

Palos Verdes: Unlike the others areas in this category, this is expensive. It sits on a rise on a point overlooking the ocean. The hillside homes are largely spacious and cost you plenty. There was the debacle where a developer built a neighborhood on a known landslide and then as nature would have it the homes started migrating oceanward and the area had to be razed. Load up on the insurance if you live here. Other than that, you have some stunning ocean views, a lighthouse, a beautiful chapel designed by Lloyd Wright, and several parks.

Areas to live in LA: yes, but

This is part 2 of my entirely opinion based series on where to live in LA.

The "yes, but" category forms a crescent around LA proper. The areas include:

Malibu/Santa Monica Mountains: Beautiful area, but a long drive to do anything with very few major roads in or out. There is also not a lot of commerce here, so unless you land one of the lucky few jobs or work from home, you'll spend more waking hours on the road than enjoying your home.

San Fernando Valley: This area is a collection of many different communities with widely varying characteristics. What they share in common is much hotter summers and sprawling one-story suburbs. There is a lot of work if you are in the film industry or an industry that is an accessory to the film industry. Otherwise you will likely have to go over the hills into the city proper which can only be done via 3 freeway passes or the one subway line.

Angeles National Forest: It sounds pretty cool to live in a national forest and you do have the amazing benefit of countless miles of trails at your doorstep. The mountains are truly beautiful. However, there is absolutely nowhere to work so you are stuck with frightfully long commutes.

Pasadena: Unlike it's smelly Texas counterpart, this is a pleasant city with a long history. There are many great old buildings, the scenic CalTech campus, lots to do, and ample employers. It is also connected to the city proper via light rail. There's not much separating this from a yes other than a bit less diversity and connectivity than the solid yeses.

Beverly Hills: If you are wealthy and enjoy sequestering yourself on your enormous suburban lot, this is the place for you. However, if you like reasonable prices and interacting with people who don't attend cocktail parties, this might not be your best bet.

Coastal Cities: You can't beat having the mighty Pacific Ocean as a neighbor (especially in an area with minimal tsunami and next to no hurricane risk). You do pay a premium for proximity. You also are stuck with a bit of a drive to get back towards town and the first 3 miles leaving the coastal cities is often ridiculously slow.

Balcony Garden: Late Summer-Early Fall

Here's the garden as it was in July. The red flowers died out by early August, so while the hummingbirds loved them, they won't be making a return appearance next year.

Here's the garden from last week (the glare is a little harsh). I'm not sure if the strawberry (front) will bloom and produce again, but I can't bear to get rid of it despite it not producing a single berry in months. You can't see the rosemary very well, but it is going strong. The peppers have been relatively disappointing. A mere handful  all summer compared to the endless supply I was used to getting in Texas. I don't think the peppers will be included again next spring. The basil is still going, but it has taken on a rather minty flavor.

I just ripped out the yellow flowers today and will likely yank the peppers and basil next week (there will be some spicy pesto on the menu!). The white flowers are probably going too. I'm hoping to get some native plants to see if I can attract more butterflies. I'll also be doing greens again in the big pot (the one with the saucer), but probably need to wait a couple weeks to start them.

Areas to live in LA: yes

Here is a map of Los Angeles County with categories based on whether I would recommend living there or not. This is based on my experience, talking to people, and looking at crime maps.

Because it would be a very long blog post if I described my reasoning for all of these areas in one post, I'll break it up by category. Kicking it off are the areas I wholeheartedly recommend living.

First off is Culver City (inclusive of Palms and West LA). I may be biased because I live in this particular area. What I like about the area:

• Highway connection via the 10 and the 405
• Transit connection via the Expo line
• Relatively safe and quiet
• Ethnic mix
• Variety of local restaurants
• Reasonably priced

The only other definite yes is Los Feliz. We looked into moving here before we knew where I would be working. What I like about the area:

• Walking/Biking access to Griffith Park
• Transit connection via the Red Line
• Highway connection via the 5 and 101
• Reasonably priced
• Near LA River bike path

Hummingbirds

The best purchase I've made in several months has been a hummingbird feeder. It brings me so much joy to see the little birds out there every morning and occasionally in the evening. The hummingbirds here in LA are very enthusiastic about feeders and will let you get fairly close to them.

I believe these are Anna's hummingbirds based on their range and the song. These little guys are frequently chittering as they fly and especially when they are chasing away other hummingbirds from the feeder. They seem to roost in the large tree in the courtyard in front of our apartment (or at least use it as cover) because they dart to and from the tree to our balcony. When they are in the tree, I can hear them singing. They are surprisingly loud for such a tiny creature!