By now you should not be saying Happy New Year to anyone as it's already reaching the double digits in days, thus it's far into the New Year that you should be more comfortable with it. I would suggest that you NOT have issues writing the correct year on your checks, but that would imply the you still use checks. I mean, we're in the 21st century, people. Why are you still messing with checks?
As a native Angeleno, one understands the ebbs and the flows of the city. You get to enjoy the the city during those times of the year where the streets are a little bit emptier, the stores are a little less packed and and the crowds around you are a little less dense. I challenge you to this little bit of observation. For those of you who did stay in L.A. through the winter festivities, compare it to the foot traffic of this MLK day. You'll be surprised that while both are work holidays, that the crowds are still huge all over the place during MLK compared to the days only two weeks ago.
Why is that? Well, the transplants go away for a short time. Every year during the holidays all those transplants are gone. Let's be honest, they ruin this great city. So while they go back to their families in the Midwest and back to their land of "culture" on the East Coast or perhaps get away from the cold weather entirely by going South, we get to enjoy the city.
It's those same people that hate on Los Angeles so much and call this place fake that have this pre-conceived notion that they came here with about the city that makes it a self fulfilling prophecy. It's actually pretty ironic and it's a stereotype that they perpetuated themselves about the city. These very same people who wouldn't dare venture into Downtown L.A. because they still think it's a giant scary place and skid row will kill you. Where as I just went to Art Walk the other day and enjoyed the night time streets of downtown without fear.
But with these nay sayers going back to where they came from and allowing us Angelenos a quick breath of relief before the new year arrives, it does make me sort of sad that not all national holidays are like that... or for that matter, that we're so cluttered with these shit talkers who don't even like L.A. for the most part. They're the ones messing up the city the moment they arrive.
Now I'm not going to lump them ALL together. There's plenty of people who come to L.A. without this automatic hate for the city and embrace it for all that it is. I welcome those folks with open arms and gladly tell them that not everyone in L.A. is one of those transplant folks who just are self hating.
There's no absolute, even in my broad generalization. It's those good imported folk that bring a lot to the melting pot of L.A. Be it food, culture (something I really hate people assume we have none of) or just whatever they do have to offer. Those good ones deserve our respect, as they put into the city in order to get something back.
It's the same people who are from the East Coast and after a good ten years still call it "Out here" Nothing annoys me more than that. We're not "OUT HERE", We're simply "HERE"! God damn how that East Coast, and mainly New Yorker mentality annoys me. Either we have no culture (when's the last time an average New Yorker went to a museum or theater performance), we have no good food (Fuck you, we have excellent food), we got no public transportation (Car culture and well... proud of it). No good Pizza (sorry, but there's better pizza than in New York elsewhere) and various other complaints launched against this fine city and I'm really bothered that it's talked up so much.
While I never spent Christmas in the North East, I can't say I ever wanted to. Sure, Los Angeles isn't getting snowed on, at least not since 1922 when it did snow in Downtown L.A., but does that really make it Christmas? Maybe not a white Christmas, but then again, that's just strictly an American, New England/Midwest thing because 90% of the populated world doesn't have snow on Christmas. But everyone in L.A who is from elsewhere always gets down on L.A. for having the only indication of the Christmas holidays be the lights on the houses.
What a garish display of secularism. Not to mention that from those who have lights, at least 30-40% of them are Jewish. They certainly don't piss all over you in Rio De Janiero or Montevideo or Fiji for not having snow. Hell, Philly seldom ever gets snow on Christmas. It's just fucking cold and good luck with the snow shovel when it comes time to get anywhere. Besides that, you know what is really great? Going from the Beach to the snow covered mountains in a day and then coming back home to a warm bed at night. Yeah, I didn't think that you could do that as easily on the East Coast. Suck it.. beeeeyatch!
So if you will, take the time on MLK to just realize how you miss the emptiness of the city during the winter break as with Christmas, Valentines day and your birthday, only comes around once a year.
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