h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It all just sounds so tiresome, the mega-rich in their playground...

No wonder I have never felt the urge to get off on international flights and spend time in LA - it all seems like it's on a different plane of reality!!!

Oh, it is. I've lived in the eastern U.S. my entire life, and I took my first trip to Southern California last April for a conference. From the moment I got off the plane I was dizzy, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. But when an Australian tourist commented to me that this was his first trip to the United States, I just gave him a wild look and said, "Trust me, I feel as foreign here as you do." Then I thought to myself: "Wait -- they let people come here FIRST? No wonder the world thinks we're insane."

SoCal really IS that different from the rest of the United States, and it has to be experienced to be understood. Those who spent much of their youth in the area will deny it, but the rest of the country knows better.

Although I'm a Northern Califorinian myself, I have to agree that SoCal is quite the weird little area. Then again, my father is from SoCal, and he's perfectly maladjusted, so I guess it really isn't too bad. I think it's just different, not as off-beat as San Francisco or even L.A. for that matter, but is certainly isn't Kansas of Oklahoma.

Aussies can't avoid changing planes in LA, this is where all the international planes go! I much prefer the east coast, though.

i once lived in orange county to further my career in the entertainment industry... i love orange... i have lived in socal most of my life and agree that it is quite a bit different from other places... namely, upstate new york, and seattle, washington. i wouldn't want to live anywhere else... i love the nightlife, the culture, the ethnic diversity. Pretty much everyone here is a nice person, but much like the NY metropolis, they don't let on to be. *Tip* when driving in OC or SoCal for that matter, give a resectful nod or merging space for fellow drivers... they won't attempt to ram you then.