Stories like this one make my skin crawl: "Los Angeles rivals New York City when it comes to transplants. And one thing all transplants share is a list of gripes about what was better about home. For New Yorkers it's bagels and pizza. For Austin, Texas, natives, BBQ. For Chicagoans, jazz. For Bostonians -- everything. But just scratch the surface and there's a little bit of everywhere in these United States of L.A. Read on and beat the homesick blues."
What is it about the L.A. transplants who never bother to get to know their adopted city? I'm constantly surprised by people who have lived here for years, but still don't know the basics about Los Angeles, don't pay attention to local politics, never venture into certain parts of town and refuse to become part of the local fabric. (I can't wait to get the Militant Angeleno's take on this piece.)
Hey, there are plenty of spots here in Los Angeles when I want to get a mini-dose of Hawaii (the ever-growing L&L Hawaiian Barbecue chain, King's Bakery, Whittier College's Hawaiian concert series, etc.). But I also don't whine that "things are so much better back home" -- perhaps because even though I'm a transplant, Los Angeles now is home.
A few lines that bug me:
"Austin transplant Jenny Sperandeo cites the El Rey, Spaceland and the Troubadour as venues worthy of Austin's close-knit music scene": Well, gee, thanks. The Troubadour just celebrated its 50th anniversary, so I'm glad it's been deemed worthy.
"Without so much as a dedicated country radio station, L.A. is no cowboy mecca.": I'm thinking the people at KKGO-FM 105.1 "Go Country" might disagree.
"As for deli food, lower your expectations: Filmmaker Rachel Zabar, whose family owns famed New York deli Zabar's, isn't impressed with L.A.'s efforts. 'There are no decent Jewish delis. I've been to Jerry's and thought it was a joke.'": Well yeah, Jerry's is a joke. Why no mention of Langer's?
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