hotbed of intellectualism

l.a. gets a bad rap, no doubt about it. for instance, a friend who lives elsewhere recently made reference to l.a.'s 'plasticity.'

i understand this perception, because i had it myself during the many years i spent in san francisco. l.a.-hating seeps into your dna within minutes of setting up residence in the bay area.

i also understand this perception because there are incontrovertible proof points, such as the photo you see above, pulled from someone's flickr stream of photos taken on a trip here that they've entitled 'ridiculous l.a.'

at the same time, i dare say that most major cities in the u.s. have their very own brand of peroxided, boob-expanded women and 'night at the roxbury' men. in fact, i've seen them with my own eyes in places like cedar rapids, iowa, and alexandria, virginia, and chicago, illinois, and, god knows, every city i've ever visited in texas.

so imagine the vindication and sense of pride i felt when i walked out of my front door yesterday and past the four adjoining houses, all of which had just received their mail deliveries, the magazines from which will not fit through our mailslots. turned face up on each and every doorstep, including ours, was the latest issue of the new yorker.

eat that, l.a. detractors!

so, yes, there is plasticity in l.a., but there are many distinct l.a.'s, and to subscribe to the stereotype is to miss out on the vibrancy and variety that a metropolitan area numbering 13 million people will invariably have.

and if you travel here forgetting to bring your latest issue of the new yorker, don't worry: we got plenty!