Quote:
Originally Posted by colemonkee
Friday, is the DT News the only source for the 51 floors? If so, I'm hesitant to change the front page, given DT News' previous track record with getting facts and numbers straight.
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It's the only source I've seen. Agreed that the DT News blurb may not be accurate. The Amidi Real Estate Group's website still says 48 stories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by colemonkee
edluva, you're right, we are largely celebrating a surface level downtown that won't act like a true downtown like NY, Chicago or London for quite some time, if ever. But many of the people who have relocated to downtown LA are embracing the "urban" lifestyle as much as their personal situation allows them, driving their cars less, using public transportation more (though admitedly not nearly to the level used in other urban cities), and staying local more than they did before. My prediction is that as the downtown population grows and the amenities and choices of amenities within downtown grow with it, a growing percentage of those people will start to use downtown as a real downtown. I realize that percentage will grow very slowly over time, but that's the best we can hope for given our development history in LA. To me it seems like a waste of energy to try and become NY or London or Tokyo overnight. That shit just ain't gonna happen. But we can hope to make our streets a more pedestrian friendly and urban oriented, a little tiny bit at a time.
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I agree with your comments. In my opinion, it's not fair to compare downtown LA
by itself to places like Manhattan, London or Tokyo. It'll never measure up (at least in our lifetime). I'm one of those few people who dove in head first to the "downtown lifestyle". I live/work downtown, sold my car, and usually stay near downtown on the weekends - where I walk everywhere. Downtown LA isn't incredible
yet, but let me point out something WONDERFUL about living downtown - city accessibility via transit!!
I often visit other immediate neighborhoods like Koreatown, downtown Hollywood, Sunet/Vine and Los Feliz Village. These areas are all accessible by subway and they're all growing with new projects/retail. Throw in Old Town Pasadena, downtown Long Beach and NoHo Arts District, all accessible by rail from downtown, and they're all growing. Even Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Westwood and Miracle Mile are all accessible by the rapid 720 line, which is actually reliable (35 mins flat from downtown to Westwood during non-peak hours). Downtown Culver City will be accessible by 2010. By living in downtown, we have easy transit access to all the great areas of the city and no one needs a car or a local bus. It is very much a fun urban experience for me. I wouldn't be able to do this anywhere else in Los Angeles. Add to that, all of the exciting projects that are coming soon!
That's not to say I'm naive in thinking LA doesn't need to improve it's transit system for everyone, everywhere. That's a whole other discussion, but I'll be the first to point out if you live on the Westside and work in the Valley... it's your own fault.
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