Answers to the "Stereotypes and Los Angeles" poll
The truth will now be revealed.
The first thing to realize is that Los Angeles is huge. It covers a whole lot of square mileage, and there are many different aspects of LA that come out in different parts of the city. I live three miles from the beach and went to a church in the "beach community" for 12 years, so I'm going to answer from what I know.
Don't read these answers unless you've done the quiz for yourself in the previous entry, please! :-)
With that said, welcome to...
A lot of people don't have cars (or do have them but drive them infrequently) and use public transportation to get around instead.
False. Our public transportation is pretty bad, and it would take hours and hours to get from one end of LA to another using it. Just about everyone has a vehicle and uses it.
Almost every plot of land is developed.
True. Rarely will you find an area that is not developed. There are occasional places that are protected (because a rare butterfly lives there or something), but most is developed.
Almost everyone carries a pager.
False. Who uses those old things anymore?! Everyone uses cell phones instead.
Although many choose not to, it is warm enough to wear shorts and flip-flops throughout the whole year (with the exception of a few days).
False. You'd freeze your little legs and feet off. It's not that warm here year round.
Elijah Wood lives in Los Angeles.
False. Sadly false. He recently moved to New York after living in LA (nearby to me!) for quite a few years. :-(
Frequently roads or freeways are closed down because of filming for movies and TV shows.
True. This happens a lot. They're always filming! The freeway I drive on every day is especially used in a lot of films. We recently saw it in Blade Runner.
Generally the drivers here are very bad drivers.
False. LA has some of the best drivers in the world. They seem to drive crazily (not using turn signals, tail-gating like crazy, driving way over the speed limit, etc.), but they are very skilled drivers. It's amazing how infrequently they crash!
If you go to parts of LA, it is dangerous to wear the colors red and blue because those are gang colors.
True. Those are places I don't go, regardless of what I'm wearing!
In all my years of living here in Los Angeles (my whole life), I have never seen a celebrity outside of an organized event (concert, play, etc.).
False. They filmed part of a movie (Go) right next door to my house, so I saw the actors/actresses in that. I also think I saw Garth Brooks filming a commercial right around the corner.
There are very few if any farms (plant or animal) within the county limits.
False. There are both of these kinds of farms within LA county. There are cows and chickens right by my school (right in the city), acres of plant farming along the freeway on the way to church, and quite a few other areas like that.
In-N-Out Burger--native to California and only in CA, NV, and AZ--has the best burgers in the world.
True. Absolutely true! YUM!
Most everyone has a car alarm and/or steering wheel lock.
True. If you want to keep your vehicle, that is. We had a van with a car alarm and kill switch, but the alarm was acting up, so Dad turned it off one night, and the van was stolen from right in front of our house that very night. Many of our neighbors have had vehicles stolen likewise. Los Angeles is the car stealing capitol of the world. Lovely, huh?
People say "like" and "you know" a lot.
True. Like, you know, all the time!
It is sunny at our house almost all the time.
False. Since we live on the coast, we get a marine layer of clouds for months out of the year (almost all summer). It is not always sunny in California! Many other parts of California have sun almost all the time, though.
Krogers is our biggest grocery store chain.
False. Krogers? What is that? (We do have Ralphs, though, which is owned by Krogers, but that doesn't count ;-).
LA is butted up against a mountain range.
True. You can almost never see these mountains because of the smog, but they are there! It is so pretty to see the mountainous backdrop on the rare clear days. The other day it was clear, and a friend of mine at school, who lives up north in CA, was completely shocked to see the mountains. She said she had heard they were there, but she didn't believe it because she had never seen them before in her two years of being in the area.
Los Angeles doesn't have a ghetto.
False. It does have a ghetto. There are some very run down, dangerous areas of LA. I realize this question was a double negative of sorts (you vote YES if LA does NOT have a ghetto), so I know some of you may have voted wrongly accidentally. Sorry 'bout that.
Los Angeles is filled with health nuts interested in healthy ways of eating and living.
False. There are, of course, some tofu-eating, yoga-doing people, but this is not a movement part of the mainstream. A lot of actors and actresses fit this stereotype, though, so that is probably why people think we're all like that.
Los Angeles is not that interested in the arts. Its focus is mostly on movies.
False. They are very much into the arts. A new concert hall just opened in Downtown LA, and Josh Groban already sang there twice! We also have many art museums and galleries, performing arts centers, and other arts-related venues. LA does not revolve around the movies.
Los Angeles is very foggy.
True. It's foggier here than even in the legendary foggy London. This is especially true of the coast.
Many actors and actresses live in Los Angeles.
True. They're all over! Many live in Malibu (a gorgeous [and expensive] city in the mountains, right along the coast [the best of both worlds!]) and Los Feliz, which is behind Hollywood. But apparently they never leave their houses or something because nobody ever sees them...
More people live in high rises than houses.
False. This isn't New York. Way more people live in houses than high rise apartments (my guess is that less than 1% of people live in high rises!). LA is a very spread out city. Everyone is not stacked on top of each other.
Most everyone knows how to surf.
False. Ha ha.
Most freeways have traffic at most times of the day.
True. This is true regardless of your definition of traffic (see the other traffic-related question below).
Most of the rich people in Los Angeles live in Hollywood.
False. Hollywood is not nearly as upper-class as many other neighborhoods. It has many poor and run-down areas. The rich people live in other areas of LA.
Not everyone has a convertible car, of course, but it is the preferred vehicle.
False. The preferred vehicle is an SUV. Not that many people have convertibles. That is just so...90's! ;-)
Occasionally you can go to a store or walk down the street and run into a celebrity.
False. I only know one person that happened to (and it was at a party, not a store or on the street).
Our chain grocery stores are still on strike for the third month in a row.
True. It's getting crazy. There is one store that is on strike but not striking (I don't quite understand it), and if you go into that one, the shelves only have about 1/3 of their products on it. The truck drivers are on strike too, so the food is just not being delivered. Oh, my brothers just informed me that this is the 11th week, so almost starting the fourth month.
People are generally unfriendly.
True. Very true. People are very independent, selfish, and private. They're so wrapped up in themselves that they cease to notice anyone else.
People are not that interested in developing their minds. They are more into experiencing things and just living life.
That "hang loose" mentality either never existed here or just doesn't exist anymore. Generally people are very much into careers, wealth, success, and ambition. They learn things and do things. They don't relax and just "hang loose."
People are on their cell phones ALL the time, even when walking their dogs or riding bikes.
True. When I wrote that question, I had just looked out the window and saw yet another person going by on their bike while chatting on their cell phone. It seems that everyone (but me) has a cell phone. I was in Trader Joe's the other day, and three cell phones went off in one aisle at once. That made everyone grab for their phones to see if it was theirs ringing.
Most people have house alarms.
False. I only know two or three people with house alarms. I imagine rich people have house alarms for their expensive homes, but rich people are in the minority.
People say the slang words "uber" and "random" frequently.
False. Very false. When I told this one to my family, they said, "Huh? What is uber?!" Of course we use "random," but not in the sense that people in other areas use it. Those words have not grown in vogue here, and I hope it stays that way.
Since the beach is so close, most everyone goes to the beach often.
False. I haven't been to the beach in a year or more. People just don't go often. It's always so crowded (tourists ;-) and dirty and not private. People prefer to live by the beach as long as they don't have to touch it.
Smoking is against the law in every restaurant.
True. We've had that law for a few years now.
The beach community is filled with people in their mid-to-late 20's.
False. It used to be that way, but then those people grew up. Now the "beach community" is filled with those in their 30's. Single, career people who want to live their solitary, self-seeking lives.
The city, for the most part, is segregated into racial groups (Caucasians live in the same neighborhood together, African Americans live in their neighborhood, etc.)
True. Much of this has to do with monetary status rather than racial segregation, but it mostly is that the Caucasians (and some Asians) are the richest, then the African Americans, then the Latinos. So you often see them grouped like that. My city (which is inside of LA) is mostly Caucasian. In Inglewood it is mostly African American (it didn't used to be that way; my mom, who is Eurasian, grew up there), Downtown LA is mostly Latino (and some poor African Americans and Caucasians). There are also places with just Jewish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, and Ethiopian people. They tend to group themselves together and segregate themselves. Nobody is "forced" into these sections. I realize that this question may have been misleading with the word "segregated" in there. I meant that people segregate themselves, not that the city zones off areas where people of certain ethnicities have to live.
The economy is bad right now. It's very difficult to get a job.
False. You can always work at one of our grocery stores while the regular workers are on strike. ;-) Seriously, though, we are not having bad economic problems.
The freeways are a complicated web, and the ramps can stack 5-6 high on interchanges.
True. It's a sight to behold. It's great fun to drive on the top of the stack. What a view!
The gun laws are so strict that regular citizens are not allowed own guns (aside from hunting weapons).
False. Nobody but the chief of police and mayor can have concealed weapons licenses, but regular, law-abiding citizens can own guns.
The homeless problem is so bad that hundreds of homeless people sleep on the city capitol's lawn.
True. In Santa Monica the homeless people camp out on the capitol's lawn every day. It is a sight to behold.
People use the words "homie," "yo," and "bro'" often.
True. Especially among the African American "brothers."
The hub of Los Angeles is Hollywood.
False. That is a symbol of LA to many people, but it is not the hub of the city. A whole lot of movie making is not even done in Hollywood. LA is not primarily focused on movie making anyway.
The smog is so bad that you can almost always see it as a layer of brown sitting over the city.
True. ::cough cough::
The word "interstate" is often used for interstate freeways.
False. Ha! That is absolutely not true. We about died laughing when people in Idaho kept referring to their sole freeways as "the interstate." That sounds so...so...hick. ;-)
There are fewer churches in relation to number of people in LA than most anywhere else in the US.
False. Not that I know of! We have a lot of churches, especially in Downtown LA and in the African American and Latino areas.
There are large gangs, and they kill each other and other people often.
True.
There are many ethnic groups here, but African American is the predominant group.
False. It's about 50% Latino, so they are the majority group. The other large groups are Caucasian, African American, and Asian (I don't know in what order).
There are only five Walmarts in Los Angeles.
False. There is only ONE Walmart in LA! It just opened last year. They (whoever they are) are trying to keep Walmart out of LA.
Hollywood is predominantly filled with atheists.
False. There is a very large traditional Jewish population in Hollywood. They are not atheists. A lot of actors and actresses, while they aren't Christians, do profess a belief in God. We're not all heathens over here!
There are palm trees all over.
True. When my mom came to America when she was eight, she thought that palm trees were the funniest looking trees ever. Maybe they are, but I'm so used to seeing them all over! I see four palm trees right now in just looking out my window.
Those billboards that say "In God We Trust" and other similar "religious" messages have been banned.
False. We have an "In God We Trust" billboard just around the corner.
Traffic is defined as many cars on the road.
False. Traffic means having to slow down due to the amount of cars on the road. Many times the cars will be just a car length or two apart, yet they're all going 65-75+ miles together at the same time. When you say "the traffic is heavy today," you mean that you have to go below the speed limit.
Very few people have pickup trucks.
False. Lots of people have them. We have all sorts of off-road and utility vehicles regardless of whether people actually need them or not. It's all about looks and status!
We don't have Walmart Super-centers.
True. I had never been to one until I went out of state.
We feel an earthquake every few months.
False. Although there was just one the day I originally posted the poll, they are infrequent. Earthquakes happen all the time, but they are rarely strong enough to actually feel. I haven't felt one in over a year.
We have never had snow or tornados in LA (except for maybe 100+ years ago).
False. We have both of these phenomena in LA every so often. The snow melts before it hits the ground, and the tornados rarely do any damage, but both still happen. They have never happened in my particular area, though.
We have the busiest freeway in the world.
True. And it's the one closest to my house, just a few blocks away. We call it "The Parking Lot" because when you get on it, it's like being in a parking lot. All the cars are "parked" bumper-to-bumper for hours, inching along together very slowly.
When passing someone on the street, it is not recommended nor safe to say "hi" or look them in the eye.
True. Nobody looks at each other, and only older people will wave a hand or say "hello" to stranger. If you pass by someone, the common protocol is to cast your eyes down or look the other direction.
The freeways can get up to eight lanes across going in one direction.
True. I hate having to cross so many lanes like that. Yikes!
Which ones of yours are true or false?
People are willing to commute outrageous lengths to work
True. A lot of people who work in LA cannot afford to live here (it is insanely expensive unless you want to live in dangerous areas), so many people live way outside of the city limits and drive an hour or two to work every single day.
People make "California stops" at stop signs (I have seen you do this). O:-)
True. To both accounts, LOL. People tend to roll through stop signs or just briefly touch the brakes. I never just roll through, but I rarely make complete stops. Guilty as charged. ;-)
Everyone has had plastic or cosmetic surgery ;D
False. This is my real nose! Honest it is! ;-) Of course many celebrities have gotten nips and tucks, but most average people haven't done that.
Todos los gentes en Los Angeles hablan español.
Falso. Es una problema que todos los gentes no hablan el mismo idioma. La comunicación es mal a veces. ¡Los signos y las instrucciones alrededor de la ciudad se escriben en ambos inglés e español, pero algunas personas todavía comprienden mal! ¡Ay!
All of the (Caucasian) women are blonde ;-)
False. LOL That is the stereotype perpetuated by a lot of movies, but it is very much not true. True blonde is going to be "extinct" everywhere in the world in just a few generations because of mixing. Isn't that sad?
The first thing to realize is that Los Angeles is huge. It covers a whole lot of square mileage, and there are many different aspects of LA that come out in different parts of the city. I live three miles from the beach and went to a church in the "beach community" for 12 years, so I'm going to answer from what I know.
Don't read these answers unless you've done the quiz for yourself in the previous entry, please! :-)
With that said, welcome to...
A lot of people don't have cars (or do have them but drive them infrequently) and use public transportation to get around instead.
False. Our public transportation is pretty bad, and it would take hours and hours to get from one end of LA to another using it. Just about everyone has a vehicle and uses it.
Almost every plot of land is developed.
True. Rarely will you find an area that is not developed. There are occasional places that are protected (because a rare butterfly lives there or something), but most is developed.
Almost everyone carries a pager.
False. Who uses those old things anymore?! Everyone uses cell phones instead.
Although many choose not to, it is warm enough to wear shorts and flip-flops throughout the whole year (with the exception of a few days).
False. You'd freeze your little legs and feet off. It's not that warm here year round.
Elijah Wood lives in Los Angeles.
False. Sadly false. He recently moved to New York after living in LA (nearby to me!) for quite a few years. :-(
Frequently roads or freeways are closed down because of filming for movies and TV shows.
True. This happens a lot. They're always filming! The freeway I drive on every day is especially used in a lot of films. We recently saw it in Blade Runner.
Generally the drivers here are very bad drivers.
False. LA has some of the best drivers in the world. They seem to drive crazily (not using turn signals, tail-gating like crazy, driving way over the speed limit, etc.), but they are very skilled drivers. It's amazing how infrequently they crash!
If you go to parts of LA, it is dangerous to wear the colors red and blue because those are gang colors.
True. Those are places I don't go, regardless of what I'm wearing!
In all my years of living here in Los Angeles (my whole life), I have never seen a celebrity outside of an organized event (concert, play, etc.).
False. They filmed part of a movie (Go) right next door to my house, so I saw the actors/actresses in that. I also think I saw Garth Brooks filming a commercial right around the corner.
There are very few if any farms (plant or animal) within the county limits.
False. There are both of these kinds of farms within LA county. There are cows and chickens right by my school (right in the city), acres of plant farming along the freeway on the way to church, and quite a few other areas like that.
In-N-Out Burger--native to California and only in CA, NV, and AZ--has the best burgers in the world.
True. Absolutely true! YUM!
Most everyone has a car alarm and/or steering wheel lock.
True. If you want to keep your vehicle, that is. We had a van with a car alarm and kill switch, but the alarm was acting up, so Dad turned it off one night, and the van was stolen from right in front of our house that very night. Many of our neighbors have had vehicles stolen likewise. Los Angeles is the car stealing capitol of the world. Lovely, huh?
People say "like" and "you know" a lot.
True. Like, you know, all the time!
It is sunny at our house almost all the time.
False. Since we live on the coast, we get a marine layer of clouds for months out of the year (almost all summer). It is not always sunny in California! Many other parts of California have sun almost all the time, though.
Krogers is our biggest grocery store chain.
False. Krogers? What is that? (We do have Ralphs, though, which is owned by Krogers, but that doesn't count ;-).
LA is butted up against a mountain range.
True. You can almost never see these mountains because of the smog, but they are there! It is so pretty to see the mountainous backdrop on the rare clear days. The other day it was clear, and a friend of mine at school, who lives up north in CA, was completely shocked to see the mountains. She said she had heard they were there, but she didn't believe it because she had never seen them before in her two years of being in the area.
Los Angeles doesn't have a ghetto.
False. It does have a ghetto. There are some very run down, dangerous areas of LA. I realize this question was a double negative of sorts (you vote YES if LA does NOT have a ghetto), so I know some of you may have voted wrongly accidentally. Sorry 'bout that.
Los Angeles is filled with health nuts interested in healthy ways of eating and living.
False. There are, of course, some tofu-eating, yoga-doing people, but this is not a movement part of the mainstream. A lot of actors and actresses fit this stereotype, though, so that is probably why people think we're all like that.
Los Angeles is not that interested in the arts. Its focus is mostly on movies.
False. They are very much into the arts. A new concert hall just opened in Downtown LA, and Josh Groban already sang there twice! We also have many art museums and galleries, performing arts centers, and other arts-related venues. LA does not revolve around the movies.
Los Angeles is very foggy.
True. It's foggier here than even in the legendary foggy London. This is especially true of the coast.
Many actors and actresses live in Los Angeles.
True. They're all over! Many live in Malibu (a gorgeous [and expensive] city in the mountains, right along the coast [the best of both worlds!]) and Los Feliz, which is behind Hollywood. But apparently they never leave their houses or something because nobody ever sees them...
More people live in high rises than houses.
False. This isn't New York. Way more people live in houses than high rise apartments (my guess is that less than 1% of people live in high rises!). LA is a very spread out city. Everyone is not stacked on top of each other.
Most everyone knows how to surf.
False. Ha ha.
Most freeways have traffic at most times of the day.
True. This is true regardless of your definition of traffic (see the other traffic-related question below).
Most of the rich people in Los Angeles live in Hollywood.
False. Hollywood is not nearly as upper-class as many other neighborhoods. It has many poor and run-down areas. The rich people live in other areas of LA.
Not everyone has a convertible car, of course, but it is the preferred vehicle.
False. The preferred vehicle is an SUV. Not that many people have convertibles. That is just so...90's! ;-)
Occasionally you can go to a store or walk down the street and run into a celebrity.
False. I only know one person that happened to (and it was at a party, not a store or on the street).
Our chain grocery stores are still on strike for the third month in a row.
True. It's getting crazy. There is one store that is on strike but not striking (I don't quite understand it), and if you go into that one, the shelves only have about 1/3 of their products on it. The truck drivers are on strike too, so the food is just not being delivered. Oh, my brothers just informed me that this is the 11th week, so almost starting the fourth month.
People are generally unfriendly.
True. Very true. People are very independent, selfish, and private. They're so wrapped up in themselves that they cease to notice anyone else.
People are not that interested in developing their minds. They are more into experiencing things and just living life.
That "hang loose" mentality either never existed here or just doesn't exist anymore. Generally people are very much into careers, wealth, success, and ambition. They learn things and do things. They don't relax and just "hang loose."
People are on their cell phones ALL the time, even when walking their dogs or riding bikes.
True. When I wrote that question, I had just looked out the window and saw yet another person going by on their bike while chatting on their cell phone. It seems that everyone (but me) has a cell phone. I was in Trader Joe's the other day, and three cell phones went off in one aisle at once. That made everyone grab for their phones to see if it was theirs ringing.
Most people have house alarms.
False. I only know two or three people with house alarms. I imagine rich people have house alarms for their expensive homes, but rich people are in the minority.
People say the slang words "uber" and "random" frequently.
False. Very false. When I told this one to my family, they said, "Huh? What is uber?!" Of course we use "random," but not in the sense that people in other areas use it. Those words have not grown in vogue here, and I hope it stays that way.
Since the beach is so close, most everyone goes to the beach often.
False. I haven't been to the beach in a year or more. People just don't go often. It's always so crowded (tourists ;-) and dirty and not private. People prefer to live by the beach as long as they don't have to touch it.
Smoking is against the law in every restaurant.
True. We've had that law for a few years now.
The beach community is filled with people in their mid-to-late 20's.
False. It used to be that way, but then those people grew up. Now the "beach community" is filled with those in their 30's. Single, career people who want to live their solitary, self-seeking lives.
The city, for the most part, is segregated into racial groups (Caucasians live in the same neighborhood together, African Americans live in their neighborhood, etc.)
True. Much of this has to do with monetary status rather than racial segregation, but it mostly is that the Caucasians (and some Asians) are the richest, then the African Americans, then the Latinos. So you often see them grouped like that. My city (which is inside of LA) is mostly Caucasian. In Inglewood it is mostly African American (it didn't used to be that way; my mom, who is Eurasian, grew up there), Downtown LA is mostly Latino (and some poor African Americans and Caucasians). There are also places with just Jewish, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, and Ethiopian people. They tend to group themselves together and segregate themselves. Nobody is "forced" into these sections. I realize that this question may have been misleading with the word "segregated" in there. I meant that people segregate themselves, not that the city zones off areas where people of certain ethnicities have to live.
The economy is bad right now. It's very difficult to get a job.
False. You can always work at one of our grocery stores while the regular workers are on strike. ;-) Seriously, though, we are not having bad economic problems.
The freeways are a complicated web, and the ramps can stack 5-6 high on interchanges.
True. It's a sight to behold. It's great fun to drive on the top of the stack. What a view!
The gun laws are so strict that regular citizens are not allowed own guns (aside from hunting weapons).
False. Nobody but the chief of police and mayor can have concealed weapons licenses, but regular, law-abiding citizens can own guns.
The homeless problem is so bad that hundreds of homeless people sleep on the city capitol's lawn.
True. In Santa Monica the homeless people camp out on the capitol's lawn every day. It is a sight to behold.
People use the words "homie," "yo," and "bro'" often.
True. Especially among the African American "brothers."
The hub of Los Angeles is Hollywood.
False. That is a symbol of LA to many people, but it is not the hub of the city. A whole lot of movie making is not even done in Hollywood. LA is not primarily focused on movie making anyway.
The smog is so bad that you can almost always see it as a layer of brown sitting over the city.
True. ::cough cough::
The word "interstate" is often used for interstate freeways.
False. Ha! That is absolutely not true. We about died laughing when people in Idaho kept referring to their sole freeways as "the interstate." That sounds so...so...hick. ;-)
There are fewer churches in relation to number of people in LA than most anywhere else in the US.
False. Not that I know of! We have a lot of churches, especially in Downtown LA and in the African American and Latino areas.
There are large gangs, and they kill each other and other people often.
True.
There are many ethnic groups here, but African American is the predominant group.
False. It's about 50% Latino, so they are the majority group. The other large groups are Caucasian, African American, and Asian (I don't know in what order).
There are only five Walmarts in Los Angeles.
False. There is only ONE Walmart in LA! It just opened last year. They (whoever they are) are trying to keep Walmart out of LA.
Hollywood is predominantly filled with atheists.
False. There is a very large traditional Jewish population in Hollywood. They are not atheists. A lot of actors and actresses, while they aren't Christians, do profess a belief in God. We're not all heathens over here!
There are palm trees all over.
True. When my mom came to America when she was eight, she thought that palm trees were the funniest looking trees ever. Maybe they are, but I'm so used to seeing them all over! I see four palm trees right now in just looking out my window.
Those billboards that say "In God We Trust" and other similar "religious" messages have been banned.
False. We have an "In God We Trust" billboard just around the corner.
Traffic is defined as many cars on the road.
False. Traffic means having to slow down due to the amount of cars on the road. Many times the cars will be just a car length or two apart, yet they're all going 65-75+ miles together at the same time. When you say "the traffic is heavy today," you mean that you have to go below the speed limit.
Very few people have pickup trucks.
False. Lots of people have them. We have all sorts of off-road and utility vehicles regardless of whether people actually need them or not. It's all about looks and status!
We don't have Walmart Super-centers.
True. I had never been to one until I went out of state.
We feel an earthquake every few months.
False. Although there was just one the day I originally posted the poll, they are infrequent. Earthquakes happen all the time, but they are rarely strong enough to actually feel. I haven't felt one in over a year.
We have never had snow or tornados in LA (except for maybe 100+ years ago).
False. We have both of these phenomena in LA every so often. The snow melts before it hits the ground, and the tornados rarely do any damage, but both still happen. They have never happened in my particular area, though.
We have the busiest freeway in the world.
True. And it's the one closest to my house, just a few blocks away. We call it "The Parking Lot" because when you get on it, it's like being in a parking lot. All the cars are "parked" bumper-to-bumper for hours, inching along together very slowly.
When passing someone on the street, it is not recommended nor safe to say "hi" or look them in the eye.
True. Nobody looks at each other, and only older people will wave a hand or say "hello" to stranger. If you pass by someone, the common protocol is to cast your eyes down or look the other direction.
The freeways can get up to eight lanes across going in one direction.
True. I hate having to cross so many lanes like that. Yikes!
Which ones of yours are true or false?
People are willing to commute outrageous lengths to work
True. A lot of people who work in LA cannot afford to live here (it is insanely expensive unless you want to live in dangerous areas), so many people live way outside of the city limits and drive an hour or two to work every single day.
People make "California stops" at stop signs (I have seen you do this). O:-)
True. To both accounts, LOL. People tend to roll through stop signs or just briefly touch the brakes. I never just roll through, but I rarely make complete stops. Guilty as charged. ;-)
Everyone has had plastic or cosmetic surgery ;D
False. This is my real nose! Honest it is! ;-) Of course many celebrities have gotten nips and tucks, but most average people haven't done that.
Todos los gentes en Los Angeles hablan español.
Falso. Es una problema que todos los gentes no hablan el mismo idioma. La comunicación es mal a veces. ¡Los signos y las instrucciones alrededor de la ciudad se escriben en ambos inglés e español, pero algunas personas todavía comprienden mal! ¡Ay!
All of the (Caucasian) women are blonde ;-)
False. LOL That is the stereotype perpetuated by a lot of movies, but it is very much not true. True blonde is going to be "extinct" everywhere in the world in just a few generations because of mixing. Isn't that sad?