Is there any trick to learning the geography and layout of LA? It’s even intimidating to look around where I’ll work on a map.
santa monica, venice, playa, westside etc - healthy living, shit nightlife, expensive beach housing, tech fuckery, shitty fake newfoundland fishing aesthetics
weho and beverly hills - gay and expensive
hollywood proper - sucks lmao
los feliz, silver lake, echo park - expensive hipster
downtown / little tokyo - finance bros, anime, hookers, homeless people, alcoholism
burbank - movie studios and old people
san fernando valley - porn, xanax, slightly cheaper living, suburbia, binge drinking, house parties
glendale - little armenia + suburbia
pasadena - combine the gentrification of the westside with the lifestyle of the valley
orange county - white + asian racism and suburbia
san gabriel - asian lyfe
everything else - i dont know
You forgot places like West Adams (one of the more rapidly gentrifying parts of town!) and K-Town (hipsters and Korean people), Mid City (hipsters and people who haven't been forced out by gentrification... yet), South Central (USC students and people who haven't been forced out by USC yet), Compton/Gardena/Inglewood (still primarily African American but with the football stadium probably about to get gentrified as well), El Segundo/Redondo Beach (people who can afford beach homes and people who have to commute south but don't want to move to Carson/Long Beach).
Beverly Hills also skews pretty Persian/Armenian as well.
To answer TVC's question though, personally think about stuff based on which freeway and/or major street you have to take to get to it:
West of the 405 north of the airport? Generically the West Side until you hit the valley.
East of the 405 but still west of the 110 and north of the 10? Mid City for everything south of like Wilshire and then it changes, although there's probably 3+ different areas in the southern half of this area.
Did you go north on the 405 and over the hills? Congrats you're in the Valley!
Did you go north on the 110 and are past downtown? Congrats you're in the other Valley!
Did you go east of downtown and the arts district? What the hell are you thinking?
Are you south of the 10 and north of the 105? Again, why?
Are you south of the 105? Okay you better be going to Long Beach.
Are you south of Long Beach? Why?