Do any parts of LA have a quasi-European feel ? (Los Angeles: neighborhood, live)

[saybanana]

Downtown L.A. feels like you are in a large urban European city especially on Spring Street, Main and 7th street. Only problem there isn't a large shopping street which all European cities have.

Old Town Pasadena feels like you are in a small European city with a main shopping street with little alleys and hidden courtyards, a large church bell tower, and a big city hall with expansive grounds nearby, transit, dense housing around.

Santa Monica does feel like you are in coastal european city with it's big hotels facing the ocean, a large shopping street,dense housing, etc.

[LuckyGem]

Nothing feels like Europe in Los Angeles to me. I've lived here over 20 years, and also have a home in Austria.

Don't come to Los Angeles looking to find a slice of where you came from, it's not going to be here.

You'll be very disappointed.

Instead enjoy the multi-cultural environment that Los Angeles offers.

[BarcelonaFan]

In all honesty LA reminds me more of a Latin American city than a European one and the only reason why it may feel Euro is because the Latin American cities also feature European architecture. All in all it's a very continental American city. You will see All American suburbs but you will also see big city Mexico City style. It reminds me a lot of Rio meets Sao Paolo meets an Asian megacity. It's so mixed up it's hard to describe. It's a world class type of city that feels like several other world class cities combined.

[nslander]

This is about as close as we get:


HD - Pinocchio's Daring Adventure the Ride HD POV - Disneyland - Fantasyland Attraction - YouTube

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by BarcelonaFan

LA has a combo of an Asian, Latino and Southern European feel to it.

Yep!

[hipcat]

3rd street Promenade in Santa Monicahas a European type feel to it(Especially with all the tourists, lol), and Palo Verdes is similar to some Mediterrnean coastal cities. But I co-sign with BarcelonaFan. LA is a unique mix of Latin America, Asian, and North America.

[Veritas Vincit]

Being European and having spent the majority of my life so far in Europe the question is kind of a joke to me. I guess the ocean is blue in Europe too? Otherwise there really isn't any European flair to L.A. and that's not a bad thing at all. Europe is Europe. If you wanna see Europe, go to Europe or stay there if you're already there.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

Being European and having spent the majority of my life so far in Europe the question is kind of a joke to me. I guess the ocean is blue in Europe too? Otherwise there really isn't any European flair to L.A. and that's not a bad thing at all. Europe is Europe. If you wanna see Europe, go to Europe or stay there if you're already there.

Agreed. You could say the topography and climate of LA resemble parts of Spain and/or Greece. Other than that there is no resemblance (as in zero).

[Freckles212]

I have to agree with Veritas and Astral. For those of us who have lived in both places, there are obvious similarities, but LA is almost the antithesis of a European city. You have to take LA for what it is and don’t try to look for the European experience. Many Europeans living in LA spend years trying to figure out where the town center is. There isn’t one. Downtown LA is a bit of a misnomer. If you want to roam the streets, dine al fresco, and do a bit of shopping Old Town Pasadena has it. If you want to go upmarket, Rodeo Drive is designed to emulate Europe. The Grove has a nice market feel, but I don’t think it’s especially European. It does have a French deli. Santa Monica is pure LA. It has an English Pub and a sort of high street, but it doesn’t remind me of the Med. The closest thing to a European city in soCal is Santa Barbara, which resembles a Spanish town in it’s architecture. It’s 2-3 hours up the coast.

[vincenze]

Originally Posted by ViaSwiss

And by that I mean vibrant night life, outdoor cafes and restaurants, lots of people walking around, decent/good public transport, etc...

Hollywood around Hollywood Blvd has it all.

Moreover, if you walk above Hollywood Blvd, you'll see crowds of good-looking young people hiking in Runyon Canyon Park.

There are plenty of theaters, night clubs, restaurants, some waiters have European looks.

The Red Line has several stations on Hollywood Blvd.

Many vintage buildings are demolished in the area in order to build tall residential buildings.