#SURVIVING DTLA BY KERI FREEMAN
VOL 16 NO 6 - SEPTEMBER 2ND - SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2021 / DTLAWEEKLY.COM
n w o t n w o d f o s e v e e p t e p t s e t a e r 10 g m e h t d n u o r a t e & how to g
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et’s face it, living in Downtown has its ups and downs. Despite its troubles, Downtown living is pretty cool, if you know how to survive DTLA. Here’s a list of our 10 GREATEST PET PEEVES of living in DTLA and how to get around them.
your scooter with the proper stance, you can even look kind of cool. Introduced a few years ago, scooting became indoctrinated in our downtown city lifestyle almost overnight. However, our pet peeve is when people leave their scooters in the middle of the sidewalk, when scooters ride in the middle of traffic, or when some people scoot on the sidewalks, demanding pedestrians move or face destruction. There’s plenty of room in the city for all of us, especially if the “scooter people” would follow the scooter rules.
8. The Price of Parking
10. Lights, Camera... Infraction!
Let’s just come out to say it. Almost everybody in downtown Los Angeles has gotten at least one parking ticket. Or even worse, they had a car towed and accumulated hundreds of dollars in citation and towing fees. It’s an embarrassing moment coupled with anger, disbelief, and helplessness that a few simple steps can avoid. Firstly, read the signs!
Whoever said it was OK to film in downtown Los Angeles every day while blocking the streets, taking up sidewalks, and sometimes stopping us dead in our tracts so that film crews can get the perfect shot? Well, there’s an old adage, “whoever rules the money makes the rules.” And Hollywood rules the money. On any given day, a film shoot can pay anywhere from $20,000-$20 million. That being said, the city, local business and private venues will see no problem in inconveniencing anyone, so don’t try to fight it.
9. Scooters, Scooters, Scooters, Both a Blessing and a Curse.
Just watch. It’s kind of cool actually, when our city hits the big screen, especially when the film features major celebrities like Tom Cruise, the Rock, and Denzel Washington. We’re going to keep it real with you; Downtown really loves our scooters. The next time you’re watching a mov- Scooting is one way we can get from one ie, supposedly filmed in New York, or set district to another quickly without having back in time, but easily recognize Downto worry about traffic, crime, or stuffy air. town and realize it’s all Hollywood magic, Plus, it’s cheaper than ride-share. you’ll be grateful our humble metropolis made the BIG SCREEN. Downtown LA has a whole new set of bike lanes, and at 15 miles an hour, if you ride
Did we say “simple step”? We might have to take that back. Some of the parking signs are hella confusing. But after living here for an extended period, you begin to learn how to interpret them. Between the circling shark patrol and the vulture tows, it’s unlikely that your car will get away from a citation if you are more than a few minutes late. Our meter maids and tow trucks live for this __, so you’ll do best just out to think them. Get in the simple habit of setting your cell phone timer whenever you leave your vehicle. It works better than being shark bait. Or, to avoid the headache of downtown parking, park in a paid lot, or use a parking garage attached to a shopping center, buy an item, and get your parking ticket validated. Some parking lots allow up to 3 hours for as little as $3. Be warned, some of our parking lots do monitor your whereabouts. If you’re going to leave the premises – Don’t get caught.
