East Vs West Part 2: People

Now that we got food out of the way, let's talk about the people.

I would say the big difference between the West Side and the SGV is the people.  I'm probably a little biased because I grew up in MPK but it's seriously very Asian and very Hispanic. Don't get me wrong, it's diversified quite a bit over the years but is still pretty Asian/Hispanic.

First and foremost, I think a lot of Asians migrated here because of this very fact.  They were able to come to this city that has Asian grocery stores and businesses where they could basically move to and never have to learn English.  A perfect example was my grandparents who were able to go about their everyday lives without having to speak a lick of English. The Asian people on the West Side are usually 2nd or 3rd generation or very "Americanized."  As I mentioned in the last post, restaurants in the SGV expect you to speak Chinese, they do not on the West Side. Some of them only speak English.   Ooh also, the Asian people are lazier/less obsessed with making money on the West Side.  Some places don't open until 11, whereas the SGV places open at like 6am or never close.  Why close when there's money to be made?  We can sleep when we're dead.

Another big difference is the driving, which is related to the people.  Anyone who has lived and driven in LA will agree - the traffic and most of the drivers suck!  But when it comes to East Vs West, the kind of suck depends on where you are driving. Now this will sound like I'm generalizing because I am. It DOES NOT, I repeat does not apply to everyone but this is what I've observed in my 17 years of driving and my 16 years as a passenger.  SGV drivers will signal and block traffic to turn into their destination no matter where they are.  SGV drivers will slow down to look around to see where they are going.  They will also decide at the last second that they need to turn thus cutting you off or almost hitting you. Or they will make a U-turn out of no where. Again I am generalizing so I apologize if I am offending anyone.  Hell I'm an Asian woman driver - the worst of the bunch!

West LA drivers are a bit more angry and aggressive. They will purposely cut you off, whereas SGV drivers do it because they are oblivious.  I had to switch lanes to get on the freeway once and had to get in front of this West LA driver once. He got so angry he first flipped me off then threw a small rock at my car. 

So the type of road rage I feel when driving in the East vs West is different.  I'm frustrated at different things - jerk drivers vs slow inconsiderate drivers.  Again this is just my own opinion. I mean no disrespect.  Thank you for listening.