how is LA like compared to Singapore- Part 1

It's about 1 month that i've been in LA. I guess it's not a period long enough to make a fair comparison, but this is my first impressions of the place compared to Singapore.

1) Transportation - LA the car-crazy city
No matter how good or nice a place is, the convenience of getting to places should rank among the higher priorities on the ease of living. In LA, most people drive. It does have a metro system consisting of subway trains and buses. However, currently it seems like the network of subway is not extensive enough for people to just leave their car at home and go to places. I guess buses would have a wider network, but then again, it's always more difficult to get to somewhere by bus if you're new to that place. What about cabs? Don't even think about it, cabs here are uncomfortable and extremely expensive. I took a cab once from my office to catch a concert at the Greek theater which is 6 miles away. It costs $35 freaking dollars. I can rent a good car for that price for a day. The way i see it, you're paying for the service of being driven around. What is Singapore cab fare compared to this? peanuts? Anyway, this supervisor in New York actually said, in California, buildings and roads are pretty much developed horizontally, but in NY, they're developed vertically. So that explains... i guess. However, if you're staying here for a year or more, then it makes more sense to get a car.
Singapore definitely wins in this aspect.

LA 0 - 1 SIN

2) Weather
It's premature to sum up the weather here in LA, as i will only be here during the summer. During the day, the sun is searing hot. The temperature is about 31 degrees celcius, comparable to Singapore, but somehow, you feel the sun penetrating into your skin, roasting you. However, the weather at night is just perfect. Cool to about 21-22 degrees, it's really like being in an air-conditioned room, but with more open and clean air to breathe. And there's very low humidity all through the day, means there's no sweat. And there's no rain here. Since i arrived, i haven't seen a drop of freaking rain. It's like rain is a rare event. Maybe people will go out and celebrate when they see rain.
To me, i prefer the weather here in the evening, but the cloudy weather in singapore is still nicer. It's a tie.

LA 0 - 1 SIN

3) Places to visit, things to do
I think LA wins hands down in this. So far I've been to 2 concerts within a month, by very famous groups, Incubus and Dream Theater.
Here's Dream Theater in action, John Petrucci's on your right most.
You don't get that in Singapore. Also, there is Universal Studios theme park, right next to where i work and Disneyland and warner studios within driving distance. It's also a 4-5 hours drive to Las Vegas to have fun on weekends. There are also many legendary bars which many famous people have performed in, like House of Blues, along sunset boulevard and beverly. Of course there are bars with live bands performing in Singapore, but don't have famous people performing. In hollywood, there are also interesting places to visit and do, like the kodak theater (home of the Academy Awards) and catching a musical. Or if you feel like it, perhaps drive to San Diego (about 2 hours) or San Francisco (6 hours).
Oh yes, almost forgot to mentioned that I went to a basketball match. It's a wnba match between LA Sparks and San Antonio Superstars. how come the women team have such cheesy names?
The picture on the left is the group of fellow interns in NBC-universal. We were watching from the VIP Suite from the top of the stadium, at Staples Center.

But i really like Vegas. It made me feel that it's a very clever decision by the Singapore government to open casinos in singapore. Just look at this hotel below, Wynn at Las Vegas. I think this group bid for one of the casino license in Singapore, but didn't win. They're one of the best around Vegas.


LA 1-1 SIN

4) Food
For a thoroughbred asian like me, nothing beats asian food. Western food is nice, when i think of big, fat, juicy burgers and steaks, it makes me hungry. I've tried Korean and Thai food here. And they seem to taste more authentic than those you can get in Singapore. But usually this places are slightly more expensive compared to a meal of burgers and fries. How about Chinese food? or our typical hawker fare? haven't tried any so far, which makes me miss the chicken rice, prawn noodles, hokkien noodles. I would say that i'm still more comfortable with getting food in Singapore.

LA 1-2 SIN


to be continued...