I'm in LA as well. My parents moved me here from Riverside County a few years ago and had nerve enough to tell me recently "you wanted us to move you out here!" No the fuck I didn't. My brother was a dumbass and doing poorly in school, so they moved us out here with them. I'm an adult now, but what else was I supposed to do? I made a life in LA with friends, a job, etc. so it's not like I can just move now...

But really...as I read your piece, I felt the same exact way. I hate the rude ass people around here. People will cut you off and have nerve to flip you off. I had a woman pull her car out in front of me the other day, stop in the middle of the intersection as I honked my horn, to scream at me. And that's just driving (never mind the traffic) but the pedestrians, bicyclists, attitudes of people at businesses, schools, etc...it's mindblowing how ridiculous it is. And it's unbelievably crowded.

And the gangs are tolerable sometimes and other times just really, as you said, a shitstain on this city. Making it hard for you to enjoy yourself late at night, walking through a park, or enjoying your neighborhood. And don't get me started on my fucking neighbors and their fucking friends who loveeee to honk their horns at all hours of the day repeatedly, have fights in their front yard and in the middle of the street, have loud ass parties and fireworks that give me a heart attack...sigh...

I go hiking often to get away from this shitstain as well. I have a friend who moved to Bellflower recently as well and she and I have gone hiking a few times. Santa Monica hills, San Pedro by Donald Trump's golf course, El Dorado Park in Long Beach, and somewhere by the 210 are all pretty great, semi-local places to go hiking.

This town will get to you and I know exactly where you're coming from. Just make the best of it while you can from whatever you can. Hey, if you ever want, I know it's weird, but I'm down to meet some new people and have some new hiking buddies.