Can You See Your City Geographically Situated Elsewhere?

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Santiago doesn’t have islands.

Do the islands play a big role in LA? Don't get me wrong, the Channel Islands are very nice. But, from what I remember, you can't even see them from the beach (the off-shore platforms on the other hand, you can...).

[CaliNative]

The Los Angeles climate and settings remind me of Athens. Both cities have occasional smog. Offshore islands too. Avalon on Catalina looks like a Greek/Italian island village, sort of. Dodger stadium sits on a hill above DTLA like the Parthenon, a few miles inland from the sea. More whitewashed buildings would definitely look more Greek. The L.A. sun is intense like that in Greece, except during the May Gray/June Gloom period.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Do the islands play a big role in LA? Don't get me wrong, the Channel Islands are very nice. But, from what I remember, you can't even see them from the beach (the off-shore platforms on the other hand, you can...).

Mountainous Catalina Island (which Bill Wrigley once owned, and had a mansion above Avalon and held spring training for his Cubs for years) is visible on clear days from most L.A. area beaches with southerly views. Only 20 miles offshore. You can easily see Catalina on clear days from DTLA skyscrapers. Public boat service to Catalina is fast and cheap, and the island gets lots of summer tourists and day trippers. To the north, Santa Cruz and Anacapa islands are even closer to the coast, so they are easily seen from Ventura and Santa Barbara. Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands are farther offshore and more difficult to see from the coast. Boat service to the Channel Islands National Park is frequent and popular from Ventura. So, the islands are important to southern Californians as retreats from the mainland hustle bustle.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Do the islands play a big role in LA? Don't get me wrong, the Channel Islands are very nice. But, from what I remember, you can't even see them from the beach (the off-shore platforms on the other hand, you can...).

No, but they were mentioned in my initial statement. Catalina Island isn’t part of the local vernacular, let alone the lifestyle, as much as the beaches, mountains, and deserts are. Think about how many movies filmed/set in LA incorporate scenes of desert landscape.

Catalina Island does receive a million tourists a year, with large cruise ships usually stopping there after departing the Ports of LA/LB while on the way to Mexico. The distance between it and the mainland is part of the appeal... a bit secluded, but not too remote.


https://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/...g-backpacking/


https://www.google.com/amp/s/socalhi...ina-trail/amp/

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Santiago doesn’t have islands.

There are islands off the coast but most (maybe all?) are off-limits to humans in order to protect the penguin colonies. There are plenty of tour boats that circle the islands so that tourists can see the wildlife, though.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

There are islands off the coast but most (maybe all?) are off-limits to humans in order to protect the penguin colonies. There are plenty of tour boats that circle the islands so that tourists can see the wildlife, though.

perhaps they aren't showing up on gmaps, but i can't seem to find any islands off the coast of chile near santiago.


as for LA's islands, it's always been a bit surprising to me how low they seem to fly on the radar screen, at least out here in flyover country.

other than "the freaking catalina wine mixer" i never hear anything about them, which seems a bit odd because they look pretty awesome and the US pacific coast is relatively sparse with offshore islands of decent size.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Do the islands play a big role in LA? Don't get me wrong, the Channel Islands are very nice. But, from what I remember, you can't even see them from the beach (the off-shore platforms on the other hand, you can...).

You’re being overly technical. If I need a two-mile zoomed-in satellite view just to detect it on Google Maps, then I don’t think it’s unfair to say that they are insignificant enough to be excluded from the calculus, especially if they’re not accessible (much less inhabitable) by the public.

Bottom line is that Santiago isn’t a coastal metropolis in part because the mountainous terrain shields it from the Pacific. You could in theory build a Hong Kong-style city to the southwest, but then you’d be farther away from the Andes (about 100 miles as the crow flies). Santa Monica to Mt. Baldy is about half that distance, and at 100 miles away you’re already in desert country.


bay.photography / Instagram

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Quixote

You’re being overly technical. If I need a two-mile zoomed-in satellite view just to detect it on Google Maps, then I don’t think it’s unfair to say that they are insignificant enough to be excluded from the calculus, especially if they’re not accessible (much less inhabitable) by the public.

Bottom line is that Santiago isn’t a coastal metropolis in part because the mountainous terrain shields it from the Pacific. You could in theory build a Hong Kong-style city to the southwest, but then you’d be farther away from the Andes (about 100 miles as the crow flies). Santa Monica to Mt. Baldy is about half that distance, and at 100 miles away you’re already in desert country.


bay.photography / Instagram

Santiago is the same distance from the coast as L.A. is to the "snow-capped mountains". If Santiago isn't a coastal metropolis, then the mountains don't count for L.A.

[IluvATX]

I could see Anchorage, Alaska somewhere in New Zealand.

[Quixote]

Apples-to-apples satellite view comparison of LA and Santiago. You can see how much "denser" LA's geographic features and how quickly the terrain transitions from pine-fir forest mountains to arid, flat desert.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Santiago is the same distance from the coast as L.A. is to the "snow-capped mountains". If Santiago isn't a coastal metropolis, then the mountains don't count for L.A.

Santiago is situated at the foothills of the Andes, but the city center is still about 30 miles from the nearest major peak (Cerro El Plomo). DTLA is about 35-40 miles from Mt. Baldy. That's a wash.

Did I mention that the city of LA is not only closer to the Pacific Ocean, but actually touches it? That includes not only beaches, but the third busiest airport (pre-pandemic) in the world and one of the busiest shipping container ports in the world.

And what about the islands and deserts?

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Santiago is situated at the foothills of the Andes, but the city center is still about 30 miles from the nearest major peak (Cerro El Plomo). DTLA is about 35-40 miles from Mt. Baldy. That's a wash.

Did I mention that the city of LA is not only closer to the Pacific Ocean, but actually touches it? That includes not only beaches, but the third busiest airport (pre-pandemic) in the world and one of the busiest shipping container ports in the world.

And what about the islands and deserts?

I've been to both of these cities, and I don't really see the point of splitting hairs about it. Nobody is claiming that there aren't obvious differences between the two cities, but the similarities between the geographical areas that these two cities occupy is pretty striking.

[iheartthed]

While I was in Santiago a couple of years ago, I took a day trip to one of the nearby beach towns and snapped these photos:









While I was there, I took one of the boat tours to see the islands where the penguins live. I was very skeptical about the seaworthiness of the boat, but it worked out lol:

[SFBruin]

That second picture legit looks like it could have been taken from Santa Monica Pier.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I've been to both of these cities, and I don't really see the point of splitting hairs about it. Nobody is claiming that there aren't obvious differences between the two cities, but the similarities between the geographical areas that these two cities occupy is pretty striking.

Climate wise, L.A. has cooler late spring/summers than Santiago, becaue it is closer to the ocean. Many days in May and June are overcast, with high fog. Santiago climate is more like that of the inland San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys with less marine influence and warm to hot summers. The annual precip. in both cities is about the same--15 inches, mostly in winter. Winters in Sant. are colder, with more frost than L.A. Valparaiso on the coast has a cooler foggier climate, like Santa Monica or San Francisco. The mountain backdrop of Sant. is even more spectacular than L.A., with peaks twice as high as Baldy with snow and glaciers. Both cities have smog, although it has improved in recent years. Both cities are also prone to earthquakes.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I've been to both of these cities, and I don't really see the point of splitting hairs about it. Nobody is claiming that there aren't obvious differences between the two cities, but the similarities between the geographical areas that these two cities occupy is pretty striking.

But the premise of my argument was based on a more granular view. Proximity to the ocean and beach accessibility are cornerstones of LA’s existence, even though I don’t consider LA to be a true beach city like Miami or San Diego. Santiago really lacks the quality and extent of decent beach that you find in LA, and that alone makes it hard for me to picture transposing LA’s location with Santiago’s. The desert is also integral to regional culture—Palm Springs, Coachella, Joshua Tree, etc. Metro Santiago simply doesn’t have the same proximity or cultural connection to the desert. Santiago’s more like Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) or San Luis Obispo.

[Centropolis]

i mentioned this before but i sort of think of north africa (or parts of the levant) more than the european side of the mediterranean w/ regards to los angeles. theres a desert at its back the same way.

[Centropolis]

things like the san gorgonio pass feel immense and ancient like the gates of carthage. i could see a huge gate here in 400 years or something

[iheartthed]

This is just outside of Santiago: https://goo.gl/maps/6DZwwckpB3Eqm7MY6

Ignoring the billboard, if someone showed me this image and asked me to guess where it was taken, my first guess would be somewhere in southern California.

[Steely Dan]

^ and even with the spanish billboard, i wouldn't disbelieve that was somewhere in socal out of hand.