^ I didn't realize Paris's subway stations could be as dismal as the ones in NYC are. I know France's capital has an old system too, but as with the transit in London, I had the impression two of the main cities of europe followed higher standards than the ones observed in America.
regardless, I hate the ambiguity & contradictions of everything. Cities may be better or worse than assumed. Dtla may be really weak in one way, but strong in another. In turn, a city like SF or London may be strong in certain ways, but weak in other ways. That makes it harder to predict the future. BTW, I've heard SF sometimes described as a 'two day city'.
As for dtla, I know that if today it were the same way it was 20 or 40 yrs ago, & I was the age back then that I am today, I'd give up out of impatience or futility. I'm now seeing the commercial vacancy rate in dt in 2023 going back to the way it was 20, 30 yrs ago....it's 'back to the future'. For ppl who love very tall bldgs, office towers are generally the only highrises that pencil out. They have taller floor heights & devlprs have traditionally charged more rental for commercial than for residential. If the onni apt tower at Olympic & Hill St were commercial, it could have fewer floors but still be taller.
I wish ppl at LA city hall were pickier about making the city look nicer & cleaner....safer too. I instead think too many govt officials...various residents too....are so busy with other things or have other interests to care if dtla looks bad....sidewalks too dirty, trees needing replacing, removing graffiti, homeless tents, turning on fountains (I'm looking at you, DWP bldg & Grand mall), shabby storefronts. DTLA needs a more ambitious approach to its future.
But at least this is something to look forward to. although some of this vloger's narration is a bit flowery...lol....he does give one of the more recent updates about the connector line set to open in 14 days.
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