Hidden Los Angeles

June 15, 2009 9:57 AM

Hidden Los Angeles
This idea has been in my head for a long time, I wanted to start a site that focuses on the Los Angeles that the natives know and live in... not the fantasy (both good and bad) that people see on tv. So far so good. Yay! I can already tell it's going to be a fun project. :)

I scored some good domains so I got lucky. Spent the week teaching myself how to customize a blog theme, I designed the whole thing and I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out. Contentwise, down the road I plan to expand it to be a magazine with varied contributors but right now it's just me.

posted by miss lynnster (20 comments total)

This project was posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief on June 18, 2009: Hidden Los Angeles: San Francisco is a boutique shop. LA is a TJ Maxx.

I like the look; if I ever have want to go to LA, I'll be sure to check in!
posted by not_on_display at 10:10 AM on June 15, 2009

Well, that's another site, I'm starting up... Rent A Native. Because this place ain't as bad as you people think. It's what you make it. Lemme know if you're ever in town.

My feeling is this... some people like to shop in boutique stores, where everything is laid out and beautiful and people have chosen what you want and put it right out there for you to soak up. But if you walk into a TJ Maxx, there's stuff everywhere and while a lot of it may look like crap there are also some incredible treasures and bargains just underneath... but if you aren't the kind of person who likes to shop at a TJ Maxx, you're really not going to find any of them. You're going to just be miserable in that shop.

San Francisco is a boutique shop. LA is a TJ Maxx. Took me 42 years to discover some of the treasures, so how could someone else find them in a weekend? I love treasure hunting, so I'm happy to point them out to people when I know where they are.

Good stuff *definitely* exists here, so why not focus on the positive?
posted by miss lynnster at 10:50 AM on June 15, 2009

What does the slider do? It doesn't change anything when I slide it (Safari, Firefox, Mac).
posted by doctor_negative at 11:00 AM on June 15, 2009

Also, the initial font size for the articles is way too small. Yes, I am old and wear bifocals but that's like an 8 point font.

Sorry to be annoying, I like it otherwise and it's a great subject which isn't covered much elsewhere.
posted by doctor_negative at 11:05 AM on June 15, 2009

Well, when there are more articles, the slider will scroll between them all. I only have four there right now so it's not at full functionality.

As for the type, you're the first person who's said that. Huh. (When I can't read stuff I usually just hit command plus to make the type look bigger if I need to. Maybe that's just me.)
posted by miss lynnster at 11:28 AM on June 15, 2009

Well, looking around , I can find several examples of mainstream sites that use similar font sizes, so I guess I'm joining the geezer generation (but I'm only 45). Well, anyway have fun with the site and get the hell off my lawn :)
posted by doctor_negative at 11:49 AM on June 15, 2009

THE NEW BEV. It's been years since I've lived in Califas, but I had to suggest you do an article on the most awesome theatre ever.
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:26 PM on June 15, 2009

I'm FORTY TWO, ya goofball.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:48 PM on June 15, 2009

Ah, then geezerdom awaits. You'll know, when you have to back away from your monitor to read the small print, you're just moments away from your AARP card :)
posted by doctor_negative at 3:40 PM on June 15, 2009

God, this is a good idea for a project, miss lynnster. Were I in Los Angeles, I would be doing something very similar, or at least wanting to, but I can't fault you for beating me to it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:42 PM on June 15, 2009

Great stuff. I have been feeling fatigue about all the L.A. Hate that I hear regularly in the Pacific Northwest. It is refreshing to see a positive spin on that town.

Sweet layout but I think that the tags/categories/pages column could be spread out over two vertical columns instead of a single long one.
posted by YoBananaBoy at 2:14 PM on June 16, 2009

Yeah, living up North amidst the LA hate is what inspired me to create the site and focus on the positive. The negative really just wore my spirit down and it's time for people to stand up for what's good about this place. Because there's plenty.

BTW, I'm just learning about that stuff and fixing stuff little by little. Funny thing... I fixed the layout of the tags, etc. right before reading your comment.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:26 PM on June 16, 2009

Hey there, I love your concept and your website looks great – it’s very pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. However...there is something lacking. I think you need a bit more of an explanation of what your site does. “Embracing the depth beneath the shallow” is thoughtful and poetic; I do think it’s a very pretty tagline, but on its own, it’s not very useful in understanding just what the site is for. I think a very condensed version of your Story and Mission should be right on the front page (with a link to the full version). Otherwise, at quick glance it looks just like any other tourist/visitor site.
posted by yawper at 7:32 AM on June 17, 2009

Don't know about the SF-LA comparison, but that's a beautifully done site.
posted by cog_nate at 3:36 PM on June 17, 2009

Two words: Cal Worthington!

God, his ads made it up to Seattle, and as kids we felt any one who could get along with half the zoo had to be an alright guy. (And people say TV doesn't brainwash kids...)
posted by yeloson at 5:52 PM on June 17, 2009

I am so late to this party; I'm 53 and spent 44 years of my life in some part of L.A. (only escaping 3.5 years ago) and I grew up in the 60s with the weekly broadcast of "Ralph Story's Los Angeles" which reassured me there was something worthwhile there. When Story came out of retirement in 1998 to do a couple specials titled "Things That Aren't There Anymore", that was when I first suspected it was time to get out... I'd suggest looking up anything you can about Ralph Story (except his days as a quiz show host) unless you already have and it's in the site somewhere I haven't looked yet...
posted by wendell at 8:54 PM on June 19, 2009

Site's only been up for 5 days so no Ralph Story yet. I'll put him on the list.

I swear, the more I start thinking about what to feature the more I realize I will never run out of things to write about in this place. It's overwhelming!
posted by miss lynnster at 1:15 PM on June 21, 2009

I'm so glad you've done this! It just needs a ". . .and this means you, Metafilter" sub-head.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Anyway, this native can't wait to dig in, and I'm glad you mentioned (obliquely) this on the blue, since I never check Projects.
posted by tyrantkitty at 3:00 PM on June 21, 2009

It actually got posted on the blue a couple of days ago by someone else too, which was lovely.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:10 PM on June 21, 2009

BTW, I'm always looking for content. So spread the word.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:10 PM on June 21, 2009