Weather
Los Angeles: This seems like a slam dunk for Los Angeles, right? Not so fast. Let's take a better look. Temperatures rarely drop below 50 degrees (all temperatures Fahrenheit) and tend to lurk in the 80s for most of the year in this Mediterranean climate. The city
experiences various microclimates and can expect rainfall in the winter and spring months. There has not been significant snowfall in the Los Angeles valley since 1932. Included in the "weather", we are going to have to detract from Los Angeles for it's significant layer of smog. It has gotten so bad that it is referred to as the Valley of the Smoke. Let us also keep in mind that Los Angeles' placement on the San Andreas fault puts it into precarious Earthquake territory which also factors into "weather" as a force of nature. Also, the dryness of the summer months will produce annual forest fires that cause significant damage every year and are fed by Los Angeles' Santa Ana winds.Cincinnati: Cincinnati's weather can be summed up in one word: unpredictable. The old saying goes that if you're in Cincinnati and you don't like the weather, you should just wait an hour. An overtly humid area, Cincinnati features temperatures that range from 87 degrees to 21 degrees on average. Precipitation is very evenly distributed and snowfall tends to reach 23 inches annually mainly during the winter months but usually starting in mid-November and lasting until Late March or Early April. Cincinnati also is never prepared for snow and its first significant snowfall of the season will produce major traffic delays and school and business closings. As the remanants of Hurricane Ike showed, Cincinnati is capable of violent winds as well which can lead to power outages and cause severe damage.
In Summation: I like colder weather (+ Cincinnati). Smog and Forest Fires are bad (+ Cincinnati). I like snow (+ Cincinnati). I can appreciate 90 degrees and an ocean breeze (+ Los Angeles). I like to be able to plan my days with consistent, predictable weather (+ Los Angeles). I don't own a jacket (+ Los Angeles). Driving in snow sucks (+ Los Angeles). Snow days are awesome (+ Cincinnati).
Result = Push (Cincinnati: 1/2 Los Angeles: 1/2)
Cityscape
Los Angeles: The City of Angels possesses quite an impressive cityscape. Downtown Los
Angeles features the financial district and the Byzantine Latino Quarter. It has Hollywood and its film industry hub with countless tourist traps (i.e. Kodak Theatre, Walk of Fame, City Walk). Beverly Hills provides high class shopping for the fashionistas. There are even different beaches for different crowds. Manhattan Beach is for surfers and volleyball players. Newport Beach is for swimmers and sunbathers. Venice Beach is for jocks and bodybuilders. Santa Monica beach is for families and tourists. Let us not forget the Valley with Burbank, Encino, and Glendale. Then there are the more "urban" areas of Compton, South Central, and Ladeira Heights. You've got the college town of Westwood. There's also Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, and several other ethnic areas. Los Angeles also boasts numerous other famous landmarks. Some of the most notable include: the Hollywood sign, Olvera Street, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Getty Center, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Capitol Records Tower, and the Staples Center.Cincinnati: The Queen City also possesses a cityscape that is nothing to scoff at. Downtown Cincinnati features bars, eateries, and places of entertainment as well as the business district.
You have the Riverfront complete with parks and all three of Cincinnati's pro stadiums. You have the classy yuppie bar and shopping scene of Mount Adams and the upscale areas of Hyde Park and Walnut Hills. There are also lower socio-economic areas such as Evanston, North Avondale, and Over-the-Rhine. College hubs in Clifton and Norwood are in a current state of flux. Happening night life and commerical centers can be found in Kenwood and across the river in Newport. Cincinnati also features a variety of landmarks. Some of the most notable include: The Freedom Center, Paul Brown Stadium, Carew Tower, Fountain Square, the Aranoff Center, Riverfront Park, and Newport on the Levee.In Summation: Beaches are nice to have (+Los Angeles). City Walk is always a good time (+ Los Angeles). Hollywood (+ Los Angeles). Burbank (+ Los Angeles). The Ohio River and Riverfront Park are amazing (+ Cincinnati). Downtown should be fun and industirous (+ Cincinnati). Newport is great (+ Cincinnati). Great landscapes should have bridges (+ Cincinnati).
Result = Los Angeles (Los Angeles: 1 1/2 Cincinnati: 1/2)
Aesthetic
Los Angeles: Aesthetic is along the same grounds as cityscape but slightly different. Los Angeles obviously has some beautious areas. Santa Monica and Malibu are picturesque. Burbank is nice and clean. It has wonderful natural habitats such as the Angeles Crest Forest. However, I think it must be faced that there are also some very trashy parts of Los Angeles. East Los Angeles is quite polluted and half of the beaches can't be used for swimming due to dumping. Long Beach is a regular trash trove and the entire county has major problems with smog and congestion. The Pacific Coast Highway is beautiful but all of the best parts are closer to Santa Barbara. When taking into account a city's aesthetic I feel like it has to be partially judged from it's best angle. The most beautiful view of Los Angeles can be seen facing West from the Scholl Canyon mountains at Twilight. If there isn't much smog you can see all the way to the ocean. You get a view of the entire Western county and it is breathtaking. However, if you're looking too far to the Northwest you'll see a landfill. So...as you can see it's a mixed bag.
Cincinnati: Cincinnati is a city with a very nice aesthetic if you know where to look. The Mount
Adams area is absolutely gorgeous. It has tons of parks, botanical gardens, and lakes as well as great viewing areas in the hills to look out over the city of Cincinnati or into the forests of northern Kentucky. The air pollution in Cincinnati is minimal though areas such as North Avondale and College Hill are eyesores and polluted. However, the Riverfront has cleaned up well in the last couple years and Riverfront park has become a gorgeous, serviceable area. The most beautiful view of Cincinnati is from the hills of Fort Mitchell near where they part for the I-71 as it comes into Cincinnati from the Airport in Covington. This view by night makes the city look very alive and majestic.In Summation: Pollution and Smog is ugly (+ Cincinnati). Beaches are scenic (+ Los Angeles). Polluted beaches are extra ugly (+Cincinnati). The Hills of Laguna Beach (+ Los Angeles). The Hills of Mount Adams (+ Cincinnati). Riverfront Park (+ Cincinnati). Long Beach is a no-no (+ Cincinnati). The Pacific Coast Highway (+ Los Angeles).
Result = Cincinnati (Cincinnati: 1 1/2 Los Angeles: 1 1/2)
Transportation
Los Angeles: I can try and argue both sides of close battles but this one is a true travesty. There is almost nothing redeeming about the state of transportation in Los Angeles. Los Angeles does
have a bus system, subway, and light rail system. However, ridership of Mass Transit in Los Angeles is at 11% and the majority of that is the bus. Los Angeles subway (if it can be called that) has a route milage of 17.4 miles for the largest Metropolitan area in the U.S. New York (the second largest) has 243 route miles. The bus system is disorganized, fractured, and always off schedule. LAX is a mess of an airport with planes featuring delays more often than not. However, the worst aspect of Los Angeles transportation is the traffic. You need a car to get around in LA but even if you have a car you will be spending forever commuting to work as LA's freeway system is innefficient and features a domino effect in which an accident on one freeway will adversely effect traffic within a five mile stretch to any connecting freeway. And the 405 always seems to be a bad joke, accident or no accident.Cincinnati: Whereas you need a car to be relevant in Los Angeles it is forseeable that you could operate sans a car in Cincinnati. I did it for three months and while it's not the most fun
experience it is passable and effective. The bus system in Cincinnati is affordable, clean, on time, and allows you to get almost anywhere in the county with only one transfer required. The city has even coordinated with the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) so that you can simplify travel when you're going across the river. If you have a car you are in luck because the roads and freeways are much more efficient and less prone to traffic. The CVG Airport is also much more organized than LAX. Check-in is easier and food, duty free, and other purchase options are more plentiful once you get into the terminal. The one downside is that if you are riding the bus in Cincinnati there are a very disproportionate number of people wearing eyepatches riding with you. Just an observation.In Summation: Clean, Convenient Public Transport is desired (+ Cincinnati). Being able to get across town in less than an hour is preferable (+ Cincinnati). Coordinated public transport is a plus (+ Cincinnati). A river that can actually sustain boats for transport (+ Cincinnati). A Harbor (+ Los Angeles). Accessible and Convenient Airport (+ Cincinnati).
Result = Cincinnati (Cincinnati: 2 1/2 Los Angeles: 1 1/2)
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