I’m in love with that map. Probably because it follows my suburban way of thinking about Los Angeles. I’m up to here with Silver Lakers who call themselves eastsiders, though I got fed up with that about 11 years ago, so there.

And WFME is going to have to live with himself. Considering that I can put over 200 miles a day on my car spanning 4 counties and 12 cities, I’m eating in my car. Just get out of the way when you see the green Mini (now crunched) with a black chick eating a taco from Taco Bell. I may even be talking on the phone and trying to shift gears at the same time. ;P

My hat off to Militant Angeleno for once and for all defining the city. Of course LA Mapnerd hasn’t chimed in so I am curious about what he has to say.

I’m however going to continue to referring to my corner as “far east LA” to prevent us from being considered part of the IE.

Frazgo: Monrovia is IE?!?! That’s a new one. Whoever says that is waaaaay off. Everyone knows the IE is east of the 57!

I know but believe it or not I run across locals who consider themselves as IE and I gag, wretch and straighten them out. It happens, not often and mostly in places like san dimas and glendora…as if that somehow makes them better?

Frazgo: Saying San Dimas and Glendora are IE is like saying Silver_Lake and Echo Park are in the “Eastside.” And saying Monrovia is “IE” is like saying Palms is in the Eastside, lol.

The Militant considers Monrovia SGV.

The other night I had an interesting discussion with a friend about the various neighborhood cultures that exist in Los Angeles. The differences are subtle but real.
Even though I lived a good chunk of my life in Echo Park and Lincoln Heights, my childhood was spent in SGV, where my mom still lives. I notice a natural affinity with other SGV folks whether they are from South San Gabriel, like myself, Glendora or Hacienda Heights.

i’ve been reading b.la a long time and i am so OVER all this debate about where the eastside is. if people in silverlake etc. feel more connected to an “east” mentality, let them call themselves eastsiders.

i used to live in malibu, watch the sunset every night from the Preppydine campus. i really disliked living there. people had a certain mentality that was ever entwined with their pride of being The West. West coast, west side of LA… everything was West.

then i moved inland to Los Feliz, not really knowing what i was doing, only that i wanted AWAY from ugg boots, surfboards, snooty bars, convertibles and upturned noses.

i found my home. i felt like the people were my people and i got on my bike and joined the bike lane ranks. it’s pretty much heaven. people in my neighborhood called themselves Eastsiders. i don’t see the sunset very often anymore and the sun comes in my east-facing window to wake me up every day.
i associate my life with the east now, as ridiculous as it sounds, to be only 15 miles from the west coast and to identify with the word East… but it’s true.
for years people around me have called themselves eastsiders, but we are west of the river. big freaking deal.

it’s semantics. people want to identify with a word and you are going to obsess about it and try to take it away from them! i don’t want to be a central-dweller. i like being an eastsider, even if technically i’m wrong.

bree: If you are “so over the debate” then why are you still contributing to it?

By your logic, anyone can be a “Parisian” or a “Martian.”

FAIL.