The differences between Northern and Southern California could not be more stark.

San Francisco remains my favorite city, rich with culture and cuisine from around the world. Beautiful scenery and amazing weather. It is no wonder the city is so expensive, as so many people want to live there. Unfortunately the job market is not what it once was in the dot-com era and finding affordable housing is probably more difficult than here in New York. And yet, for all the economic strife, the exhausting hilly terrain, and all-but-certain earthquake in its future, I would go back in a heartbeat if I could afford it and had any friends nearby.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, essentially combines all of the worst aspects I see in America: superficial, smoggy, and snobby. It's the only city I've visited in America where the pollution has been so bad that you can see it when you sneeze. I don't know of any other area that has been noted for its smoke since 1542. And yet while it supposed has such great weather, the lack of rain makes it the epicenter of gluttony along with Las Vegas. A natural desert should not be home to millions of people, each with their own green lawn. Water shortages are sure to be a bigger problem in the near future, nevermind the havoc we're wreaking on the environment. Yet most of the people there seem not to think about the future or anything that does not regard them personally. By no means am I a puritan but there is more to life than sex, drugs, and celebrities.

For those that know me, they know the story of my $600 jaywalking ticket along Sunset Boulevard. It really sums up the entire city. A larger fine than anyone has ever heard of for speeding, and I get it crossing the street legally in a city where everyone drives. Perhaps the gay guy I denied when he tried to pick me up in his BMW notified the authorities of someone on foot. The police officer even asked me for a driver's license, as if we need that to walk now in addition to renting movies and other things I'll never understand. The scene in Lethal Weapon 4 does not seem so funny now; the cops really do act like that. Apologies to family who live there and friends who call it home, but you should really forget about this hell on earth... and this comes from someone living in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.

I wonder if there is something like a Mason-Dixon separating the north and south. Although knowing L.A., it's probably a chalk outline if anything.