Going to L.A. in 2007...any tips on what I need to visit/where to go/etc...?

[CRAFTY]

Yeah I can imagine that, kinda like The Hilton and shit but the price card will be "nice" too eh?
I mean, we're not poor, but we're definitely not that rich to stay for 2 weeks at the Four Seasons, you know?

I think we'll settle for a hotel somewhere at Santa Monica. I remember watching this soap on TV (think it was called Pacific Blue...with those cops on mountain bikes), and I know that they shot that serie at Santa Monica. I remember seeing lots of palmtrees, the beach and LOTS of fine women too, damn!

[Doggystylin]

E-crazy your making me doubt your even from LA your giving some off ass info, 15 mins from LA to Long Beach my ass, with no traffic and going 80mph it takes atleast half an hour from Santa Monica to Long Beach.

Oh yeah and there is one MAIN pico blvd which is the one that goes all the way from Santa Monica all the way inland towards downtown, and thats the one all the rappers talk about, I've never seen any other picos but if there are others their not famous or major

If you don't wanna believe my timing, don't but im sure you will be on the safe side if you take my timing, anything faster than i said and your either lucky as hell or your flying over all the traffic

[CRAFTY]

but i did go to certain places that iīve heard about in various songs(Crenshaw for example)and i didnīt see what was so special about it to be mentioned over and over again in songs.

From what I know, Crenshaw Blvd. used to be THE spot for all lowrider fans and stuff like that. It was like a car show on Sundays...but I heard that the cops closed that down because of all the gang bangers that used to be there.
It's just what I've been told...

[CRAFTY]

Oh yeah and there is one MAIN pico blvd which is the one that goes all the way from Santa Monica all the way inland towards downtown, and thats the one all the rappers talk about, I've never seen any other picos but if there are others their not famous or major

I see...that's good to know!

If you don't wanna believe my timing, don't but im sure you will be on the safe side if you take my timing, anything faster than i said and your either lucky as hell or your flying over all the traffic

Believe me, I won't be speeding in LA. I'll take it easy over there I think

[ABN]

ey Crafty holla at Game and them and go over there shit donīt you mod the IV Life board? shit go and see them mofos.

[R-Tistic]

It's a whole lot I'd say you should see. Many people listed a lot of the spots already. Dependin on who you are with, I'm sure it's a lotta neighborhoods and locations you'd want to see that you have heard about in rap songs that are probably considered dangerous. If I am there when you come (depending on if I do Grad school in LA) I could take you everywhere around the city. I am very familiar with all of "black" LA (south central, mid city, watts), then Compton, Inglewood, Carson, Harbor City, Gardena, Hawthorne, all the beach cities (Redondo, Manhattan, Torrance, Palos Verdes, Venice, Santa Monica), Hollywood, Beverly Hills. I am not as familiar with Long Beach, some of Lakewood, some of Lynwood, Cerritos, a bit of Anaheim, and most of those cities on that side I just have an idea about where the main spots are. Even though some spots may be considered dangerous and all, I am usually cool wherever I need to go, and I got people in a lot of major hoods so I've never had any problems bein outta bounds.

-Crenshaw still cracks at times, but it's very on and off. It was crackin Saturday nights like 2002 but it stopped, and came back a few months ago until some ____s got shot there. On Sundays it cracks sometimes in the daytime. Also, it is a LOOONG ass street...it goes from Wilshire, which is basically 3rd St., all the way south past Torrance and into Palos Verdes Estates to where the street numbers are almost 300, if not past. I live right off Crenshaw and Rosecrans (worldwide let em recognize from Long Beach to Rosecrans)
-Sunset isn't really crackin for black people anymore, mainly because the gangbangers shut it down. But it's still the same clubs and the same flossin atmosphere.
-The original Roscoes is on Pico and La Brea, that's the one I always go to. It's one right off Sunset, one in LB and one on Manchester and Main, but the one most people go to is the original.
-The Slauson Swap Meet probably has a lot of things that LA people don't even pay attention to because we're used to it, but you might see things in there and be like "daaaamn they got that?!?!?!?!"
-The Barbary Coast is a strip club in Gardena, about 3 min. from me, and is the most famous black strip club in LA county by far. Hittman mentioned it on 2001 "Good to go girls...Like the Barbary coast girls" and Pac and Snoop used to go in there. Snoop and his people got into a big azz fight there back in the 90s.
-I'd assume the Black Wall Street headquarters will still be there in Compton in 2007.
-I never go near Main St.s hood, who is the set that 4 Life is composed of, mainly because I don't know anybody over in that area and have no reason to go. But I know where that's at.
-I could basically show you anything you mentioned or listed out, and it's not too many black hoods that I'd never want to drive through other than the Jungles, and the Nicks unless I'm with somebody I know from over there.
-Fox Hills Mall and Beverly Center are probably the best malls that you'd be interested in going to. Del Amo Mall in Torrance is/was the 2nd biggest mall in the nation, but they are going through major renovation, so I'd assume it'll be ready by 2007. I used to always go there between like 94-2000 when they fell off...I still go but it's not my mall of choice anymore.

But damn...you got a looong time!! I'm graduating from college in 2006 and that seems like a long way to go, so I'd assume nothin should really change before then other than the music scene which should hopefully be crackin once again.

[ecrazy]

E-crazy your making me doubt your even from LA your giving some off ass info, 15 mins from LA to Long Beach my ass, with no traffic and going 80mph it takes atleast half an hour from Santa Monica to Long Beach.

Oh yeah and there is one MAIN pico blvd which is the one that goes all the way from Santa Monica all the way inland towards downtown, and thats the one all the rappers talk about, I've never seen any other picos but if there are others their not famous or major

If you don't wanna believe my timing, don't but im sure you will be on the safe side if you take my timing, anything faster than i said and your either lucky as hell or your flying over all the traffic

LMAO! dang dude, dont get mad @ me just cuz you dont drive as fast as me, jeez, its not a bad thing on your part, its a bad thing on my part if anything, take a chill pill, LMAO!
doubting im from la, pfff, didnt u see me @ the LL instore?? u crazy son, even driving to there from ONTARIO, 34 MINUTES (broke our previous record of 42 minutes, its kinda a race against time me and my friends have to see how fast we can get to the big city, well anyways...) yea man, relax, didnt mean to offend u, chill out

[CRAFTY]

R-Tistic: thanks for the info...and it would indeed be cool if you showed me around town a bit, I'd appreciate that a lot. But don't you think it will cause problems to drive through those places you mentioned (Compton, Gardena, etc..) since I'm white?

Yeah, the Slauson Swapmeet is another place that I hear a lot in West Coast rap songs, so I'd like to check that out as well. What exactly is there to be found in Swapmeets? Clothes, music, etc...?
Well, several people from MainStreet are registered at the IV Life forum, and they always tell me I need to come down there 'cause they appreciate what I do (promotion), they even invited me to their 4th of July picnic last week at Lake Parris. So yeah, I think I'll go down there with DJ Slip & Crisstyle and them...
The Fox Hills Mall...yeah, another place that I've heard a lot about. I'll definitely check that out along with those other shopping malls that you listed.

Once again, thanks for all the info man, I appreciate this a lot. See you (maybe) in LA then in July of 2007!

[R-Tistic]

R-Tistic: thanks for the info...and it would indeed be cool if you showed me around town a bit, I'd appreciate that a lot. But don't you think it will cause problems to drive through those places you mentioned (Compton, Gardena, etc..) since I'm white?

Yeah, the Slauson Swapmeet is another place that I hear a lot in West Coast rap songs, so I'd like to check that out as well. What exactly is there to be found in Swapmeets? Clothes, music, etc...?
Well, several people from MainStreet are registered at the IV Life forum, and they always tell me I need to come down there 'cause they appreciate what I do (promotion), they even invited me to their 4th of July picnic last week at Lake Parris. So yeah, I think I'll go down there with DJ Slip & Crisstyle and them...
The Fox Hills Mall...yeah, another place that I've heard a lot about. I'll definitely check that out along with those other shopping malls that you listed.

Once again, thanks for all the info man, I appreciate this a lot. See you (maybe) in LA then in July of 2007!

LOL...I've never been the type to overhype LA. Gardena is where I live, and even though it's a crip neighborhood, it's not too dangerous at all, other than the apartments. It's about 75% black, 20% hispanic, and 5% white in my actual neighborhood. It was all white back in the 50s, and it's a few whites who still live there, so nobody would even care seein somebody white drive by. Actually, it's not too many places that white people can't drive...I'd say if you rolled through the Jungles or some of the Watts PJs, or through actual neighborhoods in Compton and in the bottoms in Inglewood, they would probably look at you real funny as if you were undercover, but usually they don't even pay attention. In most hoods I drive through where people don't know who I am, they'll usually mad dog, but I don't look like a gangbanger so they don't ever do anything. But I am usually never goin where I shouldn't be anyway.

Swapmeet has all that, clothes, music, arts n crafts, custom clothes, jewelry, food (it's suspect though).

[ABN]

^shit when i was in LA was scared as hell of wearing blue and red for the first couple of days just from what iīve heard in songs and shit and especially since iīm black. but people didnīt really trip if you were wearing a lot of blue or red. but i didnīt go in any neighborhoods like you know on the block so i donīt know how it really goes down. i actually thought it was gonna be a lot worse in LA then it actually is just from what i had heard about the gangs before i actually went there. still wouldnīt wanna make a wrong turn and end up in The Jungle wearin blue from head to toe.

[Doggystylin]

Crafty, a lot of the places and things that R-tistic mentioned is shit i would suggest only a local or someone familiar with the area do, its not exactly the safest thing to not be familiar with the area and go down in those areas, I theres a good chance you will be fine and nothing will happen, but there also is a good chance something WILL happen, like stopping at the wrong stop sign at the wrong time and getting your car jacked, trust me that shit happens.

[R-Tistic]

^shit when i was in LA was scared as hell of wearing blue and red for the first couple of days just from what iīve heard in songs and shit and especially since iīm black. but people didnīt really trip if you were wearing a lot of blue or red. but i didnīt go in any neighborhoods like you know on the block so i donīt know how it really goes down. i actually thought it was gonna be a lot worse in LA then it actually is just from what i had heard about the gangs before i actually went there. still wouldnīt wanna make a wrong turn and end up in The Jungle wearin blue from head to toe.

Yeah that's really how it is...it's so many misconceptions because of the rappers and what you see in movies, but to me it's all exagerrated. There are many things that you may not know about that would suprise you (in a bad way) but then there are many things overblown. You can definitely wear red and blue in moderation, all depending on where you are and who you are with, and what you look like. Hat signs can be worst than colors, and bandanas are always an instant indicator.

[R-Tistic]

Crafty, a lot of the places and things that R-tistic mentioned is shit i would suggest only a local or someone familiar with the area do, its not exactly the safest thing to not be familiar with the area and go down in those areas, I theres a good chance you will be fine and nothing will happen, but there also is a good chance something WILL happen, like stopping at the wrong stop sign at the wrong time and getting your car jacked, trust me that shit happens.

Well yeah, I wouldn't advise him to go through any deep hoods without somebody who's from there. Maybe since I grew up there, I feel comfortable and I don't stick out at all, and many people are at least familliar with my face so they usually don't just mess wit me for no reason. But if they saw somebody who looked nervous and had a nice car or nice jewelry or whatever, then yeah they might try to jack em. But at stop signs n shit like that, it's not too many places you gotta worry about because dudes don't just post up outside waitin to jack people like they did in the 80s.

[ABN]

. Hat signs can be worst than colors, and bandanas are always an instant indicator.

yea thatīs the thing that my cousins friends told me about(they told me to ship red Philly hats,Boston hats when we was gonna go to CPT). they also told me not to wear certain color combinations aswell coz some people automatically connect certain color combinations with a specific neighborhood. donīt know how true it is but thatīs what they told me and i followed suit. if i enjoy my 3 1/2 months stay in LA later this year i might make the move over there permanent.

[Tha G In Deee]

If you're headin' to Long Beach, make sure to hit the Pike & Long Beach Towne Center...two of my favorite spots...& also get some Fatburger if you get tha chance...

Tha Cerritos & Lakewood malls are real great to go shopping or just look at all tha different shops they have...also go down to Tommy's & Roscoe's like mentioned before, they got great food...M&M's & R&J's are good spots too...