LAist: Win Some Classic David Bowie

eLAtist bastard

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:34:47 -0800

The demarcation of east and west has long been hotly debated in many circles of both the academic and gangbanger variety (See Mario Lopez's magnum opus "Colors"). However, the issue may be resolved by the Expectorate Test: If you can spit and hit an inappropriately-yoga-pants-clad trophy-wife, you're on the Westside. If you can spit and hit a tatted, trustafarian hipster with a jet-black dye-job, you're in the east.

SoRoBoy

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:14:01 -0800

The dividing line is SoRo baby! It's South Robertson north of the 10 but below Pico. Why? Because my neighborhood (SoRo) doesn't have a name that people seem to know -- so let's make that the defining aspect. SoRo is where East LA ends and West LA begins - or vice versa. :)

Marshall

Thu, 31 May 2007 11:47:12 -0800

The whole East Side/West Side debate is pointless and meaningless. I'm just glad I don't live in anyone's elitist description of either.

lahipster

Wed, 30 May 2007 20:50:13 -0800

the westside begins at La Brea my westside is west of the 405

cristina

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:04:01 -0800

As a major Bowie fan but rather unknowing Angeleno (Angelena, does that work?), I have to say that I wish that this contest asked for favorite Bowie songs, or favorite Bowie moments, or best of all where Bowie thinks the Eastside ended and the Westside begins. But alas, this is website dedicated to LA (and then some), so my official entry? Uhhh.. before reading all of these seasoned responses, I would probably blurb something like... the dividing line is...... uhh..Glendale off the 2!, and then wait for uproarious and patronizing laughter from behind computer screens across the county. Actually, that is my official entry, because I don't have a better answer. I'm heavily relying on chance for this one.

Clint S

Mon, 28 May 2007 12:24:54 -0800

I think the Eastside includes everything East of Western. The Westside is everything West of La Cienega.

laura

Sat, 26 May 2007 20:52:44 -0800

La Cienega is the dividing line

BW

Sat, 26 May 2007 12:50:52 -0800

Fairfax draws the line between the East & West sides.

oliver

Wed, 23 May 2007 16:35:58 -0800

Well, the pithiest comment so far goes to #8, but you can in fact find good tacos at Tacos Por Favor, Don Felix and the two Tacomiendos—all firmly entrenched on the West Side. Speaking of tacos though, the two King Taco locations furthest west are around Hoover and Alvarado—not a bad place to draw an east/west line. Anyway, I think it's worth mentioning that many (I might even say most) West Side/East Side debates don't consider East LA and "the East Side" to be synonymous. (If they did, the debate would be academic.) Often the debate is concerned with the area between downtown and the ocean—everything up to East LA. That said, I think La Brea makes as good a dividing line as any. And to #12: I wouldn't call the area that is home to, for example, Mario's, a no-man's land.

sst superstore

Wed, 23 May 2007 15:29:29 -0800

The westside clearly begins at La Cienega... and I would say the eastside at Western... everything in the middle is no-man's land.

greatgatsby1

Wed, 23 May 2007 15:25:20 -0800

If you must face west or south to look at downtown LA, you definitely live on the East side. If you must look east to see downtown, but your rent is low, then you live in Mid-City. If you must look east to see downtown, and the Metro rail doeesn't go anywhere near you, then you live on the Westside.

Loren

Wed, 23 May 2007 13:16:55 -0800

If driving EAST from the 10 and PCH, the West side ends somewhere around the middle of "Kiss on My List" from the "Voices" Hall & Oates album. 'Nuff said.

Jose Habib

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:29:43 -0800

The 101 makes no sense as a dividing line - it goes more East/West than North/South. And nothing in the Valley is on the Westside. Westside is west of La Cienega, south of Mulholland. Eastside is east of around Hoover (basically where all the east/west streets turn diagonally southward.) In between is neither East nor West. Mid-City or whatever you want to call it.

yep

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:16:13 -0800

that's easy - the westside begins where the good tacos end

Antoine Wilson

Wed, 23 May 2007 11:56:13 -0800

I just flew over LA the other evening, and as far as measuring out all the sprawl, the westside/eastside dividing line of greater LA should be somewhere in West Covina. As far as lesser LA goes, the 405 makes a good dividing line if you're measuring things in terms to travel time (and you're stuck in Santa Monica at 4pm on one of those clusterf**k nights). My official entry: Westside is west of the mean high tide line. The rest is eastside. Because the Best of Bowie 80/87 is like saying The Best of the Worst of Bowie. IMHO. : )

cheriekeane

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:54:16 -0800

Technically, if you read the street signs, the Eastside of L.A. begins at Main Street. I saw an earlier story on LAist (the one about Los Angeles Magazine) that said that the Westside of L.A. begins at the 405 Freeway. I know that the residents of Beverly Hills and Century City would be surprised to know that they were on the Eastside. I'd say La Cienega, only because I remember the 1992 Riots sort of stopped around La Cienega where I think the police set up a perimeter there, sort of like thier 'last stand' if they couldn't get a handle on things. It also depends upon how far south you go. South of the 10 freeway, its La Cienega. North of the 10, it varies because there are wealthy areas (Larchmont, Hancock Park, Los Feliz) that are well east of La Cienega.

joe

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:43:38 -0800

to me, the eastside begins at western ave, and the westside begins at westwood blvd.

winston

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:38:04 -0800

Oh, and for the person above- La Brea? Are you on crack?

winston

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:37:13 -0800

Easy- 101 north of downtown- Silverlake is 'East' Hollywood and Highland is not. South of Downtown is tougher, I am going to go with the 110. With the 105 as the south boundary. 'West side' thus includes the rich folks in the valley south of the 101, West Hollywood, but not Silverlake.

Andy

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:12:27 -0800

I think the Eastside begins at La Cienega. Not because there is anything that identifies Eastsiders at La Cienega but because that is where the Westside seems to vanish into thin air. By the time you see Crescent Heights you know you have left the Westside. Using the same theory to find the edge of the Eastside I would say La Brea with the exception of Fairfax. Give me some Bowie.

aileen

Wed, 23 May 2007 10:04:25 -0800

the Western Ave. "wall" is a good dividing street separating the east and the west.