[george wythe]

This article so biased against California, and especially the LA area, that reads almost like a satire.

California is one of the most beautiful states of the nation, and Southern California has arguably the best weather in America. There is a reason the real estate is so high, despite all the social ills of congestion.

[tpierce98]

WHaaaaaaaaaaT?
Are we reading the same article?

[ElkGroveDan]

I'm on your side, but I don't think the article tarred the entire state.

[HKMk23]

You missed the point. Stein's not bashing the state, he's drawing a contrast between two lifestyles and sayng one more easily facilitates something of inestimable value that the other does not.

I'm a California Native and a resident of 41 years. I KNOW this State pretty darn well. The plain truth is that there are 30 million of us, here already, and another 70 million who WISH they were. But I'm not going to sit here with blinders on and make inane claims that life isn't better anywhere else, nor am I so thin-skinned as to get my hackles up opver someone relating great experiences thay had out-of-state. California is what it is and had a tremendous amount to offer; there's no need to be defensive about it.

There are granite cathedrals in the Sierra of such hidden grandeur that to enter into them is to step onto Holy ground. The invigorating surf of the coasts, the towering sequoia to the northwest, the rugged desolation of the Modoc country; there is no lack of awe-inspiring vistas here. But there is a distinct lack, in many quarters, of the kind of close-to-the earth living that Stein describes in this piece. It's just plain tough to come by in the hustle and bustle of our humongous metro areas, and even escape to resorts like Tahoe and Mammoth won't cut it; the city-dwellers rush in on the weekends, and drag their hustle and bustle right along with them. You want the kind of life in California like Stein's describing in this article, you're in a place like Yreka, or Alturas, maybe Sonora. It's just not easy to get the same 'flavor' of life here.

That's not a bash; it's just reality.

[RobRoy]

Sorry, but I've flown many times into Burbank and know the roads within a ten mile radius. It sucks.

There are great parts of California. I visit relatives in Napa and Carlsbad. I've been up to mount Paramour and the desert.

LA sucks.

[ffusco]

This article was about a city slicker enjoying small town life and fatherhood. Not an attack on CA.

[Old Student]

"California is one of the most beautiful states of the nation, and Southern California has arguably the best weather in America. There is a reason the real estate is so high, despite all the social ills of congestion."

I left there over 30 years ago because it was already getting pretty badly fouled up. Admittedly, some areas are still pretty nice, but they are also so very, very, crowded. Methinks I like it here in Oklahoma better, where there are only about 6,000,000 of us. I can drive for 20 minutes in any direction, and be in the boonies.