<p>Exactly. I’m just asking because OP somehow thinks Westwood isn’t an urban area.</p>
<p>Based on location/environment/people:</p>
<p>Davis: They seem to have a really supportive transfer community and be a close knit group in general. Though I hear it smells like cow.</p>
<p>Santa Barbara: Sure there are bros and 'ho’s, but that’s not all. Some of the brightest and most interesting people I know went to UCSB (course they ended up moving to LA post-college). The beach, the weather, the surroundings are beautiful. The quality of life is superb and it really does help take the stress out of life. Plus LA is only a couple hours away.</p>
<p>UCLA: Los Angeles is so darn big that it’s hard not to find some niche you like. Traffic sucks, but there’s a reason for it; everyone wants to be there. It’s fun, glamorous and exciting. There’s superficiality, but there’s also a lot of really interesting, driven and talented people.</p>
<p>Berkeley: Beautiful in that east coast ivy-league sort of way. Also moist/dirty. Fickle weather. More gray skies than I’d like; cold, windy, rainy on the regular. Lots of hobos/tweakers/junkies. People are more on the ecletic (read: crazy) side. This can be good or bad based on your point of view. Still, those crazy hobos/students are pretty friendly and non-judgmental. SF is close-ish but really I think if you want to be in the city you need to live in the city. Disregard if you’re a cyclist. Cyclists own the Bay, you can be wherever you need to be quickly without worrying about traffic and you can pretty much cut off cars/pedestrians whenever you want. Bring fenders on account of aforementioned wetness. </p>
<p>San Diego: Meh. La Jolla isn’t that great. San Diego proper only has theme parks and the Gaslamp which is horribly overpriced and very cookie-cutter. It’s like the wannabe Madame Tussaud’s version of LA. More for visiting as a tourist than looking. The coolest thing there (Stone Brewery Beer Garden with outdoor screenings) is 40 minutes away.</p>
<p>Santa Cruz: Beautiful. The scenery is drop-dead gorgeous. Coastal Redwoods? Yes please. Small town vibe? Check. Character? Definitely. The housing is nestled in some kind of elven fantasy land and their farmer’s market has the sweetest fruit and tastiest Indian samosas I’ve ever had. Too bad I can’t stand the obnoxious students. Too much hippie propaganda. My food is my friend, now back up off my pork chops.</p>
<p>Irvine: Yeah, but no. Maybe if I wanted to go to Disneyland every day.</p>
<p>M & R: Not even sure these are real places.</p>
<p>^Awesome post. I agree with most of it. Props for mentioning the farmer’s market at SC. I forgot all about that even though I loved everything I tried there, one more thing I really like about SC. Davis has a really good one there too. I’m a vegetarian, so getting good-quality fruits and veggies is big pro for me.</p>
<p>The parts I disagree with are that I don’t think SB as a city is as beautiful as everyone makes it out to be. SD has a cleaner beach area if you’re into that sort of thing. And I stress that UCLA is not really in LA, so it’s not as glamorous and exciting as it COULD be if it was in the heart of the city. Finally, I’d give Irvine props for one thing: good-looking campus. Spacious, green, study-friendly.</p>
<p>Are you kidding me. Westwood is a district within Los Angeles. Just like Downtown, Hollywood, or South Central. Therefore, UCLA is in LA. How could anyone get confused about that?</p>
<p>CityByCity: I know what you’re saying about Westwood, but I have to disagree somewhat. It’s not exactly perched at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, and to say it’s in the middle of LA, that definitely means by car. You’re not exactly walking to the beach or the nightclub or the premiere. But that’s just the thing; Westwood is the kind of sheltered, wealthy neighborhood where celebrities might live, y’know, go jogging and grab a bite to eat, etc. It’s glamorous in a classy, understated way; you feel like you’re in the [country] club.</p>
<p>Now Hollywood is where you go to stand on the other side of a red velvet rope, hoping to catch a glimpse of greatness. And yes, sometimes you get lucky, you and all your friends make it into the club, you’re dressed well enough to avoid the $50 cover and you dance the night away with Lady Gaga and whatnot. You’re in LA! There’s Tom Cruise, there’s James Franco! <em>cue whispery background cheering</em></p>
<p>But if Hollywood is the place to be seen, then Westwood’s the chill afterparty. And they are both “LA”.</p>