While it's possible to find comedy in pretty much anything, there are certain elements of LA that seem to cause a universal chuckle. Some are more apparent when you first arrive in the City of Angels — like that moment when all that was previously normal to you is turned upside down, and you're somehow overhearing a conversation where people are complaining about having to use their windshield wipers for a portion of the drive home. Or when you're having one of your first nights out on Hollywood Boulevard and decide to stop by what's been dubbed by some as the 'Cirque du Soleil' of strippers.
Here are some other LA-only observations, places and things to do that will induce a cackle.
1. How many people are hanging out at the beach on a Tuesday. We all know that LA is the mecca of entertainment — which may begin to explain why so many people aren't at working an office job on a weekday and instead, bronzing themselves. However, if you just got off the boat in LA, you can't help stroll around Palisades Park and go, "seriously, what do people do here?"
2. Reactions to the rain. Whether you love the rain or hate it, Angeleno's responses to it are one-of-a-kind. Only in a town that gets an average of 35 days of rain per year can office conversation about 'how to survive a drizzle' be taken somewhat seriously.
3. The number of people using Starbucks as an office. I know this because I am one of those people. Even though, this blog post is being written in an office (I swear).
4. Motorcyclists weaving in between traffic. OK, so while this may scare you, bother you or just make you feel jealous, you have to admit that your first reaction to a guy on a Kawasaki zooming past while you listened to some mind-numbing radio commercial about a holiday sale was one of a bit of laughter. "Wait, they can seriously do that?"
5. People with yoga mats. Before moving to LA, I thought people carried around surf boards — just to look cool. I was wrong. They carry around yoga mats, instead.
6. Certain LA-only institutions. There's a long list of these, but a good example is the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Despite it's name, this museum mixes fact, fantasy and some satire to bring you truly incredible historical exhibits to yes, a bat that can fly through a wall.
7. Small dogs. The Paris Hilton trend of wanna-be former Taco Bell spokes-animals in a handbag still rings true. If you're a dog lover like I am, there's no pooch you don't want to pet — but one can't help but acknowledge the LA-specific small dog culture.
8. Actors...who happen to serve food. Yes, we all know that people who want to make it in the entertainment business have to get by somehow. But some people just love telling you about their passion, and forget that they kind of smell like garlic bread.
9. Vanity license plates. Some of these plates may actually belong to the aforementioned restaurant actors who made it (or as least their agents).
10. Jumbo's Clown Room. More than a strip club with a name that sounds like a place to hold (but definitely don't) a child's birthday party, Jumbo's gets lines out the door that brings single guys, married couples and anyone looking for some unique entertainment.
11. People who look like celebrities. You know the guy...Dodgers' hat, sunglasses, scruffy beard, casual bling. Could be a celebrity, but could also be some dude who really knows how to tie together a Ross-purchased melange of clothing.