Couch Surfing in Los Angeles... Welcome To The Jungle

When singer Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses sang the song "welcome to the jungle" he was talking about Los Angeles. Once you get there, you'll understand why.

OK let's start with the requests to couchsurf  in L.A. In New York you get a lot of rejections, but people will answer your requests. They will tell you that they are busy that day or that they have another couchsurfer staying there. A lot of couchsurfers in Los Angeles will not even reply to your requests, and it's actually most of them. They don't even bother. Try it right now. I sent more than one hundred requests and out of all those you know how many people were willing to host me? ONE. That's it. The other ones did not even reply. Yes I know I had told you before that couchsurfing in New York would be tough. Well, a lot of people don't know this, but Los Angeles is a tougher city than New York. That's because a lot of southern Californians just let life pass them by...they really don't give a fuck. In California, people are perfectly willing to wait for a traffic light to change so they can cross the street...as a pedestrian,even if there are no cars visible. New York has no tolerance for bullshit like this.

OK one thing you will want in Los Angeles once you arrive is for your host to pick you up, DO NOT use public transportation in Los Angeles. Yes, they do have it,but driving in Los Angeles is a nightmare, it takes a long time to get anywhere, and if you take the bus it gets even worse. Yes I took the bus in Los Angeles and it was the longest bus ride ever. It takes hours. I'm not kidding. There is a subway but it won't really take you where you need to go, it's not nearly as efficient as New York's subway system.A taxi..well..did I mention it takes a long time to get anywhere...riding in a taxi must cost a fortune.If you are not driving,you want to stay with a host who will pick you up and drive you around, seriously.

You want to have money if you go to Los Angeles, if your host kicks you out or backs up at the last moment, and you don't have several hundred dollars or the option to leave Los Angeles right then and there, you are in trouble, big trouble. The last place you want to end up on the streets is southern California,and especially Los Angeles, the homeless capital of the United States. Homeless shelters are not really an option. They are crowded and the conditions are not fit for a human being.

So you need a car or someone to drive you around while you are there.You need to take some money for back up. Do this and you will be OK and you will most likely enjoy the experience: Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach (my favorite) and lots of other places to see. All the couchsurfing requests and plans should be done before you get to Los Angeles. Everything should be well planned.

If you do happen to end up on the streets or you get stranded, try to immediately take a bus to Santa Monica, it's very close. They will help you. They will even buy you a ticket back home. Do not seek help in Los Angeles. If you are ever on the streets in Los Angeles, no one cares.

But if you prepared well, and you find a good compatible host, enjoy Los Angeles.