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Eavesdropping is generally considered rude behavior that breaches basic etiquette. And if the shoe were on the other foot, you wouldn’t feel good knowing that someone else was listening to your private conversations.
However, accidental snooping can happen sometimes, especially when people talk within earshot. And if you’re in Los Angeles, you can apparently pick up on some of the funniest, most colorful exchanges between people.
Here are some examples captured by the “Overheard LA” Instagram account. As you read through, you may also get an idea of what gives the city its character.
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The posts on this list give us a vague idea of how most Angelenos are wired. But to delve deeper into the city’s character itself, novelist and screenwriter Rosecrans Baldwin shared his insights in a 2021 interview with GQ. For one, Baldwin expressed confusion, considering the vastness of Los Angeles.
“Just L.A. County is 11 million people. Greater L.A., the five counties, is close to 20 million people,” he said. “When I drove around L.A., [it could seem] like I was in the middle of everything, and also nowhere at all.”
In 2021, Baldwin published Everything Now: Lessons From the City-State of Los Angeles. It became a Los Angeles Times bestseller and was named one of the best California books of 2021 by The New York Times.
In the book, Baldwin shared an observation that may provide insight into these overheard exchanges between people: “Why do conversations in Los Angeles tend to feel more wide-open?”
The conversations on this list also offer an insider’s perspective on the vibe of Los Angeles, a city largely associated with Hollywood. But according to Baldwin, most of the population has no connection to the film and television industries.
“The great majority of Angelenos have no more connection to Hollywood than somebody in Spokane,” he stated.
Apart from the hilarious conversations you may overhear, people move to Los Angeles for its overall vibe. And it seems to appeal more to foreigners who may have formed their impressions from media portrayals of the city.
Pierre, a thirtysomething resident from Belgium, spoke to Business Insider about how he enjoys his new home city.
“Life in LA is even more idyllic than I could have ever imagined from half a world away,” he said.
Locals share the same love and appreciation for the City of Angels. For Chynna, a 30-year-old LA native from Echo Park, the diversity in its cuisine is one of the most attractive traits of the city.
“LA is a bit spread out, but there’s a little magic in being able to find a hidden gem just by walking around your neighborhood,” she said.
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