Mind-Bending Facts presents you: cold truths about living in Hollywood!

Do you think you know what Hollywood is really like, apart from those glamorous movies you see on TV or those chic red-carpet events that are so popular on entertainment television and social media? Not so fast, because there are some cold truths about living in Hollywood, and you learn about them when you live in Tinseltown.

Okay, hear me out. I’m a 50-something-year-old woman, but my youngest daughter is younger than 21 years old, and somehow it got into her head that she wants to move to LA and start a new life.

There’s nothing wrong with that; I totally support her, but I’m scared that my baby girl will be all alone in another part of the country, in a place that is full of temptation and of people who might not have pure interests. So yeah, I convinced my husband to rent an apartment in the same building as her and experiment with the cold truths about living in Hollywood ourselves.

And let me tell you that while there were some pretty good things about Los Angeles, there were also some things that I found a bit scary and disappointing. If you want to know what this glamorous life actually looks like, here are the 6 cold truths about living in Hollywood that you should know about!

1. It’s a stars ghost town

Let’s start from the beginning: you see lots and lots of celebs on the red carpet, and they’re all looking their best, dressed in the most beautiful and expensive outfits that could exist, perfectly smiling to the camera, elegantly getting out of their fancy cars, and happily waving at the camera.

So it’s not that weird to think that LA would be a place that is crawling with stars, right? Well, one of the first cold truths about living in Hollywood that I experimented with my very first week there was the fact that this type of idea couldn’t be further from the truth.

Of course, I saw a couple of celebs here and there while they were going to the Oscars or at some pretty premieres at the Chinese Theatre, but that only happens once a year, and since that moment, there have been no celebs on the streets or in any other public place for me.

Even though Hollywood is known for its brilliant entertainment industry, don’t expect to see your favorite celebs hanging out on Hollywood Boulevard. They know that these places are filled with noisy tourists (including me) that would ask them for photos and autographs, so they prefer more exclusive places, such as Beverly Hills and Malibu.

There you have it: this is the first of the many cold truths about living in Hollywood that I found out while staying there. Keep reading, because there are many more to come!

2. Parking is sometimes impossible

You’re probably familiar with the idea that driving in LA isn’t exactly the most pleasant activity, but one of the cold truths about living in Hollywood that is probably worse than driving is parking. Oh yes, don’t expect to drive into Tinseltown for a day and find loads and loads of free parking spots around.

The only way you could find a free parking spot is by leaving your car on the sidewalks, but besides the fact that the place is incredibly small, you also risk getting a ticket. So if you think about driving around in beautiful LA, make sure you have some bucks in your pocket because everything is going to cost.

For instance, one of my daughter’s friends paid no less than $200 a month for parking her car in different places. There are lots of spots, indeed, but they’re not free. So if you notice a big sign that says “$5 parking”, that could mean $5 for 30 minutes. And you guessed it, that can quickly add up.

If you read the fine print, which is pretty impossible when you’re driving and there are other cars waiting behind you, you’ll see that all the details are included.

So if you think about visiting or moving to LA and your apartment doesn’t have a parking spot included, here’s one of the cold truths about living in Hollywood you have to know: expect to pay around $20–$30 a day for a parking spot.

3. What about The Walk of Fame?

There are many other cold truths about living in Hollywood that only people who moved there know, but I’ll tell you everything I know in this article. With that being said, let’s continue with the Walk of Fame because a mistake tourists make is to visit it during the day when lots and lots of people are there.

While it’s beautiful that the daytime brings tourists and street performers, the sad part is that it also gathers a lot of pickpockets. So if you don’t want to end up without your phone or your wallet, it’s a smart idea to keep an eye on your belongings and visit this magnificent place at night. Don’t worry about your pictures, because they’ll turn out amazing any moment of the day!

4. Many tourist traps

Yes, I know that this isn’t exactly new given the fact that the majority of big cities can have some tourist traps, but when it comes to LA, there are some cold truths about living in Hollywood you have no idea about.

For instance, while I was there, I noticed that every week there was some news regarding new attractions to visit, from different exhibitions on peculiarities to wax museums, but none of them were worth the hype.

The reason I say that is because these overnight attractions charge a high entry fee, and there’s a high chance that you won’t be satisfied with the level of entertainment and education that you’ll get from them.

If you don’t plan on staying too long in Los Angeles, don’t waste too much time in the Hollywood area, because the majority of the time, it’s just really good marketing, and we all know that expectations can be different from reality. But hey, you do you, because at the end of the day, these are the cold truths about living in Hollywood that I personally experienced, and your situation might be different.

5. The crime rate is high

This is one of the worst cold truths about living in Hollywood: because of its shiny and gorgeous surface, sometimes LA can be a bit messy. When I stayed there with my husband to support our youngest daughter in her career, we got plenty of landlord texts and emails telling us not to leave the building for a couple of hours because there was a shooting threat in the area. I wish it was a joke, but it wasn’t.

Believe me when I tell you that there were many times I couldn’t be on time for different appointments because streets were blocked by police officials looking for criminals or any threats they heard about.

As statistics say, the overall crime rate in sweet Los Angeles is 90% higher than the national average, and that’s because there are plenty of people there, both residents and tourists, and thieves know that and they’re not afraid to put their plans into action.

6. Is it the city of dreams? Because the food is not

It’s true that everybody wants to upgrade their lives and move to Los Angeles, but is it truly the city of dreams? My daughter says that she loves it, but I couldn’t personally move there for the rest of my life. These cold truths about living in Hollywood make me think that I like my Florida life better.

Plenty of people go there and hope that one day their lives will change for the better, and while I admire this mindset, I have to say that each one has their own experience, and something might be bad for me but wonderful for you.

The last one of these cold truths about living in Hollywood that I want to tell you is that there are plenty of gorgeous restaurants with delicious food in Los Angeles, but if you go to the Hollywood area, you might be disappointed because portion sizes are small and the prices are high.

Okay, there you have it now. These are the 6 cold truths about living in Hollywood that I experimented with while I was in LA for a couple of months. Do you agree with any of these? Leave a comment down below if you’d like to live in Hollywood because I’d love to know!

If you want to know more cold truths about living in Hollywood, I recommend you check out this book by Bernie Brillstein and David Rensin, because they have more insights and pieces of advice regarding the fancy and not-so-fancy LA life. And if you want to read something else from Mind-Bending Facts, here’s a fantastic article for you: These Are the 20 Most Ridiculous Facts You’ll Read Today!