Billboards Be Damned
Does regulation mean more sky, or less soul?
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Billboards like this one may no longer be part of the LA skyscape if the city has anything to do with it. Will the cleanup take away too much of LA's personality?
The LA Times is reporting that courts have sided with the city on the ongoing billboard-blight, meaning you may see less of them in the near future.
We have to admit, we're a little torn on the issue. Yes, billboards are in-your-face mega commercials that cut into our blue/smoggy-sky views. But they're also a part of the local culture in this over-the-top entertainment town.
Maybe we're just used to it. Embarrassing to admit, but it's actually kind of fun to roll into Westwood and see the latest gargantuan "art" ad on the side of 5455 Wilshire (technically not a billboard, but you get the idea). The whole Sunset Strip vibe would change without its mass of provocative Calvin Klein and TV mega-posters -- less strip, more "strip mall." And what about Angelyne, the "star" who made herself a Hollywood legend by painting the town in boards bearing her busty image? Life without Angelyne would be a gray, dull place.
So are billboards friend or foe, ad or icon? Hell yeah our roads would be prettier without them. But would they be as sassy, enchanting and debate-provoking? Be careful what you wish for. You might just miss it.
