I've been to LA more often this past year. I hate driving around that city. That being said, if you live in the right areas, you don't need to drive. Or you can walk, or cab. It makes a huge difference. I stayed at my girlfriend's brothers house this past weekend in Westwood. I was attending a party in West Hollywood. When I mentioned that, they said, "West Hollywood... That's so far away." It's literally 5.5 miles away. But that's LA for you. If you live in one of the hubs for attractions and goods you're set. It's everything in between that's the problem.
I've lived in Tokyo, D.C., been to New York and Boston. While parts of LA may be good, the fact that they don't have transportation connecting everything is the issue. I could get around all of the above cities just by train and a little walking. But LA... I tried that once, going from Long Beach to Hollywood. I might as well have driven because of how slow the system was. LA was designed back in the day for people to drive. The city planners wanted people to live in the suburbs. It's slowly beginning to realize that they set themselves up for failure.
I love parts of the city when I can walk sure, but I'd still never want to live there because every now and then you still have to get out, and that means traffic...