Decouvrir La Banlieu, et choses a ne pas rater !

The sujet du jour will be over the Inland Empire otherwise known as I.E..
Located about 20 miles east of L.A. and off the 210 east FYW, this humongous area is comprised of many cities and stretches all the way out to San Bernardino & Riverside Counties; cities that are included are Covina, Glendora, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fontana… all of which are cities belonging to the Inland Empire. Most of those cities can be described as “blue collard & middle class”, however one thing I did notice having lived in Pomona for a hot New York minute, is the stigma associated with living there. People in L.A. tend to look down on I.E. folks, kind of like Neuilly vs. Seine St-Denis phenomenon . Undoubtedly the money & glamour is west of the I.E., however from an objectionable point of view, one cannot ignore that more homes are build there than anywhere else in California and the I.E. has one of the fastest real estate growth of U.S.A. Homes are also much cheaper there. However I lived there shortly and driving to work to L.A. was the hell of a commute. To put things in proper perspective driving from Pomona to Downtown L.A. would only take me 25 to 30 minutes MAX without traffic, however during work week this would turn out into 1:30 minutes chaotic inferno!! Back & forth, bumper to bumper style!! Unless you’re in for long commutes, I wouldn’t recommend it. Another drawback of living in the I.E. as a Frenchie was that I was the only Frenchie there! There weren’t anything to do from a cultural & culinary stand point; everything that goes on really happens in L.A. Also, I did notice that many MANY rednecks & Bush Lovers/followers live there. All these bumper stickers of I support Bush, etcc turned my stomach out !! So not too frenchies friendly..
On the bright side of things, if you’re planning on visiting L.A., take the time to check out Ontario’s mills Mall, the LARGEST mall I have ever been in! Bring some sneakers! You will probably need two or 3 days just to check out all their shops & boutiques and make sure to take your family to Rain Forest Café located in Ontario mills mall! Another spot which I recommend for strolling & shopping is Victoria’s garden which is an outdoor mall located at (909) 463-0115 - 12590 N Main Street in Rancho Cucamonga. This is very similar to the Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles, for more info check out this link http://www.thegrovela.com/ Also in my list of things to do if you’re visiting L.A. in September, MAKE SURE to check out the Los Angeles County Fair located in Fairplex Pomona. This is the LARGEST fair in the world PERIOD. With hundred of activities to choose for the family & kids, and some of the best fair food as well! For more information on this unique fair check out http://www.lacountyfair.com/2007/homepage.asp. Finally when the heats get unbereable, make sure to head to San Dimas Raging water, in San Dimas, CA, one of the largest water park in Southern California, this guarantees you to cool you & the children's off !