[TAXI37]

Well if you've never been to LA, it would seem to be a no-brainer. But even if you had been, I'd choose LA.

Golf in LA is better, cheaper and more varied than those sterile surreal $120-a-round LV courses. Rancho Park, Harding and Wilson are tremendous public courses and the idiots in the Parks Dept. don't even charge non-residents extra.

Poker games in general (well low- and mid- limit, my only experiences) are softer than LV and you get a seat within a few minutes of walking in. I also know of an excellent Sunday night home game, pot-limit with $1 blinds and $100 buy-in.

Plus, if you enjoy music, EVERYONE gigs in LA all the time, no matter what genre you're into. (Check out laweekly.com ). In Vegas you're lucky to catch an act your parents used to like. And there are great restaurants in LA, not expensive kitschy places that hired chefs who became famous in LA. In short, culturally, LA is the D-Backs/Angels/Marlins/Red Sox, and Vegas is the Yankees. LA is what's happening; Vegas is what happened and at twice the price.