I just moved out here a couple weeks ago. Had no fantasies about it, because I've been here a lot. Coming from Houston helped me prepare a lot actually. Infrastructure wise the two cities are very similar. Got to plan your day around traffic and live close to where you work. Your quality of life skyrockets just doing that.
West side and NorthWest for the most part is nice. Ladera Heights, Culver City, Santa Monica, etc. Got to be guaped up or have roommates if you want to live comfortably out there. I agree though East LA and South LA are dumps. Downtown is trying to step up, but the amount of homeless and mentally ill is definitely holding it back. Love the fact that there's so much to do though. Especially if your into recreation and music.
Public Transportation is better than most cities and expanding.
Far from the prettiest city in the world and if I had my choice, I would have moved to Seattle. That wasn't an option though.
Still LA has a lot to offer and all the negatives aside I'd still rather be here than fukking Ohio. Trust me, I used to live in Ohio.