Tale of two cities: Life in L.A.

The Downside
This could shatter Los Angeles' self-image as one of the world's sunny, happy, carefree capitals of the good life.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Forbes, the business magazine famous for publishing lists - from attention-grabbing ("Most Powerful Celebrities") to arcane ("48 Asian Altruists") - came out this month with a roster of U.S. cities where it's "Hardest to Get By" financially.

No. 1 is Providence, R.I. No. 3 is Riverside. The top 10 includes Buffalo, Detroit and Louisville.

The upside
The Lakers are still the hottest ticket in town, but they may be the only show in L.A. that's recession-proof. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

And that's the silver lining in the bad economy for Angelenos, who can now find deeply discounted tickets at big-name theaters, shorter waits at top restaurants and great deals on meals and sporting events.

"The reality is that anything that's not a high-demand item like Laker playoff tickets, the prices are really flexible," says Barry Ruden, owner of Calabasas-based Barry's Tickets.