Unveiling the Hidden Challenges of America’s Iconic City

In the early 2000s, Hollywood was a haven for pop culture enthusiasts, with eager fans crowding the streets nightly, hoping for a glimpse of their beloved celebrities.

However, the allure has faded, as one expert claims that the glamour of the City of Angels has officially dimmed.

According to Makan Mostafavi, a Real Estate Agent and lifelong resident of Los Angeles, the turn of the millennium was a golden era. “In 2000, LA was a dream destination. Everyone wanted to be here, everyone wanted to revel in the LA nightlife,” he shared with the Daily Mail.

“The economy was booming, people were financially comfortable. Concerns about rent, bills, or any financial burdens were rare. It was a time of prosperity and happiness, devoid of stress, where everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.”

Now, he notes, the atmosphere has shifted. “When you venture out, it’s evident that people are overwhelmed by the stress of rent, everyday expenses, and the challenges of modern life—homelessness, crime, high taxes, and deteriorating roads.”

‘It’s just not as fun anymore.’ 

And unlike the manic scenes inside the clubs that left partygoers with wild stories, he claimed young people today are standing around on their phones, aware that letting loose too much could end up all over social media the next day. 

Los Angeles has declined over the last 10 years, as streets have become filled with homeless people and drug addicts, making residents feel unsafe (pictured: Skid Row in March 2020)

In the early 2000s, it wasn’t like that. Instead, it was normal to see the likes Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton (pictured together in 2006) hitting the clubs in Los Angeles 

Los Angeles had a notorious party scene loved by the biggest stars. Paris Hilton is pictured kissing Greek film producer Paris Latsis at The Standard Hotel in 2005 

He remembered the times when it was cheaper for him and his friends to eat out on a night on the town rather than making food at home. Dinner would cost each of them around $80 and they’d pop over to the clubs to chug $8 beers.

Nowadays, he estimates it would cost $250 a person for dinner, and drinks can be as high as $30 a pop. 

He said the high of LA’s nightlife scene was from 2000 to 2015 and you needed to know the club promoter or be ‘someone’ to get inside the best clubs. 

Anyone standing in line wouldn’t stand a chance of actually getting inside, he said. 

But now, he claims lines move freely, there’s never a long wait and pretty much anyone can get in wearing whatever they want as the dress code has turned more casual.

‘You could go in in sweats and in flats,’ Mostafavi told the Daily Mail. 

‘I mean, I even joked they might even let me in with shorts, you know what I mean? As long as it’s like yoga shorts, they might let me in. 

‘Back then, that was the highlight of it. You got dressed up. The women got dressed up. You would go out clubbing to meet the opposite sex, to meet people, and have a great time, and then party afterwards, and go to other parties.’ 

He said the clubs also used to be the breeding ground for hookups and relationships, but that isn’t as common anymore. 

Makan Mostafavi said Los Angeles’ crime, homelessness, and drug problems are the culprits of the dying nightlife scene (pictured: Skid Row in April 2024)

‘It’s a broken system,’ Mostafavi told the Daily Mail. ‘If they [the government] can take care of the crime and homelessness and help improve the economy, there’s no way [nightlife] would not improve. It would definitely improve’ (pictured: Skid Row in February 2022)

‘It’s just not exclusive anymore. Anyone can get in and there’s just not enough people.’

Recently, he went to Break Room 86 around 11.30pm and there were three people in the bar. The bouncer told him it was too cold, no one wanted to come out.  

‘That would have never happened back in the day, like 10, 15 years ago. It didn’t matter if it was cold, raining, snowing, clubs would be packed. Everyone would be having a good time,’ he said. 

Mostafavi, who has lived in LA since the 1980s, said Los Angeles’ crime, homelessness, and drug problems are the culprits of the dying nightlife scene. 

Women hide their nice jewelry and bags, leaving them at home for safekeeping, rather than risk a thief trying to rob them while on a night out. Men keep their Rolex watches out of sight too, the real estate agent, who has 34,000 Instagram followers, claimed. 

Mostafavi claimed robbers have gotten smart too, now bringing the screwdriver that unlocks the Cartier love bracelets. 

‘It’s comical,’ he said. 

In 2025, there were 1,393 armed robberies, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. It was slightly down from 2024, which saw 1,856. 

Mostafavi shared photos of his wild days partying when the clubs were full

Overall crime was down in the county, which still saw 60,400 violent crimes take place last year. 

‘It’s a broken system,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘If they [the government] can take care of the crime and homelessness and help improve the economy, there’s no way [nightlife] would not improve. It would definitely improve.’ 

The City of Angels saw many historic establishments suffering and shuttering in the past year. 

Cole’s French Dip, which is credited with creating the iconic sandwich, is on the brink of closure. 

It announced it would close in August 2025 due to a multitude of issues but mainly because the economy had sucked it dry. 

It later moved its closing date to the end of 2025 due to customer support, and has since pushed it back again. 

‘While we absolutely can’t keep Cole’s going in its current iteration, and we will have to close soon, we can’t thank you enough for your patronage and support of our historic venue,’ its website read. 

Le Petit Four, a restaurant, also shuttered its door last year after 40 years as it couldn’t keep up with the rising price of things, including minimum wage. In 2016, minimum wage was $10, now it’s $17.87. 

‘It wasn’t the celebrities that made people go,’ Mostafavi told the Daily Mail. ‘The clubs were so fun that the celebrities wanted to have fun too. Everyone had a good time’ (pictured: Spears, Hilton, and Lohan leaving a club in 2006)

Despite the shift, Los Angeles was still rated the sixth best US city for nightlife by Time Out in 2025 

‘In order for us to survive, we would have to sell $80 steaks,’ the general manager, Luc Mena, told NBC Los Angeles in March. 

The concert hall, Mayan, which had been open since 1927, closed, as well as, Sunset Boulevard hotspot LAVO that shuttered on New Year’s Eve.

Other noteworthy restaurants, such as Rosaline and The Den, have also closed down. The Den had been on Sunset Boulevard for 16 years before shuttering. 

Restaurant patronage dropped five percent between January and August 2025, OpenTable data shared with The Hollywood Reporter showed. 

‘It has been a difficult run for LA restaurants,’ Resy owner Pablo Rivero told the outlet. ‘Even in the best of times, these businesses operate on tight margins – any disruption can shake the foundation, and LA has had a wave of them.’