There are definitely ways to do LA wrong.

Santa Monica / the Westside is a dream (but expensive). The rest of LA is traffic hell. I almost never had any reason or interest to go east of the 405. You also learn when to tolerate the freeway traffic and when to rearrange your day accordingly.

And certain areas, like Hollywood, are just complete trash. I hate that tourists think it's a must-see. It has zero connection with the actual film industry, it's gross, and it's completely locked on all sides in traffic hell.