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Comment by callumprentice | Hacker News Reader

My family and I recently moved to the Los Angeles CA area and we've yet to find a bar or restaurant that isn't incredibly loud.

It's almost like the local building codes, or the air or something else conspires to make the acoustics in every single place we've tried completely miserable - even when it's not very busy.

I'd love to discover why it seems to be the case.

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I'd say it is culture, not code. Twenty years ago, chains like California Pizza Kitchen were archtypical as noisier than average with lots of metal, glass, and other hard surfaces. It was already a cliche by then, but it wasn't the only style successfully operating.

What I've seen over the decades is those others going out of business and being replaced by either the glossy, clean style or the unfinished industrial style. Nobody is using soft materials which remind too much of our fathers' or grandfathers' banquet halls and family restaurants.

Those materials generally last longer and are easier to clean/maintain. As margins are driven down by competition, so will the amount expended on the decor.

Industrial design looks intentional (ie. Not necessarily good, but it looks like it's supposed to be that way) and is inexpensive.

I think you're right about the hard materials aspect. We moved from San Francisco though which seemed to have a similar number of places with cold, hard materials.

For quiet bars, try 1642 Beer and Wine, and Bar Bandini. For restaurants, smaller ethnic places are usually quiet. Americans unfortunately are just loud, extroverted folks.

Not all of us. Unfortunately, all it takes is one screamy table to ruin a room for everyone.

It doesn't appear to be the level of noise - more like the acoustics with normal sounds that make it hard to hear people across the table.

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