[Quixote]

Los Angeles

1) LA County voters passed Measure R in November 2008, a half-percent sales tax increase that will pay for various transportation improvements over the course of the next 30 years.

2) The revitalization of Downtown saw hundreds (if not over a thousand) of loft conversions, more retail/dining/entertainment/nightlife options, a surge in population and convention center business, large-scale events (American Idol season finales, Grammys, Emmys, ESPYs, AMAs, Michael Jackson memorial, etc.), a few new shiny skyscrapers, and many ambitious plans to carry forward into the next decade.

3) The Red Line was extended to Hollywood, which subsequently gave birth to the Hollywood/Highland complex and in turn sparked the revitalization of Hollywood.

4) LA underwent a complete paradigm shift in urban planning, promoting dense and transit-oriented mixed-use developments -- aka "transit villages".

5) Crime rates plummeted for seven consecutive years, dipping to levels not seen since the 1960s.

6) Many of the professional sports teams had a lot of success, most notably the Lakers and their three consecutive NBA championships from 2000-2002; a new generation of Laker excellence was born.

7) LA's merits in culture and fashion were finally acknowledged.

8) LA learned that the NFL would finally return; the stadium proposal was approved and all that's needed now is for a team to commit.

9) A plan to modernize the international terminal at LAX was finally given the go-ahead; construction is to begin this month.

10) LA finished the decade on a note far better than the one it began on.