Today, I took a second to think about the fact that it's the longest day of the year when it occurred to me that this day also marked a year since I kicked bad drinking and bad men (no, you horny devils, this does not mean that I am now into bad girls, I'm just not into BAD men anymore). That is a story in itself that with some time and trust, perhaps I will share some of those sordid details with you (yes, I am a tease). But anyhow, I realized as the seasons changed, so did I. And since I did something big last year, why not do it again this year!
Since the last summer solstice (the SS), I spent quite a bit of the past year traveling the world (a solo trip to Spain, a romantic jaunt to France, lunch in Hyde Park, London and a wedding in Jamaica), visiting the greatest museums (oh the Pompideau) and the most historic monuments (seriously, when will La Segrada Familia ever be completed?), making a point to hit every site in the travel books, and yet have completely neglected so much about the very city I live in (Well, I did go to three museums in LA in the last year, but that is besides the point).
Being a New York native and a Los Angeles transplant, I have always said the difference between the two is that in NY you are inundated by so many options and have to pick and choose which path you carve for yourself. However, in Los Angeles, it's a blank canvas: you have access to all the different paints, but you have to make a choice if you want oils or pastels, trendy club kid or nature loving vegan. LA takes work.
The other thing about the land of the angels is that it's also the loneliest city in the world. It's like the painting, there's potential friends and love interests everywhere, but you have to go find them, test them on a canvas for a bit and then decide if you want to create your painting with them. Even once you get your amazing friends, your significant other and start your new family, it's somehow still lonely. Try getting to your friends: you sit in a car and drive for 20 minutes... alone. Try walking to the neighborhood cafe: you'll walk down a street and you'll be walking on that very sidewalk... alone.
LA gets a bad rap. People always say it takes two years to feel at home here. For some people it takes more. Some don't even make it that long to find out, but when it becomes home, it can really be your mix and match paradise, tailored specifically for you.
So with all this in mind, I came up with the idea for Lonely Los Angeles. I am going to be a tourist in my own city this summer. I am going to take the Lonely Planet Guide to Los Angeles and go through it as thoroughly as I possibly can before the weather gets bleak again (ie below 70 and sunny). I want to see the city for what it really is; see what a tourist sees in 5 days, that I've missed in 8 years. Maybe then, I won't just have an idea of who I am within this great world, but I'll know who I am within the city that has shaped my post-collegiate years. I hope you guys enjoy this journey with me and maybe even learn a few things about LA yourselves along the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment