It wasn’t immediate, and it surely was not natural. But I’ve fallen in love with the City of Angels. I won’t go so far as to say it’s the greatest city on Earth. It certainly isn’t, but it IS unique and beautiful in ways that no other place is. Los Angeles is the largest city in California, in fact the largest on the US west coast, and that counts for something. A skateboarder will usually be attracted to a concrete jungle. And I am. But this goes far beyond that. I’m not so shallow to claim “it’s the Mexican food,” yet I’m not so foolish to proclaim it offers the most opportunity. No. There’s something deeper to this place that makes it what it is. To me.
LA is the shittiest prettiest place on Earth that I know. The people are as diverse as they come. On par with the population of New York City, just without the ultimate density of Manhattan. There’s Little Armenia, Chinatown and even Little Ethiopia, but the neighborhoods you’ll find between those labeled districts roar with personalty and carry a succinct pride in their own fashion. Even if people don’t always smile at one another, there is an overarching sense of accomplishment and self-respect, rooted from their thriving in such a beast of a city. Lots of locals and plenty of implants create a cauldron of local pride mixed with awe-inspired fear. There may be a lot of shallow people in Los Angeles, but for every boring or selfish person you find, you’ll also stumble onto someone that will brighten your day at the least expected moment. A feeling that humanity is actually NOT so bad may wash over you from time to time.
LA is the shittiest prettiest place on Earth that I know. The people are as diverse as they come. On par with the population of New York City, just without the ultimate density of Manhattan. There’s Little Armenia, Chinatown and even Little Ethiopia, but the neighborhoods you’ll find between those labeled districts roar with personalty and carry a succinct pride in their own fashion. Even if people don’t always smile at one another, there is an overarching sense of accomplishment and self-respect, rooted from their thriving in such a beast of a city. Lots of locals and plenty of implants create a cauldron of local pride mixed with awe-inspired fear. There may be a lot of shallow people in Los Angeles, but for every boring or selfish person you find, you’ll also stumble onto someone that will brighten your day at the least expected moment. A feeling that humanity is actually NOT so bad may wash over you from time to time.
I’ve never spent more than a couple of days in a city that is more geographically diverse than this one. My residence is comfortably nestled in the hills just south of the Angeles National Forest near Pasadena, but I find myself a mere 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles. A longer drive (within LA County) will show you where the shore meets the Santa Monica Mountains, the ghettos of South Los Angeles and the stunning views of the Pacific Palisades near Long Beach. Still nearby, there are the ski resort(s) near Big Bear, the desolate desert rocks of Joshua Tree Nat’l. Park and the world-renowned surf break of The Wedge in Orange County's Newport Beach.
It didn’t happen overnight. It was not easy to see the opportunity in this place. But it was necessary to seize the most from this new “home.” Leaving such a drastically different city was difficult at first, and skateboarding helped me push through to the positive. It took a concerted effort and ample time to reach a real understanding of the potential here, but it did occur and continues that trend.
Perspective will always prevail. With a bad attitude and an eye for litter in the streets, one will always see LA as a genuine “shithole." But with an idea of its possibilities and the patience to pay your dues on the freeways, Los Angeles is only a hub within a greater beautiful landscape. Southern California.
It didn’t happen overnight. It was not easy to see the opportunity in this place. But it was necessary to seize the most from this new “home.” Leaving such a drastically different city was difficult at first, and skateboarding helped me push through to the positive. It took a concerted effort and ample time to reach a real understanding of the potential here, but it did occur and continues that trend.
Perspective will always prevail. With a bad attitude and an eye for litter in the streets, one will always see LA as a genuine “shithole." But with an idea of its possibilities and the patience to pay your dues on the freeways, Los Angeles is only a hub within a greater beautiful landscape. Southern California.
As with any new region, there is always something unique and awesome to find, wherever you are. It might be more difficult to find the beauty in those places you are the most familiar with or those places glorified in Hollywood movies. But the endless corn fields of Nebraska are a wholly impressive setting, just as the manicured lawns of a Maryland neighborhood are. The scenic cliffs of the Scottish coastline can be just as gorgeous as the docks of a calm retention pond in the middle of land-locked nowhere. It’s all about appropriate appreciation and choosing the best intent.
This all being said, I’m lucky to have been raised in coastal North Carolina. And I’m simply stoked to be living (most of) my days in Southern California. But wherever you are, and whoever you are with (within the realm of reason), there’s much to be grateful for. With food on the proverbial plate and comfortable shelter for living, each and every place is a great one to inhabit.
LA isn’t quite synonymous with beauty, but it is in fact, full of it. If you know where to look, how to search and when to tilt your head at just the right angle, anyone can see how stunning it is. Calling it “home” has been great so far. And the best part is: a new and equally wondrous place may be my “home” in two years. Or one. Or ten.
And so it goes.
- 7Ply Epic
This all being said, I’m lucky to have been raised in coastal North Carolina. And I’m simply stoked to be living (most of) my days in Southern California. But wherever you are, and whoever you are with (within the realm of reason), there’s much to be grateful for. With food on the proverbial plate and comfortable shelter for living, each and every place is a great one to inhabit.
LA isn’t quite synonymous with beauty, but it is in fact, full of it. If you know where to look, how to search and when to tilt your head at just the right angle, anyone can see how stunning it is. Calling it “home” has been great so far. And the best part is: a new and equally wondrous place may be my “home” in two years. Or one. Or ten.
And so it goes.
- 7Ply Epic