It's a neighborly day in Hollywood

I had to take a picture of this run-down building. The contrast not to mention the Looper billboard were just too cool not to capture.

 Mr. Rogers would be proud of me. I spent my Saturday, one of the hottest days that I've been here for in LA, walking and exploring the Los Feliz/ Silver Lake area. I set out with my water bottle and book headed for the lake (yes, there is an actual lake in Silver Lake). I turned left down Hollywood Boulevard, said my goodbyes to the Griffith Observatory, passed Barnsdall Park and into the heart of Los Feliz. I passed the Vista theater, a beautifully old single screen place where you can see movies for cheap (at least for LA). Continuing on past the Circus of Books that I've admired from a distance for a while now I discovered a farmer's market and a couple stores I'm looking forward to popping into.

 I was on my way up the road towards the lake when the heat took it's toll and I decided that I simply had to turn around and go home (seriously guys it was 105, maybe hotter). I was out of water at this point and came across a yard sale off the main drag. I asked if those holding it if they wouldn't mind filling up my water bottle and, as one of the women went inside to kindly keep me hydrated, I chatted with them a bit. Turns out the man and woman who were having the sale are about to embark on a year-long road trip to the tip of Argentina and back. If that's not enough adventure they have a one-year old and are taking her along for the ride! He's a skateboard/snowboard artist and is hoping to get some inspiration from the trip and learn to live simply with his family. It's amazing how many awesome things the people around us are doing and the stories they have to tell.

My neighborhood adventure went well with the subject of a discussion I was involved with on Sunday morning. We asked the question "Who is your neighbor?" It's something the culture at large doesn't seem to spend much time on. We talk about eating local and buying local and doing a lot of "local" things but I feel that sometimes the people who are involved in all of these things get left out. Sometimes buying/eating/being "local" fosters relationships between seller and buyer of goods but even if you know your local farmer's market vendors by name I think the most we do for or with them is buy their products.

The concept of a neighbor has changed dramatically in the modern age. Conveniences like cars and air conditionings are keeping people holed up in their personal spaces and iPods, iPads, iPhones, etc keep us in our own heads even when we are physically with other people. Then you have the added factor of being in a city like LA where you are passing people all the time and you live next to hundreds, are you supposed to get to know everyone?

What we concluded as a group on Sunday was that in the grand scheme of things everyone is your neighbor. We all have connections to each other in some way, shape, or form. The things we consume, food, clothing, services, all have attachments that are linked with the people who work behind them. Nothing we do is ever truly independent of anyone. Someone had to plant a field of cotton, harvest it, turn it into thread and fabric, cut a pattern, sew it together, ship it a store where someone else unpacked it and put it out for you to try on and buy (even if most of that was done by a machine, there are people who work those too).

My point is that if it's established that everyone is your neighbor, what does your relationship to those you meet look like? Some things we thought of on Sunday were smiling, saying hello, helping someone who clearly looks lost or in need of some help, paying for someone's toll or meal behind you, giving out water bottles and granola bars to the homeless. Perhaps this sounds idealistic, but I don't want to do this out of some belief that I am changing the world or that I am making it a better place one person at a time. Being a good neighbor isn't about me or my gratification. I think that this is a duty we have to other people. Anything that I have ever gained from serving others in any form has always been humility and a greater appreciation for others. If everyone is my neighbor then everyone is just as important as me, right? Time to golden-rule it up.

The Sea In Between

Last night I had the privilege of being treated to see Josh Garrels and Mason Jar Music (MJM) perform. My friend Alyson met me at my house and we walked the 2 miles (yes, Alyson, you were right) to the Hotel Cafe, a small venue just off of Hollywood Blvd [as a side note I'm happy that 2 miles "doesn't seem that far" to me walking but I apologize to all of the friends who have had to keep pace with me while walking on the crowded, hot streets of Hollywood as I march them on towards our next destination--read: Kelsey, Ava, Alyson].

The Hotel Cafe

The Hotel Cafe is a smallish venue that is quite basement like, dark, square, and dimly lit. It was the perfect place for the unexpected opener to the band: a screening of The Sea In Between, a documentary about Josh Garrels' life and music process and his collaboration with MJM. I highly, HIGHLY recommend watching this film if you get the chance. I only saw an abridged version last night but it was completely wonderful with many Josh Garrels songs recorded live (in full) with talented musicians from NYC outside in breathtaking British Columbia. I pre-ordered the film while at the concert and would love to screen it for anyone who is interested!

Alyson, who didn't know about Garrels until I told her abou the concert, left a fully supportive fan. To make the night even better I ran into a friend tending bar and was able to chat with her for a minute or two before Parker graciously picked Alsyon and me up to spare our feet the walk home.

Sightseeing in the neighborhood with a former neighbor!

This weekend has been a string of lazy days but has given me time to clean the kitchen, do the dishes, do my laundry, read some more of Love Does by Bob Goff (for those of you who've read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years he's the guy they meet on the kayak trip) and a book for coverage about what happens to the Montagues and the Capulets after Romeo and Juliet die.

Friday I was able to go to a girls afternoon at Heather's where we lounged by the pool drinking strawberry margaritas, mojitos, and mudslides. Then I went to my first community group meeting in Silver Lake, a neighborhood very close to me but an area I haven't spent much time in...yet. Even just driving through there at night I can tell that I want to go back and explore, try out some coffee shops and look through the shops along W Sunset. My community group members are all fun people that I'm looking forward to getting to know better and apparently there is a snack sign up sheet, reminds me of Core Groups and Bible Studies at UVA. Since this was a meet-and-greet dinner thing I got to try lots of yummy homemade middle-eastern food (meat balls, hummus, pita, salad, rice and lentils) and then we had a very American desert, ice cream cookie sandwiches assembled ourselves with our choice of ice cream, mmmmmmmmm.

Saturday was a lot of reading, almost sleeping, laundry, and making egg and sausage casserole (thai sausage, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and eggs of course). But then, finally, at the end of the day my friend of almost 12 years, Ava, made it to Hollywood from Pomona where she was interviewing for med school (you go girl!). In two hours we covered Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards seeing the Hollywood sign, Hollywood and Highland shopping center, the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Disney soda fountain, and even a trip to In-N-Out burger! Whew. It was a delightful time catching up and getting tuckered out from walking and taking pictures in the way that only toursim can manage.

I still can't believe that I have known Ava for half of my life. We have a lot of history together, elementary school drama, meeting up at Disney World a few times, working out a rotating lunch-bringing schedule with Eve to have good lunches every day rather than crap cafeteria food without the hassel of packing something every day. I'm so grateful that I was able to see her, even if it was only for two hours, while she was in the area. I'm looking forward to a trip to Disneyland the next time you're out here!

photo diary of yesterday

Angel's Knoll

Yes this was in 500 Days of Summer

Pershing Square

Downtown LA

From the Disney Concert Hall

Garden at Disney

MOCA

John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl

May the force be with you all

Roses are red, and pink, and yellow, and....

Exposition Park Rose Garden 

Yesterday was a beautiful day for some urban adventuring. My first trip on the metro was a success! Fairly clean and easy to navigate, if I ever need to go multiple places in the city or don't want to park somewhere I think I've found the best way to get around! Also, apparently each metro stop has it's own "theme" so to speak. The one at Hollywood and Western is multi-colored tiles that remind me of the Dairy Queen off of the boardwalk in Virginia Beach.  Yesterday's train lead me to the Rose Garden in Exposition Park, right next to USC's campus.

The Rose Garden was lovely both in sight and smell. There were several families there for the afternoon and many children swimming in the fountain in the middle of the park.  According to wikipedia the garden has more than 20,000 rose bushes and more than 200 varieties of roses (after the mid-1980s). It was interesting seeing so many different colors of the same flower outside of your local Ralphs (Safeway, Giant, Kroger, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Harris Teeter, Rouses, etc.)

After walking around the garden for a bit and soaking up some sun I was able to walk around the buzzing USC campus. I even snuck into the film school (shhh!) where there is a seven foot (or so) giant model of Kung Fu Panda. The band was getting ready for some kind of event. What with the pep music and students of about the same age milling about I couldn't help but think how amazing it is that all college campuses can feel similar no matter where they are. Thinking of all of you starting classes this week at UVA. Wahoowa!

Recycling Memories

Out of all of the college English courses I took the most personal thing that I discovered was my love for memoirs. I love reading about people's lives from their own perspective.  Blogs have made reading memoirs more accessible. Of all of the social media that is cropping up in this world, blogging is my favorite. Reading my friends' blogs (and others like Today's Letters and Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine) has become something that I do nearly every day now that I sit in front of my laptop for about six hours 4 days a week. They remind me that life doesn't have to be the way I've always lived it and inspire me to try new things creating my own memory after hearing some one else's.

I think that this discovery about memoirs and the ability to live life differently than you have in the past has changed the way that I have moved to a new city. For example, when I was living in Charlottesville I decided that I wanted to try and explore that area of Virginia as though I was visiting (because, really, that's all any of us are ever doing on this earth anyway, right?). I drove to the surrounding towns and made sure that I went wine tasting, fruit picking, and hiking, to concerts, plays, films, and festivals. I have to say that I remember these excursions more than I remember my routine. I read (in Today's Letters actually) that one woman's goal was "to make a memory every day".  I've also heard it said that you should "do one thing every day that scares you". I wonder how my life would change if I approached each day with those two things in mind. I think I've found a new challenge.

I found a Japanese Garden.

So far I have crossed off a few things that I originally wanted to go visit in LA: the Venice Canals, Santa Monica Pier, a Soda Shop, Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach Boardwalk, The Hollywood Sign, the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Malibu.  

I found the Great Wall of LA

Now on my list of things to do and see I have: Drink coffee at the Bourgeois Pig, sit and read outside of Figaro, hike the 7mile loop at Runyon Canyon, attend a taping of Ellen (and various other shows), visit the Angel's Knoll (500 Days of Summer anyone?), go to the Downtown Art Walk (First Fridays of LA for all my Cville peeps), visit the NoHo Arts District, visit Little Ethiopia and Little Japan, hike the Topanga State Park Trek (can't help but think of Boy Meets World), find and walk the Secret Stairs of LA...as you can see, I still have a lot of exploring to do. In a city this big I'm sure that I can keep coming up with more and more new things to try and do and the best part about almost all of the things above...its F R E E.

So, signing off today in hopes that if you've been discouraged or bored where you are living, find an adventure, think like a tourist. Dare to live life differently, do something that scares you, 

El Segundo time I've been to Venice and the Santa Monica Pier

Mural complete with angry Italian woman

This weekend was chock full of good timin' adventures. Saturday I packed my bag for the day and went to Venice where some friends and I checked "see the Venice canals" off my to-do in LA list. It is (kind of) sad to say that a lot of the places and things I want to do in LA come from seeing the movie Valentine's Day (the only movie I went to see in a theater where the fire alarm rang in the middle of it. Got two free movie tickets out of it though!). The canals are beautiful though and I have decided to move there as soon as I can afford it (which is probably never).  

 Took a few pictures of some of the cool houses there. The great thing about LA neighborhoods (especially in Venice) is that you can have one house that looks like its Victorian next to your typical adobe next to something hyper-modern that you might never see again.

After visiting the canals we went to El Segundo Beach further south and hung out by the (weirdly) warm Pacific!

 This was one of my favorites. A smaller house with a corner deck on the top of the roof and a white fence with a beautiful back garden. Lovely.

"There's a place off Ocean Avenue, where I used to sit and talk with you...."

Sunday I was able to spend time with my friend from UVA Kelsey as she was waiting in LA to catch a flight back to VA having been in Irvine, CA for a few days. We fulfilled my self-made quest to visit an old fashioned soda shop (inspired by the Pharmacy in Nashville) in LA. Soda Jerks is located right on the Santa Monica Pier making it a pretty big tourist location but the "freeze" I had, rocky road ice cream blended with fresh made Coke into a milkshake concoction, was so good it would be worth stopping in if I was ever in the area again. Next I have to try the one in Pasadeena! We tried to go to the Camera Obscura but it didn't appear to be open (though times online said it should be...this is my second failed attempt)? If anyone knows how to get in that place please let me know or, better yet, show me! From Santa Monica we went back to my place in Los Feliz and then walked into Hollywood to see the Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, and the Hollywood sign before grabbing some thai food in Thai town and catching Ethiopia win the women's marathon (yay for my friend Caroline)! After taking Kelsey back to the airport I ended the night with a cookie and Breaking Bad. A very good weekend all in all. 

Soda Jerks on the Santa Monica Pier