The Spirit of LA in Los Angeles, California, USA
A palm tree-dotted skyline has become synonymous with Los Angeles, as they line just about every major street around the city. Amidst the smog, you can see the towering buildings, and beyond that, the bordering foothills. It’s moments like these, as the days wind down and the sun starts to set, the warm air carries in to the night and everything casts a golden glow, that you experience the true spirit of Los Angeles.
Place you live: Los Angeles, California
Place your photos were taken: Barnsdall Park in Los Angeles.
Can you sum up the place you live in a short paragraph? Los Angeles is a melting pot where cultures collide and dreams are alive. The weather is sunny just about year-round, and you can drive to the beach as easily as you can to the mountains; swim in the ocean or get lost among the mountain trails. Though the city is centered around the entertainment industry, there are pockets of thriving creative scenes ranging from young entrepreneurs to furniture makers, to coffee roasters and chefs. Though it often gets a bad wrap, Los Angeles does have a vast and inspiring history, and if you’re willing to deal with the traffic, you have the opportunity to do just about anything on any given day. There is a relaxed vibe that Angelenos tend to adopt, but there’s also a fair share of hustling to capitalize on what’s bigger, better, and next. It’s a fast-paced city where trends come and go at the blink of an eye, but once you settle in to a great neighborhood and find a genuine group of like-minded friends, it can be hard to imagine anywhere else you’d rather be.
Occupation: Designer, Creative
Preoccupation: Photography
A perfect day in Los Angeles? I love waking up with the sun, hiking up to the Griffith Observatory and looking out on to the city before most of it is awake. After I get home and enjoy a cup of coffee, I’ll head off to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market to stock up on fresh fruit, veggies, fish, flowers — you name it. I’ll then spend the afternoon window shopping around some of my favorite streets in Silverlake, and if it’s a beautiful summer evening, I’ll meet up with friends for an early picnic at the Hollywood Bowl, followed by what is sure to be a stellar outdoor concert at my favorite venue in town.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? Visit the Getty Museum, eat at one of the many amazing restaurants in downtown, followed by a fancy cocktail at one of the many amazing bars, go hiking in Temescal Canyon, window shop on Abbot Kinney in Venice, lay on the beach in Malibu, visit the Eames House in Pacific Palisades, peruse the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, walk the art galleries in Culver City — the list is really endless.
A perfect meal in Los Angeles? I love having dinner at a little restaurant near my apartment called Little Dom’s — it’s a classic Italian menu and they make the best whiskey sour I’ve ever had. They also host a $15 supper on Monday nights that is superb.
What is the best thing about your spot? The weather — the sun shines just about every day.
What is the worst? The traffic. It can take upwards of two hours to go ten miles in this town.
A little known fact about where you live? The building I live in was actually built by Walt Disney back in the day to house the artists that worked at his studios over in Burbank. Every unit is quaint and has the most charming 1920’s Spanish details.
Where is your favorite place in the world? I visited a friend in Spain the end of last year and fell in love. When we spent a long weekend down south in Granada, I was convinced I had never been anywhere quite so relaxing and beautiful in my life. I had dreams of returning for months after the trip ended.