It took a recent (and first time) trip to New York City for me come back to Los Angeles feeling as though I need to pay more attention to my hometown. Up until this point my visits to San Francisco made me yearn for living in a true metropolis -- a place where you can walk to just about anywhere and/or utilize a public transit system which makes sense. Even Seattle hit me in that way. But NYC topped them all.I've always considered myself an observant person. One who appreciates the glory of a lone Victorian home tucked away on a neglected street or someone who still likes to take an occasional ride up the coast to Zuma Beach just to smell the ocean from up close and not have to wait until a fog brings in the scent to Boyle Heights on a summer night. I am also one who likes to peer into the crusty nooks and see what goes on within the shadows. Witness the underbelly of the city not glamorous enough to make it on the cover of a glossy mag or postcard. But lately though, I've found myself turning a blind eye to Los Angeles. Maybe I became bored. Maybe I've become disgusted. Maybe I just needed a break after 46 years of steady residence.
It wasn't until just now as I am typing this that I realized what it is I've been missing here in L.A. I miss the days before the introduction of the mega shopping and mini strip malls. The pre-stucco days when homes were made of wood and there was a sense of a short but important history to each building. The days before the nomads arrived and created their version of Los Angeles in places like Sunset Junction and now the Bankers District in downtown. What it all boils down to is this...Los Angeles had become a stranger to me. Maybe it's time for me to familiarize myself with this place I call home. Embrace it and accept it for what it is.
I'll be using this blog format to post journal and creative writing on a semi-daily basis. All this blog stuff is new to me so don't expect wonders. Oh, and one last note, I have a tendency to be brutally honest with my views and opinions. I will write about the things most people don't want to admit are true. I will bring to your screen the smell of wildflowers one minute and the next you'll be stricken with the stench of skid row. I hope you come back to visit often.
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| Didn't make it to any of the museums but this doorway made up for it. |
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| Lakeside Lounge - Alphabet City, NY |
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| Typical neighborhood market. |
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| Times Square |
5 comments:
Ms Gamboa, you have a great, descriptive way of writing straight from the heart.
Looking forward to enjoying your future posts
Hooray!
It's about time you got your muse out of that dusty old belfry. I'm looking forward to seeing LA through your cateye glasses. And through a few cocktail glasses as well!
Thank you for the link.
Thanks for taking the time to read my rants and post your comments.
I too wish I could single handedly tear-down all the stucco from the houses in my neighborhood to reveal the beautiful wooden structure beneath. Then in one sweeping action every home would revert to one family & one or two automobiles per address. I miss walking to the corner of Brooklyn & Record Avenue and buying an ice cream for Salas Pharmacy/Soda Fountain, or gettinging a haircut at the Japanese Barber or buying handmade tortillas from the little old lady at the tortilleria. Instead I find three 99 Cent stores in a row; the Notary Public; the Income Tax Agent, and a Botanica - it is all so foreign to me sometimes. I really miss my old neighborhood, even though I still live in it.
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