LA LA Land – City of Angels and Bohemians

Born and brought up in Mumbai, I am the quintessential “Aamchi Mumbai” girl. I never imagined falling in love with another city. But, as luck would have it, I moved to Los Angeles for Masters. The city of angels, they called it. This city has pieces of every part of the world. A melting pot of multi-cultural, multi-linguistic people coming together, sharing ideas and customs, making LA’s culture completely unique, completely special. My love affair with the sights and sounds of LA began instantly. Amidst all the academic commitments, I performed some magic tricks. Turning coffee into code, friends into family and dreams into reality were some of the amazing feats I pulled off. With work in order, navigating through the alleys and streets of LA introduced me to world of art, creativity and the pictorial representation of human emotion. That said, if I were to live in the US forever, I’d choose LA in a heartbeat. LA is so much more than the Walk of Fame or the Hollywood sign. I intend to prove that statement below! Mirroring LA’s polycentrism, this post is a collection of photographs of city blocks pasted together.

Chinatown:

North northeast of Downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown is the Oriental part of the city, having murals and artwork depicting elements of Asian cultures. It also is a great place to find some authentic Chinese food (in case it wasn’t obvious enough).

Little Tokyo:

The cultural focal point for Los Angeles’s Japanese American population, this little town is the best place to spent your evening exploring beautiful tiny cafes, live karaoke on the streets and some delicious japanese food.

Beverly Hills:

The paparazzi’s workplace. The best place for celeb-spotting, shopping at world famous Rodeo Drive and a spooky-looking witch house. Also, an excellent place to lose a few million dollars over a house. (11/10 would buy)

P.S. The famous Paul Smith Pink Wall was the perfect photo for my Instagram account (@thepinkspark)

P.P.S. Totally not advertising my account here.

P.P.P.S. Pink is the easiest way to distract me. Example: I believe globalization is the key to…oh look, a pink hat!

Theme Parks:

Los Angeles has some of the best theme parks anywhere on the planet. Six-flags, Warner bros. studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios and Disneyland are absolute must-visit places. If you’re an aspiring Disney princess like me, you know where to go. To my fellow Wizards, let’s catch up in the Hogwarts located in The wizarding world of harry potter, Universal Studios. Forgive me but it’s just impossible to put into words my love for this place- FRIENDS Central Perk located in Warner Bros. Studio, Hollywood. (Just go here, period.)

Hollywood and Downtown:

The commercial, I-see-this-in-movies side of LA, complete with tall office buildings and swanky cafés, DTLA a couple of really amazing attractions. There’s of course the popular walk of fame. The Central Library, an extravagant, artistic architectural marvel replete with thousands of books under warm lights. For museum folks, there’s the “Walt Disney Concert Hall” and “The Broad.” Don’t miss the Infinity mirrored room, rays of light bouncing off mirrors and water, creating the impression of a “sky full of stars.”  If you are a fan of fairy lights and need a new facebook profile picture, do visit this Luminous place in midtown- LACMA. (TIP: Offer to take a couples’ picture and they will return the favor.) Not very far from the downtown, there’s a Los Angeles Art Distict in which all the talented artists have given new life to old industrial buildings. 

Protip: Try the Goth Ice Creams at Little Damage in Downtown. Your Instagram can thank me later.

Echo Park and Kenneth Park:

It’s the many stories this city tells and there are some places in it which tell them even more romantically. Parks like Echo and Kenneth park are great places for a quiet, intimate walks with a loved one. Particularly beautiful against the backdrop of a setting sun. No so far from the Echo park, there’s a century-old sycamore tree which has a dozen of chandeliers. 

Beaches:

The lifeblood of ‘LA life.’ Los Angeles has beaches all over the place. Almost every beach has lovely local dining options, and sprawling shopping zones. Sometimes it gets really windy, but other days they’re wonderful places to play some beach volleyball or build sand castles with a toddler. If you’re a gyp-sea soul like me, this is the place for you. I’m going to mention my absolute favorite ones here (in no particular order): Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, Dockweiler, Hermosa, Malibu (best for surfing), El Matador (hopelessly romantic and the most beautiful sunset EVER), Redondo (Try kayaking here), point dume, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Graffiti Walls:

I’ve always been obsessed with clicking walls and pretty doors. They’re so simple, yet so elegant. There are some amazing expressions of emotion and creativity on graffiti walls. LA is pretty famous for “Angel-wings” walls. I’m always on the lookout for more of these, but I’ve put some of them here.

Hikes:

I started hiking when I came here, and I haven’t stopped since. It’s a great way to admire nature and the sights around you, while getting off the computer and treating your body well. This city has some fine hiking spots, for beginners and experienced hikers alike.

Personal Favorite: Cucamonga Peak.

Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens:

Imagine a whole canvas containing only shades of green, littered with brown here and there. Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens are depictions of traditional Japanese and Chinese gardens, overflowing with green. It’s a 120 acre plot of green, waiting to be explored and admired. You may remember scenes from Hollywood movies shot here!

Hot Air Balloon Ride, Skydive and Horse Ride:

These places are a little far away from Los Angeles, but definitely within driving distance. Try one of these (or all) for a really extravagant date with someone special. If she says “no” after this, you had a lemon on your hands.

Temecula, CA. Part 1: Watch the sun rise followed by a wine tasting and a scrumptious breakfast at California Dreamin’, in a completely not this-is-so-fancy-and-out-of-my-budget kinda morning. I would prefer such dates over a dinner any day. (Pictures weren’t clicked on a date, I’m not THAT girl).

Santa Barbara, CA. Part 2: When the air balloon ride goes horribly wrong: forced skydiving. Thankfully, there’s always planned ways to skydive. One of the most beautiful experiences.

Glendale, CA. Part 3: You are a “muggle” in GOT world if you can’t ride a horse. Horseback ride is a must to catch breathtaking mountain views and meandering trails of Los Angeles. My personal favourites are sunset and moonlight rides at Sunset Ranch, Malibu and Griffith park.

Korean Bell of Friendship:

The Korean Bell of Friendship was presented to the USA by the Republic of Korea as a gesture of goodwill. It’s a massive bronze bell sitting inside a stone pavilion, making for an awe-inspiring sight. Indians reading this: If you translated that name into Hindi, you’re a monster. Just.

The Last Bookstore:

Ironically, the first bookstore I visited in Los Angeles! You can walk through a tunnel of books in the labyrinth, which features a massive maze housing more than 100,000 used books. Doors that lead nowhere, time travel-portholes looking into artist’s rendition of outer space and secret passageways that lead to hidden book rooms.

Nerds: Think “tome hunting” in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Murphy’s Ranch:

A 1930’s Nazi camp that ended up being painted over with multi-colored, multi-emotional graffiti, Murphy’s Ranch is now an abandoned, derelict pile of rust, mystery and speculation. Ms Murphy was a supposed pseudonym, associated with the place, and the common belief is that Murphy never existed. Fascinating.

P.S. I started to write “all men must die” on one of the walls and the paint can dried out, so I just wrote “all men must d.” If you get a chance, please find it and complete it for me.

Sunset Point and Wayfarer’s Chapel:

A U-shaped ridge looking over the ocean, making for an excellent sunset spot, this place in Rancho Palos Verdes also has a beautiful chapel where most people would want to get married. I almost registered myself for the future (read:almost).

P.S. Future husband, please refer to the above paragraph for details of the prenuptial agreement.

Venice Canals:

A tiny glimmer of Venice without actually going to Italy, the Venice Canals make for some really beautiful, halcyon sights. I personally enjoyed the setting, it made for some wallpaper-worthy pictures.

 

While visiting all these beautiful places, don’t forget to collect souvenirs. There are plenty of vintage shops around LA if anyone’s’ interested. Just now while packing my stuff I realized I do have one entire box full of souvenirs from LA. Trust me, they are worth each penny. (I’ll surely post a picture of my new room decorated with all collected stuff on Instagram sometime soon)

Lots of love <3

Madhura