Become an Explorer

HOLLYWOOD, BEVERLY HILLS and Santa Monica are the top three things foreigners want to see when they visit “the land of celebrities and sun,” more commonly known as Los Angeles. As Angelenos we sigh and grunt when another friend from out of state or country asks to see this Los Angeles which we know to be stereotypical. Yet it’s not that we don’t like these areas of town, rather, that we know there is much more to L.A. than this.

As I began to think about outside impressions of Los Angeles, I thought of my own impressions of other countries I have visited in the world. When I went to London I wanted to see the West End, Big Ben, and Parliament. When I went to Scotland I wanted to see Edinburgh Castle and when in Paris I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Sacre Coeur . When reflecting on my travel plans, I began to realize that I was more like the aforementioned crowd than I realized because that’s what we all are, tourists in areas that we are not from.

I’ve found that in order to veer off the beaten path of the tourists, guidebooks can be helpful but also seem overwhelming. In my experience the best way to truly see a city is in the eyes of a local or of someone who has held residence there for an extended period of time. Some of my favorite times when studying abroad were from recommendations by the locals, say of a great place to eat or a hidden place with an amazing view, both of which were not frequented by tourists. These new discoveries made me feel like I was truly entering another world and not one where everyone around me was the same.

Moreover, I find that when friends go to London I make a list a mile long of all of my favorite places for them to discover that are off the beaten path because when studying abroad, I explored and would take long walks and see what I could find. Unfortunately, here in Los Angeles so many of us are so busy with our day to day lives that we miss the richness that our city has to offer. But next time, I’m not going to tell my friends who visit, about the typical place, instead I’m going to immerse myself with them and explore my city. Will you?

--Emily Day

photo caption, view from the old los angeles zoo; 3rd and Fairfax
photo credit: omar omar, flickr creative commons

More Dreams from Bunker Hill

THIS WEEK, the corner of 5th Street & Grand Avenue moved up in the world.
The City of Los Angeles is formally naming the intersection after the author of Ask the Dust and Dreams from Bunker Hill. It's a symbolic choice of course, as 5th and Grand sit at the foot of the old neighborhood, Bunker Hill we've been talking about and looking at in class. It was where he once lived -- and suffered. It was also a quick walk to the Central Library, a place that the author haunted. Years later, a young poet happened upon his books in the stacks, and they in turn inspired him to become a writer. Charles Bukowski would champion Fante for the rest of his life.

For those interested in a long-look back there will be a bus tour, John Fante's Dream's From Bunker Hill, on April 17 sponsored and hosted by the Los Angeles Visionary Association. Check here for details.
-- L.G.
(photo: Fante's Bunker Hill duplex, credit: fishbowl, l.a.)

Sight Seeing in Our City

EVEN THOUGH I grew up in Los Angeles, I often feel like I have done less in my city than those visiting or those who have relocated here.

This weekend I decided to do something I have heard so many people talk about, but have never done myself. I took my little sisters -- who have grown up in Los Angeles, but also have never been -- on a hike up at the Griffith Observatory.

Because it was a beautiful Saturday morning, the 101 Freeway to the 5 Freeway -- which I had no idea would take me to Los Feliz Blvd. and to the observatory and the L.A. Zoo -- was a zoo itself. It took us 45-minutes to get from Studio City, the south end of the San Fernando Valley, to Los Feliz only a few miles away.

We then got lost for awhile on Los Feliz Blvd. in a neighborhood full of amazing historical houses before, like tourists in our own city, we began to follow the signs up past the Greek Amphitheater, the golf course, and finally to the Observatory itself. Parking was hectic and the trails were packed, with what seemed mostly with tourists (real tourists), but once we got to the top of the trail we saw sights of our city that we had never known existed. All of a sudden we became tourists ourselves while observing the 360-degree view of the city we have been born in and never left. could not determine downtown from Century City or Santa Monica or Burbank. As we were standing there turning in circles and trying to figure out which direction the beach was a man came up to us and asked us what we were looking for. We explained to him we were trying to figure out which way the beach was and within five quick minutes he mapped out the whole city for us from the foothills of Pasadena to the tip of the peninsula. Assuming he was a native Angeleno I asked him what part of Los Angeles he was from. His response: “I’m just here visiting for the weekend from Wisconsin.”

Only in Los Angeles would a tourist from the Midwest know the city better than a native. With that experience in hand my sisters and I decided were going to make it a point once a month to explore and knew part of our city and get to know it a little better.

-- Danielle Rosenthal
(photo credit: danielle rosenthal)