* Child of L.A. *

I am a true child of L.A. I have lived here all of my life and I love this city deeply. There is no place else on earth that is so eccentric yet inspiring, so eclectic and truly fascinating.

Sometimes when I fly in after being away for a week or two and I’m amazed at how large the city is. Looking down I think how daunting it must seem to many people, how immense and dispersed, a centerless metropolis. This is not Boston, or Chicago, or New York. Los Angeles is something entirely unique, a stream of suburbs flowing out to the desert on one side and an ocean on the other. Yet I feel something that I can only describe as love as we drop down lower and lower for the landing. I can see the Hollywood sign, the beautiful beaches, and the seaside hills. All of this makes me feel at home.

I have never lived anywhere else is my life. I was born here and never left. Yes, I’ve felt the occasional restlessness, the thought that maybe I should try a different city, a different state. But this feeling always passed in a split second. Over the years I’ve had many friends that did decide to move away. Some left for college on the east coast and never returned. Others left for their careers or for love. Many moved to cities that they felt were more manageable, “better for raising a family” they would say. I went to all of their going-away parties, some very close friends of mine. I would sit there and think, are our needs so different now despite our shared childhoods? Had Los Angeles not become engrained in their soul like it had mine?

We had spent so many afternoons together roaming our suburban streets. We entertained ourselves with games of hopscotch, trying hard with each hop to balance so perfectly and move quicker than our friends. We tried to take it to the next level with each game of Chinese jump rope. No other generation would ever have the easy freedom that we enjoyed. The children’s security apparatus was in force yet. There were no milk cartons haunted with faces of the missing. Parental fear wasn’t in overdrive. Our life was spent outdoors.

Everyone has their own path that they will follow. Some move to other cities, states, or even countries. I love to go and visit these places and soak up all the wonderful things they have to offer. But Los Angeles will never be old for me, even after all the years I’ve spent here, this city still continues to surprise me, to inspire me. This is my home.

CL