Los Angeles thy name is diversity
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(Photo by Kyle Levy)
One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is its diversity. Not just culturally, although that is certainly significant. More so, LA has one of the oddest geographical combinations. For example there are “the hills” which surround the city on almost all sides. On clear days, you can see them snuggly protecting us from the outside world. To the west, there is the Pacific Ocean with as many beaches as could ever be needed. And last but not least, it’s possible to reach the desert within an hour’s drive inland.
With all of these options, it’s sometimes difficult to pick something to do on a day off of work. More often than not, I simply wind up staying at home, playing with my dog Alfie, and watching television. However, this past week some friends convinced me to get up early, yes 9 a.m. is early, and go for a hike.
It was legen (wait for it) dary! Legendary! We chose Bronson Canyon in Hollywood because it’s far less crowded than Runyon, and it was perfect. The weather was warm and sunny. The smog over the city wasn’t that bad, and I got to spend quality time with some very good friends.
(Photo by Kyle Levy)
One of the trails in particular leads all the way up to the Hollywood Sign. When you finally get up there you’re behind the sign looking down over the city. It’s a magical feeling. We always see the sign from our perspective down here, but it’s interesting seeing the city from the sign’s point of view.
Everything seems so much lighter up there. All of the stress of city living floats away. You’re still surrounded by over 15 million people, but it feels like you’re completely alone up there.
However, the best part is that I was able to go up there with two friends from France. They’d never been even though they’d obviously seen the sign from down here. So you can imagine their faces when we turned the corner and the only thing between us and the sign was a couple hundred feet and a very tall chain link fence.
We take it for granted that we live here and see history play itself out every single day. Once upon a time Marilyn Monroe looked up at that sign and thought to herself, I finally made it! Once upon a time Frank Sinatra drove a car down Hollywood Boulevard belting out tunes that will forever be remembered.
History is being made as you sit there reading this now. It’s happening all around us, and I for one want to be a part of it. I want to offer the world something memorable, and living here in LA is the best way to make that happen. I don’t even mind the smog…
Kyle Levy is a 27-year old man living in and loving Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) who majored in English and minored in Renaissance and Reformation Studies, Kyle has wide ranging interests from history to art to politics. Most importantly he enjoys language in general. The written word holds an intrinsic value equal to no other. It is the thing which separates humans from every other creature on Earth. With this Kyle hopes to change the world as much as possible with the time afforded to him.